Iotunn: “We Feel Pretty Much on Top
of Our Game Right Now”

Danish progressive death metallers Iotunn have just completed a well-received headlining tour through Denmark. Having released their acclaimed sophomore album “Kinship” last year, they were met with a rather international audience in Copenhagen, Aarhus and Kolding. We had the chance to meet Guitar player Jens Nicolai Gräs in Kolding and talk about touring, the concept behind “Kinship” and Iotunn’s way of writing two albums at the same time.

Jens Nicolai Gräs: Yes. We’ve headlined before in Denmark, but this was the first time we were touring several venues across the country – all well-established and great venues. It was different this time with a more extensive setlist. We played 90 minutes at these shows, and we’ve put together a really good experience for our fans with a great setlist and lighting setup – our own production. The attendance has been very good, and we’ve been having a lot of fun. We feel pretty much on top of our game right now, and the fan reception has been incredibly good.

You try to be as modest as you can and stay down to earth, but sometimes it’s very overwhelming – in a positive way – to hear what people think of the show. They’ve been very positive. Another wild aspect is that many people from other countries have come to Denmark for these shows. We’ve had people from Scotland, Australia, Singapore, Turkey, Austria, Germany, Norway, and so on. It’s wild.

Iotunnn live at Godset, Kolding 11 January 2025

Yes, indeed.

We have a lot of great moments when we perform. The one-to-one eye contact with several people during the show is always very beautiful, seeing the emotions. It kind of raises them up to the stage and us to the floor, so we meet on middle ground. It’s fantastic. We also have lots of interactions after and before the shows – we try to get out as much as possible and meet people.

The creative process behind “Kinship”

Of course. This album has been in development for quite some years, and that also goes for “Access All Worlds“. We always try to be one step ahead of ourselves. So when we record an album, we’re simultaneously writing the next one. That’s how we did it with “Kinship“, and we’re already writing our third album. All the ideas about song structure and guitar parts are written and arranged by my brother Jesper and me. Then we present it to the others and start this circular process where everybody contributes their ideas, and we go into this creative chaos until we arrive at a point where we’re ready to record.

Yes, somehow it does. We try not to overthink our music. We just write and write and go with our gut feeling. The only parameter is whether we like listening to it and if we get a good feeling from it. With “Kinship”, I think the songs turned out more dynamic. Where “Access All Worlds” is like this big spaceship built of metal that blasts through the universe, this album has a lot more curves and bends, more moments of variation.

We reflected on that when deciding the theme of the album. Jesper, Jón (the singer), and I had a meeting in the Faroe Islands where we visited Jon, and we got the idea that instead of going to something in the unclear, distant future like with “Access”, we should go backwards. Not linearly back in ancient history, but more like creating our own mythical tale focusing on what we found to be the most essential things about being human, both as individuals and as a group.

“Kinship” is about a main character who has a very close relationship with his brother, family, and tribe. He discovers something completely wrong with everything, which speaks to humans being truth seekers. This can be both a good thing and devastating. His tribe has found this extreme method of seeking truth through a ritual where they separate the body and soul. The message is that if we are divided within ourselves, we become something else entirely. The main character’s brother has gone through this ritual and ended up in a Walking Dead kind of state.

This discovery puts him on an individual journey questioning where he belongs, what is home, and who he really is. He leaves his tribe, but they don’t allow this. It becomes a “catch me if you can” situation. With ‘Earth to Sky’ and ‘The Anguished Ethereal’, he returns to the tribe, they catch up with him, and he goes through the ritual. Everything becomes very unclear at the end of the album, chaotic, making it hard to distinguish what is connected and what is disconnected.

I think so, but I don’t know yet. We’ll have to figure out what the body of the next album will be and listen to it carefully to imagine what it could be about. We really have to find themes that associate with how we hear the music, so it could be about anything in any form.

It can be very difficult to separate the processes, but we try. It’s like we’re building a house and have a room for each album process. We have to be able to put ourselves in that state of mind where we can stay in the world of that album out of respect and love for it. Of course, we learn along the way in terms of recording and production, but for the music itself, there are really no rules – we just have to like it.

Sometimes we think maybe we should do more shorter songs, but if we put up methods or dogmas like that, we always get lost in the process. We’re not very disciplined in that matter. We just have to do it and let the music speak for itself. If you have a nine-minute song, it might look better on paper as six minutes for accessibility, but if it sounds perfect at nine, it should stay that way. It just has to work, and we have to feel liberated in the process.

Actually, before we became Iotunn, I think we were even more experimental with different styles. But you can put so many things together that you lose sight of the identity and body of the work. We don’t want to be a fragmented band where it sounds like we don’t have any control in the chaos. We do a lot of different stuff now, but I would say we have a solid ground or sound to build on. That will stay because it comes naturally to us and we love it. But we’ll definitely add stuff along the way because we can’t help ourselves.

Nicolaj Bransholm

No, we don’t want to make the same thing all the time. I think “Access All Worlds” and “Kinship” are relatives, but they’re very different creatures.

It’s fantastic. Again, in a positive way, it’s pretty overwhelming. We have to keep our feet on the ground, but we’re very thankful for the extremely positive reception. I think it’s also a matter of character – if you do something you’re proud of and like, and you’ve decided to share it in a music community, and people are really loving it and telling you it’s awesome, you just have to say thank you. It means a lot, and it has to come from the inside. It’s been fantastic to get all the response from people, and on a very personal level, it means a lot to many people. That’s all we could have hoped for.

Doors open here and there all the time. We have very good collaborations with good people. Everything feels secure and solid, which makes us very comfortable in the process. Being in the music business can be very chaotic at times. We always meet new people and try to network, and so far, everyone has been very nice to us.

What’s next for Iotunn?

Yes, I think 2025 will be pretty busy. But let’s see.

Yes, quite a few. It was very special for us to play at Copenhell in Denmark late at night with the crazy laser lights. We really invested in that show, so that was special. Also, we played Summer Breeze, which was a fantastic show. Luckily, so far, there haven’t been any bad shows – it goes from good to really good, I think. The cool thing is that every different road you take, the surroundings are different. Every venue or festival, everything is different, so everything is a new experience. We appreciate it all a lot, and people are really nice and very supportive everywhere.

We plan on not dropping in quality in terms of the music we release. We always say to each other that we have to at least keep the level – it can get better, but not worse. But we can’t guarantee that because it’s also a matter of reception and taste. In terms of traveling and playing gigs, there are many festivals we haven’t played that we’d like to play – the big ones in Europe, and we’d very much like to try the festivals in Latin America and also in the States, like ProgPower USA. Of course, getting to tour on different continents at some point.

The most important thing for us when we play with other bands is that they’re nice to be around, and we try to be nice to be around too. In terms of genre or musical expression, that’s not that important for us. On one hand, we kind of exist in our own little bubble, so we’re not that affected by what’s going on around us – we have to do our thing. And on the other hand, with the kind of music we play, I think we fit with a lot of different bands.