Forefather is an English Folk Metal band from Surrey, England. With a close connection to times of old, the duo has been "fighting for land" since 1997. One of those very consistent band, very true to their core artistic ideals, I still consider them, to this day, to be a History class.

Their last full-length dates back to 2015, leaving us eagerly waiting for more music from these Saxons. In 2020 I had the opportunity to talk to Wulfstan, the band's lead vocalist, amongst other band duties.

Welcome, first. A pleasure to have you in this little Fanzine. To start: for 3 years, we have not had the opportunity to hear new music from you. What is the reason for this editorial break?

Thanks! I'm glad to answer your questions. Our lack of recent output can only honestly be explained by a lack of will and motivation. We have seen a lot less of each other over the last 18 months or so, which doesn't help, and there have been other distractions away from music, but really we just need to bang our heads together and make some solid recording plans and set some deadlines. We have still been writing music, and we have more than enough material for an album or two. We just have to get back into the habit of regular studio time. Frankly, I feel bad that we didn't get a new album out this year, and I can only apologize to those who are patiently waiting!

With this entire current situation, have you been forced to rethink something about Forefather? Be it a rehearsal, recordings, editions ...

So far it hasn't affected us at all. We don't need to rehearse, we haven't been very active with recording, and any other issues can usually be dealt with remotely. I suppose if we wanted to get together physically, that might infringe upon some of these outrageous regulations under which we are currently living, but I'm not sure because I don't make an effort to keep up-to-date with them.

Are you of the opinion that things will never be as they were, in any sector of our Society? How will musicians have to reinvent themselves in order to overcome something like this?

I suspect that some things will never be the same again. All the usual shady politicians and organizations are openly using typically creepy and Orwellian slogans such as "Build Back Better" and "The Great Reset". I think bands that rely heavily on live shows might have to re-think things because we know now that governments can arbitrarily shut down public gatherings for months on end. Who would want to start up a company running live events in such a climate?

The situation in which musicians and stage technicians, sound, light, etc. are at the moment, is very bad. This has caused - or I hope it has done - the Society to look at Culture differently. In England the situation does not seem to me to be much better - we know what comes to us through the Media, which is worth what it is worth. Is this notion of the importance of Culture something intrinsic to the British, or do you believe that the pandemic has changed people's perspective?

There has been some focus in the mainstream media on the struggles of theatre, music and other stage events but it hasn't seemed like a big priority. I haven't looked into it in detail but I imagine that a lot of businesses have gone bust or just decided to stop. Again, why would anyone right now want to invest any money in stage events when it is known that they can just be shut down at any time? England has a long history as a hub for arts and culture so it will probably survive here as well as anywhere else. I think enough people will still want to see live bands and theatre, etc., but it could take a while to recover because all of this hysteria has no doubt led to many people being terrified of the idea of going near other people.

Still regarding Culture, I always saw Forefather as more than a band in the literal sense. In parallel with Music there is all the historical content that enriches it, somewhat similar to what Enslaved do. Are you of the opinion that, in addition to giving us Music, you are giving "history lessons"? (and I say it as an immense compliment)

I thank you for your compliment! I wouldn't say that we are giving history lessons. I would rather say that we are aiming to inspire other people to take an interest in the history and to look into it themselves. Also, if you aren't English it might inspire you to find out about the same period in your own country. The music has always been the driving force but the historical themes and aesthetic are an integral part of Forefather.

I read a few years ago that you are not apologists that your sound should be labeled as Black Metal, but Anglo Saxon Metal. Why? 

We have embraced and rejected various labels over the years. These days we don't mind what people call us. We've never been a straight Black Metal band but that genre was an important influence among others. Mostly we get put in the Pagan or Viking Metal category. Lyrically it's not ideal because our lyrics aren't all about paganism and they're not all about Vikings, but Viking/Pagan Metal (lyrics aside) also evokes a particular sound into which we do fit rather well. So it's fine. Anglo-Saxon Metal is just a specifically English alternative to Viking Metal. They both correspond to the same time period and in fact early English and Viking history were very much intertwined. 

Your sound has always intrigued me in a way: it is not pure Black Metal, but it is not just Heavy Metal, it has something of a more stout Power Metal, so to speak, it has aggressive and more melodic vocalizations ... Having this in mind tell me, what can you tell me about influences - music and lyrical - and their weight in the creative process of a Forefather album?

Our first big influence was Iron Maiden, from whom we probably get a lot of our instinct for melodies, but it was Metallica that really got us into playing guitar. I think we both pretty much learned to play by playing along to Metallica songs. Those two bands are a huge part of the base of our style. Then a few years later the Black Metal craze was taking off and we got caught up in that. A few bands that were particularly influential were Cradle of Filth, Burzum and Immortal but there were many others of course. The Power Metal element could be a result of the Metallica/Iron Maiden mix but we did also get into bands like Rhapsody and Gamma Ray from around 2000 to 2002. I should also mention the so-called "Viking" Bathory albums. They were also influential on the lyrical side along with other Scandinavian bands who used the Viking themes. We just shifted the emphasis across the North Sea to England.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you never used a third member to record the drums, right? Why have you never included another musician in the equation? I fear that it would bring some damage to the symbiosis that exists between the two of you, or the need for total control over the work (which would be totally understandable)?

Yes, the only people ever to have performed on a Forefather album are us two. Before we started Forefather we had a drummer friend and we used to rehearse with him quite regularly until about 2001, mainly just for fun. He never played on an album but we did half-heartedly attempt to record some drum tracks for the "The Fighting Man" album. We didn't have good enough equipment though and gave up. Then we slowly drifted apart and we never liked the idea of having to get to know another musician and integrate them into the project. Admittedly, we do like to have complete control over everything too! These days it's very easy to get a session drummer or bassist to remotely record tracks for you but I still don't know if we would do that. I like the fact that everything so far has just been the work of us two.

How does the creative process develop, in your case? Being both multi-instrumentalists, who ends up having some kind of leadership (healthy, of course), when creating? This, of course, if that happens ...

Our songs usually start with one standout riff or melody and just sprawl outwards from there. Sometimes first I will think of a song title and a vocal melody will come to me. We write all our music entirely separately. Whenever we tried to jam together we would end up playing over each other. If there is ever a joint music credit it's usually because one of us was struggling to finish a song and the other stepped in with an extra riff or melody. I like to write my lyrics by myself too. Athelstan sometimes likes a helping hand with his or just let's me write them entirely. Neither of us has ultimate leadership. If something is to go on the album we both have to agree to it. There is of course a lot of compromise on smaller things though.

Are you currently involved in any other project outside of Forefather or is your focus exclusively on Forefather? 

Right now our focus is all on Forefather. We've pledged that nothing else will get in the way of the new album. I think Athelstan has plans for another solo album eventually. Maybe one day I might work on something individually too. I have a few ideas and lots of spare riffs! Once we get the recording ball rolling again things could follow on quickly. Another idea I have is to resurrect some really old pre-Forefather songs from the mid 90s.

What does the future hold for us from Forefather?

More music. We're not done yet! The gears in the Forefather machine have been grinding rather slowly for too long. It's time to get the momentum going again!

Once again, my thanks for your time and words, this opportunity was a pleasure.

And thank you for your interest and support! Hails to all in the Forefather Fyrd, wherever you may be!

(all answers by Wulfstan, December 2020)

Forefather Official Bandcamp