Forked Tongues: Riket 2026
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We all love a bit of proper Swedish death metal, and Riket are delivering the latest blast.
The long-grinding four-piece just disinterred their first full sonic slab. 2026, this month. Coming through Black Lion Records, it is a beast, we can tell you! (In fact, we did, right here!!!). Riket has been on the go for a while now. Slow Dragon Music first came across the band a few years ago at a small festival in Tirana, Albania. Why has the debut album taken this long to arrive? Vocalist Johan “Nephente” Fridell, breaks it down:
“Riket started around 2015, so we have been around for about ten years now.”
“The reason the debut album took this long is actually quite simple: Riket was never built to be a fast-moving band. In the early years, it was more of an outlet where we could explore ideas that did not fit in our other bands, and because of that we never felt any need to rush the process.”
“We released shorter formats, played live, and let the band grow at its own pace. Looking back, I think that was the right way to do it. It gave us time to understand what Riket really was before committing to a full-length album. Once Netherbird ended and more of our time and focus could go into this band, things moved naturally toward 2026. So even if it took time, the album arrived when it actually felt necessary rather than just overdue.”
The band’s approach to creating 2026 was an unusual one: All lyrics in Swedish, and every song relating to a very specific period of events. Why did they decide on this? And is it something they plan to carry forward on future releases?
Johan explains: “It developed gradually, but once it took shape it felt completely right.”
“I have always been interested in history, not so much in the official version with kings, borders, and dates, but in the human side of it. The smaller stories, the failures, the tragedies, the strange moments where ordinary people suddenly find themselves inside something much bigger and darker than their own lives.”
Expanding on the language choice, he says “Telling these stories in Swedish was a very conscious choice. Since the events are Swedish, or involve Swedes in some way, it felt dishonest to filter them through English just to make them easier to export. Swedish gives me more precision, more weight, and more emotional honesty. It also ties the music more deeply to the stories themselves.”
“As for the future, yes, I think this is something we will continue to explore. There are many more stories to tell, and this approach has become part of the identity of the band. At the same time, it is not a prison. The good thing about history is that it is endless, and as long as we can find angles that feel alive and relevant, there is still a lot to work with.”
We’ve seen Riket described elsewhere as black metal, but to SDM, it is a very death metal affair. Other sources cite punk and thrash. Do they intentionally blur those lines? The singer clarifies:
“At the core, I would definitely call Riket a death metal band.”
“That is where the foundation lies, both in terms of sound and attitude. But it is also true that there are traces of thrash, punk, black metal, and other things in what we do. We are not trying to represent one pure style, because that has never interested us very much.”
“We do not sit down and say, “this part should sound more black metal” or “now we add a punk section.” It is more instinctive than that. Different influences appear because different songs need different energy. Some stories need something brutal and crushing, others need a colder or more urgent feel, and sometimes that means the music leans in one direction or another.”
“So yes, in a way we do blur those lines, but not as a strategy. It is simply what happens when you let the song decide more than the genre.”
Returning to the discussion on live appearances, as mentioned above, the band played Balkan Metal Meet in Albania, and, more recently, one of the smaller stages at Inferno. How do they decide what live opportunities to aim for?
“For us, it is more about context than size.” states Johan.
“Of course it is great to play a respected festival like Inferno, but a small club can be just as meaningful if the setting is right. We look for places where our music makes sense, where there is an audience that is open to death metal, black metal, punk, or other forms of underground heavy music.”
“We are not really chasing prestige for its own sake. What matters is energy, atmosphere, and whether the gig feels like something real can happen there. Albania was a great example of that. It was not about scale, it was about passion. The same goes for smaller underground venues. Sometimes those shows leave a stronger memory than the bigger ones.”
“So in short, we aim for stages where Riket can actually connect with people, not just be present.”
This sparks the curiosity: Are they likely to venture across to UK shores any time soon? What would it take to see them perform in Scotland?
“We would absolutely like to play in the UK, and Scotland would be great.”
It sounds positive, as he continues; “What it takes is really not complicated. All we need is someone asking us and offering us a slot on a night of death metal, black metal, or punk, and we are more than ready to go. We are not a difficult band in that sense. We do not need anything extravagant. We just want a good setting, a serious audience, and a chance to bring the songs to life on stage. So if the right invitation comes, we will gladly cross the water.”
In closing, we wanted to ask what message do you hope the new album leaves with listeners? And what is next for Riket..?
“I do not think in terms of one fixed message, because the album is built from different stories and each of them carries its own weight. But if there is one thread running through it, it is probably this: that history is never as far away as we like to think. Human beings keep repeating themselves, with the same ambition, the same blindness, the same hope, and often the same consequences.”
“At the same time, I do not want the album to feel like a lecture or a moral lesson.”
“I want it to leave listeners with emotion, reflection, maybe even a sense of humility. These are stories about catastrophe, failure, and death, but also about the strange persistence of human beings who keep trying anyway.”
“As for what comes next, the immediate focus is to keep pushing 2026 and play as much as possible. Live is where these songs take on another life. But we are also starting to look ahead. There are already new ideas taking shape, so we are definitely not slowing down.”
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