Who can stop Unleashed?
Formed in 1989 by Johnny Hedlund (bass/vocals, ex-Nihilist) and Anders Schultz (drums, Unanimated), joined by Tomas Olsson (guitar, ex-Julie Laughs No More) in 1990 and Fredrik Folkare (guitar, Firespawn, Dead Kosmonaut, ex-Necrophobic) in 1995, they are releasing Fire Upon Your Lands, their fifteenth album, via Napalm Records this year.
From the very first moments of Left for Dead, the first track, the band immediately plunges us back into their furious Death Metal, which doesn’t hesitate to charge forward to welcome Johnny‘s screams, further intensifying his palpable rage. The sharp harmonics bring a melodic touch while remaining aggressive, giving A Toast to the Fallen a more mysterious feel that fits perfectly with the macabre tones that the band sometimes exploits in conjunction with the vocals. We remain in this distressing atmosphere with The Road to Haifa Pier, a track that becomes very catchy thanks to its bursts of violence, followed by the stirring War Comes Again, where the tempo changes frequently, making the song quite wild and unpredictable. Fire Upon Your Lands follows with a catchy, jerky approach while weaving menacing harmonics that come back strong on Loyal to the End, where the band returns to a sustained pace that allows for slower but also, and above all, very unifying choruses. The tone changes for Midjardarhaf, which displays a certain unexpected softness, mainly thanks to the harmonics that transform the track into a veritable epic that joins Hail the Varangians!, where the tone is much more vindictive while remaining unifying on the choruses. We remain in purely aggressive tones with To My Only Son, which carries us away in its charge and doesn’t hold back on the blows before slowing down considerably on Hold Your Hammers High! with its crushing sounds that are bound to accelerate. The melodies easily captivate us while the rhythm section pounds us, but the album is already coming to an end with Unknown Flag, which returns to violence with its bloody old-school sounds until the very last moment.
Fifteen albums and more than thirty-five years of career have not diminished the power of Unleashed, who are still as infused with Death Metal as ever on Fire Upon Your Lands! The Swedish roots will never fade.
90/100
A few questions to singer/bass player and Unleashed founding member Johnny Hedlund, about the band’s new record, Fire upon Your Lands.
Hello and first of all, thank you very much for your time! Last time we’ve talked was back in 2021, so here’s my first question : how would you introduce the band Unleashed to someone who has never heard about Metal music?
Johnny Hedlund (bass/vocals): Hello! And thanks for having us in Acta Infernalis. I would say that Unleashed is a Death Metal band with the Viking tradition deeply rooted. We play slow, mid paced and fast music with much dynamic in our songs and try to always be very catchy so that the songs become very memorable for the listener.
Unleashed has been around for more than 35 years now, and the line-up is the same for like 30 years, how do you guys keep the flame alive by playing Death Metal?
Johnny: There are a few reasons for this that are equally important. I would say that three things stand out: 1. You have to be very good friends within the band. 2. You all have to help out with everything that concerns the band so that it doesn’t become a one man show. 3. We have always kept to the roots which is something we agreed upon from the start. That way there are very few clashes as to how the next album should sound like.
Next month, Unleashed will release its fifteenth album, called Fire upon Your Lands. How do you feel about it? Do you already have any feedback?
Johnny: So far the feedback has been amazing! I can only hope this continues as it gets released to the public. And of course we feel very good about the new album. No regrets whatsoever.
How would you sum Fire upon Your Lands’ identity up in only three words?
Johnny: Viking Death Metal.
As I said, your lineup is the same for 30 years, so how did the creation process happen for Fire upon Your Lands? Were there any differences compared to the previous releases, or do you still have the same recipe?
Johnny: It is really much the same. It really helps a lot to have the same line up for decades. We know what we like and very few surprises come out of a machine like that. We try and make some refreshments here and there off course but still the process of creation is the same. Still using Fredrik‘s Chrome studio for the recording too.
The band’s sound is of course made of Death Metal in the Swedish way, what comforts you to keep adding those sharp melodies? Are there any bands who recently entered the list of your influences?
Johnny: Fredrik makes all the music these days and I do the lyrics. Perhaps it is safe to say that anything you listen to could be an influence although it should never take over so to speak. Good, solid stuff is always welcome but you still need to keep to the roots.
Do you have a favorite song on Fire upon Your Lands? Or maybe the hardest one to achieve for the album.
Johnny: Haha yes I’m afraid I don’t have a one-song-answer here.
Where do you find your inspiration to create music?
Johnny: Like stated in the previous answer it could be all from life to death, but surely from the past, present and future of Viking tradition. Both music and lyrically but perhaps mostly on the lyrical side then. Metal is such a never ending source of inspiration. It never dies. This I know by now.
Do you think you improved yourself as a musician/songwriter with this new record?
Johnny: Well I’d like to think we did. But then, it is up to others to judge if that happened in fact or not.
The last time I saw Unleashed on stage was in the Cernunnos Festival, back in 2020, but I also know you played Hellfest this year. Do you have some special memories from those concerts? Do you enjoy playing in France?
Johnny: We have always had a great response to our shows (and music) in France. And of course…that is why we keep coming back. We also play the Muscadeath Fest in Nantes on the 20th of September so back again soon…
How does an Unleashed live show happen from your point of view? How do you get prepared for a concert, and do you have some kind of pre-show routine?
Johnny: Just normal pre-show routines, preparing the equipment and such, Nothing crazy haha…but really, it is very smooth normally. I look at the live performance as an interaction between the band and the warriors who come to the show. The more they scream along with the songs…the better I feel, the better memory of the show to bring home to Sweden.
Unleashed is also scheduled to play at Muscadeath in September, but do you have more plans for the future? Whether it is about live shows, creating music again…
Johnny: Ahhh yes, just wrote this here but yes indeed. Well, we will not write anything new until next year. First off we want to play shows and see what everyone thing about the new album.
Are you open to collaborating with some guest musicians, whether it is for a song, an album, or maybe anything else? If yes, who would you like to work with?
Johnny: No we haven’t. Nothing like that is planned.
Last time you talked about Massacra as your favorite French Metal band, are there any other bands you know and like?
Johnny: If you mean bands in general then right now I am listening a lot to Eclipse, Grand Magus, Ghost and Alestorm. Well plus another 25 bands haha…
If I ask you to create a poster with Unleashed as headliner and three other bands for the release of Fire upon Your Lands, which bands would you like to play with? Even unrealistic answers are accepted.
Johnny: Oh hell, that’s a tough one. Well, Eclipse, Grand Magus, Manowar, and Ghost. (yeah I know…I don’t care who is the headliner).
That was the last question for me, so thank you very much for your time and your music, last words are yours!
Johnny: Thanks a lot for the interview and hope to see you in France next time around! Hail Odin!