Vingulmork was formed in Oslo in 2012 and, since its earliest releases, has built an identity around a blend of black metal, thrash, death metal, and heavy metal. Following "The Long March" (2014), "Chiaroscuro" (2015), and "Avgrunn" (2019), the band went seven years without releasing a full-length album. Now, they return with "Barmhjertighetens Fallitt", released on September 11, 2026, via Likskue Productions, Crime Records, and Schattenpfade Support Circle. This new work delves into the band's darker, more aggressive, and melodic side, featuring lyrics entirely in Norwegian and themes defined by despair, human fragility, and the loss of hope.
1. Seven years have passed since Avgrunn, and looking back, Vingulmork has traveled a rather unique path. How would you describe the band's evolution from "The Long March" and "Chiaroscuro" to "Barmhjertighetens Fallitt"? Which elements of that early Vingulmork sound remain essential to you?
MSO: I’ve always had a hangup on those black’n’roll-ish elements along with their attitude and feel. There’s a signature in there that is still very much part of the core sound, and it remains even with the progress between the releases. That and Martin K’s galloping thrash riff style are core main-stays to me.
JSK: For me, I would say we have matured quite a lot as songwriters and as a whole. As the main lyricist I can speak to that: The lyrics are very much worked through and thought out without being overly planned. I write from an inner darkness stemming from life experiences noone should have to make. It makes for good lyrics, but it is quite sore as well.
2. Vingulmork was born in Oslo, and from the start, you’ve blended different branches of extreme metal rather than strictly adhering to black metal conventions. After all these years, do you feel the "blackened thrash" label still accurately describes your music, or do you think Vingulmork’s identity has evolved into something harder to pigeonhole?
MSO: I think Vingulmork manages to keep a personality from release to release that is recognizable. To me, that’s more important than having a special intricate label. I’m typically good with the broader definitions and feel we still fit somewhat within the “blackened thrash” framework.
JSK: Yeah, early on I think we tried finding a label that suited us. Now as we are older and less bothered, we just go with black metal or extreme metal.
3. "Barmhjertighetens Fallitt" arrives after a particularly long period of silence regarding releases. What happened during those seven years? Were the album’s songs composed gradually over that time, or was there a specific moment when you decided it was time to return to the studio?
MSO: There was a pandemic that kind of cut down our pace a bit along the way but we’ve been slowly creating songs along the way. For song progression and how they were created, I’d call it a good mix of processes. Some of the songs on this album we’ve been playing live for a few years already, while others came together closer to entering pre production and studio time, but I guess you could say we needed a kick in the butt and some deadlines to bring us to closure. Hopefully, we got some pointers from the process we can use to speed up the time between this release and the next.
JSK: From the lyrical perspective, I am always writing. Even small ideas or snippets that come to me - I always write them down and keep them for future lyrical projects. This has also been the case for the last years that have passed. I guess you can say it's therapeutical, even though it is a cliche. I don't really care.
MKA: A lot of the material was actually written in the period right after our previous release. That was probably when we were most actively working on new riffs, sketches and song ideas. We had three or four songs up and running fairly quickly, along with a whole bunch of loose ends, half-finished songs and random ideas. From there, we just kept working on it at a pretty relaxed pace, gradually turning all those bits and pieces into actual songs. I think we decided to record another full-length about three years ago, so at that point it was time to get our shit together and finish everything. The last original song we wrote was probably "Alarm", followed by our cover version of "Mannen og kråka".
4. This new record features a distinct combination of aggression, melody, groove, and dark atmospheres. How do you usually work on songs? Do you start with a riff, a full structure, or a vocal melody, or does the composition emerge from collaboration among the members?
MSO: Yes. All of the above. Up until “Barmhjertighetens Fallitt” the songs were mainly created by Martin Kandola alone. On this album, I also took part in bringing ideas to the table, mostly at a stage where the idea has become something cohesive already that is presentable as a more or less complete song. Martin K and I play guitar a bit differently, so adjustments and trials are typically made to the demo versions. After that we try it out in rehearsals before landing close to a final version. For Martin K’s songs we’ve been feeling our way to the correct amount of rounds etc and my role from there has been about creating bass-lines that in its best way compliments the melodic guitars and the creation as a whole while also being part of the rhythm section.
JSK: Not too much melody in the vocals, but I can say that I usually write or adjust lyrics to songs that are more or less finished.
MKA: For me, it usually starts with a melody or a basic riff, and then it's a matter of figuring out where to take it from there. Adding more aggressive and repetitive elements, working out the structure and trying to find the right balance between everything. I often find myself thinking that things are getting a bit too soft or melodic when I'm working on guitar parts, but somehow it usually ends up sounding vicious enough in the end. Blast beats and some nasty vocals always help!
5. The album contains twelve songs and runs for nearly 47 minutes, yet it also includes very brief tracks like "Avmakt," "Fallitt," and "Nådestøt." Was the album's sequencing conceived as a complete journey where those interludes serve a specific purpose? How much importance do you place on the song order?
JSK: Actually, we paid too little attention to this very thing. We tried to arrange things to make the album as dynamic and interesting as possible, but in hindsight we should have given the placement of the interludes more thought.
