地狱使者 - 丹麦Power / Thrash Metal乐队Exelerate专访

Volcano Magazine
1 day ago
14 min read

今天采访到的是来自丹麦的Power / Thrash Metal乐队Exelerate，2012年Mikkel发布了一条消息，寻找喜欢Metallica、Megadeth等乐队的吉他手，不久之后Stefan Jensen回应了Mikkel的消息希望加入并且开始创作作品，不久之后其他的成员加入了乐队，让乐队拥有了一个完整的阵容，2013年乐队发行了第一首单曲，2014 - 2016年乐队发行了EP和单曲之后由于一些问题导致乐队停止了活动，直到2022年乐队才发布了最新单曲，2023年乐队在丹麦厂牌Target Records发行了第一张正式专辑“Exelerate”，这张专辑发行之后就收到了广泛的好评，如果你是Flotsam and Jetsam，Anthrax，Megadeth等乐队的歌迷请一定要关注这支乐队，富有感染力的节奏外，即兴重复段和独奏，在一些旋律中还加入了一些Progressive的元素。在第一张专辑成功发行之后乐队也被更多的音乐节邀请参加演出，迅速成为丹麦炙手可热的乐队，2025年乐队在丹麦厂牌From the Vaults发行了第二张正式专辑“Hell for the Helpless”，在新专辑发行之际杂志与乐队的吉他 / 歌手Stefan Jensen取得联系进行了一次专访！

（V: 代表笔者 S: 代表Stefan Jensen）

Today's interview was with the Danish band Exelerate, Power/Thrash Metal. In 2012, Mikkel posted a message looking for guitarists who liked bands such as Metallica and Megadeth. Soon after, Stefan Jensen responded to Mikkel's message and wanted to join and start creating works. Soon after, other members joined the band, giving them a complete lineup. In 2013, the band released their first single, and after releasing EP and singles from 2014 to 2016, the band stopped activities due to some issues. It was not until 2022 that the band released their latest single. In 2023, the band released their first official album "Exelerate" on the Danish label Target Records, which was released. Afterwards, it received widespread praise. If you are Flotsam and Jetsam, Anthrax, Megadeth Fans of this band must pay attention to its infectious rhythm, improvisational repetitions and solos, and incorporate progressive elements into some melodies. After the successful release of their first album, the band was also invited to perform at more music festivals, quickly becoming a hot band in Denmark. In 2025, the band released their second official album "Hell for the Helpless" on the Danish label From the Vaults. On the occasion of the release of the new album, the magazine contacted the band's guitar/singer Stefan Jensen for an exclusive interview!

(V: representing the author S: representing Stefan Jensen)

采访对象：Stefan Jensen（Exelerate乐队吉他 / 歌手）

采访时间：2025.08.27

V: 你好兄弟。很高兴见到你，非常感谢你参与本次访谈。相信这是贵乐队首次接受中国杂志的专访。首先请向所有中国乐迷问好。Exelerate成立于2012年，是支历史悠久的乐队，最初由Stefan Jensen和Mikkel Henriksen组建。是什么促使他们创立这支乐队？

Hello, brother. It's a pleasure to meet you, and thank you very much for participating in this interview. I believe this is the first time your band has been interviewed by a Chinese magazine. First of all, please say hello to all your Chinese fans. Exelerate was formed in 2012 and is a long-established band. It was originally formed by Stefan Jensen and Mikkel Henriksen. What motivated them to form this band?

S: 感谢你们的邀请。能在中国演出，我们深感荣幸！2012年时丹麦的Thrash Metal乐队并不多。当时Mikkel在本地乐器店贴出招募吉他手的广告，要求对方喜欢Metallica、Megadeth等乐队。我（Stefan Jensen）回应了广告，我们开始合奏我正在创作的曲目，一切都水到渠成。不久后我们便决定组建完整乐队。

Thanks for having us. We are very honoured to have an audience in China! Back in 2012 there weren't a whole lot of Danish Thrash metal bands. So Mikkel had put up an ad at the local music shop for a fellow guitarist who was into Metallica, Megadeth ect. I (Stefan Jensen) answered the ad and we started jamming some tracks I was working on and everything just clicked. We agreed to try and put a complete band together shortly after.

V: 如今Stefan Jensen是乐队仅存的创始成员。所有其他第一代成员都已离开乐队。第一代成员为何离队？新成员是如何加入乐队的？你对新成员的工作表现满意吗？

Now Stefan Jensen is the only original member of the band left. All the other first-generation members have left the band. Why did the first-generation members leave the band? How did the new members join the band? Are you satisfied with the work of the new members?

