Interview with EINHERJER (2/2)

Norwegian Viking metal icons Einherjer are making an impressive comeback with their new album, “Lifeblood.” In this second part of our interview, founding member Gerhard Storesund talks to us about what motivates him to keep going strong after 33 years. Did you miss the first part of the interview? No problem— you can read it here.

Gone, but Not Forgotten

The song “Gone” holds a very special meaning for Storesund. It was born out of the pain of recently losing his father. Compared to other lyrics, which are somewhat more cryptic and harder to pin down to a single emotion, “Gone” is more direct. “As I said, everything is just this tiny moment. But we fill that tiny moment with entire universes full of feelings and things that mean everything to us, and then we’re gone again.” He continues, with an emotional appeal and a lesson that can be drawn from the sense of emptiness: “Eventually, the time comes when we feel these losses ourselves. I’m 52 now and I’ve lost my father. That’s one of those moments when the world kind of falls apart. It was a very strange experience for me—my little corner of the world changes so drastically, and the rest of the world just carries on as if nothing had happened. As if we didn’t exist. But I don’t mean for that to sound so sad—it’s more about this perspective: that we should fill our little corner with meaning, because our time is limited.”

Against the current

The aptly titled “Maelstrom,” with lyrics also written by Gerhard, revolves around this vortex of despair that such thoughts can evoke. The Maelstrom is a tidal current off the coast of northern Norway that has been the undoing of many a sailor. Storesund uses this term as a metaphor and symbol to resist succumbing to these thoughts: “We think about the past; we think about all the things that could go wrong in the future. There is so much inescapable suffering that we construct in our own minds. The message of the song is to navigate through the negative phases with dignity, because we do have the power to control our thoughts in that direction. That is the blessing of human consciousness.”

Michael Schille

Lineup:
Frode Glesnes – guitar, bass, and vocals
Gerhard Storesund – drums
Ole Sønstabø – guitar
Tom Enge – guitar

You can also find Einherjer in our July/August issue:

Listen to Einherjer on our “Current Issue” playlist on Spotify: