[Podcast] EP: 71: [Interview] with Bård Torstensen of CLAWFINGER.
L-R:
André Skaug (bass), Bård Torstensen (guitars), Zak Tell (vocals),
Jocke Skog (guitars, keyboards), Micke Dahlén (drums)
Photo credit: Peter Bjöns
I: Podcast Episode #71 - Interview w/ BARD torstensen
VIDEO INTERVIEW LINK:
(via the official ISC Youtube Channel)
Podcast/Audio-Only Version:
via the Podcast category on our Youtube Channel + podcast app platforms*
*ISC Podcast is now also available on:
Castamatic, Castro, Fountain, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Podcast Guru, Podverse and TrueFans, as well as Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, GoodPods, iHeartRadio, PocketCasts and RadioPublic.
This podcast episode and blog post cobbled together with the help of Today’s ADHD-Assistant Album:
Reverend Bizarre (Finland) - II: Crush The Insects (Doom Metal)
Full-Album Stream Link:
Episode 71 - Show Notes:
Metal Pioneers CLAWFINGER unleash new Video Single ‘Big Brother’ ahead of long-awaited Comeback Album BEFORE WE ALL DIE!
Swedish-Norwegian rap-metal trailblazers CLAWFINGER are back with another explosive taste of their long-awaited comeback album Before We All Die, their first studio offering in 18 long years! The new single 'Big Brother' arrives with a razor-edged video clip and all the pent-up fury you’d expect from a band that helped define the crossover sound of the ’90s.
The first album appetizer 'Scum' (listenhere) followed by 'Ball & Chain' (stream here) have already racked up thousands of plays and reactions across digital platforms, hitting with the force of a small online detonation and proving that CLAWFINGER’s return is striking a nerve and Zeitgeist. Even with a recent live performance of their hit 'Biggest & Best' going viral on Instagram, or Zak performing 'The Truth' in a hilarious karaoke video, CLAWFINGER are being rediscovered by a new generation of metal fans, showing that their music remains as powerful and relevant as ever, nearly two decades after their last album.
The new track 'Big Brother' hits like a steel-toed boot to the chest. Mechanical, grinding riffs, an industrial undercurrent that pulses like a surveillance camera’s hum, and Zak Tell delivering one of his most acerbic vocal performances to date: half-rapped, half-snarled, always unmistakably CLAWFINGER. Sonically, 'Big Brother' feels like a bridge between the band’s classic Use Your Brain ferocity and a darker, more claustrophobic modern edge.
Lyrically, Tell digs deep into the rot of attention-driven culture:
"Big Brother is an idea I wrote back in 2007 but it never turned into a finished song. It’s about how we trade authenticity and privacy for approval. Fake lives lived on camera, zero substance, 15 seconds of fame and nothing good to say. We binge mindless content, go numb, and don’t even question constant surveillance. We’ve learned to love being tracked, controlled, and fed nonsense 24/7, we don't think even think about it. Who the fuck are we?"
Stream / Download 'Big Brother':
Watch the video premiering here:
Known for their pioneering fusion of metal, rap, and unflinching social commentary, 2026 will see CLAWFINGER return with their brand new record Before We All Die, that will rekindle the fire which made them one of Europe’s most groundbreaking crossover acts. This hotly-anticipated comeback marks not just a return, but a reinvention, proof that true intensity never fades.
Before We All Die arrives February 20, 2026 on PERCEPTION - A Division of Reigning Phoenix Music. Pre-save/pre-order the album now at: https://clawfinger.rpm.link/beforewealldiePR
From environmental collapse to political hypocrisy, personal disillusionment to collective denial, Before We All Die is CLAWFINGER at full volume - still pissed off, still sharp as ever, still sprinkled with a touch of self-irony, and still refusing to shut up while the world pretends it’s all fine.
“This album is part protest, part therapy, and part middle finger,” the band says. “We’re not offering solutions. We’re screaming because silence is surrender.”
Before We All Die Track Listing:
1. Scum
2. Ball & Chain
3. Tear You Down
4. Big Brother
5. Linked Together
6. A Perfect Day
7. Going Down (Like Titanic)
8. You Call Yourself a Teacher
9. A Fucking Disgrace
10. Kill The Dream
11. Environmental Patients
12. Before We All Die
CLAWFINGER are:
Zak Tell | vocals
Jocke Skog | guitar, keyboards
Bård Torstensen | guitars
André Skaug | bass
Micke Dahlén | drums
More on CLAWFINGER:
clawfinger.net | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify | Apple Music