S: 我（Stefan Jensen）认为贝斯手Io同样属于第一代成员，因为乐队直到他们加入后才确立名称与风格定位（而这距离我们开始即兴演奏仅数月之遥）。除此之外，Mikkel纯粹是因创作理念与动力差异而离开乐队。Mads于2017年末加入成为现任主音吉他手。我们通过丹麦Symphonic Death Metal乐队Maelsteria认识他——过去曾与该乐队同台演出过。他技艺超群且性格风趣，堪称完美人选。Stig于2019年加入，此前Ulrik遗憾宣布需赴海外深造。Stig与Ulrik早有多年交情，加之他同样是技艺精湛且充满活力的鼓手，接替位置显得水到渠成。Mads和Stig对乐队如今的形态都起到了关键作用，新专辑中大部分乐器编曲都出自Mads之手。

I (Stefan Jensen) would say that Io (Bass) is also a first-generation member since the band didn't have a name or identity until after they joined (which was only a few months after we started jamming). But beside that, Mikkel simply left the band due to Creative and motivational differences. Mads Joined as our current lead Guitarist in late 2017. We knew him from his work in the Danish Symphonic Death Metal band Maelsteria, which we had played some live shows alongside in the past. He is insanely skilled and a fun person so he was a great fit. Stig Joined in 2019 after Ulrik had announced that he sadly had to go study abroad. Stig and Ulrik had been friends for some years beforehand, so it felt very natural for him to take his place since he also is a very skilled and energetic drummer. Mads and Stig have both played a very important part in the creation of the band as it is today, and most of the instrumentation on the new album is written by Mads

V: 你们的乐队拥有众多富有丰富创作经验的音乐人。请分享你们的创作历程，相信你们的经历定能激励更多年轻音乐人！

Your band has a group of musicians with extensive creative experience. You can talk about your creative experience, and I believe your creative experience will inspire more young musicians!

S: 我们对音乐怀有共同的热忱，乐于与乐迷及彼此分享体验与想法。每次演出我们都会主动融入人群，与好奇的乐迷畅谈乐器、音乐创作、曲目编排等话题。我们秉持极强的DIY精神，当人们发现许多'专业'工作其实可以亲力亲为时，往往深受鼓舞。

We are all very passionate about music in general, and love to share experiences and thoughts with our fans and each other. Whenever we play a show we make sure to mingle with the crowd and talk to curious fans about everything from instruments, our music, how we write ect. We have a very DIY mindset and people find it very inspiring to see that it is actually possible to do a lot of the “Professional” stuff yourself.

V: 你们每张专辑的音质都堪称卓越。是在哪家录音室完成录制的？专辑制作人是谁？你们刚发行了新专辑，录制过程顺利吗？

The sound quality of each of your albums is outstanding. Which studio did you record your albums at? Who was the producer for your albums? You just released a new album. Did the recording process go smoothly?

S: 我们很幸运，贝斯手Io是受过专业训练的录音室技术人员。这意味着我们能在自己的排练室按自己的节奏完成所有必要的录音工作。Io还担任了两张专辑的主要制作人。自主录制时，我们有更多时间尝试不同编曲方案再定稿，这显著提升了曲目的整体品质。混音和母带处理环节我们需要更专业的支持。唱片公司（From the Vaults）为我们引荐了Marco Angioni（Angioni Studios），他为首张专辑施展了魔法，如今第二张专辑也交由他操刀。我们对成果非常满意。

We are in the lucky situation that Io (Bass) is a trained studio technician. This means that we have been able to do all the necessary recording in our own rehearsal room and at our own pace. Io has also functioned as the primary producer on both albums. When doing the recording process ourselves, we have had more available time to experiment with different arrangements before committing to a take, which we feel improves on the overall quality of the tracks. Mix and Masterring was something we needed more experienced help with. Our label (From the Vaults) hooked us up with Marco Angioni (Angioni Studios) and he did his magic on our first album and now the second. We are very pleased with the result.

V: 你们乐队的Logo设计非常独特。是谁设计的？专辑封面也采用了与Logo相同的风格。我认为这个图案必定是你们乐队的标志性元素。专辑封面是谁设计的？

Your band's logo design is very distinctive. Who designed it for you? Your album artwork also uses the same design style as the logo. I think this pattern must be your band's trademark. Who designed the album artwork for you?

S: 乐队标志由我（Stefan）设计。我受过平面设计专业训练，因此亲自操刀设计是水到渠成的事。所有T恤及其他周边商品的设计也同样出自我的手笔。我们两张专辑的封面艺术由丹麦喷枪艺术家Steen Jensen创作。我们相识多年，他对此合作充满热情。他深受H.R. Giger风格影响的画风与我们的需求完美契合。我们几乎完全放手让他尽情发挥那些疯狂创意。

The band logo is designed by me (Stefan). I am educated in graphic design, so it was only natural that I would give it a go. The same goes for all our T-shirts and other merch designs. The artwork on our 2 albums are made by the Danish Airbrush artist Steen Jensen. We have been friends for many years and he was very excited to help out. He has a very H.R. Giger inspired style that fits perfectly with what we were looking for. We pretty much gave him free rein to do whatever crazy stuff he wanted.

