Interview with black death metal band from Sweden - IN AETERNUM.
Answered David "Impious" Larsson (guitars, vocals), thank you!
Recenze/review - IN AETERNUM - ...Of Death and Fire (2026):
Ave IN AETERNUM! Greetings to the Swedish underground. I hope everything is going well for you. It should be, since you have another great album under your belt this year. I must admit that it literally pinned me to the wall. It's dark, energetic, cutting like a sharp knife. It's very clear that you've done a great job and that you have a lot of talent. How do you perceive the new album in relation to your previous recordings? Where did you want to go with it and how do you think the recordings are different?
David: The new album is like doing a debut album all over again. We had that same feeling when we were working on it and when it was finished. So much energy and excitement. Doing an album 20 years after the last one we really had to step up and do our best to not dissapoint ourselves. Honestly it was really easy working on these songs. It was something that needed to be done. We are really happy about all aspects of the album and I would rate this one as our best album together with our debut album. All albums are good so don’t get me wrong on this one. It’s just that for the first time in many years I’ve actually been listening to our album quite alot. We had alot to prove with this album after all these years. We didn’t want to come back and do a mediocre album or a soft album. From the feedback we have got from magazines and fans I can say with pride that we have done the right thing.
"...Of Death and Fire" has all the attributes of good black and death metal. For me personally, it's an album I love to come back to. How did it come about? How does IN AETERNUM compose new material?
David: Happy to hear that from you. We just went for it, if the riffs sounded good we recorded them and started building songs from there. We had some really heavy stuff recorded and we weren’t too sure about using it, but we kept working on it and the results can be heard in songs like Spirits Of The Dead and To Those Who Have Rode On for example. Nothing was off limits pretty much. Also on this album Daniel wrote the majority of the music, having him back in the band was what was needed. He’s a great guitar player.
I found out that Gord Olson is responsible for the mixing and mastering. I have to admit that the sound is literally killer. It keeps making me turn up the volume on my hi-fi system. Gord created a sound that is cruel, raw, dark, and animalistic at the same time. How was it working with him and why did you choose him? In which studio did you record and how did everything go?
David: The recording was done in both Daniels homestudio where we did all guitars and bass plus the vocals. Perra recorded drums at Studio Cave. After that was done we sent all the files over to Gord to be mixed and mastered. A bit different working with someone on the other side of the pond. In the end it turned out great soundwise, and Gord was easy to work with. The reason we choose him was that Perra worked with him on his solo album. I can agree with you that you always want to turn up the volume, the sound is perfect for it.
Sometimes I feel that black and death metal forget about the lyrics. What are the lyrics on "...Of Death and Fire" about? Where did you find inspiration for them?
David: The whole album concept is death. There are some historical stuff that has inspired us as well as spiritual stuff. For the most part we write from our inner self. To put it simple, the album is a hymn to death itself.
An integral part and a kind of bonus for fans today is the CD. You released it on Soulseller Records and it has a macabre cover. Who is the author? Am I right in thinking that it represents the entrance to hell? How did you choose the motif and how does it relate to the music on the new album?
David: Belial NecroArts made the cover, he’s a portugese guy with great skills. I had some ides and he took that and added some of his stuff into the cover artwork. It was important to have a cover with a central figure that would represent the theme of the album, in this case death. The hourglass is running out for all of us, faster than you think. When your time is up the grim reaper will be there to greet you welcome.
I've been wandering around the underworld for over thirty years, and I go to Sweden for music because I know I'll find what I'm looking for. I think we have a similar nature and taste when it comes to metal. I really like your bands and follow your scene closely. Maybe I'm even a little jealous of you, because we only have a few death metal bands that are worth listening to. How do you explain the fact that black and death metal are so successful in your country? How do you perceive your scene, fans, and labels?
David: I have no idea really, Sweden have always had a big music scene in all different styles. Since the 70‘s there has always been bands making heavy music, November is an old band that had a very doomy style. They sang in swedish. Then came the 80‘s and Bathory came out and just changed everything, and after that it kind of exploded with bands. One reason is that we have always had youth centers where you could borrow instruments and play, rehearsal rooms was everywhere, all connected to youth centers and community stuff. So if you wanted to play it was damn easy to do so. I’m 50 now and those places in my town are still there to help kids with a place to rehearse. It’s great to see that. Just the local scene where I live is growing and it’s really big, it’s the same all over the country. I love meeting fans and talk to them.
You play devastating death metal influenced by black metal. Nowadays, bands can't avoid comparisons, but I'd be interested to know how the idea to form IN AETERNUM came about, who your role models were and are, and where you want to take your band next. Are you tempted by any big international festivals, or do you want to tour with a more famous band?
