Attention, all diehard metalfreaks out there! Here comes some tasty reading, concerning The Swedish Deathsters Necrophobic. The chosen and honoured one to be in metalcovenant.coms examination chair is Necrophobics vocalist and bassplayer, Tobias Sidegård, who will give us some information about the bands latest release: the mighty “Bloodhymns”.
Tim: Hello Tobias. Your latest release, “Bloodhymns” has been out for a while now. Can you tell us something about what Necrophobic have been up to since the release?
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Chris: A couple of minor gigs here and there, a smaller tour in Poland and a 3 week Europeean headlining tour. The last one of these were cool to do, thou we didn’t know exactly were we stand. I mean would Necrophobic manage a project like that. Fortunately it all turned out really great!. Both financial and musical. And then we had this invitation to play at Wacken –02 also, witch was booth flattering and challengin. Damn, what cool it was to play for such a big audience!
Tim: Your label change, from Black Mark to Hammerheart Rec. Any comments regarding this?
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Chris: Yes, for the first time we have been able to follow up an album in a way that we always have wanted to do. Hammerheart has been a bloody necessary and a very important facelift for us!
Tim: Correct me if I´m wrong but isn´t
“Bloodhymns” a kind of “concept album”? With its story
flowing bloodred in its veins?
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Chris: There you have it all right! Blood has always been a very important component in our music. So we chosed to do a concept album about it. A hymn to life and not least death. Plain and simple!
Tim: Through the years Necrophobic has went through several changes in the line-up. If you go back to the times of “Spawned By Evil”, there is only you and Joakim Sterner left of the original army. Anything to say about this to our readers?
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Chris: That’s correct. We have always had some problems with our guitarists. But our current line-up feels very comfortable and I can almost promise that it will be permanent. But you never know, guitarists are very strange kind of people, hehe!
Tim: Back to “Bloodhymns”. Anything to say about the recording/production? As well as “The Third Anti-Christ” it is recorded in Sunlight with Thomas Skogsberg. I´m not alone when I think that “Bloodhymns” has a much more heavier sound than your previous albums. The secret behind this?
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Chris: The secret is money, experience and a very commited Thomas Skogsberg. We simply gave it all to be a “Crusher production”. It was hard work as hell and resulted in many strenous, late nights. Of course, in the end it was worth it and we are to 99% satisfied with the album.
Tim: The band is quite productive, I mean everyone in the band seem´s to be writing songs. I think that a result of that could be an album with very different musical material. But in my opinion “Bloodhymns” consists of songs with a “musical red line” through the whole album. Any comments?
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Chris: We have a very clear picture regarding the sound, what Necrophobic stands for and how we will perform it. We would never let a member steer away the ship and do some “girlie music” or a Pink Floyd mid-part. In Necrophobic, that would certainly result in a shoot through the
neck! (a warning shoot goes out to Tobias companions! /red.)
Tim: I wouldn’t accuse Necrophobic of being a “political band”. What´s the inspiration to your Necrophobic lyrics?
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Chris: Well, I can only answer for myself on this one. Books, astral experiences and much more. It is different from lyrics to lyrics.
Tim: I must mention the fourth track on “Bloodhymns”, namely “Shadowseeds” (one of my absolute fave tracks on the album /red.) It is based upon a guitar melody, that wont go out of my mind - of course that’s no problem with that! A very dark and melancholy atmosphere through the song. Personal thoughts about this song and can you name other personal favourites?
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Chris: “Shadowseeds” is very cool song. Particular when we play it live, it has a better flow when we perform it now, than during the recording sessions. If I recall it right, that was the last song we rehearsed before entering the studio. The song is a hymn to you, me and all other shadowseeds out there. “Out of the womb we shall burst to take over the earth”. Other favourites on the latest album are “Roots Of Heldrasil and “Dreams Shall Flesh”. I actually think that all the songs are great on this album and that this album does not have a weak link compared
to our earlier albums.
Tim: Now, how is it on the inspiration/influences
front? Any good bands that sticks out and have been of importance for
Necrophobic through the
years? Recalled your tributes to bands as Slayer and Bathory.
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Chris: That’s right! Slayer, Bathory, Morbid Angel and Death has ment much for us. But it was more in the beginning, when we were in the procedure of creating our own sound (which they really succeded with/red). Nowadays I think that Necrophobic has it own style and sound, and a little own place in the mighty world of metal. But of course, unconcious we get influences from the music we listen to daily.
Tim: Can you tell something about the nearest time for Necrophobic? Festivals, upcoming tours?
- Chris: Yes, in the end of July we hit off to Mexico on a mini-tour! It would be cool to meet some Azteces, buy some speers and other stuff. The rest of the year will be still I think. We will focuse on our next album, and we are now working on new material.
Tim: Well, well - everything has an end and this interview is no exception..Tobias, can you finish with some nasty details that have happened on tour? Unleash hell and shock the readers!
- Chris: Unfortunately
I cant say what I first came to think of…That wouldn’t be
lojal to a certain, dear bandmember! That’s a thing that we can
take over a beer (don’t think we are talking in singular
form here..hm /red.) instead, Timmy. Otherwise
I think we are quite boring when we are out on tour. Spending the time
much for ourselfs and charging for the shows. It takes a lot of strength
to perform live in our way, one hour each day. But we have done some
“juicy” performances in front of twenty paying Slovaks…
That makes you wonder a bit what your actually are doing...At last I
want to exhort all the cool hardrockers out there to buy our latest
album, “Bloodhymns”. And if you are short of money, you can
always download it somewhere on the net. This is a record that we are very proud of and it is worth listening to. Hopefully, we can come and play in your town and make some Chaos and Disorder!!! Hell Oden! Hell Draugadrottin!
Tim: Chaos and disorder....well thank you,
Tobias and the rest of the Necrophobic squad for this information! And
good luck in the future of world
domination in our world of Metal!
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