V: 你与From the Vaults厂牌合作已久，这是你祖国的厂牌。能否简要介绍这个厂牌？你们是如何建立联系并开始合作的？您对该厂牌的工作是否满意？

You have been working with the From the Vaults label for a long time. This is a label from your country. Could you briefly introduce this label? How did you get in touch with this label to start working together? Are you satisfied with the work of this label?

S: Michael Hvolgaard Andersen是厂牌From the Vaults的创始人。他创立该厂牌旨在发行更具经典风格的金属音乐并着重于实体音乐的发行。随着黑胶唱片在欧洲重新流行，专注于此实属自然。2022年某次偶然活动中，通过乐队朋友牵线，我们初次相识。当晚部分成员为其他项目担任伴奏乐队，而我（Stefan）作为客座歌手参与了其中一首歌曲的演唱。Michael对我们的表现非常满意，很快我们便就与From the Vaults的合作展开洽谈。From The Vault真正助力我们在丹麦乃至全球金属乐坛崭露头角。没有他们，我们不可能走到今天，这段旅程充满乐趣！

Michael Hvolgaard Andersen is the founder of the label “From the Vaults”. He made it as a label for more classic sounding metal with an emphasis on physical distribution of music. Vinyl has gained a lot of new found popularity here in Europe so it was only natural to focus on that. Through a friend of the band we were introduced to each other at a very random event back in 2022. Some of us were performing as a backup band for another project that night, and I (Stefan) had a guest appearance as singer on one of the songs. Michael was very pleased with our performance and we soon got in talks about a potential deal with From the Vaults. From The Vault has really helped us break into the metal scene here in Denmark and World wide. We wouldn’t have gotten to where we are without them, so it has been a fun ride!

V: 你们音乐的主题是什么？为何选择这个主题，又想通过它表达什么？歌词也是你们创作的。具体由谁撰写，灵感源自何处？

What is the theme of your music? Why did you choose this theme, and what do you want to express through it? You also wrote the lyrics. Who wrote them, and where did they get their inspiration?

S: 这个问题很难回答。我想我们所有音乐的核心主题可以概括为：‘人’。每首歌都描绘不同处境、状态或环境中形形色色的人。我（Stefan）始终觉得人类行为既令人着迷又令人恐惧。最初创作时这多是偶然的。但新专辑尤其如此，我们构建了一个完整的人类体验概念，探讨若不警惕便可能陷入的种种负面心理模式。所有歌曲都涉及人生某个阶段多数人能感同身受的主题：对死亡的恐惧、对生活的沉溺、对人生意义的渴求或动力匮乏。灵感既源于我（Stefan）自身经历，也来自身边人群与整个世界。专辑命名为“Hell for the Helpless”，正是为了警示：当人们无法自救或寻求帮助时，这些负面心理状态将变得极其危险。

Well that can be a hard question to answer. I guess the general theme across all our music could be summed up as: “People”. All the songs are about different kinds of people in different kinds of situations, states or places. I (Stefan) have always found human behavior to be fascinating and frightening at the same time. In the beginning of writing songs this was mostly just coincidental. But especially with the new album, we have created an entire concept about the human experience and all the negative mental patterns we can find ourselves in if we don’t watch out. All the songs cover themes that should be relatable to most people at some point in life. The fear of death, the indulgence of life, the need for purpose or the lack of motivation. The inspiration is both from my own life (Stefan), people around me and the world in general. The album is called Hell for the Helpless as a nod to the fact that all these negative mental states can be very dangerous for people who are unable to help themselves, or seek help to overcome it.

V: 你们乐队在2016年发行单曲后长期停止演出，直到2022年才重启活动并发布新作。是什么原因导致你们停演这么久？

Your band stopped performing for a long time after releasing a single in 2016, and it wasn't until 2022 that you resumed activities and released new work. What caused you to stop performing for such a long time?

