Interviews: The Invid

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Thrash Metal/Death Metal/Punk/Hardcore band The Invid from Iceland. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. How did the concept for your self-titled debut come together?

Mik: Basically, with the state of the world as it is currently, there is plenty to be angry or dissatisfied with. Add in some personal trauma, and the anger just spills out through sound and words. Essentially, we express our rage and contempt with certain aspects of life and the world – it's not going to change anything, but a sense of relief with speaking or screaming out allows us to get it out in the open. 

2. Has the sound you wanted been intentional from the start, or did it evolve organically?

Kristján: As soon as we decided to form this band and just be a two-piece, I started writing. And it was like a dam had burst. I was working on song ideas almost daily, and when we entered the studio after six months of writing, we had over thirty original songs to choose from. So the sound or the direction of The Invid wasn‘t forced or carefully thought out – it just happened very naturally.

3. With so many influences – thrash, punk, d-beat, hardcore, death – how did you blend them into a cohesive album?

Kristján: As I said, most of the songs came about very quickly. It wasn‘t until we listened to the material we had that we completely realized how many influences the songs had. All these styles you mention have speed and aggression in common in one way or another, and that‘s where the heart of The Invid is.

4. How did Kristján and Mik’s previous projects shape the sound and direction of The Invid?

Kristján: Well, Mik and I had both recently left our previous band, Kookaveen. When we decided to work together on The Invid, we knew we wanted to build on the essence we had brought into that former band of ours, but still branch out and evolve without limitations. Both of us listen to a wide variety of music styles, so everything we have done and everything that we are is blending together and forming the sound of The Invid.

5. Which track on the album was the most challenging to bring to life, and why?

Kristján: Musically speaking, that would be 'Satyagrahi' and 'Aimless...'. 'Satyagrahi' was written after a friend of mine died suddenly, so I wanted to channel that grief into the song, and that took a few attempts before I felt satisfied. 'Aimless...', on the other hand, was quite different from most of the other songs musically. It‘s slower and more menacing, and required a different approach, which was challenging but fun.

Mik: From a lyrical standpoint, it would be the opening track, 'Perfidia'. The lyrics are the most personal on the album, due to the raw damage that I write about. This is, essentially, my take on primal scream therapy – to overcome a grievance in my personal life to move forward. Needless to say, writing the lyric and recording it was cathartic – now I can move on.

6. Can you break down the creative process behind the riffs and arrangements? 

Kristján: The process is pretty simple, really. I have an idea for a riff, record it, and then find other riffs that fit within the same vibe. After I have demoed guitars, bass, and drums, I send the track to Mik, and he writes lyrics to the songs. Finally, when we are recording, I pitch my ideas, and we try them out, but in the end, we use what serves the song best. The biggest challenge is that while we operate out of Iceland, Mik now lives in Finland. Even if that is a challenge, we have found our rhythm and made it work even better than we had hoped for. 

7. What’s the story behind the artwork by Frossty and the album layout by Sigvaldi Ástríðarson?

Kristján: Valli, as Sigvaldi is always called, was helping me with the logo, and while listening to the recordings we had ready at that time, he came up with a few ideas for a cover. One of them stood out to us, and I contacted my friend Frossty, who is a great tattoo artist here in Iceland, and asked him if he was willing to take that idea and expand it in his own style. He was up for it, and the finished result is something we were very happy with. Simple, but with hidden depth and details that come out when you look closely.

8. How did recording at Stúdíó Helvíti with Helgi Durhuus capture the band’s raw energy?

Kristján: I had been recording another project with Helgi, and since we worked very well together, I didn‘t think twice about recording The Invid with him. I brought my demos and what my vision of the band‘s sound should be, and Helgi made it a reality. Working with him is one of the easiest and most fun recording sessions both of us have ever done.

9. Which songs are you most excited to play live, and what kind of reaction do you hope for?

Kristján: We‘re excited to play them all! The Invid revolves around fast and energetic songs and atmosphere, and that‘s basically what we aim for when playing live: energy and relief.

10. Are there specific bands or artists that pushed the album’s sound forward?

Kristján: The band‘s songs are a huge melting pot of influences, but the one that always comes to mind first is Napalm Death. Not maybe musically in the purest sense, but more the energy and attitude.

11. Any wild, unexpected, or funny moments during the recording sessions? 

Kristján: Too many to choose from. We had a great time. A few of those moments were caught on video, so maybe someday we‘ll upload them. We‘ll see. 

12. How do you want listeners to feel when they hear the album?

Kristján: I would love it if people would feel the same excitement listening to the songs as we have felt while writing and recording them. Honestly, I just hope people like them.

13. What techniques or instruments did you experiment with on this release? 

Kristján: The Invid is not a very experimental instrumentally at least for now. We‘re doing it old-school: two guitars, bass, drums, and vocals. But we have a few tracks that are quite different from the common instrumentation.

14. If you could collaborate with any artist on this album, who would it be? 

Kristján: For our debut album, we wanted to keep it just between the two of us. But we have a few good guests lined up for our next release.

15. What’s your personal favorite track and why?

Mik: All the tracks are great; however, writing the lyrics for 'Satyagrahi' was an affirmation in memory of a friend who was a fixture within our local music community. The challenge was to write something significant and heartfelt that essentially all those who knew this person could immediately identify their quality and persona. I like to think that I somehow managed to do justice to their memory. 

Kristján: I agree with this. All the tracks are great, but 'Satyagrahi' was very special to both of us.

16. What should fans expect next from The Invid – EP, full-length, live shows?

Kristján: All of those! We‘re actually in the process of finishing an EP that will come out later this year, and then we will continue working on our next full-length album to be released in 2027. We‘re also putting together a great line-up for a live band and will hopefully start playing live this year.

17. Is there anything else you want to share about this debut?

Kristján: For me, it‘s quite simple: We love this album ourselves, and hope you will check it out and like it too.

Mik: I agree. And there is a lot more to come!

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