TÅKEVANDRER

“My goal was never just a band, but to create a world one can enter.”

“The landscapes I compose from are inner landscapes.”

“It’s not resistance – it’s honesty.”

“Part of the music arises from meditative immersion – creating a certain flow.”

“Within art and music, different rules apply. They suggest a hidden reality.”

“Solitude and isolation are deliberately blurred – they cannot always be separated.”

“I hope they feel atmosphere, fire, energy, and a creative spark – before understanding.”

“Nature can be harsh and unforgiving. Becoming aware of its dark side makes everything more interesting.”

“If silence appears, it is always conscious and intentional.”

“Darkness can confront – or quietly accompany – it depends on the intention of the track.”

“I like to stumble into songs. How they turn out is never clear at the beginning.”

“It’s more interesting when things remain open and are never fully answered.”

“I prefer to look beyond national borders.”

“A certain black metal influence should always remain.”

Tåkevandrer is not music that asks to be understood – it asks to be entered.
Rooted in atmospheric black and doom metal, yet unconcerned with genre borders or instant gratification, the project unfolds like an inner terrain shaped by meditation, patience, and controlled darkness.
These songs move slowly, guided by silence, restraint, and a deep awareness of nature’s indifference rather than its beauty.
In this conversation, (Taranis – mastermind of Tåkevandrer) speaks about music as a place, about honesty over resistance, and about allowing meaning to remain unresolved.
What emerges is a portrait of an artist less interested in explanation than immersion.
Your music often feels less like a collection of songs and more like a continuous state of being.
Do you think of Tåkevandrer as a band – or as a place listeners temporarily enter?
“I would say definitely the second one. My personal goal from the beginning was to create a form of art, a world one can enter. This will likely become even more important in the future. Part of the music also arises from the practice of meditative immersion. I have my own method for bringing myself into this state, for creating a certain flow.”
Atmospheric black and doom metal both rely heavily on patience and restraint.
How do you personally recognise the moment when a passage has said enough and doesn’t need to grow further?
“Its kind of a feeling, but usually I give each track some extra time and wait some days to internally check if anything is missing. The final touches are added through discussions with Cyhyrae. However, the overall structure is already pretty much finalized.”
Nature in your work doesn’t feel romanticised or comforting – it feels indifferent, even ritualistic.
What kind of relationship do you personally have with the landscapes that inspire your sound?
“Based on my own life experience, I would definitely say that nature can be quite harsh and unforgiving, so I can only confirm that nature has been a very guiding force for me. Of course, this also influences one’s feelings towards nature and how one perceives it, and also makes one aware of its ‘dark side’, to which one can be exposed. But it also makes everything more interesting. There are, however, moments of romanticization along the way.”
Many bands use mysticism as imagery;
your lyrics feel closer to invocation than symbolism.
Do you approach writing as interpretation – or as an act of opening something you don’t fully control?
“I like to stumble into songs. I start something, then let it go, and how it will turn out in the end isn’t really clear at the beginning. Furthermore, in collaboration with Cyhyrae, things develop in new and different ways. Personally, I also find it more interesting when things remain open or are never fully answered in lyrically parts.”
Silence and negative space play an important role in your music.
Is silence something you consciously compose with, or does it emerge naturally during the writing process?
“So far, there have been few such moments, but if they do occur, they will definitely be conscious and intentional. Furthermore, there are sometimes moments when it is appropriate and very beneficial for the overall atmosphere.”
Your songs unfold slowly, demanding attention rather than rewarding instant impact.
In an era of short attention spans, do you see this as resistance – or simply honesty?
“It’s all about honesty. Music holds a special place in our lives, it also offers a brief escape from everyday life. Within art and music, different rules apply, which aren’t always necessarily fictional, but rather suggest a hidden reality behind them.”
Do you see a clear emotional difference between solitude and isolation in your music, or are those two states deliberately blurred?
“They are deliberately blurred because one cannot always be easily separated from the other.”
The atmosphere you create feels deeply internal, almost introspective, yet vast at the same time.
When composing, do you imagine an inner landscape, or an external world the listener walks through?
“From inner landscapes.”
Austria has a strong but often understated extreme metal underground.
Do you feel shaped by that environment, or do you see Tåkevandrer as existing somewhat outside of regional identity?
“Oh dear… that’s a difficult question. It’s a bit of both! I’ve always had a much stronger international focus of my tastes. Of course, we were also part of the local and regional scene with other projects… but fundamentally, I prefer to look beyond national borders.”
Your music invites immersion rather than explanation.
How important is it to you that listeners misinterpret your work in their own way?
“Personally, I think it would be more interesting, if everyone forms their own thoughts into songs, or share their own feelings. I’ve always done things that way myself, letting myself be inspired.”
Do you believe darkness in music should confront the listener – or quietly accompany them?
“That depends on the track and the lyrics. Both are possible and depend more on the intention of the track.”
As Tåkevandrer continues to evolve, what is something you never want to lose from your sound, no matter how it changes?
“A certain black metal influence should always be maintained. The genre offers a wide spectrum to play with. I could think of many creative outcomes, but who knows what future will bring?”
If someone discovers Tåkevandrer years from now, alone, late at night, with no context at all – what do you hope they feel before they try to understand?
“An atmospheric feeling with a certain fire and energy, variety and a certain creative spark.”
Tåkevandrer does not guide the listener by the hand.
Instead, it opens a threshold – into inner landscapes shaped by silence, darkness, and patient transformation.
These compositions resist simplification, not out of defiance, but out of sincerity, allowing space for misinterpretation, reflection, and personal meaning.
Whether discovered years from now in solitude or experienced fully immersed in the present moment, Tåkevandrer’s music exists as a quiet companion and a confronting force alike – a place where black metal’s fire still burns, but never demands to be named.
by Fok ‘bs’