S: 简而言之，我们从2016年开始筹备专辑，耗尽了所有时间。当创作接近尾声时，吉他手Mikkel退出乐队，我们不得不寻找替代人选。Mads加入后，我们意识到不能为了出专辑而仓促行事，必须重新探索乐队的风格与定位。当时我们都对创作音乐感到精疲力竭，于是转而专注于合奏、享受乐趣并加强乐队凝聚力，这反而放缓了进程。2018至2019年间我们举办了几场本地演出，既为测试新曲效果，也观察观众反应。Ulrik在离队前完成了专辑鼓轨录制。随后Stig加入乐队，我们又花时间让他融入这个大家庭。随后疫情爆发，全国进入封锁状态。因成员各自的个人状况，我们整整一年多无法排练或线下聚会。Io和我（Stefan）利用这段时间在工作室完成了专辑所有人声录制，Mads则录制了新的吉他部分。2021年封锁解除时，我们已完成专辑制作，正寻觅发行伙伴。2022年我们遇见From The Vaults厂牌，后续发展便顺理成章了。

Well the short version is that we started working on a potential album in 2016 which took all our time. When all the writing was nearing completion Mikkel (Guitar) quit the band and we had to find a replacement. When Mads joined the band, we realized that we needed to rediscover our style and identity as a band before just doing an album for the sake of doing it. We were all very burned out on writing music so we focused on playing together, having fun and bonding as a band instead, which slowed down the process. We played a few local shows throughout 2018 and 2019 to get a feel for the new tracks and see how the audience would react. Ulrik managed to record the drums for the album before quitting. Then Stig joined the band and we spent some time incorporating him into the family as well. Then Corona hit and the country was put in lockdown. Due to different personal situations we were unable to rehearse or meet in person for more than a year. Io and I (Stefan) spent the time doing all the vocals for the album in our studio and Mads layed down the new guitar parts. When everything opened up in 2021 we had an album ready and we were looking for a partner in crime to get it released. Then we meet From The Vaults in 2022 and the rest is history.

V: 首先恭喜乐队推出新专辑“Hell for the Helpless”，这张作品更倾向于Old-School Power Thrash Metal风格。Jensen歌声在此占据主导地位，其他成员则贡献了令人惊艳的吉他段落与独奏，以及令人上瘾的节奏，其中不时穿插着与旋律性高速演奏相融合的Progressive元素。你们的创作充满力量，给众多乐迷留下深刻印象。你们如何评价自己的作品？新专辑与以往相比有哪些变化？

First, congratulations on your band's latest album, “Hell for the Helpless,” which leans more toward an old-school power thrash metal style. Jensen's vocals take center stage here, while the other band members deliver impressive guitar riffs and solos, as well as addictive rhythms, occasionally interspersed with more progressive elements that blend with the melodic speed. Your work is full of power and has left a deep impression on many fans. What are your thoughts on your own work? What changes are there between the new album and the old ones?

S: 首张专辑发行后的经历让我们成长许多。这次我们对目标有了更清晰的认知。我（Stefan）认为新专辑在作曲、创作和制作上都更显精炼与连贯，对最终成果深感自豪。

We have grown a lot from the experiences gained after the release of our first album. We had a clearer vision of what we wanted to achieve this time around. I (Stefan) feel that the new album has a more polished and coherent feel, both in the composition, songwriting and production, and I'm very proud of the end result.

V: 作为资深乐队，你们参与过众多音乐节。哪些活动给你们留下深刻印象？能否描述当时的现场氛围？2025年是否有计划参加新音乐节？

As a veteran band, you have participated in many music festivals. Which ones left a deep impression on you? Can you describe the atmosphere at those events? Are there any new music festivals you plan to participate in in 2025?

S: 我（Stefan）相信大家都会认同，2024年日本Evoken音乐节是我们最震撼的经历。现场观众绝对是最纯粹、最投入的群体，他们给予的热情回应令人动容。欧洲音乐季即将落幕，我们已将目标锁定在2026年的几场音乐节或许会在中国举办一场……谁知道呢。

I (Stefan) think I speak for everyone when I say that Evoken Fest in Japan 2024 was the biggest experience for us. Definitely the most wholesome and dedicated crowd we have ever had. The reception we got from the crowd was very touching. At this point the festival season is almost over here in Europe so we have set our aim out for a few festivals in 2026. Maybe one in China… Who knows.

V: 除发行新专辑外，2025年还有哪些新计划？能否透露细节？

In addition to releasing a new album, what other new projects do you have planned for 2025? Can you share any details with us?

S: 2025年秋季我们将与一支尚未公布的丹麦大型金属乐队共同巡演丹麦。目前正在筹备2026年的海外演出，敬请期待。

We will be touring Denmark throughout the fall of 2025 alongside a, not yet disclosed, larger Danish metal band. We are working on booking some shows abroad for 2026 so keep your fingers crossed.

V: 你们是支优秀的乐队，我将继续追随并支持你们。也希望这次访谈能鼓励更多中国乐迷关注支持你们的乐队。访谈结束之际你们想对中国的乐迷说些什么吗？

You are an excellent band, and I will continue to follow and support you. I also hope that this interview will encourage more Chinese fans to follow and support your band. Is there anything you would like to say to your Chinese fans at the end of this interview?

S: 我们同舟共济。请记住要珍爱自己，也要关爱他人。

We are all in this together. So remember to love yourself and your fellow man.