Second step forward for Thermality.
Born in Sweden in 2020, the band draws inspiration for its riffs from the pioneers of Melodic Death. In 2024, Walter Hamilton (guitar, Satan is Retard, Hostilia), Hampus Sätterlund (drums, Satan is Retard), Ludvig Sommar (vocals), Noel Hoflund Jonsson (guitar) and Ture Skärfstad Stål (bass) unveil The Final Hours, their second album, via Black Lodge Records.
The album opens with MMXXIV, a melodious, melancholic acoustic introduction that eventually accelerates into Weeping Angels, where saturation takes possession of the musicians to offer us a perfect compromise between Old School patterns and hints of modernity. The raw vocal parts and haunting harmonics work in perfect harmony, then the band takes a more playful approach with Thorns of Salem where airy leads complement the jolting rhythm, sometimes even slowing it down between two waves of violence. Fire Will Reign immediately follows, letting its guitars blaze while assuming its explosive roots, while the vocals take on different tones, before returning to a kind of quietude with Stranger, the next composition, whose ambience is very different, including a few acoustic passages. The band remains very consistent on this track, as on the icy Windigo, which features slow piercing tones to recreate that dark curtain, then Clones unveils a relatively more modern sound that almost borrows from Metalcore, while adopting the Swedes’ melodic touch. We return to sharp guitars with Forsaken, where the influences are once again easily identifiable in rage, but also in the final gentleness leading to Nightfall, which is sure to place furious blasts to accompany us between two epic moments. The Hunter & The Nightmare take off again at full speed, offering us a sharp sound, but also a few backing vocals and darker elements to give the track its rhythm, before letting The Guardian return to Melodic Death’s liveliest roots, while adding a more massive dimension. The band closes this second chapter with the two parts of their track Divinity, the first developing mainly heady leads while the second is based on more haunting patterns, but both retaining a high acoustic touch.
There’s no doubt about it: Thermality is a Swedish band, and the musicians are proud of it! Thanks to the Melodic Death roots it exploits, The Final Hours is an excellent album that doesn’t hesitate to pay homage to the style’s pioneers, while at times distancing itself from them to adopt its own identity.
85/100
A few questions to Ludvig Sommar and Noel Hoflund Jonsson, respectively singer and guitar player of the Swedish Melodic Death Metal band Thermality for the release of their second album, The Last Hours.
Hello and first of all, thank you very much for your time! How could you introduce the band Thermality without using the usual musical labels such as “Melodic Death Metal”?
Noel Hoflund Jonsson (guitar): Hello! I would introduce us as a new Metal band who want to think we are in the metal prime of the 90’s and early 2000’s, we want to get the older more nostalgic sound and songwriting style, to take listeners back in time. Our music is a blend of elements from the old school Gothenburg sound whilst taking a more modern approach to the melodies and the heavy part of today’s music.
What does the name Thermality mean to you, and how is the link with the music you create?
Ludvig Sommar (vocals): This is a difficult one! When we were looking for a name for this band we had a really difficult time figuring out something we were happy with. We wanted something new that hadn’t been used by anyone before and after a lot of different name ideas we kind of settled with “Thermality”. Or thought behind the name being we could kind of create our own thing and meaning with it, since it doesn’t really mean anything at all.
The band has only been alive four years now, but you’re about to release your second full-length The Final Hours. How do you feel about it? Do you already have any feedback?
Noel: We all went to a gymnasium in Vara, Sweden where we studied music. In our spare time and all of our breaks between classes we hung out and wrote music, rehearsed and played together. All we wanted to do was to make music which ended up in a lot of songs. We spend almost all of our free time writing and are coming up with new material all the time. We have gotten feedback from family, friends and some “magazines and other publishers” and also of course Niklas Sundin (ex-Dark Tranquility). But the biggest one must be that the album helped us land a record deal with Black Lodge Records and Sound Pollution. So to sum up we love writing music and I think that is why we have pretty high tempo when doing it.
How would you sum The Final Hours’ identity up in only three words?
Noel: New, Nostalgic, Amazing.
How did the creation process happen for The Final Hours? Did you notice some changes compared to the previous album Before I Get to Rest?
