Nearing the end of three decades, Pantokrator remains intact in its mission as well as its lineup and a unique way of transmitting its faith. For the first time, we were able to delve a little deeper into the lyrical concept of the Swedish group while talking about past and present sounds aspects in a superficial way. We open the box of the Golden Order of the Almighty that lies at the back of their literary marrow and dissect it on a rough and straight table to learn more about the direction these Norsemen are pointing. Vocalist Karl Waldfridsson and drummer Rickard Gustafsson, or just “Rick”, promptly helped us unravel the mystery that lies between the lines of not only MARCHING OUT OF BABYLON, but most of their releases.
A little over two years have passed since MARCHING OUT OF BABYLON came to life. Compared to other works like BLOD, AURUM and INCARNATE, does the current album live up to expectations?
Karl Walfridsson: For sure it is our best one yet, it combines all the elements from our previous albums. The support for this album has been great and still is. Unfortunately, we have had no chance to perform with it due to the strange times we live in. Also, the industry has changed drastically since we released our first album.
At least here, people understand that PANTAKRATOR has found its identity. Did the members also come to that conclusion? I say this because MARCHING OUT OF BABYLON has a strong distinction in relation to the other albums.
Rickard Gustafsson “Rick”: I believe that we have found our identity on every album that we’ve made and of course they’ve all led up to this version of our sound. When I write music for PANTOKRATOR I always try to find something new but at the same time stay somewhat true to our sound and what defines our type of music. I’ve always had a soft spot for great melodies and catchy refrains, and I believe you can hear some of that on MARCHING OUT OF BABYLON.
We can say that lyrically MARCHING OUT OF BABYLON has a strong anti-globalist appeal. Was this the idea?
Karl: This was what I was inspired to work with back in 2007 right… Want to read the whole interview? Check out the latest issue of Extreme Brutal Death Magazine for this and much more! Order your Extreme Brutal Death Magazine at UNVERGAENGLICH-UNDERGROUND.COM
