“Everything felt more real, more genuine and more free.”
By Nicklas Rudolfsson, September 2026
I have known Pelle “Hellbutcher” Gustavsson for many years, and over the years we have also played together in several bands and projects. Anyone familiar with the Swedish metal underground will, of course, know Pelle from Nifelheim, the band he formed together with his twin brother Erik “Tyrant” Gustavsson in 1990 and which became one of the most distinctive and uncompromising names in Swedish black metal.
But reducing Hellbutcher to Nifelheim would only tell part of the story.
Pelle is a lifelong heavy metal fanatic, an almost religiously devoted Iron Maiden fan, and a musician whose commitment to the underground has remained remarkably consistent throughout the decades. Since the end of Nifelheim, that energy has certainly not disappeared. If anything, it seems to have found new outlets.
For the past few years, his main vehicle has been Hellbutcher, a band bearing his own infamous moniker and one that has quickly developed an identity of its own. The band has been highly active both on record and on stage, and it is obvious that Pelle still possesses the same relentless drive and creative hunger that have followed him throughout his musical life.
At the same time, Hellbutcher is only one part of what he is doing. Pelle is also active in bands and projects including Friends of Hell and Dead Kosmonaut, while his musical history stretches through Nifelheim, Necrocurse and numerous collaborations and guest appearances.
I spoke with Pelle a few weeks ago about instinct versus analysis in songwriting, the different sides of his musical personality, the loss of mystery in the modern underground, individuality in metal, Iron Maiden, persistence, and what he would tell the young Hellbutcher who was just about to unleash Nifelheim upon the world.
Photos by Necroshorns
1. Looking at your body of work through Nifelheim, Hellbutcher, Friends of Hell, Dead Kosmonaut, Necrocurse and various guest appearances, you have explored different shades of darkness without ever sounding like you are following trends. When you begin writing or recording with a new band, what tells you that an idea belongs in one project rather than another? Is it instinct, the people involved, or something you simply cannot explain?
Pelle “Hellbutcher” Gustavsson:
It’s more of an instinct. But I always try to understand what I am doing. It might sound weird, but analysing what you are doing is important in order to fully understand what you are aiming for musically. So it’s a combination of instinct and carefully thought-out ideas about what the concept of the music is supposed to be.
2. Friends of Hell and Dead Kosmonaut reveal different sides of your musical personality than Hellbutcher. Do you consciously keep those worlds separate, or do they naturally influence each other? Has stepping outside pure black and thrash metal changed the way you think about heaviness, atmosphere and songwriting?
Pelle “Hellbutcher” Gustavsson:
In my opinion, it’s all the same thing, just approached from different angles. I don’t think about separating what I do into different genres. I just approach each song differently and try to make it as heavy as possible.
I’ve always been a huge fan of classic heavy metal, so it all comes quite naturally to me. A fast and brutal song works better with screaming vocals, while a slow, doomy epic calls for something more powerful and epic. I simply adapt my vocals to fit the song.
3. Hellbutcher carries decades of expectations because people immediately connect your voice and your name with a certain legacy. How difficult is it to create something that feels genuinely fresh instead of simply delivering what people already expect before they have even heard the first song?
Pelle “Hellbutcher” Gustavsson:
By not being concerned about what you just mentioned.
4. You have remained loyal to the underground for more than thirty years, yet you have seen it evolve from tape trading, handwritten letters and tiny fanzines into a world driven by streaming services, social media and algorithms. What have we gained, and what part of that old underground spirit do you believe has quietly disappeared forever?
Pelle “Hellbutcher” Gustavsson:
That’s a hard question!
I miss the old days. Everything felt more real, more genuine and more free. Today, when nothing is rare anymore and there are no mysteries left, everything is available instantly. You lose that feeling of actually wanting something. Searching for a particular tape or record and finally finding it was a huge part of the underground experience. That is something we’ve lost.
If there’s one thing we’ve gained, I’d say it’s that it’s much easier to stay in touch with people and get hold of music. But that’s also part of the problem.
5. Every project you have been involved in has its own identity, yet there is still something unmistakably “Hellbutcher” running through all of them. If you had to describe that common thread without mentioning musical styles or influences, what would it be?
Pelle “Hellbutcher” Gustavsson:
It’s simply that I do things my way, without being concerned about what people might think.
There should be more bands and musicians who aim to have their own identity.
6. Over the years you have worked with many musicians in different bands. Has there ever been someone who challenged your way of thinking so much that it changed how you approached music or creativity? What did you take away from that experience?
Pelle “Hellbutcher” Gustavsson:
Not really, hahaha! I get most of my inspiration from Iron Maiden.
7. Your lyrics and imagery often revolve around death, darkness, evil and classic heavy metal themes. After all these years, do those subjects still represent the same ideas to you, or has your personal relationship with them changed as both the music scene and life itself have evolved?
Pelle “Hellbutcher” Gustavsson:
It hasn’t really changed. I like a certain kind of lyric that enhances and complements the music I write. That hasn’t changed since I first started listening to heavy and brutal music.
8. When people look back on your career decades from now, they will probably remember the records, the concerts and the image. What do you hope they will remember about Pelle Gustavsson as a musician and as a person that cannot be found in a discography or a photograph?
Pelle “Hellbutcher” Gustavsson:
I hope they will remember my persistence and my loyalty to everything that is true and genuine in Metal.
Bonus Question
If you could sit down today with the young Hellbutcher who had just started Nifelheim, what advice would you give him, and would he actually listen?
Pelle “Hellbutcher” Gustavsson:
I would most likely tell him to go all in, write as many quality songs as possible, and never wait for anyone or anything.
He wouldn’t listen, of course, but that’s how it is.
Many thanks to Mr. Hellbutcher for taking the time to answer these questions. After all these years, the persistence he mentions in the interview is perhaps one of the best ways to describe him: still creating, still playing, still completely devoted to heavy metal, and still doing things his own way.
More information: hellbutcher.com, Instagram: @hellbutcherband, Facebook: Hellbutcher