DIE FROM WITHIN WITH MADELEINE, RIKARD
Art: Nestor Avalos
Madeleine: Our music is heavy, melodic and empowering. Our music means everything since it’s written from our core. We released our latest album’ Dancing In Hell’ in November 2020, and it turned out to be a great choice to continue with the planned release we had scheduled before the pandemic.
Rikard: ‘Dancing In Hell’ became a game-changing album for us and is also our most sold album to date.
Madeleine: We didn’t have a single gig to promote it because of the pandemic. That feels great to say out loud, and we are very proud.
Rikard: Madeleine and I, Rikard Ekberg, create everything. We co-founded the band in 2014, and together we made the music, the visuals and everything from artworks to music videos. With ‘Dancing In Hell’, we did what we always do. We did what felt right and didn’t try to please someone else.
The lyrics we write are about things we know, see, and feel. So no elves or dragons, I’m afraid. If I were to put a subject or theme to it, it would be empowerment. We stay true to ourselves, and by doing that, we have people worldwide who connect with what we put out there. This, to me, becomes very apparent mainly through all the comments and interactions we have daily with fans and also becomes very apparent on Madeleine’s and my Twitch streams.
Madeleine: Empowering, true and raw. As we always write from our hearts, we’ve noticed along the way that our lyrics are empowering. We know because they’ve told us that our fans relate to our lyrics and find strength within them to carry on and get through different life obstacles and chapters. Because of that, we also create a very strong bond between us as a band and our fans. Life inspires us and everything we experience as human beings. Besides that, Rikard and I love movies and series and find much visual inspiration.
Rikard: Despite our somewhat young age, Madeleine and I have been through many hardships in life. Much of our material is written through that, not the hardships themselves, but how we’ve gotten through them or what we’ve learned from that experience. Besides that, anime series are very valuable to us. There’s a certain type of vibe to a really good anime you won’t find anywhere else. The atmosphere, music, story and visuals can be very inspiring in anime. We write about what we know, see, and feel. We’re not religious people, though we do mention God and other oppressors. This is to share our experience, some direct and some observed, with those subjects.
Madeleine: We also remind our fans that THEY are their own master and creator. You create your path in life, and you should listen more to your gut feeling than to what other people think. Especially if they say that a god tells you to do something, you can also believe in yourself, don’t forget that. I remember listening to Dimmu Borgir for the first time in 2003 I was 13 years old. That was a fantastic discovery for me. It felt like I heard a dark magical forest, haha. I was captured immediately, and they have my biggest respect yet today. Around the same time, I discovered Arch Enemy, and before that, Iron Maiden and Queen also were an important part of my childhood.
Rikard: Dark arts? I don’t know; metal just spoke to me. Metal is an excellent way of expression since it is versatile and has many different types of subgenres. I was very much into Nirvana in my teens, and during that time, I was introduced to bands such as Dio, Iron Maiden, Fear Factory, Arch Enemy, Cradle Of Filth and more. Just a big rush of bands that came my way. Also, the band Rush.
Madeleine: Music is just my entire world. It is the one thing that feels most natural in my life, and I am grateful to be able to work with it full time. There’s like another level of joy within doing what you love this much.
Rikard: Music is our entire lives. That’s why it is so important to us. I wouldn’t call it a spiritual thing, but it does unite people in a very real way. There is nothing wrong with enjoying a song just because you think the beat is sick, the growls go low, or the guitars squeal high. So I’d say that the take on it depends on the listener. With that said, we do know for a fact that people are being united and get empowered by the music Madeleine and I create in Eleine. This is a thing we are very happy about and humbled by.
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