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Vocalist & Guitarist Linus Öhrn from Siniestro

Commander Linus Öhrn, the Swedish vocalist and guitarist of the boundary-pushing metal band Siniestro from Stockholm, is a commanding presence in the extreme music scene, known for his raw energy,...

Commander Linus Öhrn, the Swedish vocalist and guitarist of the boundary-pushing metal band Siniestro from Stockholm, is a commanding presence in the extreme music scene, known for his raw energy, blistering guitar work, and venomous vocal delivery. The band has carved out a distinct identity with their unique fusion of death, thrash, and black metal, combined with punk influences reminiscent of GG Allin, creating music that is both chaotic and exhilarating. As a key creative force behind Siniestro's relentless sound, Öhrn masterfully balances aggression with an infectious rebellious spirit, delivering anthems that are as confrontational as they are electrifying. He is also a member of Järnblod, Valkyrja, IXXI and Korpelarörelsen.

OBNUBIL • Obnubil Magazine • Linus Öhrn • Siniestro

INTERVIEW

OBNUBIL: Hey Linus! Thanks so much for making time for this interview. I’m excited to get started! Before we dive into the music, I’d like to get a glimpse into your life outside of it. How have things been going for you recently? Have any personal experiences or recent changes, either in your life or music, been impacting your current outlook or creative approach?

LINUS: Last summer I a lost fantastic friend and musician to cancer. We had just started new project a couple of months prior to his death and we did some demo recordings. After he passed away I said to myself that I must proceed with what we have started and in December I began recording music for this project. I don't want to give any further information at this point, I want the time to focus on the project first.

OBNUBIL: Let's rewind to the start of your musical journey. What sparked your initial interest in music, and how did it evolve into a dedicated pursuit of becoming a musician? Were there key moments or people—either in your personal life or through your artistic influences—that motivated you to make music your career? I’d love to hear how these early experiences helped shape the artist you’ve become.

LINUS: What first got me into music was the music video for the Guns N' Roses song "You could be mine" which featured scenes with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie Terminator 2. I was 7 years old and was totally blown away by the music and the video combined. Rock 'N' Roll , guns, explosions & death! Still to this day I love the song and the movie.

What got me into start playing guitar and wanting to be a musician myself was Pantera a few years later when I heard the album "Vulgar display of power". The enormous power and precision in the riffing hit me instantly and from that day I started playing guitar. This was in my early teens.

OBNUBIL: Now that we know a little more about you, let me ask you a bit about Siniestro. The band is known for the unique fusion of death, thrash, and black metal, combined with punk influences reminiscent of GG Allin. Kevin Michael "GG" Allin was an American punk rock musician. What is it that particularly interests you about GG? How did your hybrid music style come about?

LINUSI would say that GG Allin was more black metal and "true" than probably 99% of all the black metal bands today even though he did not play black metal. Just pure evil, pure rock 'n' roll and carnage. Say what you want but he practiced what he preached. No bullshit facade.

With Siniestro I never wanted to fit into a specific genre. I don't want to get limited by anything. That is why we have this sort of hybrid style as you might call it.

OBNUBIL: Over the years, Siniestro has evolved from a punk-infused thrash metal sound to incorporating darker elements of black and death metal, creating a distinctive and aggressive musical style. If someone unearthed a time capsule containing Siniestro’s music 500 years from now, what do you hope they’d understand about you and the band?

LINUS: Hopefully they see that artistic development throughout the years, that we are not afraid to go through different passages in our creations.

OBNUBIL • Obnubil Magazine • Linus Öhrn • Siniestro

OBNUBIL: Another one of your bands is Korpelarörelsen, which draws inspiration from a religious sect founded by Toivo Korpela in Sweden during the 1920s. How did the idea to create a band based on this sect come about? Could you tell us more details on the topic?

LINUS: This is a topic that people who have had family or other relatives to Korpelarörelsen always wanted to silence down and not speak about. My family is from the same area as the religious cult so we heard this stories from a young age. There has been death threats to people trying to set up plays around this topic before. For instance in the 1990s they had to cancel and shut down a theater that had set up a play for this.

It was my brother Markus who came up with the idea that we should do music and some sort of performance art to this topic a few years back and I am very proud of the outcome. 

OBNUBIL: You also play guitar in Järnblod, Valkyrja, and IXXI; am I missing any other bands? How do you manage your time to be involved in so many projects, and what does each of them specifically bring to you?

LINUS: I am very proud to play with all these bands and they are all special to me in different ways. Playing with different bands gets me time to hang out with different friends and musicians and that is something I value a lot. Usually there is no problem to combine the bands since not all of them are fully active all the time. Many times I've played with 2 bands at the same festivals so a great booking agency helps a lot of course.

OBNUBIL: Looking back on your career, what are you most proud of, and what do you hope to achieve next? What are your long-term goals as a musician?

LINUS: I am mostly proud of my consistency and the will to always develop myself as a musician. My goal is to keep on going and never settle down. I am never fully satisfied with any of the music I've created and maybe that is why I am still pushing on. So hopefully I never get satisfied so I can go on for the rest of my life.

OBNUBIL: If you had to describe your personal musical taste to an alien civilization with no concept of human emotions, how would you do it?

LINUS: I would describe it as the end of all civilization.

OBNUBIL: Given the chance to time-travel to any era in Sweden’s history, which period would you choose to explore, and what makes it intriguing to you? How do you envision yourself blending into the cultural atmosphere of that time? Would you draw inspiration from the music, art, or societal attitudes of that era, and how might those elements influence the sound and themes of your music?

LINUS: I would travel back to our latest ice age that ended about 10.000 years ago. To see the strength and determination of the people living at that time and age. To see the purity of nature long before any modern era.

OBNUBIL: And, suppose you could travel through time to witness a pivotal moment in black metal history—whether it’s a concert, the formation of a band, or a cultural shift—what event would you choose, and what insights would you hope to gain from it?

LINUS: I would go to the early 90's black metal scene in Norway. For me it is the most important and interesting part of black metal history. Burzum, Mayhem, etc. To witness all the myths, stories and to see the creation of the music.

OBNUBIL: To reach an end to our interview, let’s dive into your music collection: What are the three albums that hold the most significance for you, the ones you'd keep close in any situation? And what are the three best underground records you've come across lately?

LINUS: That is a hard question. Slayer - Reign in blood, Burzum - Det som engang var & Dissection - Reinkaos, I would say are 3 great albums that will stand through time and age.

Underground?. Everyone is calling themselves underground these days. The name has totally lost its originality and is widely used all the time so I don't even know which 3 albums to mention. If I did I guess those 3 albums are ”canceled”.

OBNUBIL: It’s been a pleasure being able to ask you a few questions and learning more about your journey! Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. Is there anything you’d like to share with the readers and your fans?

LINUS: All hail brothers & sisters worldwide!

Interview done January 2025. Promo photos by Johan Ylitalo & Jens Rydén.

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