MKA: The idea behind those little pieces between the tracks was to create a slightly different atmosphere and state of mind, while also building some bridges between different parts of the album. We know they might interrupt the intensity a bit, but for me it's just as important that the individual songs get to stand on their own. Sometimes it's nice to have something that resets your brain a little as you make your way through the record. If that makes any sense. We realize it's a slightly odd arrangement, and that some people probably won't see the point. But these days, when everything seems to follow some kind of formula designed to grab and hold people's attention, it feels pretty good to go against that and do some weird stuff we haven't tried before.
6. One of the most obvious changes is that the lyrics are entirely in Norwegian. What led you to make that decision for this album? Do you feel that using your native language allows you to express certain emotions or images in a way that would be impossible in English?
JSK: This was my decision 100 percent, and the reason for it is in the question you ask - it feels more real to me writing in my native language. As long as the lyrical content is what it is, it feels strange, almost wrong, to write in English. Of course, Norwegian has that grimness to it, as an added bonus.
7. The title itself—"Barmhjertighetens Fallitt" ("The Failure of Mercy")—and the lyrics revolve around despair, vulnerability, shattered dreams, and the destruction of hope. Is there a common concept connecting all the songs, or do you prefer for each track to have its own story and interpretation?
JSK: Every song has its own distinct identity, lyric-wise. However, the theme throughout is as you also point out, inner darkness and despair, often derived from the vulnerability and exposure that you succumb to when you allow yourself to dream and hope. There is also, if you read into the stuff a bit, a returning element of throwing the laughable concept of some benign divine being caring for us right onto the old garbage heap.
8. There are particularly evocative titles such as "Mannen og kråka," "Trolldom," "Svart Time," and "Brann." Without necessarily delving into the meaning of every song, what kind of imagery, experiences, or stories have fueled the album's lyrical universe? Is there a connection between the lyrics and Norwegian tradition, history, or folklore?
JSK: I don't really want to get into the dark and gritty details, but I like to use metaphors a lot when writing lyrics. You will rarely find direct references in the lyrics, but if you spend some time with them, I think you can find both what I am writing about and also find something in them that resonates with your own life and experiences.
9. Musically, the album seems to place great importance on contrast: speed versus heavy passages, melody versus rawness, aggression versus atmosphere. Was that contrast precisely what you were aiming for when you began working on Barmhjertighetens Fallitt? Were there any aspects of the sound you deliberately wanted to push further this time around?
MSO: This was in the works for so long that it is hard to remember every aspect, hehe. However, I don’t think we set out too strict rules for ourselves while creating songs. We got the notion that when we released “Avgrunn”, we were perceived as going more extreme than before. To me that stayed in the back of my head as something I wanted to be true for this album too, as opposed to going softer. The final result ended up allowing this album to be about evoking the aggression, rawness and atmosphere in different ways per track while staying true to some unwritten rules that keep the Vingulmork sound within them. While I can’t say how deliberate that was directly, I’m very content with the result based on those factors.
JSK: We have always thrived in contrasts. Our first full length album was named "Chiaroscuro" namely because of this. Chiaroscure is the term that describes the effect of actively using light and darkness in classical painting. In my opinion, the contrasts in our music is an expression of who we are as people.
10. The album is being released jointly by Likskue Productions, Crime Records, and Schattenpfade Support Circle. Crime Records has also been associated with Vingulmork since Chiaroscuro. What has it been like working with multiple labels during this new phase, and what does each one bring to the release?
JSK: It has been nothing but a joy, honestly. All these three underground labels have done amazing work with our album, and we are extremely grateful to them for all the effort and resources they put into it. They all cater to different crowds and audiences, which is a real strength. Likskue and Schattenpfade lean heavily into the more necro, old school black metal thing, while Crime is much broader in their scope. It has been great!
11. The cover art conveys imagery strongly linked to the inevitability of death and the passage of time. To what extent was the image conceived as a direct representation of the album's themes? Did you work on the musical and lyrical concepts first and then look for an image to represent them, or did both elements develop in tandem?
JSK: I think you will find that the lyrics tie into the artwork quite well. The main concept for the artwork is that of the final harvest. No matter what you do, where you are, who you are or what you believe - you will be on the receiving end of the harvester's scythe at some point. Memento mori!
12. Your sound stems from a clearly evident Norwegian tradition, yet you have also acknowledged the influence of the Swedish scene on various occasions—particularly the more melodic side of 1990s black metal. What does the Swedish black metal tradition mean to Vingulmork, and what differences do you perceive between the Norwegian and Swedish approaches to the genre?
MKA: Personally, I'd say Dissection has been a pretty big influence, simply because I've listened to them a hell of a lot over the years. I think the comparison to Swedish black metal probably comes from the fact that we're less purist about the genre than a lot of Norwegian black metal bands were in the '90s, and to some extent still are. To me, Norwegian black metal has traditionally been colder and more "pure", while the Swedes have always been more willing to mix in elements from their death metal scene. We're also working somewhere in that crossover between different genres, so I guess that makes it easier to draw parallels between Vingulmork and Swedish bands rather than the more traditional Norwegian ones.
