M.I. - First off, many thanks for your time. Congratulations on the new EP! Let’s start chronologically… Last year, Dirk Verbeuren left Soilwork to join Megadeth. I mean, you’re professional musicians and you’re probably used to it but Megadeth is Megadeth… how did you feel for your friend? Happiness or a bit of jealousy?
I'm happy for him and I wish him all the best! Personally, if Megadeth would have asked me to join them, I would say no. You know, I love writing songs and I love being in charge. For me making music it's all about chemistry and, even though I also work as a doctor, whenever I make music, I lose money actually, so I'm just in this for the love of music. So, if Megadeth or Metallica or whatever would ask me to join them, i would say no because I'm very happy with what I have.
M.I. - Bastian has replaced Dirk. How complicated are lineup changes in a band? How does it affect you as a group?
It's always kind of complicated but, at the same time, it's all about communication and Bastian and I are getting to know each other better and better and we…
M.I. - …have chemistry!
(Laughts) A few times, yeah! In the beginning it was harder, because we're extremely different as persons but, now, we know each other so well and I am so happy that he's in the band. You know, we're in the studio now with The Night Flight Orchestra working on our next album and it's also about the chemistry and being friends and having fun together… it's quite amazing to be able to do it!
M.I. - How are things going with the new EP “A whisp of the Atlantic”? It’s been out for a few days only but the reception seems to be quite good.
I don't know! I don't really watch the commentary sections or the stream statistics, so I hope it's going well but I have no idea.
M.I. – Doesn’t the label give you some kind of feedback regarding it?
No, I mean, we can just see it for ourselves but I don't really look at that.
M.I. - Initially, the singles were just supposed to keep your presence… when and how did the idea of joining them in an EP come up?
I wrote the first three songs known as “The feverish trinity” and, then, we were supposed to play loads of festivals this summer and, obviously, everything was cancelled, so I was like “Let's enter the studio instead”. I've had this idea for a long time to write an epic, progressive, pretentious song for Soilwork just because it's not what you'd normally expect from a band like Soilwork, so I just felt that we had the chance to do something new, different and interesting. Then our record label wanted to release it in a physical format and it's always nice to have a physical product. So here we are… it was all spontaneous and natural. We just wanted to write a few songs and ended up with something quite ambitious.
M.I. - Are the tracks on the EP “leftovers” from your previous album?
No, all the songs were written and recorded after the last album.
M.I. - The Babylonian death goddesses Ereshkigal, Inanna, and Manungal were the inspiration for the EP. The female power! Why are you attracted to female heroines and goddesses?
(Laughts) Well, I really hate the Donald Trump version of males and, for our videos, it's kind of boring to watch middle-aged men playing guitar, trying to look cool! (laughts) I have two daughters, 10 and 12 years old, and I hope that we will evolve as human race and that they will be able to become whatever they want to be!
M.I. - How do these goddesses connect with the title and artwork?
Yeah, I guess the whole storyline: starting with “Feverish” having very carnal needs; then you evolve into “Desperado” when you become desperate and then “Death Diviner” is when you realize that you screwed up and you have to repent. Then you have “The Nothingness and The Devil” where you emasculate your gods and try to find another meaning and then “A Whisp of the Atlantic” is about alienation and trying to adapt to a changed world.
M.I. - The trinity of songs “Desperado,” “Feverish,” and “Death Diviner”– are classic “new era” Soilwork, with big, catchy riffs and huge vocal lines. They are in the vein of the last album but a bit darker. The band seems to renew itself sound-wise ever now and then! Do you wish to avoid repeating the same sound over and over again?
Yes, with everything that we do both with Soilwork and The Night Flight Orchestra, we're always trying to evolve, develop and surprise ourselves and our listeners. Hopefully people like the fact that we put that kind of effort into evolving.
M.I. - The title track spans over 16 minutes, which is not typical for Soilwork. How did you end up with such a long track?
I started writing it, wanting it to be something epic, ambitious and pretentious.
M.I. - Water is the element we all came from and has been an important theme for the band throughout the years… that’s why you have opted to use the Atlantic Ocean in the title?
Actually, the title just came to me when I was falling asleep one night.
M.I. - That's when you have great ideas?!
Yeah! I really like words. Sometimes I just get it right and this is one of my favourite song titles ever, along with “The Last of the Independent Romantics” from the last The Night Flight Orchestra album. Sometimes they just appear, you just have a song title and then you have to write the song.
M.I. – Oh, so you write the song for the title you have in your mind?
Yes.
M.I. - For this EP, you wrote the lyrics, the melodies and the structures… Did the band understand your vision?
Does it sound okay to you?!
M.I. – Yes!
So I guess they understood my vision!
M.I. - Okay but did they agree with your ideas and everything?
I mean, obviously they brought their own skills but they interpreted what I had in mind very well.
M.I. - Would you say your lyrics are like a mirror to your mind and soul? Do they reflect your feelings and emotions?
Yeah, I really enjoy writing lyrics and I guess it's always a bit auto... I guess they are a reflection of me in a way.
M.I. - As a songwriter you’re constantly looking for interesting words and phrases… what inspires you? Where do you find them usually?
I guess that everything that you experienced filters down into your subconscious and, you know, I also read lots of books, I listen to music... when I write lyrics, it's all very spontaneous and I guess all of my life experience filters down into what I come up with.
