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ARCH ENEMY: Delivering Doomsday

Since the release of their crushing debut Black Earth in 1996, Swedish metallers Arch Enemy have steadily risen to become one of the top acts in today’s popular metal pack. This deluge of fame has come not only through the band’s instantly recognisable ravenous melodic metal attack, but also through their ability to make some important and clever decisions (such as refusing to swerve from their style and recruiting screaming sensation Angela Gossow into their ranks) that have ultimately helped to craft Arch Enemy into the metal mammoth it is today. I recently caught up with axeman and founder of the band Michael Amott, to chat about the act’s new album Rise of the Tyrant, growing up with metal and their upcoming Australian tour with Machine Head and Trivium.

“Oh yeah! Yeah absolutely – its fun, its fresh – everybody’s still happy!” begins a rather chuffed Amott as I ask him about how the band thinks the new album has turned out. “I guess it’s just a different record you know? It’s not like the last one and the next one after this will probably be different again! We just try to change it up and do something different every time you know?”

The album itself has quite a dark feel to it, almost reminiscent of the sounds gleaned from some of the band’s early offerings like Stigmata & Burning Bridges - an atmosphere it seems that Arch Enemy were keenly aware of creating.

“I think so yeah – it’s kind of melodic as well you know. There’s a lot of guitar melodies and stuff like that going on so there’s all kinds of different atmospheres on the record. We use both minor chord progressions and the major chord progressions as well – so it’s not only darkness, we have some light as well! – Only so we can make the dark stuff sound even darker! (Laughs)”

Interestingly enough, during the final stages of the recording process the band chose not to use the skills of mix master Andy Sneap, instead reverting to the talents of Swedish producing extraordinaire Fredrik Nordstrom – a man that Arch Enemy hasn’t worked with since their 2002 effort Wages of Sin.

“Yeah it’s been awhile since we worked with him, so it was kind of interesting. We wanted to do something different, we wanted to record in Sweden – you know close to home – it just seemed like a logical thing to do. I love Andy, he’s one of my best friends and I think he’s an amazing producer, but you’ve got to do something different every time so every album doesn’t sound exactly the same.”

As mentioned previously, the band has certainly achieved fairly notable status within today’s metal world – though it is a phenomenon that Michael remains both seemingly humble and fairly nonchalant about.

“(Laughs) I don’t really think about it like that! I don’t know – it’s just everyday is a new job – there’s always something that’s got to be done you know? Be it a show, or some interviews or… I mean its midnight here or something you know… still doing interviews. I just played a show here in Minneapolis - in the United States – there’s just a bunch of stuff to be done all the time. Right now is a very busy time – I don’t really have time to think about that stuff. We’re just kind of so in the ocazie with this band that we just keep on working, we never take a break really. We never really contemplate where we’re at – it’s more just like go, go, go! I guess in a few years we’ll be like: ‘hey that was actually pretty cool’ (laughs) – no time to reflect!”

All modesties aside, Arch Enemy do feel as though their fame brings with it certain expectations – in special being able to meet the more personal goal of continuing to realizate the music that the band both wants to play and hear.

“Yeah I mean - you know the fans are important. But we write music for ourselves, because we make the music that we want to hear, that we want to bang our heads to. When we’re in the rehearsal room if everybody’s getting into it, jamming on it – that’s like the fun part you know? The creative side of things is what we enjoy the absolute most I guess. And now we’re doing promotions and touring and stuff – that’s not the reason you pick up a guitar and grow your hair long you know? It’s more because you just want to jam and play the music that makes you feel good. The fans just come along with us you know? We seem to be getting more and more of them every time we put out a record, or every time we do a tour – so that’s amazing you know. We’re very happy about that obviously. I think the fans trust us – that we’re going to deliver the goods basically.”