Noel: A big difference for us I think was our approach to writing the music. When writing the first album Before I Get to Rest‘ we learned a lot and we brought that new knowledge into the writing process for The Final Hours. There was a big space between the two albums so we had much time to find new inspirations and approaches to it as well. Everyone in the band is a completely different soul and person which led us to have very many different inputs and ideas. All of us in the band are extremely proud of what we have already created and accomplished but it’s only gonna get better. AND WE HAVE JUST BEGUN!
What about the artwork, what were the guidelines you gave the artist and how does it fit with the music you created? Is there a concept behind the album?
Noel: When we started to look into the artwork and what we wanted there were a lot of different ideas of how it should look. We couldn’t come to an agreement so we came to the idea that we would say to our label/team that if they knew anybody, they could send the album to him and let him do some sketches that would be some good representatives of the album in its entirety. Then we got an email some week later from the legend himself Niklas Sundin, all of the art he created was amazing but we saw one of them and thought: “That is THE one”. It was an obvious choice afterwards he continued and we are super happy with the finished product.
The band’s sound is firmly rooted in the Melodic Death Metal sound, but with some kind of modern approach. How do you manage to create your own touch? What are the band’s favorites in the Swedish scene?
Ludvig: I think everyone can guess that our biggest favorites in the Swedish scene are such bands as In Flames, Arch Enemy, Amon Amarth, Dark Tranquility, Dissection and At the Gates. And of course without bands such as them paving the way for us in the new generation the genre probably wouldn’t exist or be anywhere near where it is today. So for that we are of course super grateful! That being said tho, we are here to try and do our own thing and not be defined by the bands that came before us.
Do you have a favorite song on this album? Or maybe the hardest one to achieve for the album.
Ludvig: The Hunter & The Nightmare Is a song that went fairly quick to write yet it has so much going on, being a crazy blend of everything that we listen to from Symphonic Metal to Melodic Metal to Classical music. And it’s a really fun song to play when we rehearse, so we are really excited for everyone to hear that song! The most difficult song to write was probably Nightfall since we started writing on that song before our first album was released but it was somehow one of the last once we finished our second one.
Where do you find your inspiration to create music?
Ludvig: Everywhere. Inspiration can strike us when we are listening to music, when we are out on a walk or even when we hear a door creak a bit just a bit too strangely haha! So when it comes to inspiration and writing we haven’t really had a big dry spell yet and we hope that it never comes.
The band teams up for the first time with record label Black Lodge Records, how is the collaboration with them?
Noel: They have been amazing so far to work with. The communication, the work they have done and they have a lot of experience, so we have a lot of confidence and trust in them. And we are of course hoping to have a great future with them!
Do you think you improved yourself as a musician and songwriter with this new record?
Ludvig: Yes we definitely pushed ourselves both from a creative and technical point of view as we always want to get better and do better. And believe me when I say that the stuff we are working on right now are pushing us to our limits even more.
When I looked on the internet, I saw a few shows in Sweden between 2023 and 2024. How do you get ready to go on stage? Do you plan to play more live shows? Would you like to play outside of your country?
Noel: Yes we definitely want to do more live shows and it would definitely be a dream come true to play abroad!
Are there any musicians or artists you would like to collaborate with? Whether it is for one song, or maybe more.
Ludvig: Amon Amarth! Definitely haha! We already have a few viking songs just laying around and it would be a dream to work with Johan Hegg and the rest of Amon Amarth.
What do you know about the French Metal scene? Are there any bands you know and like?
Noel: We aren’t that familiar with the french scene, that being said we know a few bands such as Gojira, Trust and Igorrr and we of course know of Hellfest. But we are absolutely willing to discover more and especially play in France.
If you had to organize a concert for The Final Hours’ release show, which bands would you love to play with? I let you create a poster with Thermality and three other bands!
Ludvig: The dream lineup would probably be In Flames, Amon Amarth & Arch Enemy. But in reality we would be happy to just play anywhere with anyone!
Last and funny question: which dish would you compare Thermality’s music with?
Ludvig & Noel: Probably a local dish in Vara where we come from called: “Half n Half“ (Swedish – Hälta, hälta). Which is basically mashed potatoes, Swedish meatballs and then also fries. So it’s something classic (mashed potatoes and Swedish meatballs) with a new spin (fries), like us an Old School sound with a new spin.
That was the last question for me, so thank you very much for your time and your music, last words are yours!
Ludvig & Noel: Thank you so much, We hope to do it again one day!