David: I used to play in a death metal band called Adversary that me and a friend started early 1990. When that fell apart in 1992 I started up Behemoth that was more black metal inspired, did two demos and then changed name to In Aeternum when the vocalist quit. Talking about role models is hard, but we were inspired by loads of bands back then, guess we still are. Morbid Angel, Celtic Frost, Slayer, Possessed, Bathory, Dissection to name a few. Right now we are trying to put together a set list for future live gigs. We want to play as much as possible under the right circumstances. Going over to South America would be a cool thing to do. We also would like to do festivals in Europe and spread our music. Touring wise we are up for it if anything good comes our way.
IN AETERNUM can rightly be considered a legend. In the end, only David "Impious" Larsson remained from the original lineup. Was it difficult to find new musicians? From an outsider's perspective, it seems to me that in Sweden, given the population, every other citizen plays extreme metal. But how do you choose the right ones? How did you get together with the current lineup?
David: Yeah I’m the only one left from day one. Perra have been with us on drums for 23 years so he’s not new in any way. Daniel had his first run with the band between 2001 and 2006, then he came back in 2024. The bass player we had was with us from 2005 until 2025. Apart from me there have only been 3 other guitar players since we started releasing albums, and only 3 bass players. There’s lots of good musicians but it can be hard to find the ones that you click with on a personal level. When we got together with Daniel it was cheer luck. We met at a festival called Nordfest in his hometown in October 2024. Him and I started talking about 2025 and that it would mark 20 years since our last album. One thing lead to another and we decided to try and make new music. Exactly one year later we had the album recorded, mixed and ready.
Can you remind us how IN AETERNUM got together in 1994? If I'm not mistaken, you were originally called BEHEMOTH? When did you start playing an instrument, what was your first gig like, and which band did you worship and see live for the first time? I'm curious, what was it like in Sweden in the nineties?
David: After the vocalist left I decided to change the band name and get some new members. I recruited the old Sorcery guitarist as well as their drummer Paul. Paul would later on switch to guitar when we got Jocke on drums around 1997. Paul was originally a guitar player so he wanted to play guitar. Personally I started learning to play guitar when I was around 12 years old. When I started my first band we were called Haunted, this was 1989, so I guess The Haunted should give us some free stuff now, hahahahaha. Then in 1990 we changed name to Adversary and I switched to playing bass. After that I started up Behemoth and picked up the guitar again and also started singing in the band. I did my very first gig with Adversary in the summer of 1990. In 1990 there was a festival in my town where bands like Merciless, Entombed, Mezzrow and Count Raven played, those were the first bands I saw live as a 14 year old kid. I remember buying the debut album directly from the Entombed guys and was blown away by it. I also bought Morbid Angels debut there and that one changed everything, damn what an album that is still to this day. The music scene in the 90‘s was pretty small. Lots of gigs at youth centers and such places and also bigger gigs in the mayor cities like Stockholm. In Fagersta a smaller town there was loads of gigs back then, and they also had the Bergslagsrocken Festival. Seen many good bands in Fagersta.
When I interview some older bands, some of them complain about how times have changed. Fans, labels, promoters—everything is different. We have new technologies, recording in studios is different, there's the internet, social networks. How has all this affected you as a musician?
David: In a way it has changed for the better being a band. It’s easier to get your music out to people and connect with everyone. At the same time I can miss the days where you send a band money for a demo hoping it came forward, just waiting for the demo to arrive in your mailbox. But all in all I think it’s much better now.
I like to ask musicians what death/black metal means to them. How would they define it, is it more of a philosophy and lifestyle for them or "just" relaxation. What does it mean to you? How do you perceive and experience it?
David: I’ve devoted my life to metal music since I was six years old. So it’s a lifestyle to me. I simply can’t live without it. I love listening to new albums and reading the lyrics while doing so. Looking at the layout and feeling the product in my hands. I buy records all the time, spotify is good for when I’m driving my car. At home I need the physical product.
Finally, a classic but important question. What does IN AETERNUM have planned for the coming months? Where can we see you in concert? What about a tour for the new album? If you have something on your mind and would like to say it to your fans, labels, promoters, here's your chance...
David: We have been asked to play at Nordfest Festival in Sundsvall Sweden this year, apart from that nothing is certain yet. For next year we will play Brainchrusher Festival in Germany. So all you out there who wants to see us live, contact your local promotor or festival and demand that they book us. Thanks for buying our stuff and liking our new album. Hail the metal of Death.
Thank you very much for the interview. I wish you every success with the new album and hope that your fan base grows as much as possible. I look forward to seeing you live again and wish you all the best, both musically and personally. I'm going to listen to "...Of Death and Fire" again!
David: Thank you as well, hope to see you out there somewhere.
Recenze/review - IN AETERNUM - ...Of Death and Fire (2026):
Recenze/review - IN AETERNUM - The Blasphemy Returns (2016):
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
sledujte nás na sociálních sítích - follow us on the social media:
instagram:
facebook:
