INTERVIEW: Century

Today I am speaking to one of Sweden’s strongest Heavy Metal bands, Century! Forming in 2020 in the capital of Stockholm and with a strong and steady discography already taking shape within four years, I figured I should chat to these rockers!

1. Hey guys! How’s it going? Can you introduce the band?


We are Century, a heavy metal duo from Stockholm, Sweden. Both of us write songs for the band, but I (Staffan) play guitars and sing, while Leo mostly plays drums. Right now things are going pretty well! Lots of preparations for the launch of our second album. I just recently finished all the artwork for the different editions and merchandise, so now we’re rehearsing the new setlist.


2. In 2020 you put out one of my favourite demos in recent memory, how was this recorded? What inspired you to start the band and go for this real classic sound that the demo has?

That summer of 2020 I helped a friend build a studio in an old bomb shelter. I had a couple of ideas for heavy metal songs so as soon as the studio was finished, I asked Leo if he wanted to record them with me. It turned out that he had lots of riffs and ideas that fit perfectly with mine. We started rehearsing in September, recorded the demo in October/November and released the tapes in late December. 


3. Your debut LP “The Conquest Of Time” continues perfectly from the demo. That melodic and powerful Heavy Metal sound is there in force! What inspired the lyrics and art and how did you produce this one? What recording methods did you use?

All our releases so far have been produced in basically the same way, in that same studio as the demo. We have a pretty basic old school setup that we’ve only upgraded slightly since then. My friend who I share the studio with has lots of old equipment like preamps and microphones that work really well for what we’re trying to achieve. As for the lyrics, they’re all based on different subjects. Some of them were inspired by movies; “The Fighting Eagle” is or course about “Ator, The Fighting Eagle” (which in turn also borrowed its title from an old silent film). “Master of Hell” vaguely references Ingmar Bergman’s “The Seventh Seal”. The closing track “Servants of the Iron Mask” was inspired by Lucio Fulci’s “Conquest”. Then there are other tracks that are more about real life, like “Breakthrough” which is about working a shitty job when you just want to drink beer and worship heavy rock. At the end of the day, there’s something personal in every movie related song and movie references in most personal songs, so what matters most is what the listener takes away from it.


4. One thing that is a bit more unique about you guys, is that you are a duo. I gather Staffan writes most of the riffs and lyrics / vocals with Leo handling the drums. How do you guys turn your ideas into something that feels like a full band with only two of you?

Although we both write on guitar primarily, we always have the bigger picture in mind. When I show Leo a new song I always have a rough idea of what the drums should do and when he writes songs, he often shows me his basic idea of what the vocal lines should be. On both records, I’d say we’ve written pretty much half of the riffs each. We start the recording by tracking drums and one rhythm guitar, then we layer everything else on top of it. On the new album, Leo is also playing some rhythm guitar on a couple of songs.



5. Building on this, you have a live lineup; Isak and Edvin. What do these two bring to the band aside from more strings? Personally both shows I’ve attended of Century have been killer!

First and foremost they contribute good vibes! They’re long time friends of ours, so it’s always fun to travel together and hang out. They’re also of course great at their respective instruments, so learning new songs is always fast and uncomplicated. Unfortunately, Isak won’t be able to tour much next year, but we have recruited some very good replacements… 



6. Your second album “Sign of the Storm” is now upon us! Can you give us some info like before about what went into writing and recording the album plus talk us through that really mysterious artwork?

Just like with the last one, it varies a lot between songs. Many of them have been around for a long time already. Leo has had basic ideas for “Possessed by the Night” and “Fly Away” since years back, and I already recorded a demo version of “The Chains of Hell” while we recorded the first album. On the other hand, “Fallen Hero”, “No Time For Tomorrow” and “Sorceress” were written much closer to the recording sessions.  When I make artwork for the band, I usually try to create something that evokes the same feelings as the songs do. I try not to overthink the design, but rather trust my instincts and associations. When I’m successful, I usually discover symbolism while working on it. To me the album artwork fits the more atmospheric parts of the album specifically, like the title track or  “Sorceress”, the instrumental closer. 



