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AMON AMARTH: a destroyed legend

AMON AMARTH: a destroyed legend
BANDS : Amon Amarth

You have a triple DVD out now, it seems quite planned than usual and it’s not so common to have a triple DVD out. So when you planned it, why did you decide to make it like this? Maybe double is quite common, but not triple!

When we decided we wanted to do something special not just one thing, we wanted to do as much as possible so the fans don’t buy anything that is not value for the money. That’s why we tried to put as much as possible, so it’s value for money.

Do you know how it was received so far?

Yeah, the reviews have been awesome and it’s been selling like hell, so.. we’re happy. Can’t complain

There’s a new album in a couple of months I think What can we expect?

You can expect the best album from us so far. We’re really really happy with this album, it’s more than we expected ourselves. It’s gonna be a kick-ass album.

Can’t you share some more details, about each track maybe?

It’s a very varied album, there’s fast songs, slow songs, new type of songs, epic songs, everything. We’re gonna play a new song tonight, so you’ll get your first trial. And we’re really proud of the production, it’s the first time we also produce it also and it came out really good.

 

Johan Soderberg, Olavi Mikkonen, Ted Lundstöm

 

About your sources of inspiration... I mean you always talk about Valhalla, ancient gods, your ancestors and so on. Do you have some specific works that you get your inspiration from or you just use your imagination?

I write most of the lyrics so I’ll answer. I get my inspiration pretty much from everywhere. It can be a movie, something I read in a book or something I see on TV or read in a magazine or something. Things that go on in my daily life or our daily lives as a band or whatever. It’s mainly concentrated on Viking mythology and Viking history, that’s sort of what I write about and read about as well.

Me and my friend were at Evolution festival last week and saw you and we were discussing “they are not the fastest band in the world and they are not so technical, but there’s something more than music, they can create some sort of emotional feedback, something that comes out from the music”. Do you realize it?

That’s what music is about for me, it’s about creating emotions, we’re not searching for technical perfection, we’re looking for emotions, feelings, moods. We do the music we want to hear ourselves and we want to get our feelings in the music so that everybody that listen to it can get the same feeling and that’s both in the music and in the lyrics.

How does an Amon Amarth song take form? How do you compose?

Most often we start with a riff and then we come together in the rehearsal place and everybody adds small bits and pieces. It’s very difficult to describe. It’s all different in every song.

 

Fredrik Andersson, Johan Hegg

 

So tell me about your writing process of each song, do the lyrics come first or does the music come first?

Normally the music does come first actually but there have been situations when the lyrics came first so it’s not really any certain way that we write. We don’t say “it has to be this way”, we let things happen and try to find the best way that fits that particular song

But where do you get the most ideas for the songs?

Usually in the rehearsal room, one of us or a friend has an idea for a song and we work it out together, through blood and sweat and tears. And with lot of beers.

I heard you’re very good friends with beer. Is that true?

No. Actually we don’t drink beer anymore. (shows a red can of Union beer) I think this is Slovenian Coca Cola. Union Cola! Tastes good.

So what do you think about this place here, Slovenia?

It’s very nice. Too hot though. (laughs) But the river down here was very nice, it has the perfect temperature

Will you come again?

(Laughter) Maybe in the winter! But for short periods, warm is ok

I have to ask you a question that I ask any band. Which pop song would you like to cover the most?

Pop song? What is pop? There’s a very  popular singer in Sweden, he has a really nice song but I don’t know the title. You won’t understand anyway but it would probably be him, I guess.

What kind of music do you listen to most?

Everything. Mostly metal, but we’re all very varied music tasted. We listen to mostly metal music but a lot of different styles also. Maybe not hip-hop but I sometimes like a bit of classical music, a bit of pop, not so much though.

 

Ted Lundstöm

 

What’s the latest record you bought?

Tough question. We just downloaded! (laughs)

So what’s your opinion about downloading?

If they buy it afterwards, it’s good, I think it’s both good promotion but you also have to sell albums. This is always a difficult question.

What do you think about the other side of Viking metal, the folkish one?

I like it, I like that kind of style too but we we’re mainly a metal band with Viking inspiration.. We’re mainly metal but I also like Korpiklaani for example, it has a lots of other instruments, it’s pretty cool but it’s not really our thing.

Would you have liked to live in the Viking days?

Noo, no. I don’t like horses, I like cars!

What do you think about Viking mythology nowadays, it’s very spread. There are some bands in Argentina or Australia that claim to be Viking metal. So what do you think about that? Do you think it’s a style suitable for everyone?

You don’t have to be a murderer to write songs about killing people, so why not? The Vikings traveled a lot so they probably spread their genes everywhere.

Why did you release your very first EP on a label from Singapore, being a band from Scandinavia and over there is full of labels. How did it happen?

Because we released only one album. They agreed to make a contract for only one album and usual record labels sign for four or five records. We just wanted to get one piece out on CD and from that point see what we can do. It’s stupid to sign for something European for four albums.

I have talked on the phone with Enslaved last week and they told me “look, we don’t play black metal anymore, but we still feel Viking”. Is this the same in your case?
 
For us it’s not a religion, it’s more like a way of life, I’m not really a believer in gods in the same way as Christianity. I believe it more like a way of life, a philosophy and I try to convert the ways of living in the old days to live today because it’s very common sense or whatever you call it.

Will you release a DVD every year?

Nooo. With DVDs it’s more hard work than releasing a CD. So, you know… five years maybe. Now we’ve done it and we don’t need to do it anymore. Next time it’s four!

Is it more hard to do a DVD than a CD?

From our side it’s pretty easy to do a DVD because it’s one show and that’s it. But the recording of a new album it’s 7 weeks. So it’s one show or seven weeks so of course it’s a bit different. And not only the recording, but it’s one year to write an album. But also it was the first time we were involved in doing a DVD, it was a new experience for us all, we ran into problems we never anticipated but it turned out good anyways.

Autor: Sake, Nebelhexa
Vezi galeriile trupelor: Amon Amarth

   August 02, 2006  | 2 Comments  | 15794 Views « BACK

Comment on: AMON AMARTH: a destroyed legend

  • nice.....i love this band

    1. Posted by Sergiu | 29 Iulie 2007 00:54
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