Swedish metallers Darkane have returned with Inhuman Spirits, their seventh studio album and first in nine years. Inhuman Spirits was mixed and mastered by vocalist Lawrence Mackrory at Rorysound Studios, and is packed with intense, groovy and catchy melodic death/thrash metal. We spoke to guitarist Klas Ideberg about the making of the new record, touring plans and the legacy of their classic 1999 debut Rusted Angel.
Brendan Crabb: It’s been nine years since the previous Darkane album. Did the band always plan to return at some point, or had it been left open-ended?
Klas Ideberg: Yes, we planned on returning at some point, but we didn’t plan on taking such a long time, though (laughs). We just focused on writing the very best album we could. We tried many ideas that weren’t up to quality.
Did any new musical influences impact on the writing of this record?
We are always influenced by other music, but normally we don’t let that influence us too much, though. We stick to the Darkane sound as much as we can.
Did the pandemic influence the writing of this record, or impact on its overall creation?
The pandemic was actually good for us because we did most of the recording and some writing during the pandemic. The pandemic meant that we didn’t have to stress the process. But it became very stressful in the end anyway (laughs).
Inhuman Spirits is being released within a similar time period to new albums from several heavyweights of Swedish melodic death metal – Arch Enemy, Soilwork, Amon Amarth and The Halo Effect included. Is that an intimidating prospect, or do you feel that the album’s quality will set it apart from the others?
We are pretty far away from those bands sound-wise and we certainly feel Inhuman Spirits will have its own life, so to say. The downside for us is that so many bands are releasing albums at the same time so it’s easy to drown in all the releases.
Darkane has had several vocalists throughout its career, but otherwise the lineup has remained intact. What do you attribute this to?
We all enjoy each other’s company and we hardly quarrel. We all have the same attitude towards music and playing music, so combining those things together we have a winning concept to a long lasting marriage, so to say (laughs). We are just very good friends, plus we live close to each other.
Rusted Angel is a much beloved album among fans of Swedish melodic death metal. What are your memories of the making of the LP? What do you think the album’s legacy is?
I remember the making of the album as a lot of fun. The whole album was written and recorded in nine months. It was a fun time indeed; especially the recording I have a lot of fond memories from. But it was an exhausting time as well. I worked the graveyard shift many days, or should I say nights (laughs). Even though we worked our asses off it was a lot of fun. And it is very humbling to see that the album is still revered in the underground community. That’s so cool for us. It is kind of a milestone for us, and we still play many songs from that album live.
Rusted Angel was also recently added to Spotify, alongside other releases from your back catalogue. Do you hope this will help a whole new generation of metal fans discover that record?
That would have been very nice if it would be so. I hope more people will take notice of all the previous albums now when they have been re-released.
What are the band’s touring plans for the new record?
It is really difficult to tour now. So many bands are touring now and the market is over-saturated. So for us being such a small band it is difficult. But for next year there will be some touring, and we will do a few gigs here and there in the fall hopefully.
Any famous last words?
To all the readers of Heavy Music HQ, check out Darkane’s new album. You won’t be disappointed if you like technical thrash/death metal. Stay metal!
(interview published June 24, 2022)
Watch Darkane – “Awakening” Video
