Following the release of their debut album More Subtle Than Death last year, rising Norwegian metalcore outfit Fixation had two options. Revel in the adulation being heaped in their direction for a stunning slab of metal, or capitalise on the growing momentum and get back in the studio.
So back in the studio they went.
But instead of rehashing what was obviously a winning formula, Fixation elected to push themselves further, introducing moments of intense screaming from vocalist Jonas Hansen that were nowhere to be heard on that debut album or the band's first EP Global Suicide.
It was a brave, yet confident move from Fixation, with the decision seeming to pay instant dividends judging from the reaction already to the band's mini album Speak In Tongues which was released last Friday.
HEAVY caught up with Hansen to delve deeper into the world of Fixation.
"I'm real excited for people to hear it," he enthused. "As any band says, it's our best work yet. But truly, it's been the most fun writing and recording process we've had so far and feels like a step in the right direction for us."
We ask him to explain the musical side of the album in greater detail.
"This record we wanted to go in a more heavy direction," he offered. "We tried out a bit of stuff that we hadn't done before. Last year we were a bunch of tourists and played all over Europe, and we saw so many great heavy bands live and the energy that they produced live and the energy that the audience gives back. It really inspired the sonic part of this record. We wanted to make something that really hits you in the face live, and that's what we did. Throughout the process of this record we were certain that we wanted to have more screaming than we've done before, and I didn't really know how to do it properly."
In the full interview, Jonas talked more about the screaming vocals and training his voice differently. He revealed why now is the right time to introduce those elements and the concept behind Speak In Tongues, which revolves around the theme of cults. Jonas expressed his fascination with cults and their psychological aspects, particularly how one person can blindly follow a false prophet for personal gain. He also drew connections between cults and other aspects of society.
Jonas explained the lessons learned from their debut album that carried over to this release and the cohesive, movie-like storyline. We discussed the band's early vision, with Jonas sharing that Fixation started as a high school cover band but reinvented themselves in 2020. Jonas noted their sound has matured over time. They discussed their music project Fixation, with Jonas expressing satisfaction with its direction. He mentioned they were writing new music and planned to be in the studio throughout the year and more.