Thyrfing: Pretty much like most bands come together I guess. We were starting it up like a project band just writing some songs and jamming at the rehearsal place. We didn't really have any big plans back then. Some of us had minor experience from previous bands, but this was the first time we were doing something that caught other people's interest.

What can you tell me about the Thyrfing sword (the cursed sword from Scandinavian mythology from which you got your name) and what significance does it have to you?

Tyrfing (originally spelled without an "h") appears in the "Hervarar Saga" and in the Eddic poems "The Waking of Angantyr" and "The Battle of the Goths and Huns". According to this tale, Svaverlame was the king of Gårdarike (today's Russia), and a grandson of the god Odin. He caught the dwarves, Dvalin and Durin, and forced them to forge a sword with a golden hilt that would never miss a stroke, would never rust and would cut through stone and iron as easily as through clothes. The dwarves made the sword, but in revenge they cursed it so that it would kill a man every time it was used and that it would be the cause of three great evils. I can't say that it has any special significance do me other than being the band's name.

Something that lures me into Thyrfing's music is your ability to blend black and death metal with notable traces of folk music. Where or who do you get your inspirations from?

Mostly those genres you mention actually, so maybe it's not that strange it can be heard in the music? We listen to a wide spectrum of music within the band and we draw some inspiration from here and there… Still we have some kind of "Thyrfing filter" that things have to pass through before we are comfortable and set with everything… but mainly the inspiration comes from Metal music.

Branching off of the last questions, how would you describe your music?

If someone put a knife to my throat, I'd say it's mid-paced Metal with Folk and Black Metal influences… but after these years I think we've managed to form our own sound and I usually don't feel comfortable putting label and names on my own music.

In 1999 the band embarked on its first tour with bands likes Six Feet Under, Vader, Enslaved, Cryptopsy, and Nile. What effect did that have on the band-being a relatively young and touring with some of the best death/black metal bands this world has seen?

It was a strange feeling, as those bands were in a completely different league both when it comes to experience, skill and general impact, but I think we learned a lot on that tour, picked up things that have been very useful for us a band later on. And we got some free beer and hopefully some new listeners…

Fast-forward 7 years to 2006 and the band is finally touring the U.S. How excited are you being able to play in a country that has eluded the band's touring schedule since the beginning?

First it was not a tour but a single festival show. I think the festival was a great experience for all of us, and we were a bit surprised how big the interest was for Thyrfing over there. In retrospective maybe it's a pity it was only one gig, having the size of the US mind, but it seems like most fans were happy traveling to Minneapolis anyway.

Depending on what country you live in, your new album Farsotstider has recently been released. What kind of feedback has the band received so far and was it what you were expecting?

The feedback has been very good this far. Great reviews – it was "Album of the month" in both Sweden and Norway's biggest magazines – and the general comments from followers and others has been truly positive. I had no real expectations on the feedback… of course it's always fun if people like the shit you are doing, and it's necessarily to finance the production of the album, but it's always our own satisfaction that comes first.

Farsostider is sung completely in your native tongue (Swedish). Was this done because most Swedish, Finnish, etc. death metal bands sing in English or was there another reason?

We have always felt more comfortable writing lyrics in Swedish, and I think it suits the atmosphere and feeling of the music than English. From a commercial point of view it would probably be better to write English lyrics, but then we should hire some hot female dancers to front the band and hire Desmond Child as songwriter as well…

How would you compare the new album to your previous releases? Would you say the band is evolving and moving in the right direction?

Yeah, I'm definitely happy with how the band has evolved during the later years. I think we've found a more original sound, and I still feel very inspired writing new material for the band. The atmosphere is darker now, and we use melodies in a more sober way. Even though there are traces of the "older" Thyrfing, I think the new material is to be seen as something completely different from "Valdr Galga" or "Ukraft". I don't want to say those are bad albums, but on the latest two albums we are exploring something different, using different ways.

What do you see happening for the band in 2006? What kind of goals do you have? What's next for Thyrfing?

In the beginning of this interview I said we never had any big plans when we formed the band – and honestly we still don't have! We are currently writing some new material which everybody is really psyched about… hopefully we can get a new album together within a year or something. We'll also do a few bigger festival appearances in Sweden/Germany in August… I think those are all the plans we have at the moment.

Thanks for your time. Is there anything you'd like to leave us with?

Pleasure is mine. Those who'd like to hear some songs from the new album, surf to www.myspace.com/thyrfingband. For those who already have the album and support us in any way – Cheers!