7. Century has already played a whole array of fantastic shows! Which lineups have been your favourites to play and do you have some tales from the road to share? I really enjoyed the Keep It True (Germany) and Metal Magic (Denmark) shows I was at!

Those shows were both fun! I caught a cold during the tour and had to kind of hold back when we were playing Keep It True this time, so I was mostly trying to keep my voice from breaking, but I’m glad people seemed to enjoy the show despite that. Line up-wise, we’ve gotten to share the stage with lots of cool bands at festivals like those but when it comes to regular shows, I think one of our best was playing with Tyrann in Stockholm. The atmosphere was intense that night, with people going completely wild. Perfect way to celebrate the split seven inch we released with them.

The tour stories are too many to summarize, but one that comes to mind is when we got lost without cellphones in the deep forests of the Ozarks. We were hanging out partying in a cabin we rented and some of us decided to go for a midnight walk. We soon found ourselves far away from the cabin with no light, hearing only the distant cries of coyotes. We crossed brooks and climbed hills before finally recognizing some electrical towers where we had taken a group photo many hours before. It all turned out well in the end, but we returned with the strengthened sense of brotherhood that you can only get from these kinds of experiences.

8. You’ve worked with some of my favourite labels such as Gates Of Hell, No Remorse, Electric Assault and now Dying Victims. What have each been like to work with and do you feel well treated by them all?

We have definitely ended up in some arguments, but everything has turned out well in the end. Our closest collaboration has been that with Electric Assault Records, both when it comes to managing our releases and tours. It’s been very valuable for us to have someone who is used to working in both the US and EU. I also think it’s also going to be great to collaborate with Dying Victims this time around! Florian is a really dedicated guy and we’ve worked with him before in other contexts. I just recently sent in the layout for the CD edition he’s making and I think it’s going to be really cool.

9. Being one of the stronger traditional Heavy Metal bands, who else do you feel really fly the classic flag well? Which other newer bands do you personally spin?

Honestly, we don’t really keep up with modern “traditional” releases, because most of the time they sound nothing like the old bands we like anyway. The only recent albums I’ve bought were from Danava, Flight and Malokarpatan. I also recorded and mixed the new seven inch by Swedish band Templar, who I think capture the old school metal sound really well. They’re opening for us on our release show for the new album too.

10. Although great, I am sure many of your main inspirations hail from older generations. Which classic bands fuel the fires of Century?


Too many to mention! We’ve both listened to this kind music since we were children, so we have countless heroes to look up to. Iron Maiden is probably the most influential to me personally. A lot of people assume that Century is mainly inspired by our Swedish predecessors but, while we look up to bands like Gotham City, Heavy Load and Mindless Sinner, we draw just as much inspiration from foreign bands. For example, this year I probably listened just as much to American bands like Savatage, Riot and Halloween.

11. Speaking of old school, along with LPs and CDs, you guys have consistently put out demo tapes / promo tapes and some 7” vinyl. These are real old school formats that I love, why is physical media and these types of releases so important to Century as a band?

It just feels a lot more real that way. I started releasing tapes under my small “label” The End Times Recordings a couple of years back and all the Century demos and promos have been released through there. I love when bands take the time and money to make smaller runs of exclusive merch to commemorate certain shows or releases, so I try to make these things for the fans whenever I can.

12. Finally, please prepare us for the new LP and upcoming shows; this is your chance to promote upcoming events and entice new listeners to spin your records and come rock with you guys on tour!

Our new record comes out on the 24th of January! Buy it, get yourself a drink and enter the beyond. We’re currently working on finalizing our tour plans for 2025 and it’s looking really good. Keep an eye out for tour announcements coming soon and we’ll see you on the road!