Born amidst the cold forests and frozen lakes of Finland, clad in leather and spikes, tirelessly spreading the message of the Old Metal-testament through cryptic lyrics, haunting melodies, and doomy riffs
This is how multi-instrumentalist and singer Ian Highhill is introduced in the press release. According to Encyclopaedia Metallum, he was previously a singer in the bands Astralion, Olympos Mons and Stormbringer. The first two bands played Power Metal. Since 2020 or 2021, he has been pursuing a solo career. During this time, he has recorded countless singles, two EPs and three studio albums. He plays all the instruments himself in the studio. He is also responsible for production. His third album, ‘A Hymn Among Gravestones’, was recently released. So it’s time to ask the musician a few questions.
MHF: Hey Ian, I’m Rainer and I write for Metalheads Forever Magazine. Thanks for letting me do this interview with you. How are you?
Ian: Hi, Rainer, I’m very well thank you!
MHF: Please briefly introduce yourself, your musical career and your project.
Ian: My name’s Ian E. Highhill. I’m a hard rock/metal artist from Hanko, which is in the southernmost part of Finland. I’ve been working on my solo project, Ian Highhill, since 2020. I recently released my third LP, A Hymn Among Gravestones, on 13 February this year. Previously, I released two albums: Man in White in 2021 and Gallows in 2024.
Before that, I was the frontman for the power metal bands Olympos Mons and Astralion between 2004 and 2024.
MHF: What made you decide to start your solo project?
Ian: In my previous bands, I was always the co-writer, which basically meant that I did all the vocal arrangements and lyrics, and often also chords that went with them, especially in Olympos Mons. In Astralion, we did everything a bit differently, with our guitarist doing all the instrumental arrangements and me doing the vocals melodies and lyrics.
Those years gave me a lot of experience in both composing and producing music. We never had an outside producer in either band, so we did it ourselves, which taught you a lot. So, in 2020, when I decided to stop drinking, I suddenly had a lot of time on my hands, and that’s when I started working on the first songs that would become my solo project. They were very well received, which encouraged me to continue.
MHF: How would you describe Ian Highhill’s sound?
Ian: I’m no spring chicken; I was born in the late 1960s. I spent my early teens, of course, influenced by the NWOBHM of the early ’80s. But I wasn’t into that many bands from that era. Iron Maiden, of course, Saxon and from Germany Accept. It was the bands from the 70s that had gained a new upswing at that time that I found most impressive. I was really into Black Sabbath (with Dio), and Judas Priest, and obviously Ozzy’s solo stuff, and later Dio’s too. So, I started looking into the origins of the genre and found bands like Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Scorpions and Led Zeppelin. So I guess when I started my own solo project, that was the sound I was after. Now that I’m my own boss, I can make the kind of music I’ve wanted to make since I was a teenager, rather than following today’s genres.
MHF: What musical differences are there between the solo project and the earlier bands?
Ian: Both Olympos Mons and Astralion were power metal bands. A genre that I have always considered to have originated from Rainbow’s “Rising” and Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll’ mixed with German metal. That’s why I became interested in the genre, fantasy-driven lyrics and beautiful melodies. I’ve never been into metal with growling vocals, not because there’s anything wrong with it, but it’s just not my thing. So power metal was simply the only thing that resembled the music I was into as a teenager. The music I make now is just pure heavy rock — or ‘hard rock’, as it was known back in the day — with no subgenres, just traditional, old-school stuff. However, I suppose there will always be elements of the sound of my old bands in my music too.
MHF: You play all the instruments by yourself in the studio. You’re also in charge of production and release the singles and albums on your own. How much work is that?
Ian: It’s certainly a lot of work. But the rewards are manifold when you get recognition for a product that you’ve created from start to finish. As well as the music, mixing, producing and album cover art, I have handled most of the advertising for the releases and gigs myself so far. This is especially challenging when you have a day job on top of that. Even if you’ve been in bands that have achieved some success, you always end up starting from scratch with a new project. As an old-timer, I also found myself having to learn about social media (I’m still learning), so it’s certainly been challenging(laughs)!
MHF: The current album, ‘A Hymn Among Gravestones’, was released in February this year. How satisfied are you with the result?