“I never had a plan…” begins Michael as I ask him if he ever imagined that Arch Enemy would make it quite this far. “I never thought I’d have a career in music because the music that I chose to start playing at an early age was the most extreme music I could find you know? It was thrash metal, it was death metal – there was no record deals to be had (laughs) it was just underground. It wasn’t like ‘I’m going to start a death metal band and make a living out of playing death metal’ – that was never an option really. And then things just started to happen – that (type of) music became more mainstream in a way or it reached more people and more people got into it and it got bigger. Obviously now days I don’t really play death metal anymore – I guess Arch Enemy is more of an extreme metal band. We have some hints of death metal, some flavours of death metal in there – but we’re not an all out death metal band for sure. I never thought we’d become this big though (laughs).”

As is the case with many other metal heads around the globe, growing up with metal was both an enjoyable experience for Amott and a catalyst that helped determine his future character.

“I just loved the raw energy and power of it. I started listening to punk and hardcore when I was 11 years old. I went straight from Kiss and Thin Lizzy and stuff like that into punk and hardcore. I just loved the speed and the aggression. I was constantly searching for the faster, more aggressive bands. Then thrash came along: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth stuff like that – that was all very exciting! Then Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, that whole German thrash wave - very excited about that! I was also listening to D.R.I, Suicidal Tendencies, Crumbsuckers, Discharge – all this hardcore punk stuff as well. But then you know, all my friends were into more classic stuff – hard rock and metal – you know more Judas Priest, Iron Maiden type stuff – and I was into that as well. So I was surrounded by all of these different things and it kind of made me what I am. It’s all apart of me.”

While obviously Michael can’t speak for all the fans out there, he certainly manages to take a good stab at exactly what it is that draws listeners to the sounds of Arch Enemy.

“I don’t know – probably the same things that drew me into music. I like intense stuff you know? I don’t like stuff that… what I call the ‘safety zone’. I never understood metal bands that kind of played it safe and kind of held back you know? I just like bands that were metal thrashing mad you know what I mean? Like bands that are just fucking ripping it out, fucking solos all the time, screaming vocals, fast drums. I like the melodic parts as well, but I just want to hear some ripping shit you know? I always hated bands that wimped out – I’ve sworn that Arch Enemy will never sell out – (like) ‘I loved these guys and now they made this shitty fucking album’ I used to hate that when I was a kid. I guess I feel I have a responsibility! (Laughs)”

Outwardly at least, it certainly seems that Arch Enemy are a band that share quite a harmonious relationship.

“Yeah sure! It’s very chilled, it’s totally laid back. It’s not probably what people would expect at all. There’s no screaming or shouting, we’re just very relaxed, civilized people. We’ve been doing it for awhile, so you just give each other space and you just do it you know?”

That being said, it is perhaps that level of experience and maturity that has allowed Amott and the rest of the band to remain relatively nonplussed about often being referred to as a ‘one man band’.

“No (laughs)! I mean I think everyone that’s in this band contributes a lot – maybe not in the song writing – but in some other way you know, like helping me out arranging stuff or coming up with ideas – everyone’s got a little job you know? Besides what they do in the band as musicians, everybody’s got a little job organizing stuff or whatever.”

When asked about what he finds most enjoyable about being a part of the band, Amott takes on a tone of introspection.

“What I’ve thought about recently is that I’m super proud that we’ve made seven studio albums now – and they’re all extreme metal – and we haven’t sold out! (laughs) I think that’s kind of funny. I think it’s pretty awesome what we’ve created – took it from nothing to what it is today. If you compare it to building up a business, you have an idea and you build it up from the ground. That’s basically what we’ve done with Arch Enemy – we’ve played the music that’s in our hearts, in our souls – actually being able to communicate that with a shitload of people around the world… that’s pretty awesome!”

As Michael mentioned earlier, there is always something to do – and right now it certainly seems as though the band has their hands well and truly full!

