Midnatt charge out of Sweden’s heavy‑metal heartland with a sound that treats tradition as fuel rather than a boundary. In this interview, the Karlstad quartet talk origins, raw ambition and the fire behind their debut full‑length Skräckfylld Förtjusning. Expect straight answers, sharp edges and the kind of conviction that keeps Swedish heavy metal alive and snarling.
Interview: Midnatt (Sweden)
TheNwothm: What were the earliest sparks that pushed you toward forming Midnatt? Was there a defining moment or shared influence?
Midnatt: Hearing what newer Swedish bands like TYRANN, ENFORCER and HELVETETS PORT were doing made us want to take on pure heavy metal and do what MIDNATT is today. Most of us come from the blackened thrash metal band “Command” we just wanted to swap the instruments around for this. But also change the genre. Sometimes you need to mix things up and MIDNATT has really worked out that way for us.
TheNwothm: How did the name Midnatt come about, and what does “midnight” symbolise for the band?
Midnatt: At first thought it was supposed to be “MIDNIGHT. But that wouldn’t work for obvious reasons. Robin just said why don’t we just do the name in Swedish. In hindsight this name choice probably affected all the lyrics being in Swedish.
TheNwothm: Sweden has a long tradition of heavy metal across many subgenres. Where do you see yourselves within that lineage?
Midnatt: MIDNATT is the past, the present and the future. We can’t really place us on that lineage, it’s for the listener to place us. We just play raw metal. We do what we like and if people don’t then they can f*ck off. Comparing us to different bands and whatnot is a slippery slope to walk down. We are clearly inspired by different Swedish bands but we try to make our own thing out of it.
TheNwothm: Midnatt formed in Arvika, Värmland. How has the local scene shaped your sound or work ethic?
Midnatt: MIDNATT formed in Arvika but we all have moved to Karlstad since. Arvika is such a big metal town. Having bands like ENFORCER, TRIBULATION and CORRUPT rising up from the town where you’re going to high school is going to affect you. If it doesn’t then something is wrong. We were 16 when “From Beyond” was released and it did something
to our whole friendgroup. Olof Wikstrands view on metal and music as well was a topic we talked about a lot. Arvika is Värmlands Upplands-Väsby!
TheNwothm: How do you balance tradition with your own voice, especially in a genre with such a strong heritage?
Midnatt: Our influences slip through a lot of the time in our music.The music is a way to pay homage to the bands we look up to. We are grateful for the bands and people before us but now it’s time for them to step aside, MIDNATT is here.
TheNwothm: Metallisk Hetta (2022) introduced you with a raw, energetic sound. How do you feel about that EP now, looking back?
Midnatt: We feel that the EP captures the rawness and hunger of MIDNATT. We are happy with it still and it really made the impact we wanted it to do. Production wise the full length is much heavier and fuller. The songwriting has also evolved a lot from the EP. But overall we are really happy with our first release.
TheNwothm: The Swedish Metal split in 2024 placed you alongside other acts. What did that collaboration teach you?
Midnatt: The split wasn’t any work for us. It’s just the EP made on vinyl. It’s always a different feeling hearing your songs on vinyl and holding the record while listening. The only thing that we can think of is that it made us hungrier and wanted us to keep going and putting out more music.
TheNwothm: Can you tell our readers a little bit about yourselves? What do you do when you not making music?
Midnatt: When not making the purest heavy metal ever heard to man Aron and Robin run a record store in our hometown of Karlstad. When Eric isn’t sharpening his bullet belt he makes all of our graphics content and works. Edward studies when not preparing his axe for battle. A lot of our spare time goes into the band. But it’s what we all love so no harm no foul.
TheNwothm: I have this question to bands before for fun but I want to know! Who spends the most time in front of the mirror, who is the one who gets the attention, and who is always the last one to set up at practice?
Midnatt: Haha, it would be Edward on all three. Setting up the mighty battle axe station takes its time but also pays off.
