Interview

Lancer Heralds A "Second Storm" Of Melodic Metal

A "Second Storm" is on the horizon, ready to officially break into a melodic metal squall on April 10th through Despotz Records.

After several music videos have dropped and the album is just now on the cusp of official release, we checked in with Lancer vocalist Isak Stenvall to find out what the band had to say about this album's creation.

Read on for more info on the impending full-length, which covers everything from killer robot ostriches to Sodom and Gomorrah in its nine killer tracks (and if you haven't yet, pre-order your own copy right here).

xFiruath: So explain the “Second Storm” cover artwork to me: did the ostriches finally mechanize and rise up against their human masters? Is it a Mega Man boss? What's happening there?

Isak: Haha, yeah something like that. In the song “Steelbreaker” I’m singing about a metal monstrosity, and we pictured a robotic ostrich in our heads. What Dimitar Nikolov created was beyond our wildest imaginations, it looks totally dreadful and dangerous. You can find references to some other titles on the album cover as well. The sun explosion in the background is the blast of the sun god "Aton," the walls of Gomorrah is to the right, and there are some more for the listener to find.

xFiruath: You guys are freshly signed to Despotz - how did you get connected with the label?

Isak: The album was completed in August, after that we started to search for a label partner. Despotz Records was one of our favorites and we signed the contract during the fall of 2014. We changed management during the recording process of the new album, and our new manager knew the guys from Despotz and knew that they would be perfect for us at this point.

xFiruath: Tell me about what sort of sound you guys are trying to get across with “Second Storm.” How has the music changed and what will remain familiar from the previous self-titled album?

Isak: There are a lot of similarities with our debut album, it's still melodic metal in a fast tempo. Some songs are a little bit heavier, production-wise there's a big difference. Our first record sounded like a lost tape from the 80's, this time we wanted the band to sound more like 2015. A production with more muscles and a thicker sound.

xFiruath: How did the recording go for this album?

Isak: The album was recorded at Leon Studios in Karlstad here in Sweden, with producer Gustav Ydenius. We've worked with him before and we knew that he could produce the sound that we were after. It’s always stressful to record an album, since we have very high expectations of ourselves, kind of perfectionistic. But in the end it’s worth it, we are really happy how this album turned out.

xFiruath: Going a bit further about what you were discussing on the cover art, lyrically what's going on with the tracks on “Second Storm?”

Isak: It’s no concept album, just a bunch of cool songs with different themes. The lyrics are important I think, they need to have some sort of substance. “Running from the Tyrant” is inspired by the Italian horror film "The Beyond.” “Children of the Storm” by Stephen King’s “Storm of the Century.” “Steelbreaker” is a made up sci-fi story about a robot ostrich slaying a certain Swedish journalist. “Eyes of the Liar” is about a guy with split personalities, like Jekyll and Hyde. “Iwo Jima,” “Fools Marches On” and “Masters and Crowns” are portraying the cruelty of mankind. “Behind the Walls” is about God’s wrath over Sodom and Gomorrah.

xFiruath: You've released several music videos already from the album – both live action and animated. Tell me a bit about how those clips came together and what you thought of the finished products.

Isak: A team called Lefvande Bilder have created the videos for "Masters and Crowns" and "Iwo Jima." We had a guy from Russia that made the animated lyric video for "Behind the Walls." All three movies ended up really cool. For the animated video, we wanted an ancient city surrounded by fire, and we wanted a religious theme in the bridge, he truly nailed it. For the “Masters and Crowns” video we wanted to portray a blinded population, the men with their heads in the sand are a humoristic nod to the typical ostrich pose. For the “Iwo Jima” video we wanted the story to be in focus, and the band in the background. The story is about a survivor from the battle of Iwo Jima, how the island haunts his dreams and how it finally sets him free by taking his life.

xFiruath: What's happening in your neck of the woods as far as the metal scene, and are there any cities or areas where you think the scene is really thriving?

Isak: The metal scene is quite strong in our county Värmland, in Sweden. For example we have produced bands like Enforcer, Vomitory and Sparzanza. And now Lancer. We have a really great venue in Karlstad called Nöjesfabriken that has had bands like Helloween and Gamma Ray, WASP, Accept and many more visiting. And they also book shows with new and upcoming local bands.

xFiruath: Will Lancer be headed out of Sweden for live shows in the near future?

Isak: Yes, the response has been nothing but great, so we will probably bring the storm abroad in a near future. But it all depends on if the metal masses like the album or not, if they like our new album we will come! We're very optimistic on this point.

xFiruath: I see in your band photo a couple of the guys are sporting ink – what are your latest tattoos of and do you have any plans for more in the future? Got any recommendations for great tattoo artists?

Isak: My latest is a vicious snake on my right arm, my left arm is complete. I will add some minor details on my right arm, after that it's finished too. I don't know what will be up next. There are two really great artists in Karlstad, Sid Siamese who's a master on Japanese style, and Jimmylajnen who's great on new school.

xFiruath: Are there any ongoing side projects or other musical outlets for the members of Lancer right now?

Isak: I was asked to join a metal opera with some really cool people, but it wasn't the right time for me at this point. I must focus mainly on Lancer. Ewo is active in the black metal band Trident and the folk metal band Fejd.

xFiruath: What's on your personal musical rotation lately?

Isak: New Europe, Enforcer, Storyteller and Shadowquest albums arrived in the mailbox earlier this week.

xFiruath: Anything else you'd like to say?

Isak: Spread the word of Lancer and rock on!