“Right now, we’re doing a co-headline with Machine Head. We have Sanctity and Throwdown opening up. But we’re in America – in Minneapolis today – we just played a show a couple of hours ago…”

“Yeah it was fucking awesome! Best show ever! (Laughs)” spouts Amott as I ask how the show in Minneapolis went. “It was actually pretty fucking good – I loved it. I’ve got a great guitar sound now – I’ve got some new equipment, I’m in the zone every night – I’m fucking going to chop some heads off with my lead tone when I come to Australia.”

After already taking part in two very well received Australian tours the band are eager to return down under for the upcoming Black Crusade tour with Trivium and Machine Head.

“Oh yeah – I mean Australia’s our new favourite place you know?! Everyone in the band’s fuckin stoked! I mean Chris - my brother – he’s freaked out because he’s never been there – so he’s super excited – we’ve hyped it! You guys better fucking deliver when we get down there! We’ve hyped the shit out of the place for him. We’re like: ‘it’s the best! The fans are the best!’ (Laughs). I mean we came down there I think 2005 was it? For the Doomsday Machine album – did some headline shows and then came back with Gigantour thing with Megadeth last year – totally amazing, mind-blowing! I mean we had no idea that we had fans down there to that extent. We thought ‘yeah we’ll go down there and play to a couple of hundred kids’ – it was more than that! It was amazing how knowledgeable the fans were of Arch Enemy! We thought ‘ok it’s our first time in Australia we’ve got to work this up from the ground you know?’ - We felt very welcome when we got over there. So yeah, definitely looking forward to that!”

And as to exactly what sort of set list the punters can expect to see…

“I don’t know – it depends on how long we get to play for you know? We always customize the set to what we’re doing. Right now we’re doing one hour and we’re doing like a best of type set list – we’ve put in like two new songs. I think we’re going to play more new songs because the album will have been out quite awhile once we hit Australia. Right now we’re doing Blood on Your Hands and Revolution Begins. Will probably keep doing those, and probably incorporate one or two more songs depending on the live setting. But we have so many songs from so many albums now – it’s almost getting to the point where we have to play certain songs (laughs) you know?! Otherwise they (the people) go: ‘Oh my God! Why didn’t you guys play We Will Rise!? You guys suck! Or ‘You guys gotta play Nemesis, You got to play Ravenous’ – there’s a lot of ‘you’ve got to play’ kind of songs. So yeah, we try to balance that out.”

And finally, just before he left me Mike wanted me to pass this on to all the Australian Arch Enemy fans out there…

“We can’t wait to play for you guys again! We’re totally, totally excited!”

The Negru Crusade Tour (with Machine Head and Trivium) kicks off on October the 28th in Perth before heading to Adelaide on the 30th, Melbourne on the 31st, Sydney on the 1st & 2nd (of November) and finally finishing up in Brisbane on the 3rd. Arch Enemy's latest album, Rise Of The Tyrant, is out now on Century Media Records through Stomp Distribution. For more information on Arch Enemy, check out www.archenemy.net.

A Conversation With Keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen

Nightwish are hugely successful in Europe, and are making inroads in North America as well. The band’s latest CD is Dark Passion Play, which features new vocalist Anette Olzon. After the public exit of former singer Tarja Turunen, the band embarked on a worldwide search for her replacement. Nightwish is currently on tour in the U.S., and I spoke to founding member, main songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen about their singer search, how Anette is fitting in, the new album, and their goal of conquering North America.

Chad Bowar: Take us through the process of finding a new singer after Tarja’s exit from the band.
Tuomas Holopainen: Here are some statistics. Over a period of about 14 months we received about 2000 demos from 55 different countries. Out of those 2000, about 50 were promising enough that we contacted them and sent them an instrumental CD so they could sing three songs and we could hear how their voice sounds in a Nightwish song. Out of these 50 we met with about 10 face to face. Then just one by one we ended up choosing Anette.

How was the actual decision made to select Anette?
We took a formal vote, but it was unanimous that she would be the one. It was a matter of heart. We felt she would be the right one, and everybody agreed.

