YEAR OF THE GOAT – Witches do exist!

Jan 08, 2026   »   interview   »   U2512

text: Schmidt Péter   
»   photo: Kim Vestbrandt

For almost two decades, the Swedish band Year Of The Goat has been an active participant on the European scene, supporting their occult-themed lyrics with retro-sounding doom, proto-prog, and proto-metal music. The band's fourth album, Trivia Goddess, created along a rather elaborate concept, was recently released by Napalm Records – our questions were answered by guitarist David Håkan Andreas Olofsson. It's been six years since your last album was released, which is quite a long time. Did the Covid period play a role in this, or would that amount of time have passed between the two albums without the pandemic, too? “Hello! Yes, this is correct. I would say that Covid definitely had a part to play in some ways, as we were not really able to meet and rehearse regularly. Although it also had the silver lining of letting you take a few steps back and start at least mentally working on how we would like the next album to sound like. Although other factors post-pandemic also did play a part. For instance, postponed shows and tours needed to be done in support of the last album, so there needed to be some focus on performing ‘new’ material during 2022, whilst we already thought the material a bit old by that time.” I really like the album's grand, yet organic, layered sound. This is largely due to producer Tom Dalgety, who you were working with for the first time. How did you meet him and how was the studio session with him? “Thank you. We got the idea of contacting him after hearing his work primarily with The Cult’s ‘Under the Midnight Sun’. The official stance of the band is coincidentally that this is their greatest work, to date.” For my part, I consider the new album to be the most elaborate, most detailed material to date. Do you agree with that? “In many ways I do agree. We spent alot of time figuring out details and trying out different ideas for most of the material already in the pre-production phase of the recording. We also didn’t take any shortcuts in recording and really took the time laying everything down exactly the way we wanted it. The upside is a really good and polished product, the only downside is the excessive amount of time it takes to really nail everything – and the piling expenses of post-trauma rehabilitation.” How different is the line-up on the new album compared to when you start touring? I ask this because, on the one hand, the number of musicians in band photos varies from time to time, and on the other hand, for example, the female vocal themes of the new songs may require the presence of additional members on stage. “Well, it’s a complicated issue. Elin, the lady you see in band pictures nowadays, has been involved with the band at some capacity for quite a few years and have done backing vocals on previous recordings with the band. So bringing her along hasn’t really felt like a line-up change other than that she is with us on stage more often. Beyond that, there have obviously been a few member-swaps through the years, as is natural for most bands spanning across three decades on this level.” Your first and third albums are the first two parts of a trilogy, while the second and the new album are independent in terms of their concept. Based on this “pattern”, can we expect that you will conclude the trilogy with the next album? “Hmm, haven’t thought about that. Maybe you are onto something here?” Compared to the previous two parts of the trilogy, I find the second album, The Unspeakable, to be more colorful both musically and emotionally – and I find the new material closer to that one (The Unspeakable). What do you think about that? “Well, being that this is also what you could consider an ‘in-between album’, it of course should be a bit different than its neighbouring releases. Although I don’t think we really gave it any actual thought, at least not aloud. But it’s good that you feel that way!” Some of the new lyrics focus on women who have been innocently persecuted, accused, and in many cases tortured and executed throughout human history. Why did you choose this topic to write songs about? “It’s simply a relevant subject that simultaneously captures a time layered in mysticism and superstition, at the same time raise a few questions about how we as a ‘modern’ society view womanhood today. I think there are alot of parallels between the days when womanly justice was served by the hand of the Malleus Maleficarum and the days where judgment is placed on the female half of the world through the lens of bigotry and malice shrouded as politics.” Other songs are about mythological female figures like Hekate, Alucarda, or even the biblical Eve – you present them in a different light than usual… “We do, except that Alucarda is based on the Mexican movie with the same name by director Juan López Moctezuma. Unfortunately her mythology doesn’t stretch further back than 1977.” Where does this interest in occult doctrines and knowledge – that is more ancient, and challenges the worldview that was consolidated in Europe in the Middle Ages – come from? Intentionally I’m not writing satanism, because what your texts represent, in my opinion, is something completely different… “Well, it differs I would say. Some of the interest come from literature on the subject, whereas others, as previously mentioned, derive from contemporary cultural phenomena such as Alucarda. The witch hunts of the late middle ages are certainly interesting due to the way its hysteria was prevalent in a time where supposedly the western world was leaning more towards a period of technological advancement and development. Whereas if you were to turn back the clock to the early middle ages, or ‘the dark ages’ about a millennia before, you would not see nearly as much of that particular style of persecution. Also the middle ages adheres to the gothic aesthetic that we all know and love.” Soon you will start a European tour with a great German band The Night Eternal. Have you known the members and their music for a while, or will this be your first time meeting them? “Whilst answering this we have already been home for a few weeks. But it was indeed our first time meeting them. Although it seems that me (David) and the singer Ricardo have been frequent visitors of the same festival in Sweden for years. So we will definitely be hanging out there again come 2026. We had heard their music before and of course we listened a bit extra after being billed together with them for the tour. It was a very fun tour and they are absolute gents, the lot of them!” If I’m guessing correctly, you draw your inspiration from quite a variety of musical directions, from late 60s and 70s classic and hard rock to early heavy metal and progressive rock. Which bands and artists would you name as YOTG’s main influences? “Theres probably 1000 correct answers to that question, but I never mind a touch namedropping: Black Widow, Pagan Altar, Black Sabbath, Mercyful Fate, Rush, Iron Maiden, King Crimson and Rick Springfield I think would cover most of our inspirational map.” As far as I know, you’ve played a few times - mostly at festivals – with some much heavier sounding bands, with black metal hordes for example. Was it difficult to convince such an audience with your much more melodic and colourful music? “We have, as far as I remember the crowd at those festivals usually just stood with arms crossed through most of the shows, so I would confidently say we are well at home with the black metal hordes. Jokes aside, we do have a lot of friends within that musical sphere and many of us have a background or connection to that genre previously. So we never felt out of place in that particular context.” Between the albums, there have also been two EPs released over the years. I guess they’re not lyrically or conceptionally related to either album - am I right? “You are correct!” In the last decade or so, quite a few exciting bands have emerged on the scene, working with a concept somewhat similar to yours and having similar influences. I’m thinking of bands like The Devil’s Blood, Phantom Spell, Green Lung or Lucifer. Do you know any of these bands, and do you follow the development of this current so-called occult rock or retro hard rock scene? “Well, Griftegård, the band that both Thomas and Jonas previously had prior to forming Year of the Goat were incidentally on tour with The Devil’s Blood. They were of course an absolutely amazing band that we collectively miss to a universal extent. And I would be lying if I didn’t say they meant alot for us as a band. They still do. Other than that, I am actually quite close friends with Kyle from Phantom Spell/Seven Sisters. So if you talk to him you can say hi from me (Still David)! Lucifer we played a few shows with back in 2022, however we haven’t really been in contact with the band since the lineup change this year. The guys who were in the band back in 2022 are at least still very much friends of ours. As far as Green Lung goes, the only thing I know is that Jonas listened to them ridiculously often a few years ago. But they are good too. I used to be more in touch with the times a few years ago, but we all have good relations with a load of different contemporary bands today.” It’s been about ten years since you performed in Budapest at a small club gig – that was the only time you’ve been here. Is there a chance you’ll play here again, let’s say next year or so? “Well, as the ghost of Jim Morrison once said in that documentary: «Book them – and they will come!»”

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