1. The band started around 2007. What were those early days like? Why did you decide to start Crocell? Why did you choose this name, and what does it refer to?
Our former guitarist, Ken Holst, wanted to start a new band when his previous band split up, so he got us together in the beginning of 2007. We all had a background in other bands from the metal scene in Aarhus, and since we were old enough to have some experience and young enough to have time on our hands, it didn’t take long until we got ourselves noticed. We would spend a lot of time together in the first years, both on stage, in the rehearsal room, and various other more or less shady places, and we actually managed to record our debut album after just about half a year’s existence.
As for the name, we considered a bunch of different options but decided to go with Crocell, who is described in demonology as a fallen angel who rules over legions in Hell. Among other things he is associated with the element of water as well as with ambiguity, revelation of hidden truths and the pursuit of knowledge, and as such he can be interpreted as representing self-empowerment and opposition to established religion.
2. Crocell had a pretty frenetic and productive first period as a band. I'm referring to those first ten years in which you released five albums. This period was marked by a style closer to Swedish death metal. However, with the release of "Relic" in 2018, the release rate slowed down, while elements of black metal have become more prominent in your sound. How would you describe this second period of the band after the release of "Relic"? How did you approach this transformation?
Yes, I guess the first years were rather intense, but if you take our two EP’s from 2021 into account, I think that our release rate has actually been rather stable through the years.
Also, I definitely agree with your description of the transformation from death metal to a style much closer to black metal, but I view the changes as more gradual than that. You can already find hints of black metal on our second album, but from “Come Forth Plague” and “Prophet’s Breath”, our third and and fourth albums, it got more obvious, not least because of a few line-up changes around that time. Today I am not even sure if we are closer to death metal or black metal anymore.
3. Your septic album “Swarm of Insects” was released at the end of May. What was the songwriting and recording process like for this new album? Is the new guitarist, Mads Gath, fully integrated into the band's dynamic? What brands of instruments did you use during the process?
Absolutely, Mads is fully integrated at this point. It has actually been the most natural thing to get him on board, since he is an old friend of ours, and he had often helped us out even before joining the band, not least as a stand-in on guitar and bass for quite some times.
When the first riffs and basic song ideas had begun to show up, we rented a house in a rural area for a weekend, where we listened to all of it, began structuring songs, demo’ed some things, and wrote some more. That was a solid point of departure, and during the next months we would continue working on the songs both individually and collectively, until we pre-recorded the whole thing. That way we also prepared for the actual recording, which we carried out entirely on our own for the first time. By doing it this way there was a natural progression through the whole process, and even though we of course had some sort of plan and a time schedule, there wasn’t the same kind of time pressure, and it didn’t feel as much as separate processes as it can sometimes do.
The guitars used for this album were a Schecter and a Solar, the bass a Rickenbacker, and as for the drums, I played on Mapex drums and mostly Sabian cymbals.
4. “Swarm of Insects” is an album with a powerful, dense, and dark sound, but it also manages to create a certain atmosphere. How would you describe the album's sound to someone who hasn't heard it yet? What bands or styles inspired the composition of the new album?
Thank you! We are also very satisfied with the result, and I think that Lasse’s mix strikes the perfect balance with a sound that is both sharp and massive, brutal and dynamic, raw and detailed. We all listen to a lot of different music, also in other genres than metal, and it is difficult to point out exactly which bands or genres we draw inspiration from. But there is no doubt that we are all fond of black metal in its many forms.
5. The title of the new album refers to insects. How do you approach this theme in the lyrics? Does it relate to insects devouring a corpse, to a defense of insects as a species, or is it more of a metaphor for society? Who wrote the lyrics?
It is Asbjørn, our singer, who writes all the lyrics, and sometimes he works in mysterious ways, haha. But in my interpretation the insects are a metaphor for human society, swarming masses blindly and mindlessly attracted to obsolete truths.
6. I mentioned earlier the powerful sound of the new album, an aspect in which you played a fundamental role during its recording, as well as Lasse's work at Ballade Studios. How did you approach this aspect when collaborating to achieve such a striking result?
We had been interested in having Lasse mix our music for some time, and after having worked with him as sound engineer at a couple of concerts, we agreed that now was the time. We considered a few different models, but we decided that we wanted to try to record the whole thing ourselves this time. Of course we discussed the process with Lasse before we began recording, and he gave us good advice and directions that were easy to follow. Luckily, he was very pleased with the material that we sent to him, and when he first got to work, it didn’t take long before we were all satisfied.
7. Your last two albums were released by Emanzipation Productions. How did the opportunity to work together on your new album arise? What does Emanzipation Productions offer you compared to other record labels you've worked with before?
