Photo: Cecilia Bjärgö
Annmari Thim is the person who is behind the
ethereal project ‘ANGELIC FOE’ and is also well-known from the collaboration with
Arcana.Let’s meet Annmari and her beautiful music.
How did you choose the name of your
project?
Originally I intended to call the
project “A Touch of Lilith” and as I worked with the first demo for the debut
album “Oppressed by the Heavens” one of the tracks actually carried the name
“Angelic Foes”. After a while I realized how much I liked the sound of the
latter and decided to change the project name as well as the song name.
“Angelic Foe” represents a threat disguised with loveliness, just as many female
demons and mythic creatures; but it could also just as well mean angel of death
or angel of penance.
Tell us about the driving force that leads
you to create your personal project "Angelic Foe"
The driving force to create material
under the umbrella of “Angelic Foe” is sprung out from inspiration as well as
provocation. I have always been fascinated by folklore, sagas and mystique as
well as different belief systems. Furthermore, I find it agitating how evil
forces in many of these worlds often are represented by beautiful and/or
terrifying female creatures. And on top of this I was once actually accused of
being a “succubus” myself and that provoked me enough to write about it and to
form this project.
Tell us about your
collaboration with Arcana and other projects.
My main focus is at present on
Angelic Foe and the project has become most precious to me but I do collaborate
with other bands and musicians as well, however on a more sporadic level. There
are a couple of larger projects in pipeline but I am as of yet not obliged to
talk about them as they still are taking form. As for my involvement in Arcana
I would say that it is right now on hold, since Peter Bjärgö last year decided
to dissolve the lineup back then and return to his origins. Nothing is, however,
carved in stone and we will see what the future brings for both of us! My 13
years in Arcana has been a time, which I truly treasure. I still collaborate
with Peter for Angelic Foe though, and we even share the same studio space.
What is the mission of your music?
The purpose of my music is first and
foremost creative relief! But I also wish to create another world for listeners
to lose themselves in for a while. I want to project elements in holy scripts,
mysticism and historic events with music and words; I see it as melodic story
telling.
Can you tell a bit
about your songwriting and recording process? How do you come up with
the ideas for the songs?
The song writing process has changed
over time but what remains the same from the beginning and until now is that I
always start by writing the lyrics. I composed the songs for the first album
together with guitarist Cristian Ellingsen and we did it from scratch. After
that they were developed further by drummer Mattias Borgh and producer John
Tyrell, who made the sound complete. For the second album, which I just
finished, I recorded the foundation for most songs alone in my studio only with
a drum rhythm as support. In this way I created rough drafts of the songs with the
vocal melodies and harmonies for the different parts that I thought the songs
should consist of. After that I brought the
ideas to musician Samuel Lidström and we composed and produced the music
together digitally. The album is now in the hands of Peter Bjärgö for mixing
and mastering and I hope to release it during the year.
Can you describe the atmosphere you want to
create with your songs?
The soundscape has altered; the
first album was mainly acoustic and quite sparse whereas the second album has a
rich and dramatic orchestral sound and in the next production, which I am
currently working with I am flirting with dimmer and more industrial elements.
But generally I want the atmosphere to be dark and epic.
Which areas do the lyrics of your
songs refer to?
My lyrics center mostly on creatures
and tales from ancient religious texts. They also treat historic events such as
the witch prosecution in Europe, etc. and some of it are simply recitations of
spells, old or new.
Sweden is full of myths and a lot
of artists are interested in fantasy worlds and
especially in forces of nature, magic, paganism
and mythology. Are you interested in them too?
Forces of nature, magic, paganism
and mythology are all elements in the music of Angelic Foe. The Nordic heritage
reflects just that and therefore it comes naturally for me as source of
inspiration.
Which are some of the bands or musical
styles that have had an influence on your music?
The different music styles that have
influenced Angelic Foe in one way or the other are quite a few: classic
orchestral music, epic film music, symphonic metal, death metal, dark ambient
music, industrial music, ethnic folk music, pagan rock and even some electronic
pop.
What kind of feedback have you received about your
music and what would you say people think of ethereal music in general?
The first album got pretty good
reviews as far as I know and I have received very positive feedback from those listeners,
who have approached me with their thoughts. I hope that the listeners will
enjoy the upcoming album as well, even though it is more neoclassic than the
previous one. I am sure that there are people who dislike my music too but I
guess that goes for most bands. I think that the ethereal music scene today has
grown, both when it comes to number of bands performing and when it comes to
the audience listening. The reasons for it could be many; easy access to music
online, availability of fantastic orchestral sounds to use for digital
programming, or maybe the scene has simply become more approachable due to all the
fantasy oriented video games, TV series and films that are increasing in
popularity.
Which are your non-musical interests?
When I am not working with music or
writing lyrics I enjoy visiting old ruins and ancient sacred places, spending
time in the nature, hanging out with family and friends, watching films,
reading books (both for pleasure and inspiration for lyric writing) and playing
video games. And I also like other obvious things such as delicious foods and
wines.
What about your future plans?
As mentioned earlier I aim to release the new
album ”Mother of Abominations” later this year on a label. I am also currently recording
an EP together with Peter Bjärgö with a slightly darker and less melodic touch.
More information on both these releases will follow. Lastly, I have already started
writing new material for yet another full-length album but I am in no hurry to
finish it and I have not made my mind up yet when it comes to what kind of soundscape
it should carry. No rest for the wicked!
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