From discovering Orbit Culture to getting where we are now was something I wouldn’t expect when I was asked to primarily photograph Rivers of Nihil’s Rebellion Bar show back in 2019. It usually takes a lot for a first act to do in order to be impressed. From the moment that the lads walked on stage and proceeded to crush us, this clicked. It was the band that a lot of us have been missing in the metal community.

Then, the unexpected happened. COVID19 grabbed the world by its core. Music artists depend on touring and merchandise sales to increase their exposure. All of that came to a grinding halt for the best part of 2+ years. However, it did not stop the overall great praise of Youtube reactions, the general rock/metal press, their Pulse Of The Maggots 2020 livestream performance and their continuing emotive storytelling Orbit Culture obtained during uncertainty.

Now, live shows have come back in full force in the UK. As I’m typing this, photographing one of your all-time favourite bands on their journey was a dream that I thought was not possible. For a band making their UK festival debut with their five song set was off the charts! It meant the absolute world to them receiving that kind of feedback after live music stopped in 2020. We are now witnessing the phenoms getting their much overdue recognition (a new US tour have been announced) and they are not likely to stop after this.

It was my absolute honour to capture this great set of lads on holy metal music territory (they brought the Swedish weather after they destroyed Sweden Rock Festival a few days prior). I can’t wait to create new anecdotes in the near future.

There was one word I took from this - fan. It’s loosely translated as damn in Swedish. You can see why :)

Equipment: Nikon Z6II (x2), 14-24mm f2.8 S lens & 24-70mm f2.8 S len.