Were you looking for someone with a different vocal style than Tarja, or is that just how it turned out?
We absolutely wanted to have something different. That was our only criteria. We didn’t build a profile of what the new singer should sound like, what she should look like, or where she should be from. We just trusted the right one would be out there. The only thing we knew for sure was we did not want another classically trained operatic singer in the band. We thought it was time to move on and not find a copycat. The hard task was to find someone who had the same power and passion and emotion in her voice, but still sounded different. I personally think we hit the jackpot with Anette because her voice is really strong, but she can also do some wonderful interpretations. She has a lot of variety in her voice. She has a storytellers voice and doesn’t sound like Tarja at all.

You also decided not to announce who the new singer was until after the album was recorded. Was it difficult to keep that under wraps?
Yes, it was like playing CIA. We were always in different planes and hotels and things like that because the media, especially in Finland, was eager to find out who she was. There were paparazzi everywhere. We had to be really careful. It was really juicy stuff for the media. The media said it was a publicity stunt, this hiding thing, but that was never the case. It was just to protect her so we would have some peace and quiet in the recording process. When we revealed her identity to the world we would also have some new Nightwish material to play for the people. If we would have introduced Anette back in January, people would have had five months to judge her only on her appearance and what she had done before. I don’t think that would have been fair.

How has your North American tour been going so far?
We’ve been here for about a week and a half, and it’s a amazing, especially the reaction from the fans. It’s something we never expected. At the same time people have much more faith towards the whole thing. The shows have been really nice.

You’ve already booked another U.S. tour for next spring.
We want to focus a little more on the North American market for this album. Actually there is going to be a third U.S. tour coming later next year.

Did you sign with Roadrunner in the U.S. to try to break through this market and get more exposure?
We hooked up with them for the previous album and they did a really good job. They seem to have what it takes on this continent. It’s looking good. We are not here because we want to become big stars. I take it more as a challenge, because everybody in Europe says the American market is the hardest one in the world, especially for European bands. So if you can actually accomplish something on this continent, you can give yourself a good pat on the back.

Your touring schedule is pretty booked for the foreseeable future.
Yes, until the fall of 2009, so the tour will last about two years altogether. Next year will be incredibly busy, but we’re going to take it a little easier in 2009. It all goes in cycles so we are on tour for 4 or 5 weeks, then we go home for 10 days, et cetera. You have to remember this band has three members with kids, and families always matter more than the band. We make that a priority.

This is Anette’s first U.S. tour with the band. How is she fitting in so far?
Really well. We always told her that she had no idea what she was getting herself into. She told us she had a good idea, but she confessed to me a couple days ago that I was right, she had no idea it would be so much pressure all the time. But she is definitely enjoying it and getting into the whole thing. It takes some time, which is only natural.

Has her voice provided a different spin on your older material?
Yes, it does. She interprets the old stuff in a unique way. I understand it has been a shock for the die hard fans to hear her sing the old songs, but I think she’s pulling them off incredibly well.

I’ve read in a few different places that Dark Passion Play cost over a million dollars to record. Is that accurate?
To record the album cost about 500,000 Euros, which is about $800,000. In addition we did two music videos in Los Angeles that cost 300,000 Euros, which is $500,000. So the cost of the recording and the music videos are well over a million bucks.

Does that increase the pressure in you to sell more albums and concert tickets to recoup all that money?
Not really. We have faith it will be okay. We didn’t want to do any compromises when it came to recording the album. We wanted to use a full choir and orchestra and go to Abbey Road studio in London and spend ten months in the studio no matter what the cost. The band was so on the edge of its career that it was a bad time to do any compromising.

http://heavymetal.about.com/od/interviews/a/nightwishinterv.htm?nl=1

A Conversation With Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg

The Norwegian band Ulver’s sound has changed a lot over the years. Their first album was Bergtatt - Et Eeventyr i 5 Capitler in 1994, followed by Kveldssanger in 1995 and Nattens Madrigal - Aatte Hymne til Ulven i Manden 1997. After that Ulver drifted away from black metal and explored many different styles and genres including electronic, trip-hop, ambient, experimental and others. Ulver’s latest effort is Shadows Of The Sun. I spoke with Ulver frontman Kristoffer “Garm” Rygg when he was in New York for the album release party. In addition to being Ulver’s frontman, Garm also runs Jester Records.