TheNwothm: Let us talk about the new album “Skräckfylld Förtjusning.” The album title translates roughly to “Frightful Delight”. What’s the story behind that phrase?
Midnatt: Everything we do with MIDNATT usually starts off with a cool title. If it´s a song or a record title or a cool phrase to put on a poster the words almost always come first. We’ve had this title for a while now, Robin came up with it like 2 years ago and it just stuck. It’s a fun wordplay with “terrifying delight” or “skräckblandad förtjusning”. It captures the record well. When you hear the title and then listen to the record I think you can really feel it.
TheNwothm: This is your first full‑length. What did the longer format allow you to explore that shorter releases didn’t?
Midnatt: We have released a full length before with our band COMMAND. So we are used to the format. We think it gives you more room but also you can put a lot more thought into it. We put a lot of time into the placement of the songs, which one should be on A and B, how they should fade into each other etc. This is a fun process that takes time but the feeling when it’s done is indescribable. When making the EP we just wanted to show our music and get it out there.
TheNwothm: The tracklist includes titles like Satán, Marken Brinner, Sfinxen, and För Evigt Märkt. Is there a thematic thread running through the album?
Midnatt: As stated before the title for songs always comes first and then we form the lyrics around it. The theme for the album is things we think are cool and fit the music. Because we are speaking our mother tongue we have a lot more freedom in twisting words and pronunciations of them. It’s fun and challenging but it always turns out great. We write a lot about darker subjects but that’s just because what excites us. We also use the band itself sometimes in the lyrics. There is always a thought behind every word and line in every song. Taking things seriously is what makes MIDNATT what it is.
TheNwothm: Which song was the most challenging to complete, and why?
Midnatt: LJUVA MIDNATT took some time. We were not really sure how we wanted to do the bridge. It took some frustrating takes and some time to just listen to it outside of the studio to find something that we were happy with. Jamie Elton who mixed and mastered the album also helped out a bit with this part to make it what we wanted.
TheNwothm: Is there a particular favourite song for each of you off the record and why?
Aron: For me it’s SKUGGAN and/or TRANSYLMANI. I think because these songs were written last and are kinda fresh.´They represent the sound of what direction MIDNATT is heading.
Robin: ”För Evigt Märkt”, simply for the finality and dramatic feeling it brings. It’s our homage, tribute and sacrifice to the Devils music which seeps into our lives and takes a hold on us for all time to come!
Eric: Kom An is the ultimate culmination of an Midnatt song brought into an anthem, both musically and attitude wise. As everything the song is fully experienced live – but might be especially true for this one.
Edward: It’s a tie between TRANSYLMANI and SFINXEN. When Robin and Aron sent me the first draft of TRANSYLMANI, during the album’s recording sessions, I was instantly blown away… felt like I got served a severe “rallarsving” blasting it through my dusty old speakers. With SFINXEN it’s cause I’m obsessed with Egyptian and Greek mythology,
simple as that.
TheNwothm: What are your touring plans for 2026 to support the records release?
Midnatt: We have a release gig in our hometown of Karlstad on the 3rd of April. Other than that we have stuff in the works both in Sweden but also down in Europe. Be on the lookout for the MIDNATT ATTACK. If you are a booker and reading this you can contact us at midnattswe@gmail.com. We are always looking for new places to put our mark on.
TheNwothm: How can our readers buy your music and merch?
Midnatt: We sell our music and merch at gigs mostly. If any is left we put it up on Instagram/bandcamp. Buying at gigs supports the band the best. KEEP IT TRUE!
TheNwothm: Where can fans follow you online?
Midnatt: Instagram and Bandcamp are the best places.
TheNwothm: Anything else you would like to mention?
Midnatt: Buy the record, come see us live and spread the word that MIDNATT is here. Thanks for
the interview.
Bandcamp: https://midnatt.bandcamp.com/album/metallisk-hetta
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midnattswe/
Label: https://www.jawbreaker.se/product-tag/midnatt/