Probably my brothers if you look back at the very beginning. They are both much older than me and always listened to hard rock. I got "exposed" to it very early. Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and especially Ritchie Blackmore became like idols to me.

Have you always been a singer/guitar player?

No, I started singing very late. I've been playing guitar since I was 12 or 13 and started singing more or less by accident seven years ago, I guess.

I am big fan of your vocal style, who is your biggest influence vocally?

Lots of people, but I guess mainly the legendary guys like Ronnie James Dio and David Coverdale. There are so many others that are fantastic singers that influence me though.

Are there any other bands outside of Grand Magus that you've been in that you've had success with?

Well, it depends on what you mean with success. I'm the vocalist with Spiritual Beggars and I would consider that to be a pretty successful band.

Speaking of the name, what exactly does "Grand Magus" mean?

Well, a close description would be "Master Magician". A Grand Magus is the highest ranked (second, really but that's a bit too complicated...) individual in the magical order.

The new album "Wolf's Return" has been out for a few months, are you happy with the response and feedback you've gotten so far?

Yeah, it's really been a huge leap forward for the band, which is great since we took quite a risk with this album. It's quite different from what we've done before.

What were your biggest influences in writing the album?

Again, it's hard to pinpoint influences and so on. I'm a huge fan of Death/Black metal and I guess we made a bit of that be a part of the overall feel specifically in the songwriting. You could say that "Wolf's Return" is an attempt to combine the Sabbath/Purple vibes with the Death/Black metal vibes.

How did the recording flow in the studio? Was it quick, fast and easy or did you have to work hard to get what the sound you wanted?

Both. We are always quite quick recording the basics, but the material was more challenging than the past, playing wise. We also spent a lot of time and energy on the mix and whole "feel" of the album.

I know all the tracks on the album are like your children, but do you have one that you would call a favorite?

The title track was the one that set the mood and standard for the whole thing, so I guess that one is a bit special for me. What I really feel is the "favorite" thing is how the entirety of the album works together. The way the songs are connected and how different songs lead into each other, if you know what I mean?

I've not had the experience of seeing the band live, due to the band not touring the U.S. much. Do you have any plans to hit us up anytime soon?

Not as we speak. We would love to play in the States and we certainly aim to do that in the future, but it's mainly an economical conundrum for a band like us. It's very expensive and the logistics are a bit of a nightmare for us, compared to playing in Europe. Having said that, I feel pretty confident that it won't be long until we hit your shores with full power.

Is there certain touring package that you'd like to be on?

As long as it's high-energy bands with good people that we get along with, it doesn't really matter. The best thing for us would obviously be to support a bigger band that draws a crowd, making it possible for us to play bigger venues. We are at our best in front of a big audience, ha-ha!

In all the touring you've done, what's the strangest thing that's happened while performing?

How about Ukrainian radio coming out of my Marshall amp? That has happened on more than one occasion...

How does being in a band like "Grand Magus" affect your everyday life?

Hmmm... Interesting question. I've never really thought about it. To me, it's such a natural part of my life that I haven't really reflected on it in that way. I guess it affects more or less everything in my life. The people I meet and socialize with, what I do in my spare time etc. Grand Magus is really like an extension of my self and my philosophy.

Do you have a day job outside of the band?

Yes.

On an ordinary day when you're not working on band stuff what could we find you doing?

Reading, fishing and being in the woods.

What are the advantages of being signed to a label such as Candlelight?

Candlelight has been a huge improvement for us in all departments. It's the first time we've had any kind of proper distribution in America and some kind of media exposure. The fact that I'm doing this interview for you is proof of that. I think I've done one US interview for our previous two records and now for Wolf's Return it's been 20 or 30 interviews. They have been great for us and I hope we can keep improving.

Are there any current bands out right now, on the label's roster that you enjoy?

Quite a few: Dismember, Entombed, Marduk, Dark Funeral, Mighty Nimbus, Kaamos

Are there any other bands outside of Candlelight that you enjoy?

Too many to mention, there are so many great bands around you know? Necrophobic, Unleashed, Arch Enemy, the list goes on. Of course Sabbath and stuff like that.

Can you leave our readers with any words in which you live your life by?

A sacrifice demands a sacrifice. Live for today.