Chad Bowar:Was your latest album Shadows Of The Sun difficult to write?
Kristoffer “Garm” Rygg: We don’t write music, it just sort of happens.

It always has to correspond to an idea or a vision. It was kind of tough. It’s been a tough year.
How would you characterize it compared to your last album Blood Inside?
It’s more honest. It’s a little less reactionary. That’s how it feels.

One of your bandmates has been studying classical composition. Did that have any impact on this album?
No, not really. It influences the sense of composition a little bit. If we have a primary dispozitiv it is the piano. It may have a little impact, but it’s hard to draw a direct line.

What was it about the Black Sabbath song “Solitude” that made you want to do your own version of it?
It’s a song I’ve been trying to do for ten years. I like the song. There’s something about the lyrical content that is very appropriate for this record.

In addition to the regular CD there is also a aparte edition you’ve put together that can be ordered directly from the record company. What’s included with that?
It’s the CD, vinyl, a tee shirt and some other paraphernalia.

Do you have plans to do any live shows in support of this album?
We don’t know. I don’t think it will be an extension of the publicity work for this record. We are starting to rehearse a little bit to test the waters, but it is very hard for us. We’re not a band. We need to lay a lot of ground work to get that right. We’d have to hire people to avoid sitting behind the computer and pretend you’re playing. That’s our problem. We feel it needs to be interesting, and it is difficult for us to be interesting at this point in time.

You are also the owner of Jester Records. How is that going?
We had a really low profile year. The business is pretty hard to keep going right now without losing money. We had a modest year, but now we have a new distribution deal in Europe. We might pick up the pace a little bit and release some more records.

How much of your daily schedule is occupied with the record label compared with Ulver and your other musical projects?
It’s a 24 hour gig. I’m always in the office.

You’ve also done some film scoring in the past few years. Do you plan on doing more of that?
Yes, it seems we might do a rather big Swedish production this next spring. It looks promising, but we haven’t signed any contracts yet and I’m not at liberty to reveal what it’s about. But it looks like we might have a solid one coming out.

Ulver’s sound has changed a lot over the years. Do you ever see yourself going back to the negru metal style of your early days?
It’s not something I’ve really thought much about. It’s our history. It was over 10 years ago we made something that could be categorized as black metal. For me it’s a little curious. We’ve released about 15 CDs and only about 2 of them have been metal music. But we’ve still got roots in the metal scene. So many people are doing that, and it’s not that interesting to me. We want to keep experimenting with instruments and sounds and taking it our way. It’s a different type of sensibility.

Moonspell Interview: A Conversation With Drummer Mike Gaspar

The Portugese metal band Moonspell is revisiting their early days. The band formed back in 1992 and released their debut EP Under The Moonspell in 1994. In 2007 they re-recorded all the songs from that EP along with several other early tracks and are calling it Under Satanae. Drummer Miguel “Mike” Gaspar tells about the decision to re-record this material, their next album of new material, the metal scene in Portugal and more.

Chad Bowar: What inspired you to want to re-record earlier songs for Under Satanae?
Mike Gaspar: I think it was more the opportunity to finally record these classic songs with the production and sound they always deserved. The playing is also better. We were (crap) musicians with very poor instruments, but we had a lot of passion. We tried to keep the feeling on the album. But does it rock a hell of a lot better? It sure does! I think the end result is that it has inspired us.

