Toschie Rød talks to Chaoszine about new release “Devil’s Bell”: “We wanted to take the heavier side of Audrey Horne and focus on that for an album”

Norwegian hard rock powerhouse Audrey Horne released their latest album “Devil’s Bell” on April 22^nd, via Napalm Records. On it, the Bergen-based quintet unleash some of their strongest anthems so far, as guitarists Arve “Ice Dale” Isdal and Thomas Tofthagen gift us with twin melodies to die for, while bassist Espen Lien and drummer Kjetil Greve provide the perfect pulse to Torkjell “Toschie” Rød’s soulful vocals.

One of the heaviest and darkest efforts of Audrey Horne’s career, “Devil’s Bell” brings an approach to hard rock filled with references as usual, with echoes of Iron Maiden, and Thin Lizzy ̶ one can even perceive a far away allusion to 80’s pop in the track “Danse Macabre”.

“The references basically say that we are part of history… There is no artist who does anything today that is not based on something that’s been done before”, Toschie told Chaoszine.

Audrey Horne’s career began in 2002; 20 years and 7 albums later, they still manage to mesmerize us with their fun but precise brand of rock’n’roll, with riffs and choruses one cannot help but sing along to. Never over the top or exaggerated, always rebelliously precise, this group of musicians crafted a splendid set of songs, taking us on a musical journey worthy of playing in its entirety: “Devil’s Bell” is curated as a true rock’n’roll album.

In Toschie’s own words: “We always had this idea that an album needs to sort of be strong all the way through, and things have to be connected and there has to be a narrative through the album, almost like in a book, where you have chapters (…). We always try to make albums that way, and we always think of it as a vinyl.”

When asked about the constant quest for perfection that seems to affect musicians nowadays, leading to an overuse of technology, Toschie stated: “Art is not in the perfect, art is in the imperfect. Some of the best moments on our albums are mistakes, stuff that we’re like: ‘What happened there?’”

Chaoszine had the opportunity to catch up with Toschie about Audrey Horne’s latest release “Devil’s Bell”, their new music videos and how the album was recorded. He also delved into what inspired him to design the cover artwork, and the importance of references for Audrey Horne’s music, as for art in general. The ways in which technology is affecting the music industry were also discussed, as well as the band’s touring plans.

You can check out the video interview below: 

You can also check out the music videos from “Devil’s Bell” below: