Andreas "Vintersorg" Hedlund comments on each song on the album
The Astral Factor (2006):
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Mountains
- From the beginning this song was less "rock'n roll" than it
turned out on the album. Even if all the songs on the album was quite
easy to write I worked quite a lot to find a good chorus to this one,
the problem I had was that the first melody line I had in mind was a bit
too happy. But when I concentrated and just tried to translate the lyrics
into a feeling it went fine. The mellow part in the middle of the song
is something that I find very relaxing and it makes to song more diverse
and adds a more emotional state to it. It became natural to open the album
with this on as it has a lot of drive and energy.
Floating
- The first riff is based upon a sitar-loop together with none-distorted
guitars and the blend gets well-balanced by a mellotron in the background.
The verses on this track have a very jazzy vibe, with typical jazz patterns
on the drums. I just tried to make the vocal to harmonize with that and
put even some marimba in the background to sustain the vibe. The pre-chorus
is something that feels very fresh and the blend with time signatures
makes it cool. Then the Chorus appears and I feel that the vocal harmonies
takes you into Yes-land.
The
Astral Factor - The title track. It was one of the last track I
wrote and I really like that the vocals are a large part of this song.
The "question/answer" type of thing suits the song very well
and the middle part of the song with the guitars solo feels very "astral"..hehehehe.
The calm organ that operates through many part of the song makes the vintage
feeling very obvious and I wanted that, so it's nice. It was the first
song I recorded bass on and I felt when it was completed that I had set
a standard for how the bass should be done and exposed for the entire
album.
Diamond
Moon - The first song I recorded and it was in a state of just
writing a song for the joy of writing a song. I didn't had any plan to
make a whole album back then, it was just a location for relaxation. A
gentle piano is working nearly throughout the song, but put in the background
just overdubbing the "clean" guitars and it makes the song very
"tight".
Painting
Without Colours - I had written this
cool very 70's progressive-rock-oriented lyric and I needed just to think
of the lyric and the song just came to life. The verses are very "heepish"
in my perspective with the chords going from major to minor scale and
back etc. It's very simplistic but the vocal harmonies on the song are
quite intricate so it's both simple and complex at the same time I guess.
A very symphonic approach rests over the whole composition, with some
bells and strings here and there. The distorted organ is cool.
Midnight
Flyer - It's a cover from David Byrons first solo-album..I've rearranged
it to suit my mind..hehehe. The flute mellotron match the whole atmosphere
well.
Scarytale
- I wanted one creepy song, but not metal-creepy instead more dark
and ambient leaning towards jazz music. And the intro with piano with
the "barber-shop" vocal harmonies gives you a very ambivalent
feeling. A friend of mine did some vocals on it as well and that duality
with both male and female vocals gives it a nice dimension. The chorus
is very right on target using the title word several times and it makes
you to remember the song. One of the best things with this song is the
parts between the vocals, with different kind of percussion and ambient
keyboards.
Timewind
- A lot of analogue synths, mellotron and organ add an "old"
sound and the intro even have some vibraphone and vocals with four harmonies.
It's one of the longest songs on the album and it has some intricate synth
work that gives a very progressive touch even if it at the same time has
a symphonic quality. Today it's one of my fave songs, but tomorrow it
may be changed. I feel that the whole album hold a high standard, no "fillers".
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Related links:
www.vintersorganic.com
www.borknagar.com