We had been in dialogue with Michael from Emanzipation Productions a couple of times before so establishing contact was not a big issue, and this time there was a match. It also coincided with us signing a booking deal with Target Booking, which is a part of Target Group just like Emanzipation, so it just made sense. We had been more or less in DIY territory with the last couple of releases, especially with the double EP, “Baptized in Bullets” / “Funeral Bliss” from 2021, and even though it was both worthwhile and instructive, there were some obvious downsides to it as well, and before releasing “Of Frost, of Flame, of Flesh” we felt that we needed a more established and professional setup.
8. The cover art seems to represent nothingness and the oblivion that follows death. Who designed the album cover, and how does it relate to the album's content?
We were more than satisfied with what NNart created for “Of Frost, of Flame, of Flesh” so we decided to work with him again. Since we respect his creative visions, we shared the music, the lyrics, and the title with him and asked him to come up with some ideas without us influencing him. When he returned with a handful of different sketches shortly thereafter, we quickly agreed on the “insect maelstrom”, so he turned the idea into a large hand-painting on canvas. To us the artwork brings to mind the biblical plagues, it fits the broader lyrical concept very well, and it is a perfect visual representation of the album title.
9. After almost twenty years active with Crocell, how do you see the state of the extreme metal scene in your country today, compared to when you started? Are there still underground bands that deserve more recognition outside of Denmark? What bands would you recommend?
I think that it is very much alive with a lot of active bands and festivals across different genres and profiles. The Danish metal scene is more diverse now than it was back when we started, and even though not all of it is right down my alley, I see the diversity itself as a good thing. We have most genres covered and there are both bands that thrive in the underground and bands with a more commercial approach. At this point bands such as Baest, Iotunn, Illdisposed, Hatesphere and Afsky have reached large audiences outside of Denmark, but if I should mention some of my own favourites, who are maybe a little less known, I would suggest checking out Arkæon, Horned Almighty, Strychnos, Dysgnostic, and Frelser. I have probably forgotten some more interesting bands, but in any case you won’t go wrong with these.
10. Time passes, and I imagine that maintaining your level on stage with such a direct and visceral approach as yours won't be easy. How will you approach the live presentation of the new album? What dates do you have confirmed for the album's release?
Since we have played together for almost 20 years, I won’t deny that we are getting older, but I definitely don’t think that our live shows have become boring if that’s what you insinuate. We are not about to add all sorts of theatricals, though, but we are simply pushing on with our energetic live performances. At this point we have planned some shows in Denmark in the coming fall – and we are looking forward to presenting some of the new material for a larger audience, since we are really proud of it.
11. What were your beginnings in music like: the first concerts you attended, the first albums you bought? What event in your lives pushed you to want to be musicians?
The others would of course tell a different story than mine, even though they would probably still be similar to some degree. Anyway, I was influenced by my older siblings, who were into all sorts of alternative and rock music, and who both played an instrument. I must have been around ten years old when I began picking up bands such as Iron Maiden, Sepultura and Pantera and above all Metallica, who were the ones to really make me want to play music. My first band actually started out playing Metallica covers, and Metallica was also the first “real” band I saw live, which simply blew me away. Later I got into both melodic black metal and the Gothenburg death metal sound in the late mid 90’s, and I have been listening to and playing various forms of death and black metal ever since.
12. Which album represents the essence of black metal for you? What are the most recent albums you've bought?
That’s a tough one, and I think that it would be easier to answer in relation to death metal or thrash metal or some of the other subgenres. Of course there are common musical traits that can be found across many forms of black metal, but on the other hand it is a genre that – to me at least – is much more about atmosphere than about specific musical characteristics. And that atmosphere can be, and has been, created in so many different ways through the black metal history. But since you ask... If someone who had never heard the genre wanted to know what it was all about, I would probably reach out for “Transilvanian Hunger” as one of the prime examples.
The latest five albums that I bought all have something to do with black metal, even though they are quite different: Frelser (“Afgrundsprofeti”), Misotheist (“De pinte”), Malokarpatan (“Vertumnus Caesar”), Craven Idol (Forked Tongues) and Vampyroteuthis Infernalis (S/T). All great albums in my opinion!
13. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions for Black Metal Spirit. If you'd like to add anything for Crocell fans, this is the place. I hope you enjoy the questions.
Thanks for the opportunity! It was fun to go a little back in history and of course also to talk a little about our newest album. To the readers that got this far, I hope that you will give “Swarm of Insects” a few spins, and that you like what you hear. Cheers!
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