In addition to the Under The Moonspell tracks, what is the origin of the other songs?
“Serpent Angel” is the first promo track. Moonspell was called Morbid God at the time. This was in 1991. We changed the name and did a demo in ‘92. These are the remaining songs. They are the most simple and basic songs we ever did, but the inspiration of the time was the best: Bathory, Celtic Frost, Samael, Tiamat, Morbid Angel and all the underground. We were part of the new negru metal, and it is still going on today. Never in our dreams would we have thought it would be so popular.

What kind of changes did you make to the songs?
We wanted to keep them as faithful as much as we could. What makes the difference is the playing and proper structuring. We have learned a lot these past years. It felt like we were doctors analyzing what we had done. We started from zero and built it all together again. It was fun. We discovered a lot of ourselves in these tracks.

How was it working with Tue Madsen?
Great! He is very easy going and has much confidence in the sound he gets and how he records. But he always is willing to listen to others’ opinions and sometimes he also learns from that. It really felt like we were bringing the best of both sides into the project. He also made sure we were very comfortable in Denmark. That always makes it sweeter to do albums. We worked hard and were always on schedule. We both liked that way of working. All night studio sessions are just stupid.

What are your plans for the next album?
We have pre-production with Waldemar (Sorychta) in November here in Portugal. We will write some stuff together. We will record the new album in January in Denmark once more. We also have a very cool Halloween party in Lisbon. It will be a night to remember.

Any chance of a U.S. tour any time soon?
We are trying hard to get our name out there. We have already done some cool tours but we know we can do better. Next album we will tour for sure.

Where haven't you played live that you would still like to get to?
Japan and Australia. We get many fans on MySpace so I know they are out there. Also we saw many at Wacken. So sooner or later it will happen.

How did you get started in music?
I’ve always loved music since I can remember. I was 6 and used chopsticks to drum. When I was 14 I had my first band, and at 16 Moonspell. So I don´t know much else than this life. Why do anything else if you can rock?

Was there an artist or album that inspired you?
Bathory and Quarthon. They were biggest influence on the band and Fernando. If not for him we would not be chatting for sure.

What are your all time favorite artists and albums?
Morbid Angel – Blessed are the Sick, Bathory –Hammerheart, Death- Leprosy, Sepultura – Beneath The Remains, Tool – Aenima, Dead Can Dance – Into the Labyrinth, Field Of The Nephilim – Earth Inferno and many many more.

What is the metal scene like these days in Portugal?
(Crap) as always. We don´t have much of a metal culture. We wish for the day we could be compared to Finland or Sweden for our metal. But we are years in the past in terms of mentality. We do have many more shows, but only the bigger acts. Not much of a solid circuit and not many venues for shows either. It ain´t easy being into metal or goth around here. It feels like there is no respect.

Are you able to make a living from music, or do you have a day job?
We’ve made a living from Moonspell for about 8 years now. The beginning was tough. But now we are organized and manage to live. We do have other stuff we like to do. Fernando writes books and participates in everything he can concerning literature. I do tae kwondo and teach classes. Pedro has a family and Ricardo is in his own world. He does Aikido for the stress. Aires is the only one that has to work. He does a lot of cover bands and bar nights. But we think he goes for the free whiskey!

Anything else you’d like to add? Thanks a lot! Hope to see you all soon and I am proud to be part of metal. Moonspell will be around the corner sooner than you think.

From Chad Bowar,
Your Guide to Heavy Metal.
http://heavymetal.about.com

Opeth Interview: A Conversation With Vocalist/Guitarist Mikael Akerfeldt

Opeth’s last studio album was 2005’s Ghost Reveries. The band is currently in the studio working on their next album. In the meantime, Opeth is releasing The Roundhouse Tapes, a 2 CD live collection that was recorded on November 6, 2006 at the Camden Roundhouse in London. A DVD release of the show is slated for early 2008. Opeth has had some lineup changes in the past couple years, and frontman Mikael Akerfeldt fills us in on those, the new live album, and the progress on their next studio effort.

