Norwegian hard rock outfit Audrey Horne are set to release their eighth studio album entitled Achilles on September 4th. Audrey Horne’s singer, Toschie, spoke with Metal Express Radio about their upcoming album, opening for giants in the music industry such as AC/DC and Mötley Crüe, touring and putting out music at a consistent pace, and more. Check out the chat below!
MER: Audrey Horne released their eighth studio album entitled Achilles on September 4th. What can you tell fans about your latest album?
Toschie: Hopefully people will like it the way we do. I think we have made a good album with a strong collection of songs. We always put our pride in putting together an album that works as a whole and not just a random string of songs. We look at it as chapters in a book; they should tell a “story” and be a musical journey. Personally, I think this is a stronger album than our previous Devils Bell, as the songs are stronger on this one. Devils Bell was written and recorded during the COVID pandemic, a rather confusing time, and I think that shows a little bit in that album. Although I must emphasize that we are proud of that album too.
MER: How was the writing and recording process, being your eighth album?
Toschie: It was, to be honest, done pretty much like the previous one. We wrote and recorded in Arve’s studio, but the main difference is that we felt more focused and the whole process was more joyful this time, which I think has a lot to do with the mentioned pandemic. Espen, our bass player, was way more involved in this album. He wrote a good portion of the songs and several lyrics this time, and he has not done so on the last albums. It brought a welcome breath of fresh air into the band once again, as he did on Youngblood. Other than that, I think we focused a bit harder on the melody lines again. It is, after all, our musical strength, I think.
MER: You recently released a song from Achilles entitled “Insanity”. How did it come about having this as the first single?
Toschie: It was originally written for Devils Bell but came at the very end of the session, and we had already decided on the track list, so it did not make the album. We always felt it was too good to end up as a B-side or a bonus track, so when we started writing for this album we picked it up again straight away. In many ways I’m glad because I think it fits this album really well. The reason it was the first single is that our label Napalm Records expressed a strong wish for this to be the case, and after all: we write and play the music, but they are the ones with the skills to sell it, so we usually listen to them on this subject.
MER: You’ll soon be touring Europe along with Motorowl. What are your expectations for the upcoming tour?
Toschie: Hopefully it will be a success, but either way I think it will be good for us as a band to be back on the road. We have not toured much lately, and touring has proved to be a good glue for us as a band. Those things can go either way, but for us it has a history of making us tighter both as a band and as friends. Motorowl is a cool band, and I think they are cool guys as well, so hopefully we will fit well together.
MER: What do you see as plans for Audrey Horne after the European tour?
Toschie: Our plan is actually to get back in the studio rather fast. We usually have a long break from writing and recording after each album that has led to a 4-year gap between each album. This time we wanted to break that cycle, as we have a lot of material left over from this album, something we normally do not have. We will, of course, write a lot more, but in general we will try to get back on the horse quickly this time. Other than that, we will do live shows and anything we find interesting for us as a band.
MER: Is there anywhere you hope to play live that you haven’t and why?
Toschie: There are a lot of places we would love to go, but to be honest, where we are now in our career after 25 years, it makes more sense for us to focus on places where we have an audience, but we always try out some new places. Personally, I would love to play more in the US and Australia, as we have not been there much or at all.
MER: Audrey Horne has opened for giants in the music industry such as AC/DC and Mötley Crüe, just to name a couple. What can you take away from this?
Toschie: Supporting big bands is always cool, as it is a bucket list thing, and you also get to play for a huge number of people that normally wouldn’t come to our gigs, and we always pick up some new fans that way, but we are a band that feels more at home on a bit more intimate stages and will probably always be so. The thing we take most away from sharing the stage with the top guys is that we realize that we still are in this for the love of the game and not just the money and the fame. But I often get blown away by the professionalism and the humble attitude some of the really big stars have. Jacoby Shaddix and the other guys from Papa Roach are still to this day the ones who have treated us best on tour as a small support band.
MER: Is there anyone you hope to tour with and why?
Toschie: Any band that is cool people. I don’t really care what band they are as long as they are good human beings. Being on tour is a very intimate thing, and you need to be respectful, fun, and inclusive of people. But musically and crowd size-wise, I would not mind touring with Iron Maiden. They also seem like good people.
MER: Since forming in 2002, Audrey Horne has been going at a consistent pace, and what do you see as the key to that?
Toschie: Our common love for what we do and our friendship. We also split all income, no matter what kind, in 5. We all have 20 % each. Money is the root of all evil and one of the main reasons bands get into trouble. We eliminated that issue at an early point.
MER: Out of Audrey Horne’s eight albums, what is one you would suggest to a new fan and why?
Toschie: Youngblood, as that album for us was when we truly found our rhythm as a band, and I also love the rawness and attitude in both the songs and the production. It sounds analog and honest.
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