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Video Interview: Esben Willems of Monolord & Berserk Studio

Posted in Bootleg Theater, Features on January 27th, 2021 by JJ Koczan

monolord

Gothenburg, Sweden’s Monolord released their two-songer single I’m Staying Home on Jan. 14, pairing the title-track with a live version of “Bastard Son” recorded at Freak Valley Festival in 2019. A couple days ago, the band posted a minute-long clip of them in the studio — literally just a riff — as they started working on their fifth full-length.

The thing about Monolord is this: Monolord is no accident. From their 2013 debut, Empress Rising (discussed here), through an immediate barrage of tours, from releasing through RidingEasy to signing to Relapse ahead of 2019’s album of the year, No Comfort (review here), the band has been focused and working according to a plan. And the plan has largely worked, as you can hear in the influence Monolord have had, their own sonic progression, and the fact that across four records in six years they’ve made themselves indispensable among the post-social media generation of heavy. Whether you’re a fan or not, their impact is undeniable.

So what happens when the mother of all wrenches gets thrown in the gears of Monolord-in-progress? On the precipice of recording their fifth album — and for the first time in his own recently-acquired Berserk Studio — I talked with drummer Esben Willems about what it’s been like for the past year as the best laid plans have largely evaporated. He, guitarist/vocalist Thomas V. Jäger (who released a solo album last year on RidingEasy) and bassist Mika Häkki have by now begun the process of getting sounds and working on the album, but the chance to talk about writing, putting together the studio, working remotely with other bands to mix and master releases — not to mention just the weirdness of having something positive like buying a studio happen while the world is falling apart — was much appreciated. His choice in t-shirt, as ever, was fitting.

I don’t know what the rest of 2021 will bring for Monolord beyond, presumably, the fifth album release (summer? fall?), but with the single out, the teaser clip, and work begun, I was grateful for the opportunity to chat and you’ll find the video below.

Please enjoy:

Monolord Interview with Esben Willems, Jan. 20, 2021

Monolord‘s I’m Staying Home single is out through Relapse Records now and can be streamed here:

Monolord, I’m Staying Home b/w Bastard Son (2021)

Monolord, Fifth Album Teaser

Monolord on Thee Facebooks

Monolord on Instagram

Monolord on Bandcamp

Relapse Records website

Relapse Records on Thee Facebooks

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