13. Thinking specifically of Sweden, bands like Dissection and Dark Funeral form part of that bridge between aggression, melody, and a particular conception of black metal that also appears in your music. Beyond musical influences, is there a real connection between Vingulmork and the current Swedish scene? Have you kept in touch, shared stages, or collaborated with musicians and bands from there?
MKA: Unfortunately, we're not particularly well connected to the rest of Scandinavia or Europe. It's a bit of a shame, really. These networks tend to become way too local, which is kind of a strange paradox in today's world. But I guess part of the reason is that there's so much competition here at home that we're already pretty busy just trying to maintain a foothold in our own scene. Getting the chance to join a bigger Scandinavian band for a few shows around the region would be really cool, though. Definitely something we'd love to do.
14. To wrap up, Vingulmork belongs to a generation that has lived through several different stages of the Norwegian extreme music scene: from the legacy of classic black metal to the massive diversification of the underground metal scene today. How do you envision the Norwegian and Scandinavian scenes in 2026? Which young bands or current projects do you find particularly interesting, and what do you think should be preserved from the old underground culture?
JSK: I think the scene today is healthier than it's been for a long time. There are so many fresh, young bands coming through and there is an abundance of gig organisers, venues, small labels and distros, shops etc etc that do an amazing job of keeping the extreme metal underground alive. For me personally, I have been in this since I was just a small kid, and I have seen trends come and go, scenes come and go, gatekeepers trying to define what goes and what doesn't and all that stuff. After 35 years or whatever as a fan and a musician, I can say that none of that shit matters. It all goes in cycles, and where we are now is the healthiest I can remember. For specific bands, I would say there are a few young Norwegian bands everyone should look out for. I will mention Nedgravd, Voidspire and Arachno. I recently also saw a young Finnish death metal band called Malformed that I think deserves attention. It's an exciting time for underground extreme metal.
15. How did you get started in music? What were the first concerts you attended and the first albums you bought? What event in your lives drove you to want to become musicians?
MSO: I always find it difficult to pinpoint these events in detail, as I’ve always listened to many genres and had multiple influences at once. When I was not yet old enough to have learned to walk properly, I was still old enough to stand and reach the edge of the stereo with my hands. Supported like that I was shaking my diapered ass to manouche-jazz. Wanting to learn guitar happened quite early. I had a father that picked up a guitar at home and could jam with albums he played on the stereo. That fascinated me a lot. I began learning classical guitar when I was 7 or 8 and it pretty much gradually snowballed from there into my first electric guitar and then my first amp and distortion pedal over the course of a few years. In early years, I fancied rock more, and delved into bands like Norwegian rockers Motorpshycho along with Nine Inch Nails and many others. I believe the first metal album I bought was The Kovenant’s Nexus Polaris. I was still more into rock at the time, but got highly influenced by a good friend who played this on repeat a lot when I came to visit, so when I bought it I had already listened to it so much that I was addicted. Playing in bands with good friends did the rest. I kept a rock band going for a while and had a few years of playing bass live and on recording while I always created both bass and guitar parts. Early concerts; I remember going to see Rolling Stones. That was pretty big, but after that I had a few years of attending festivals and seeing Mayhem, The Kovenant and the like way back when a friend and I were so young needed an adult to join us to be allowed in.
JSK: For me, it's quite easy. I started listening to hard rock and heavy metal as a child and was just radicalised from that point on. These days I listen to any kind of metal, and very little else. I played the piano from childhood, but joined my first band as a 13 year old kid as a vocalist. Around this time I also started playing drums and have done that in several bands over the years, in addition to being the singer for Vingulmork.
16. Which album represents the essence of black metal for you? What are the most recent albums you’ve bought?
JSK: Hmm that is a very good question, and I guess it depends on how you look at it. If you look for "the essence" as in where it started, what was defining etc, I guess you would have to say something like Transilvanian Hunger or Hvis Lyset Tar Oss. But I think I will have to go with something slightly newer and say Nemesis Divina. That is when I feel the total domination of Norwegian black metal was truly established.
MKA: To be honest, I don't really care that much about defining the essence of black metal. I've always preferred the period when the Norwegian black metal pioneers had grown up a bit and developed some proper balls. For me, Sons of Northern Darkness by Immortal is the absolute cream of the crop. Fantastic songwriting, incredible riffs and just a damn near perfect production. The latest band I've discovered is Jordsjuk, a local band from Oslo who mix a lot of thrash and punk into their sound. Their album from last year is seriously good! And if we're talking about newer bands that really stand out in the genre, I'd have to say Nordjevel. They absolutely blew my head off when they first appeared on the scene over ten years ago.
17. Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions for Black Metal Spirit; if you’d like to add anything for Vingulmork’s fans, this is the place to do it. I hope the questions were to your liking.
MSO: Happy to oblige. Hope at least a few of our answers bring your questions justice!
JSK: Thank you for reading this interview and never ever listen to gatekeepers. Do whatever and listen to whatever the fuck you want.
MSO - Martin Storm-Olsen
JSK - Jostein Stensrud Køhn
MKA - Martin Kandola
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