Sharpen Your Teeth

In their new member, ex-pagan vocalist Nikki Brumen, Blood Command look set to reach another level. Here, Nikki and guitarist Yngve Andersen walk us through it all, and look towards the future.

- By Jack Rogers. Photographs by Øystein Haara

It feels like the stars really aligned for everything that has happened for both of you and this band over the past year. How does it feel?

Nikki: It feels absolutely amazing. And you're right when you say that the stars aligned. Being able to front Blood Command is a dream come true. I know that sounds like a cliché, but it really is. When Yngve reached out to me, we were both at really low points in our lives for different reasons. Plus, we were going through a global pandemic. He reached out early in 2020, and that was - for me - still at the end of another band, what with me not being with Pagan anymore. So this new chapter all of a sudden opened, and it gave me something every day in lockdown to look forward to and to think about and focus on. Blood Command is more than a band at this point. I've said it once, and I'll repeat it, Yngve saved my life. It gave me purpose, and it made me happy. I also knew I would be the perfect fit. There was never any thought in my mind that I wasn't going to be good enough.

Yngve, what was it like for you at that point? Had you always planned on asking Nikki?

Yngve: It wasn't planned in any way. I had just heard Pagan after a friend had shown them to me, and I thought it was so awesome, especially Nikki's part in it. The moment I heard it, I just wanted her to front Blood Command, but I didn't think any more of it because she was on the other side of the globe. It felt like it was never going to be a real thing. But then our old vocalist Karina [Ljone] told me she was pregnant and would be stepping away. Of course, it was great news for her, but for me, Blood Command is my kid. So I just messaged Nikki straight away and had all of my fingers crossed.