Chad Bowar: How did you choose the Camden Roundhouse in London as the venue for this live album?
Mikael Akerfeldt: I was unaware of that venue, but the Roundhouse is a classic place used in the ‘60s and ‘70s by all my favorite bands.

It had been closed for quite some time, but it reopened and we had the chance to play there. We were the first metal band to play there. It’s a pretty big place. It holds about 3,000 people. It looks cool, they used to turn the trains around in there. We could bring in the production we wanted for that show. It’s also in London where we could draw a big crowd. We recorded the last DVD in London as well, but it’s a documentation of a live gig, so it really doesn’t matter where it is shot. We had a great show and it looks great.

The show was recorded on the Ghost Reveries Tour. Did you do your regular set, or did you change it because the show was going to be a live CD and DVD?
The set was pretty basic. We just got the information the day before the gig that we had a strict curfew. We had to cut our set short by two songs, which was disappointing to us. But it is still an hour and 30 clipe set. We chose songs to cover as many albums as we could in that amount of time. The last DVD we did there were recording restrictions in the contract so we couldn’t record all the songs. We wanted to make sure we covered earlier albums this time around. We also brought in a big screen behind the stage and extra lights to make us look better.

The CD is being released now, and the DVD is coming out early in 2008. Will there be any extras on the DVD version of the concert?
The concert is the main thing. There will be interviews with the entire band and each band member as well. There are interviews with the fans before and after the show. It’s pretty fun to watch. Overall it’s a pretty good package.

How come the CD/DVD is on Peaceville Records instead of your current label Roadrunner?
That’s one of our old labels. We put out records in the past with them. We had a clause with Roadrunner that we could record and release a live album and DVD and choose who we wanted to release it. It became a bidding war for the rights to release it. We needed the financing to make the production a reality. We were talking to several labels, but Peaceville on top of everything had great ideas for the packaging, which is quite important to us. Everything that we’ve ever put out we have to do it as cheap as possible. Peaceville wanted to make it look really luxurious. We were on the same page from day one. It was really easy to work with them.

You’ve had some lineup changes since the last album. What led to guitarist Peter Lindgren’s departure, and how did you find his replacement Fredrik Akesson?
We became friends with Fredrik a few years ago. I knew he was a great guitar player. He is quite well known in Sweden. I knew his past bands. At the time I got to know him he was in Tiamat. He then moved on to Arch Enemy. He was the only guy I asked when Peter left. He was just out of Arch Enemy and free. He had been wanting to get into Opeth for a long time, and this was the corect opportunity because Peter was getting jaded with the whole thing, especially touring. He has a wife back home and so many different interests, and he lost interest in the creative side of being a musician. He didn’t contribute much writing-wise. He has a lot of education in engineering and physics and has a masters in science. So he’s doing that now. I know he still loves music, but it was all for the better, both for him and the band. I don’t want to work with people that can’t commit on the same level as the rest of us. We are all basically a bunch of bums who love playing music. We don’t have anything else.

What’s the status of the next studio album?
Last night I finished the last piece of music for the record. I’m working on one additional song because I want to have additional material. I’m going to record one cover song that I know of, and maybe another one.

What musical approach are you taking on this album?
It’s much more complicated. For some reason the structures of the songs are complicated in structure and playing-wise. It doesn’t sound complicated, but it is, and I don’t know why that is. Every time I come home from rehearsal I just pass out on the couch because it takes so much playing these songs. I’ve been writing for quite a long time. It’s exactly where my head is at, musically. There is no confusion. This time I’m secure and confident in this album.

Do you have a title or release date yet?
I’m slow with the lyrics and lyrical concepts. I haven’t come up with any titles yet, but I think it is going to be released in April of 2008.