Ian: I am, of course, very pleased with the result, more than I have ever been with any of my previous releases. But, naturally, the latest release is the dearest to me because it is new. However, I would like to believe that I have managed to include a few bangers on it. The great thing about doing everything yourself is that you have unlimited studio time and do not have to worry about exceeding your budget. You can also make all the decisions yourself about whether something is good, without a studio engineer making them for you, because, believe me, they all want to be producers. I also feel that I am getting closer to the sound I am looking for with every album I make, and this is another step in the right direction.
MHF: What were the reactions of the press and fans?
Ian: I think it’s gone down really well so far. I’m really surprised how many people seem to miss this traditional style of metal. I really hope it spreads and reaches as many people as possible. As we all know, the market’s pretty saturated, and it’s easy to get lost in the crowd of bands out there.
MHF: You have released three studio albums since 2021. How does ‘A Hymn Among Gravestones’ differ from ‘Man in White’ and ‘Gallows’?
Ian: I think I’m getting closer and closer to achieving the sound I’m looking for, both in terms of compositions and production. In both composing and producing. ‘Man in White’ was my first attempt, and I like to think that I have developed as a singer, musician and mixer since then. My voice was in bad shape at the time, after years of drinking, and I was struggling to recover from a long period of depression. So, ‘Man in White’ was actually a form of therapy to help me move on from all that. It feels really good to be able to say that I’ve been back on track for years. I’ve also updated a lot of my equipment and software since then, which has also had an impact. ‘Gallows’ was a clear step forward. With that album, I laid a strong foundation for my future sound, which now feels pretty complete with ‘A Hymn Among Gravestones’.
MHF: You are very productive, with two EPs and three albums in five years. Are you already working on a follow-up?
Ian: Yes, I’m currently working on my fourth studio album. It’ll be interesting to see how it turns out! I’ve already come up with many new and interesting ideas and themes. As before, they are perhaps somewhat socially critical, anti-war, some pure fiction, inspired from books and stuff, all woven into fantasy themes. This is something I always strive for when I write. People can then interpret them however they want.
MHF: You have a band for live performances. How did you find your fellow musicians?
Ian: To be honest, I hadn’t even thought about playing live with this project at first. It all started when I met Mats Nyström, an old friend of mine, whose stepson, Andy Lopez, played the guitar. I heard he was pretty good. My friend, who’s also a drummer, suggested we try putting a band together with Andy on guitar, him on drums and Andreas Nyström, his cousin, on bass. We played a couple of gigs before the project fell flat when the guitarist quit suddenly. At our last gig with that line-up, Krister Lundell, who had played with me in both Astralion and Olympos Mons, had already taken over on bass. We then started looking for a new guitarist and I got in touch with Matt Schreck, who is not only a guitarist, but also a top-notch drummer. However, after a few more twists and turns, we decided that Matt would play the drums, while Jens Kewin, a very talented guitarist whom Matt knew, would take over on guitar. That’s how I ended up with the incredibly tight band I have today.
MHF: Will we be able to see you live on European stages, especially in Germany, in the near future?
Ian: I really hope so. But it’s still early days, and we’ve only just found a booking agency to help us out with bookings. We’ll have to wait and see. But it would be amazing to come to Germany and the rest of Europe.
MHF: How important is contact with fans at concerts to you?
Ian: For me, the most important thing is my listeners, whether they’re at concerts, streaming or buying records. I’m so grateful that someone out there likes my music. That’s the best reward I can get.
MHF: Thank you once again for the interview. Would you like to say anything to the fans before we finish?
Ian: To our German legion and beyond: thank you for keeping the spirit alive. I am incredibly proud to share ‘A Hymn Among Gravestones’ with you. I hope these songs resonate with you as much as they do with me. Until we meet on the road—Vielen Dank!
Lineup (Studio):
Ian Highhill – Vocals, All Instruments
Lineup (Live):
Ian Highhill – Vocals
Jens Kewin – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Krister Lundell – Bass, Backing Vocals
Matt Shreck – Drums
Discography:
Man in White – Album 2021
Gallows – Album 2024
A Hymn Among Gravestones – Album 2026
Social Media:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Ian.Highhill.Music/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ian_highhill/
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/1x9ZVPoeSmtWsaZ0UXW7rd
X / Twitter – https://x.com/HighhillIan
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGbbFFE1CIexc2OFw3eoSgg
Apple Music – https://music.apple.com/us/artist/ian-highhill/1530930631
Official online store, CD & Vinyl – https://elasticstage.com/ianhighhillstore
