By: Maggie Stankiewicz
Q) Thorndale’s debut album came out last year, a unique era of the human experience. What inspired you to start recording and releasing your music during this time?
Zigor: We actually started writing, recording and releasing music in 2021 off the back of Gus’ and my other band Adarrak releasing its debut album. Peter and I (and the rest of us now) have been writing music together for the better part of almost 5 years.
Q) How has your sound evolved over the last year?
Gus: Well, I’m the vocalist, and to be honest I’m not too involved in the actual songwriting process. Usually, I get a rough version of the track and start working on the lyrics, most of which are written by Zigor. I tweak them here and there to fit the melodies I have in mind. So, for me, the process hasn’t really changed much. We’re planning to make things more collaborative on the next record so I can contribute a bit more, but this setup works for everyone. I’m totally fine with it.
Peter: Over the last year we’ve become even more collaborative, especially with Maarten joining the band. His contributions add a new dimension to the music. I also think we’ve started to define our sound a lot more, which is darker than the music on our first album. You hear this a lot on the new album, Spiritual Chains, and in the new music we are working on.
Maarten: I got in contact with Zigor after the release of the first album and the second album was already in progress. For the second album I got the freedom to write my own guitar parts. I added my lines and sent it to the guys, and it seemed they liked the additions. I also sent in some riffs which are used by Peter to make a completely new song based on the riffs. This ended up with the song “Twenty Thousand Souls.” That is awesome as we live far away from each other that it seems we understand what we want to achieve.
Q) Talk about your songwriting process. Do you write riffs and melodies first, or do lyrics come to you more easily?
Zigor: I write lyrics all the time and then together with Gus we may slice and dice stuff to make it fit the vibe for a song and or the music. There’s another corner of the writing process where Peter and I (and now Maarten as well, of course) do quite a bit of back and forth but I will let them talk about that.
Peter: I’m all about the riffs, that’s where I start. I spend a lot of time coming up with riffs and then when I have a few that work well together, I put them into a rough arrangement. From there, Gus and Zigor hash out the lyrics and melodies. Sometimes the arrangement has to be modified to better support the lyrics, storyline, etc. That’s where the back and forth that Zigor mentioned comes in.
Q) Your single, “Twenty Thousand Souls,” is markedly more refined than previous works. What was the inspiration for this song?
Zigor: There’s this city on Earth where back in the 15th century they only had twenty thousand inhabitants and yet it was one of the most populated cities in the world. This song is about how ruthless brutal life was then and there.
Q) The music video for “Twenty Thousand Souls” is quite provocative, featuring occultist imagery and jarring vignettes of everyday life. How large of a role did you have in the creative direction?
Zigor: I gave the artist some direction but then like I always do I gave them quite a bit of freedom, of course. They had the lyrics, and we had a part in deciding what imagery would match what part of the song.
Q) Spiritual Chains features work from several experienced and well known musicians. What can you share about this collaboration process and how it was different from your debut album?
Gus: Jeff Henson from Duel produced the vocals and improvised a really cool solo on one of the songs. It came together very naturally and wasn’t planned at all. We hit a wall while recording the vocals for “Exiles and Masters,” so we decided to add a solo, and it ended up working perfectly.
Q) The tracks in Spiritual Chains feature intros with thundering drums and high octane guitar riffs. Talk about the process of blending strong percussion with electric riffs. How do you strike the right balance?
Zigor: We work very well with Rob. He knows exactly what we’re going for, and he knows how not to overplay when it comes to writing and recording drums for Thorndale.
Q) When you wrote the chorus to “Battles Fought in Vain” from Spiritual Chains, did you expect audiences to find it as catchy as they do? It comes with a sing along quality that makes it irresistible to genre fans.
Peter: I didn’t have any part in writing the vocal melody for the chorus, but it was stuck in my head as soon as I heard the demo. I’m glad the fans find it as catchy as I do!
Q) What song(s) off Spiritual Chains are a favorite for you and what makes them so significant to you?
Zigor: “Veins of the Phoenix” is a clear and obvious one. I think we all love it. The eerie melody and the message does it for me. Hard to choose a few only. “Gods of Pain” is a fav of mine as well. That message about all of us having an expiry date is always very present for me.
Peter: I definitely agree on “Veins of the Phoenix.” “Exiles and Masters” quickly became a favorite of mine. I like the non-standard arrangement, the heavy Sabbath vibe and the mixture of lead guitar work which makes it sound like a stoner jam session. Not only do Maarten and I both solo, but Jeff Henson also added a really tasteful solo which created a lot of texture with this song. The haunting lead part at the end was one of Maarten’s additions and I can’t help but smile every time I hear it.
Q) What do you hope fans take away from the album as a whole – either as a message or an emotion?
Peter: I hope they feel unstoppable. Not in the power-metal, “I’m going to kill a dragon” way, but more of a solid “nothing can take me down” way. Does that make sense? I hope people can find both empowerment and solace in the music, whichever they need.
Q) Who are some artists that you are listening to these days?
Zigor: New Coroner is on repeat right now. What an amazing comeback album. So is the new album by Novembers Doom. Sadist has also been playing on repeat of late.
Peter: Devin Townsend, Jinjer, Black Sabbath, Paradise Lost, Black Label Society, Spiritbox and more. I’m really liking the new Kirk Windstein album too, so I’ve had that on repeat.
Q) What would you like to say to fans and followers of your work?
Zigor: We can only thank you for listening and supporting metal! We look forward to seeing many of you on the road in 2026!
Peter: Thank you, thank you, thank you. We are only just getting started. We can’t wait to get more music out to you!