Risen from the Flames: Erik Sahlström Ignites a New Chapter with Eldfödd

Risen from the Flames: Erik Sahlström Ignites a New Chapter with Eldfödd

From the blood-splattered grind of General Surgery to the blackened thrash of Maze of Torment, Erik Sahlström has carved his name into the annals of Swedish death metal with a legacy that spans Serpent Obscene, Crucifyre, Under the Church, and beyond. Now, he returns with Eldfödd — a blistering new project forged alongside Necrophobic’s Sebastian Ramstedt — delivering raw, old-school fury on their debut EP Risen From The Flames, out now via Edged Circle Productions.

In this exclusive interview, Erik reflects on his decades of underground mayhem, revisits cult releases from the Necropolis era, and shares what it means to rise again — this time with fire in his veins and death metal in his soul.

First of all, how did you become involved with the Eldfödd project?
It was Sebastian — I know him from Necrophobic, of course. He called me up and told me about this project he’d started. At that point, it was more of a solo thing. He’d recorded a few songs on his own and was looking to turn it into a full band, not just a personal side adventure. So he was searching for members who fit the style he had in mind. He asked me, plain and simple. I guess he thought I’d be a good fit — and when I heard the songs, I agreed. They were really solid. So I accepted the invitation.

Do you have any history with Sebastian from Necrophobic? Necrophobic’s been around forever, and you’ve played in a ton of bands. Have you worked with him before?
Not musically, no. We’ve met, of course — we both live in Stockholm and have crossed paths at festivals and gigs. But we weren’t close friends or anything like that. It’s not like he asked me because we were tight. We’d seen each other around, but that was about it.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the title track “Risen from the Flames”?
That one was mostly Sebastian’s vision — he wrote about 80% of the lyrics. I contributed maybe 20%. I think you could interpret it as a nod to the early death metal scene. Sebastian hadn’t played death metal since the early ’90s — maybe 1991 or so — so in that sense, he’s “risen from the flames.” But beyond that, it’s just classic old-school death metal lyrics. No deep concept, just the kind of stuff we grew up on.

With every member involved in other bands, will Eldfödd be touring? Have you played live yet?
Not yet. Our debut gig is booked for late December, just before Christmas. But no, we haven’t played live or toured together yet. A lot of us are tied up with other bands, so we’ll see how it goes. We want to play live — that’s definitely the goal — but it’s hard to say how much time we’ll be able to dedicate to touring. It’ll happen, but how often or how far we can take it is still up in the air.

Do you think there’s going to be more Eldfödd music in the future?
Absolutely. We’re currently working on the debut album. We’ve got at least four songs ready, so I’d say half the album is written. It’ll probably be around eight tracks, and they’re all on the longer side — about five minutes each. Same as the EP, we’re not doing short, fast songs. We like to stretch things out a bit.

Any chance of new music from your other bands — General Surgery or Under the Church?
General Surgery is actually working on a full-length right now. We’ve been talking about it for years — the last album came out in 2009, so yeah, it’s been a while. We’ve tried to get a full-length together a few times, but it always ended up as EPs. The challenge is logistics — we’re spread out across the country, and our drummer lives five hours away. Rehearsing is tough. Plus, we all have full-time jobs and families, so most of our energy goes into playing live. But the material is written, demoed, and ready. I’d say the album is just around the corner — maybe in a couple of years.

And what about Under the Church?
The band still exists — we haven’t called it quits. But as far as I know, there’s no new album on the horizon. If it happens, it won’t be anytime soon.

Let’s go through a few anniversaries with your bands and see how you feel about those recordings now. First up — 2010’s Infernal Earthly Divine with Crucifyre. It’s been 15 years. What do you think of that album and band in retrospect?
That was a cool band, and I really liked that first album. I actually gave it a spin a few weeks ago. Listening to it now, I remember the recording process wasn’t ideal — the vocals were done in a bit of a rush, and I was complaining about that at the time. Hearing it today, I still think it could’ve been better. But that’s the thing — you’re never 100% satisfied with anything you record. That’s just part of the process. Still, I’m proud of that album. The songs are strong, and I think it holds up.