How long do you think the recording process is going to take?
5 weeks is our goal. Last album we spent three months, which was horrible. We weren’t in great shape before. The band wasn’t in the best shape it could be, so we had lots of problems in the studio. This time around I’m anticipating it is going to be much easier for everyone. All the songs are done. Everybody knows what to play. We’ve been rehearsing for three weeks.

Who is going to produce?
I am going to be the producer. We have an engineer that we worked with on the last record. We talked to Steve Wilson from Porcupine Tree about working with us again. He was really keen on doing it, but they were on tour and we couldn’t wait.

You’ll be busy recording the album for the next couple months, but you plan on coming to the U.S. next spring to tour.
Yes, we’re doing the Dream Theater tour around the time the album is coming out. We’ve been talking to Mike Portnoy about doing a tour with Dream Theater for a long time. I think it’s going to be awesome. We’ll get at least an hour, which was one of our demands. We’re going to come back and headline on our own, maybe several times, then we’ll be back to playing for two hours.

Has Fredrik played live with the band yet?
Just one show. We had been touring for more than two years and we were off the road. We wanted to do this one gig because it was a festival that was close by in Finland and we wanted to show off the new guy.

Now that you guys are older and have wives and kids, is it more difficult to break away and tour for months at a time?
Yes, of course.

I have a daughter and another kid on the way. It’s getting really tough for me to go away. It’s horrible. I love touring, but leaving my family is the worst thing in the world. But I have to do it. I can’t go back to doing something I don’t want to do.

You’ve spent a lot of time touring the U.S. What are some of your favorite and least favorite things about our country?
I like everything. We never spend as much time anywhere else as we do in the U.S. A European tour you do maybe 5 gigs maximum in any country and there you do at least 30. We like it there. We always have a blast playing there. The fans are great. They are loud. And contrary to what many European people.think, I love the food. But I have to watch it so I don’t get fat. After every show there we get pizzas. We like it in the U.S. and are always greeted with great hospitality wherever we do.

You’ve been at this since the ‘80s. What have been some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in the music industry?
It has to be the internet and MP3s. It’s a pretty massive thing for musicians, record labels and fans. I’m old school. I still buy vinyl. I don’t keep up too much with the technology. At the end of the day what I want to do is write good music, and that’s something that never goes out of fashion. It can’t be affected by technology that much. Businesswise, the downloading thing has had a huge impact.

Has downloading negatively impacted Opeth?
I think for a band like us it is pretty good. We have gained more fans and gained sales. Our sales have always gone up with every record, so we aren’t really being affected by the downloading thing. But for big bands like Metallica it has a bigger impact. They are millionaires and the fans don’t see the need to support them. It’s hard for a 16 year old kid to identify with Lars Ulrich and his art collection.

As you look back on Opeth’s catalog, is there any album you think is underrated?
No, I think we got overly hyped on each record. But even though it was well received, I think a record like Damnation should be perceived as much more of a unique record than what I saw. I think it is very odd for a death metal band to record an album like that. That we were able to do it I think deserves a little more recognition than what it got at the time. But it still got great reviews pretty much everywhere.

Who are your favorite Swedish bands?
I don’t really keep track of new bands, but I would have to say bands like Europe and Yngwie Malmsteen. Those were the bands I listened to the most. Bathory was a big band for me, as was Entombed. Katatonia are a great band. We have so many. In the ‘80s there were really only Europe and Yngwie Malmsteen that made a worldwide impact.

What do you think about At The Gates planning to reunite?
We played with them when they did their second show. We played with them several times back in the day. For me I’m not overly excited, to be honest. For people who didn’t see them it’s a great opportunity to see them again. The songs are great and Tomas (Lindberg) is to this day one of the best front men in metal. I saw him play in a club with his old band Grotesque, and he was just amazing. That’s one thing I remember about At The Gates. He was so outgoing on stage. You feel the songs just looking at him. He’s great, and I’m sure it’s going to be successful for them. But for me I saw them several times back in the day and it doesn’t matter so much. But I love the band.