M.I. - Can I assume the tracks you write are like sons or daughters to you? Do you nurture special feelings for them?
Being a songwriter, I expose myself, I expose my emotions and I’m a bit vulnerable, just like we talked about before. That’s why I don't read the comments on social media because I don't need to, I don't need the hate, I want to be free to create whatever I want to create and hopefully people will like it.
M.I. - Yes and most of them do! But, tell me, is there a special one in your heart?
I really like “Stålfågel” from the last Soilwork album and also “The Last of the Independent Romantics” from the last The Night Flight Orchestra album.
M.I. – Okay, these songs for any special reason?
No, I'm just happy with the way they turned out.
M.I. - Would you say Soilwork is about experimenting and broadening your horizons as musicians and songwriters?
Well, I think with everything we do, we always try to take things a step further and we just want to surprise ourselves in a way.
M.I. - And do you manage to surprise yourselves every time or sometimes you feel a bit disappointed?
Occasionally we manage to surprise ourselves and sometimes we don't, but it's fine that way, because it's always nice to play some metal and just feel like real humans.
M.I. - You have done some extensive touring to promote 2015’s album “The Ride Majestic” but the pandemic messed up your touring plans to promote last year’s “Verkligheten”… how much has it annoyed you? How much impact did it have on your plans?
You can't really do anything about it so I guess we're just gonna continue to record stuff to keep up our presence. Personally, I think that it will take quite some time before the pandemic is under control so we’re not planning anything, we're just gonna continue to do great stuff and, eventually, we'll be able to go out there and play live again. But it's going to take a while and, in the meantime, we'll just try to be productive.
M.I. - When you go back to touring… which tracks will be your priority when playing? The ones from the album or from the EP?I have no idea! We're entering the studio again in January with Soilwork, so we'll have a lot of new stuff to play if we want to and I guess we'll sort it out once we get out there.
M.I. - Any touring plans for 2021 or are you waiting to see how this virus and the whole situation develops?
Well, we have tours booked for next year but, the way things are right now, I don't think it will happen. We have tons of stuff that we could do if the pandemic blows over!
M.I. - As a doctor, do you think the vaccine will be the answer for this or do you think we'll be facing one more year of lockdowns and stuff like that?
The whole logistics of getting people vaccinated will take probably seven, eight months and no one knows if you might need to have repeated doses... we don't have any answers yet and I guess we'll just have to hope for the best.
M.I. - You are also a member of The Night Flight Orchestra and the band released “Aeromantic” this year and you're talking about a new album already. I know you have 25 tracks ready!
Yeah, yes!
M.I. - So, when touring is possible again, you’ll be a very busy musician (apart from being a father and a doctor), you’ll probably tour to promote albums and the EP… how do you conciliate things?
Well, it's a bit difficult but, so far, I've managed to deal with it. It's hard but, at the same time, I'm blessed to be able to do what I do and being a member of two lovely rock and roll bands even though they are so different!
M.I. - How different are both bands? What different kind of emotions do they awake in you?
I don't know! But, at the end of the day, it's every song I write... they're all love songs just dressed up differently.
M.I. – Okay, but do you prefer playing live with which band?
I can't really choose! They're both amazing and, as I grow older, I just don't need to pretend anything. I just love to play music and the whole concert experience is awesome! I just want to go out there and play and be myself!
M.I. – So, do you think a joint tour with these two bands would be possible?
No, no, I don't think so! I mean, I wouldn't mind personally but it would be quite strange. We have played a few festivals together and we're all friends and it's all fine but doing a tour together would be a bit strange.
M.I. – But, these days, metal metal fans are more open-minded than a few decades ago, because then we wanted only black metal bands or only death metal bands on the same bill, but now it's normal for bills to include bands from different genres!
Yeah, I mean, if you play a show you get a bit exhausted, so doing two shows in a row would be a bit too much! I definitely like the fact that metal fans are open-minded and, back when we were still touring, I talked to other people and the fans seem to just like good music and they seem to appreciate the fact that we're trying to entertain them.
M.I. - What’s next for Soilwork? Another album or EP if touring doesn’t start soon?
Yes, we're finishing the new The Night Flight Orchestra album now and then we're entering the studio in January with Soilwork. So, you'll get a new The Night Flight Orchestra album before summer and then a new Soilwork album after summer.
M.I. - After so many years in the scene, how do you keep motivated to continue?
I love music, I love writing songs and playing the guitar and, you know, once you've started it is kind of hard to stop.
M.I. - Name the album that made you realize you wanted to be a musician!
“Deep Purple in Rock”.
M.I. – And how old were you when you decided you wanted to be a doctor as well?
I decided to become a musician when I was nine and I started medical school when I was 23, so around 20 something. I played in bands and I was a guitar teacher but I hated it and we did a few records that they didn't sell well, so I had to do something else... and I started studying medicine when I was 23.
M.I. - Is there a non-metal or metal song that you think is perfect? That you wish you had written?
My all-time favorite album is “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” by Black Sabbath and the title track is the track that I wish I’d written!
M.I. - Is there anything else you’d like to say to the readers of Metal Imperium?
I'm really happy that people seem to like what we do and please continue to support us and listen to our music! I'm a music fan myself so I'm still a bit amazed by the fact that people listen to my music! Thank you so much! Goodbye!
For Portuguese version, click here
Questions by Sónia Fonseca