Let’s go back 20 years to 2005 — Hammers of Mayhem by Maze of Torment. I was listening to that the other day. What’s your take on it now?
Wow, 20 years — that’s wild. I haven’t listened to that album in ages. I remember liking the songs — I think they’re solid. But I absolutely hate the cover. That’s a whole story in itself. I really don’t like it at all.

Thrash metal today has more of a party vibe, you know? Back then, we weren’t doing party thrash — our stuff was darker, more intense. That cover didn’t match the music at all. But musically, yeah, I remember it being a good album.

Now let’s go back to the year 2000 — two releases on the notorious Necropolis Records: the self-titled Serpent Obscene debut and Death Strikes by Maze of Torment. Let’s focus on Serpent Obscene first. It’s been 25 years — what do you think of that album and your time in the band?
I love that band. I really do. We were best friends — met in school during our teens, bonded over music, and did everything together. We hung out constantly. I’m still close with all the members except one guy we lost touch with.

We did three albums with Serpent Obscene, and I’m proud of all of them. The debut was rushed — Necropolis gave us a tight budget, so we recorded it in just a few days. It was also the first album I ever recorded, so between the lack of experience and time, you can hear that in the final product. But I still think it’s a good album. Things could’ve been better, sure — but I stand by it.

Did you ever get to meet Quorthon of Bathory? And how did Bathory influence you, if at all?
I love Bathory — like so many others do. I never got to meet Quorthon, though. I might’ve seen him once at a Black Mark event, but I’m not sure. Would’ve been cool to meet him, but sometimes it’s better not to meet your heroes. If they turn out to be not-so-great people, it can tarnish the music for you.

I don’t think he was that kind of guy, though. But yeah — sometimes the image you have of someone doesn’t match the reality. He was probably just a regular guy like anyone else. I’m not disappointed I didn’t meet him.

Tell me more about Necropolis Records — what was it like to work with that underground label at the time?
Back then, Matt Harvey was working there — he’s a legendary figure from Exhumed and a ton of other bands. I had contact with him directly. I sent him the Serpent Obscene demo, and he already knew about Maze of Torment, so we had some history.

Matt’s a great guy — really passionate and driven. I think he genuinely wanted to do good things with the label. But Necropolis didn’t have any money, really. I don’t even know if Matt got paid — he probably should’ve, but from what I heard, they couldn’t afford to pay staff or much of anything. Still, the label had a good run for a while. Things change, though.

Let’s jump to Edged Circle Productions, where Eldfödd’s EP is being released. How did you end up on that label?
That was Sebastian’s connection. He knew Stian, who runs the label, and had released another band through them. So, he suggested we go with Edged Circle. Stian’s very professional and dedicated — it’s not a big label, but that doesn’t matter. As long as the person running it is legit and doesn’t rip you off, it’s all good.

Have any of your bands played in the States? What was the experience like?
Yeah, General Surgery has played in the U.S. a few times — it’s been really cool. We’ve done Maryland Deathfest several times. I think the band even played one of the first or second editions of MDF, back when it was held in a motel or something — super small venue.

I joined on vocals later, but I think we’ve played MDF about five times. We also toured the West Coast in 2009, which was a blast. None of my other bands have played in the U.S., though.

Did you ever play here in the Los Angeles area?
Yeah, we did — it was great. We played LA Murder Fest in 2009 with General Surgery. That was a killer show. I think the day before or after, we played way out in Palmdale — out in the desert. It was a youth center gig, a bunch of kids, really fun and kind of surreal. But yeah, it was cool.

Are you involved with any other bands or projects right now that we haven’t discussed?
Nope — this is more than enough for me.

Any message for U.S. metal fans reading this who’ve followed your bands over the years?
Absolutely — thank you for your support. It’s amazing that someone in Sweden can make music and people on the other side of the world are listening. That’s awesome. Thank you.

LINE-UP:
Erik Salhström – Vocals
Sebastian Ramstedt – Lead Guitar
Johan Jansson – Rythm Guitar
Victor Brandt – Bass
Perra Karlsson – Drums

(Interview by Ken Morton)

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