A Blending Of Cultures With KALANDRA

Norse folk music has always been a more than handy bedfellow with
metal music. Despite the obvious sonic contrasts between the two,
they seem to combine well with each other, providing an unsettling
ambience that could potentially veer into darker territory at any
given moment.
While Kalandra - spearheaded by four Norwegian and Swedish
musicians - make use of these Nordic elements, they also create a
sonic tapestry laced with progressive rock and pop sensibilities
that is both intimate and consuming. Led by Katrine Stenbekk’s
sublime vocals, the band have spent over a decade refining their
sound and building a world which has led to them sharing stages
with acts like Wardruna, Leprous and Eivor while earning acclaim at
festivals such as France's Hellfest and Norway’s
Midgardsblot.
And now, it's Australia's turn as Kalandra prepare for their first
ever trip to our shores, bringing their haunting, beautiful and
immersive live experience to a new world filled with new
opportunities for the band. HEAVY sat down with vocalist Katrine
Stenbekk, guitarists Jogeir Daae Mæland and Florian Bernhard
Döderlein Winter plus drummer Oskar Johnsen Rydh to find out more,
starting with the final piece of the touring puzzle just falling
into place.
"I just actually got my final email from the Australian government
saying that I'm allowed to bring this little funny instrument in,"
Jogeir laughed, holding up a goat horn. "It's something about the
nature instruments and the endangered species in Australia."
We ask the band about touring countries for the first time and if
they do their homework, pointing out that the Australian sense of
humour is a bit different to the rest of the world, offering the
example that our way of showing friendship and respect is to pay
out on each other.
"This is very good to know," Florian smiled. "This is like in
Toulouse in France. We were very confused because when they boo,
the whole crowd goes boo. Apparently, that means that they love it,
which is very confusing for us. So yeah, learning these sorts of
things like that is very useful to us."
In the full interview, we discuss in greater detail what we can
expect from Kalandra's live show, why it has taken so long to get
over here and what, if any, research they plan to do. We asked them
to elaborate on the atmospherics with their music and how they
translate to the live arena, as well as the blending of instruments
in their music and how that translates live.
We spoke about Kalandra's upcoming EP Morketid and what it
represents, as well as the musical growth in the band over their
journey. I asked about getting the balance right in the creative
process and how they know if they have gone too far or not far
enough in any musical direction, future plans and more.


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