Transcript of an interview I recorded with David Andersson of SOILWORK - 20190922. Full article here. MAL-
On the line, David from SOILWORK, David, thanks so much for taking my call. DAVID- Yeah, it's a pleasure. It's nice to have some interest from Australia. MAL- Now the last time I spoke to someone from SOILWORK about SOILWORK, I spoke to Dirk just when 'The Ride Majestic' was about to come out. Now, tell us how you went with that album. DAVID- Personally, I really like that album. But at the same time, we were going through lots of personal struggles, we have like, death in the family and a lot of things going on at same time. So it's a little bit of a dark album. And I think it was, I mean the fans seem to, they seem to enjoy it a lot. And I still think we, there are a few songs on there that are really good, but it felt like the end of that particular era, because I mean Dirk left for MEGADETH. So doing the new album, it feels like kind of a rebirth for us. Both as a band and we felt that we're free to be more creative and innovative, and take things a step further. MAL- We had a member change. Dirk left to initially fill in with MEGADETH, and now he's left and gone. But Bastian has filled his spot. Tell me how you found him, where he came from. DAVID- Well, he was actually one of Dirk's drum students. They've had a few like, online lessons. And Dirk chose him to fill in for him. But Bastian is so, so we had him as like a session drummer for a while, and then we realized that he was he was our guy, and I mean, it's all about personal chemistry. And I think he MAL- You just felt he was the right fit for the band? DAVID- Yeah, yeah, he added something new and really Dirk was, obviously Dirk one of the best drummers in world at what he does. But Bastian is also a very more like, all around drummer we can, he can play all the technical, extreme metal stuff like and also he's also a great like classic rock drummer. So I think we've, we've become more diverse as a band, we were able to, to pull off all kinds of stuff more convincingly because of him. MAL- Okay, so tell us about the most recent album, I'll leave you to do the pronunciation. DAVID- The major theme on the album, it's 'Verkligheten'. It's the Swedish word for reality. Theme of the album is how we're like all approaching middle aged and trying to escape reality, actually. MAL- Now I had the good fortune to hear it just before it came out. And it's still right up there for Album of the Year in my mind, so you must be pleased with the response all over the place, because it's a killer album. DAVID- Thank you. Yeah. Yeah, it feels like when you're an aging metal band, you I mean, compared to making a metal album when you're like, 20 you have this all all this angst and anxiety. Which is like the post adolescent thing, and now we're all like, approaching middle age. And there's a whole new set of neurosis and anxieties that you experience, I think we we all try to cope with it in different ways. But the the overall theme is like, how do you how do you escape reality and in a setting where you feel that death is approaching, like when you become aware of your own mortality. I think that's the overall theme of the album and at the same time, one want music to become a bit more, both more bombastic and symphonic but still also a bit more straightforward, like doiing more like old school, metal riffing, but still having that extreme metal element of blast beats and stuff going on underneath old school metal riffs. So I think that's like the one to greatest tension between the old and new. MAL- My favorite song on the album is only on one of the bonus tracks on my album, actually, and I could see that you wrote it, that's 'The Undying Eye'. DAVID- Yeah. I really like that. It's like homage to THE POLICE. Actually, you heard that POLICE song, 'Bring on the night' ? MAL- Not familiar with it. DAVID- No? You should listen to it. But it's like, I was very influenced by that song and really wanted to incorporate that like, make sort of like pseudo POLICE death metal song with science fiction lyrics. MAL- Now, how much of you toured this album so far? How far into your tour are you? Have you even started? DAVID- Yeah, I mean, the band did a, an opening tour with AMORPHOUS in Europe. And then lots of summer festivals in Europe as well. And so now we're going to Japan, Australia. And then we'll see. I mean, we have a few shows like festivals lined up for next summer as well. And we'll see what happens. I mean, we also have a new single coming out soon, hopefully, before the Australia Japan Tour I think we're just trying to keep up the creative work and trying to be there, or, like, have this presence online and live as well. So I think it's going to be a great year for SOILWORK and that we're still very, I think with with this new album and with the Bastian thing, we got this like new intensity and new drive to create stuff. So I think will be more creative and more productive over the upcoming years than before, perhaps not releasing albums, but like releasing singles or EPs, so wherever and just, I mean, it's a really creative environment to be in right now. MAL- So by the time you get here in late October to do your shows in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, it will be almost four years since you've toured Australia. Did you get much time off on the last tour to relax or is it all boom, boom, boom? DAVID- Yeah, it's it's mostly boom, boom, boom. It's Qantas every morning, but it's fun. I mean Australia it's, personally I really like the country. I love the people. I love the culture and overall atmosphere. So it's also like being being a Swede. It's quite exotic still to to travel to down under on the other side of the globe, and then having people actually paying money to come see you playing live. And then that's something that I'm still like, grateful for. That's quite, I mean, when you grew up, like wanting to become a rock musician, that's like, that was something that was beyond your wildest dreams, being able to go everywhere in the world and play music to people actually, were fans, and that's, having Australian fans. It's quite quite something. MAL- How are you enjoying the music life Anyway, David, because you're a busy man with other things going on besides SOILWORK? DAVID- Yeah, we do have this other band called THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, which is our classic rock band. And we're also we just finished our last album so it's going to be released in the middle of next year. And I'm also a doctor like gastroenterologist, so I work full time at the hospital when I'm not playing music. So I guess I'm quite busy, but I enjoy it. I guess I need that excitement in life. MAL- All right, David from SOILWORK, so good to talk to you and looking forward to SOILWORK coming to Australia in late October and early November, the 31st of October in Brisbane, first of November in Sydney, second of November in Melbourne. Thanks for your time today and good luck with the tour. DAVID- Thank you. Next time, we'll definitely go to Adelaide. Thank you. Take care. Comments are closed.
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AuthorMetalhead who hates bad parking. |