Änterbila

Änterbila was founded by Jerff in early 2020. After recruiting vocalist Motvilja, the duo went on to record “Demo 2020” – a limited tape edition by cassette label Void in the Vast Empire. Having received overwhelmingly positive feedback, Jerff sought to bring the project to its full potential and began fine-combing the entire region of Hälsingland for suitable musicians. Out of a series of auditions with various hopefuls emerged Änterbila’s new core: Jerff on guitars, Daudr on bass, Monstrum on drums, and vocalist Agg. Together, they set out to bring Jerff’s vision to life, resulting in their 2022 debut album, “Änterbila”.

From the very beginning, Änterbila was meant to serve as an outlet for Jerff’s historical interest, especially that of bygone Scandinavia. A prime example of this is the band name. An änterbila is a boarding axe – a combined weapon and tool used in sea battles to board enemy ships – developed by the Swedish navy in the 1700s. Another example can be found in the thematic content of “Änterbila”. Growing up as an avid book-reader who spent a lot of time at museums, Jerff was intrigued by tales about ‘statare’: a term for agricultural contract-workers, such as farmhands, who were given accommodation and food instead of a salary. The system reached its peak in the 19th century and continued until its abolishment in 1946.