Following the release of the video for “Only Silence”, we caught up with the main man Henrik Bodin-Skold from Swedish metallers NORRSKOLD to chat about the band, the origin of its name, their brand new album ‘Prisma Aeternus’ and driving the wrong way on a German autobahn…..

Please tell us about your band, who’s in it, when/where did you form etc?

Norrsköld started out pretty much as a studio project by me (Henrik) in 2013. The overall ambition of the music was to combine “the best of worlds” considering melodic metal and black metal. A large part of the inspiration for the songwriting came from early 90’s Scandinavian acts like Dimmu Borgir, Dissection, Opeth and In Flames. So what would happen if these bands would have been merged into an unholy alliance and release music today with a modern production? Well, that´s the sound Norrsköld has been aiming for. After a number of releases the band focuses more on being a solid live act, performing at clubs and tours primarily in Europe. For different reasons, there was a shift back to being more of a studio project during the recent years, however, live gigs in the future are not impossible.

How did you settle on your name? Did you have any other names in the mix prior to agreeing on this one?

It’s basically a wordplay with my origin (Norrland) and my family name (Sköld). Initially it felt like a natural name for the one-man studio project it all began with. It’s not an ideal name to pronounce in other countries, but hopefully it’s quite an original one.

Tell me a fascinating fact about the band or a band member….

When touring in Russia together with Amon Amarth, we were a bit late to a gig in St: Petersburg. Our bus driver missed an important turn on the highway. Since we were already late to the venue, the bus driver stopped the car and started a reverse driving frenzy in the middle of rush hour traffic. On a highway. That was pretty intense. But we made it to the gig in time.

Do you remember the band or artist that made you want to pick up and instrument and learn to play?

Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits. I think it was when I heard Tunnel Of Love as a kid. The solo in the end was ear blowing and hugely inspirational.

Do you remember the first gig you ever played? How did you feel? Did it all go according to plan?

The first gig was in a clarinet duo when I was in 2:nd or 3:d grade. I played together with a guy who couldn’t really get a clear tone from the clarinet. And when you play a clarinet wrong, there are unforgiving, mind bending screeches coming out rather than actual tones. So we performed a couple of songs where that guy was blowing incredible noises straight into my left ear while I tried to keep to the scale. I still wake up in the middle of the night sometimes, in cold sweat, after dreaming of this.

Have you ever met one of your ‘heroes’? Who was it and how did it go?

Once I was invited to a friends photo shoot studio in Gothenburg. She shared the studio with “some musician” as she put it. When I arrived to the studio and knocked on the door, Jesper Strömblad from In Flames opened it up. Of course he didn’t know me, but I had been a fan of his band since childhood. So that was quite an interesting meeting, suddenly having coffee and cinnamon buns with my friend and Jesper without knowing this beforehand.

What do you carry with you at all times that you CANNOT live without?

A cup of coffee. And “emergency snus”. Snus is sort of a Swedish invention, a tobacco based little bag that you put under your upper lip. Heavily addictive. I only do the snus while drinking coffee or taking a drink however. Most people use it 24/7. It needs to be experienced by anyone visiting Sweden.

Tell me about any new music that you have in the pipeline at the moment, where are you recording? Who is producing? What is the title of the new track/album? When can we expect to see it on the shelves?

Our new album Prisma Aeternus is out NOW on global digital platforms (Spotify etc). The songs on the album were written during the pandemic, so there’s a lot of frustration and melancholy in them ;) The album is produced and mixed by Svein Jensen at Grand Recordings Studio in Gothenburg. Mastering was done by the Gothenburg legend Göran Finnberg who has mastered a majority of the classic Gothenburg metal albums in the past. The album contains 9 songs of proper Scandinavian, melancholic melodic black/death metal with a large portion of harmonies. Totally worth listening too for fans of dissection, In Flames, Children of Bodom and those kind of acts.

What do you prefer more, playing a regular gig or playing a festival? How do they differ for you? (apart from the mud of course!)

I would definitely prefer classical club gigs. There’s more of an intimacy playing with the crowd close to the stage. You get a more direct response. Playing at bigger venues/festivals creates a distance to the audience, and standing on stage one really just see an ocean of hair and faces.

Tell me about the STRANGEST thing that ever happened to you when you’ve been on stage…..

The day I turned 30 we played at a venue in Hannover (Germany). Since we have a couple of pranksters in the band I suspected “something” would happen all day long. In the middle of the set, our vocalist Adam stopped the show and ran away to fetch a set of big, pink pig ears that was attached to my head for the rest of the show. At the same gig, the guys in the venue also started to play “Happy Birthday” using nose flutes. Also, my ENGL 5150 broke down at the same gig. So a lot of things going on at the same time.

Let’s imagine that you’ve been washed up on a desert island and there’s a record player, an amp and some speakers but only enough space for 3 records, which 3 would you have in the box to keep you going until you’re rescued? Why these three?

Whoracle by In Flames - It was the first album that really got me into melodic metal. It’s sort of a time machine to my whole youth, so tons of memories are connected to that album. Might be valuable since I’m assumingly having a lot of time for time traveling while stuck on the island.

In the Woods by Eva + Manu - An indie band I discovered quite recently. One of the best duos I’ve ever heard. Every song of the album hits a nerve. They also have this romantizied lyrics about the Scandinavian nature which might be comforting while stuck on a presumingly hot and exotic island.

Suicide by my side by Sinergy - I’ve listened to this album since it came out 20 years ago and I NEVER get tired of it. The combined guitar wizardry by Alexi Laiho and Roope Laatvala is some of the most appealing and interesting playing I’ve ever heard. There are so many details and harmonies in it and you discover new details for each time you listen to it. In my ears it’s the pinnacle of how melodic metal guitars should sound.

Tell me about any forthcoming live streams / shows / festival bookings etc….

In the near future we’ll aim at recording a number of play through videos focusing on the songs from our new album Prisma Aeternus. The main focus overall is to write and record music during the beginning of 2023, although we are not excluding the possibility of playing live during 2023 either. If there are any offers on festival gigs we’re definitely going to consider this. Keep an eye out on our social media in case we’re hitting the road.

Name 3 bands or artists that our followers should be checking out….

Nightrage - One of few bands that sticks to classical, catchy melodic metal without changing too much from a winning concept. Their latest single Wake Up Dead is extremely good.

Act of Denial - Really cool “all star band” with Björn Strid (Soilwork) on vocals. Very melodic and extremely technical.

Machinae Supremacy - A “video game metal” band from the super north of Sweden. They have this really unique way of incorporating game music (SID station etc) into melodic metal, which is extremely refreshing.

Where can people keep up to date with you on social media?

Check out and “Follow” us on Facebook and Instagram, as well as our official Norrsköld Youtube channel!

Lastly, there are MILLIONS of bands/acts/artists out there, why should people be spending the time checking you out?

Well, if you guys loved the sound of the 90’s melodic Scandinavian metal scene (In Flames, Opeth, Dissection, Dimmu Borgir etc.) and want to hear a similar style in a 2022 year fashion, NORRSKÖLD is the band for you! We promise the ultimate blend of death metal, black metal and folk music in an irresistible combination.

We’d like to thank Henrik Bodin-Skold for sparing the time to chat to us and we wish him and the band every success with the recent release of Prisma Aeternus and for their future plans which I am certain will be fantastic!