Interview:	IN MOURNING
Title:	In perspective

Since the turn of the millennium, these Swedish Melodic Death metallers have been laying their profound melancholy on receptive listeners with velvety gentleness.

And as beautiful and visionary as In Mourning celebrate it on their seventh album „The Immortal“, it has a truly magnetic effect. Despite all their primary harshness and rigidity, the new songs also radiate a significantly illuminating range of hope, which the band knows how to cultivate sublimely by means of emphatically harmonious passages.

For guitarist Björn Petterson, who joined in 2005, the new release also represents the most complete album and the most comprehensive release that In Mourning has ever made.

„I see it now as the most complete album and release we've done, both how the album is puzzled together with the artwork, themes and sound etc. as well as the people we're collaborating with for the whole release. I'll probably need a while still to really evaluate it, as we're kind of in the middle of working on stuff for the release etc. But it's got some good vibes embedded in the process for sure, we locked ourselves up and recorded the majority of this album all together in the studio which was a long time since we did, and I think it set a certain and much needed mood to the whole process. Feels really good, feels like we're in good shape. I mean, we're not getting any younger of course, maybe a bit less feisty, but age and wisdom has its upsides. All in all, we're really proud of this one for sure.“ 


With which moods and visions did you approach the current songwriting? 


„I think there was an overall awareness and a presence of the fact that we're working on our seventh album, and a bit of pressure coming along with that, to not repeat yourself too much and to be able to find the right spark and so on. We've been more song focused this time, trimming the songs harder to make them the best possible songs. We've also been working with some drop tunings for a bunch of the songs, which is new, to bring a bit of different flavors to the palette.“ 


How can the readers imagine In Mourning writing, developing and finalizing one of their new songs?

„Well, most of the skeletons to the songs are written by Tobias in his home studio. This time Tobias, Tim and I went away to a cabin for a couple of days when finishing up the demo songs to get away and really dive into details together and to wrap things up. We also flew Corny, our drummer, up here from Germany to jam the songs in a live setting and to trim them even more before taking it to the studio. Much of the lyrics to this album just came pouring out, there's been a lot of stuff going on that needed processing I guess and much of it I think took shape and form in these songs. Tim has been diving deep into both bass duties this time which is new, as well as guitar solos and leads, and I think it’s all really on point on this album. So, much of the early parts of the work is kind of more individual work, until somewhere along the road where we all merge it into a stew together.“ 


How was the selection of songs for the album done - was it difficult or rather easy for the band? 


„We always tend to have just enough songs for the album. Although of course it's still a difficult process, especially when you find yourself a bit further down the road as a band with six earlier albums in the back. There are more song ideas around in the process when working on the album of course, but I think most often we shoot them down before we really start considering them as real songs. There have been some ideas around for this album which we've really been twisting and turning with for sure, but ended up putting them back in the backpack. I guess we'll see if they ever see the light of day.“ 


Is there and in case yes, what is the o-n-e song with the most meaning for you on „The Immortal“ and why?

„For me ‚Song Of The Cranes‘ is a strong one, I think it contains a lot of our usual elements amped up to a new notch. It's pummeling, intense and airy. It's also one of the first lyrics that I started writing for the album, I think it sets a lot of the tones for the entirety of the album and it also contains a small personal homage to my dad who passed away, which of course forms a bond. And also, we just recently officially live tested it on stage and feels like it will be a good live song, which is a big plus.“ 


Please bring the readers closer to the main lyrical content of your release - is there more than darkness and pain in the end?

„Well there's always pain and darkness in the end, but I'd say there's more to it. This one actually feels a bit lighter and more hopeful to me, I think we've been saying for a couple of albums now that it's our darkest album to date and on our previous album we tapped into some dark places. This album moves on from that, so it’s all still rooted in darkness I guess but this one deals more with the perspective of acceptance and moving on, grief, and the cycle of life and death in parallel to nature and the cycle of a year, with the crane figure symbolizing immortality or longevity.“ 


Are there any things, books, movies, etc. that have influenced you as musicians this time?


„Surely there is, we draw inspiration from a lot of different places I think, and we all work very differently within the band. For me with the lyrics it's also a constant way of processing things in life, there's always a connection to very real thoughts and emotion embedded in whatever stories or whatnot we sing about in our songs. This time I've gotten quite a lot of influences from listening to and reading other lyrics, finding inspiration in what others write and how other people find different ways of expressing themselves in their lyrics, especially in other genres outside of metal. Although very subtle, there are a few small tips of the hat embedded in the lyrics in some places.“ 


Anything you would like to add?


„Big thanks to everyone who takes time and effort to check out our stuff, there's so much music coming out and so much stuff going on every day, so, yeah we are very grateful for everyone who cares for what we do. New album comes out in August and we're going on tour through Europe in early 2026 with our friends Omnium Gatherum and Fallujah, which will be epic, so make sure to check out the album and come hang out at a show. Take care!“

© Markus Eck, 21.07.2025

Photo Credit: Jens Rydén

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