|
We catch up with the very lovely and extremely talented Tommy Karevik and
Andreas Blomqvist from Seventh Wonder to talk about their brilliant new album 'Waiting In The Wings'.
MM - Hi there, first off I’d like to congratulate you on your
wonderful new album and to say thanks for agreeing to take part in this
interview with us, we really appreciate it. With the advent of your second
album ‘Waiting In The Wings’ due for release next month, how are the band
feeling right now?
Tommy -
Thank you very much! Actually it was released on Aug 24 so it has been a
few days now but
we have already received great press, which is nice of course! We are all
happy about the way
“WITW” turned out, and now we are only hoping that our fans and everyone
else out there will like it as well!
MM - How
would you describe the music of Seventh Wonder in a few words and perhaps
advertise your sound to some ears that have never heard your music before?
Tommy
-
Well actually it is kind of hard to label it but… To listen to “Seventh
Wonder” is to travel back in time ... back to the melodic hard rock choruses
of the eighties topped with the killer progressive elements of the new
millennium, performed in a flawless yet organic way! And even though there
is a lot of complex things going on in the music, SW will always be about
the catchy songs and memorable melodies!
MM - Is
there a secret message behind the name of the new album and what made you
decide to choose this one over the other song titles?
Andreas - No, not other than that it is a perfect name for the song. It
was chosen as the title partly due to the nature of the song, which is
massive and epic and we felt those traits are given for a title track,
kind of the same mentality we had when choosing Become. The other reason
is simply that it is a cool phrase! It sounds rich, powerful, full of
promise. I guess it’s kind of suitable as it was the entrance of Tommy on
this album.
MM -
Stepping back in time slightly, would you like to tell us a little about
when the band was first formed and how it evolved to its current
membership.
Andreas - Once my former band Mankind dissolved, me, Johan and Johnny
decided to stay together and start something new on our own. A mutual
friend led us to the discovery of Kyrt (Andreas Söderin) for the open
keyboard position. That immediately had a great impact on the sound as Kyrt’s entrance made us slant even further towards the progressive. After
many singers had tried out and no one fit, then we found a great guy in Andi
Kravljaca who sang with the band on the second demo we did, and on our
first album Become. A major argument led to a split between us and Andi
and after we found Tommy we knew it was a change for the better, and
that’s where we are right now. Couldn’t be better!
MM - The
band are currently signed to ‘Lion Music’. How did you come to hook up
with them and what was it about Lion Music that made them stand out from
all the other labels who were showing interest in the band at that time?
Andreas - Well, it was actually me how contacted Lasse Mattsson at Lion,
but that was when we were looking for a suitable studio to record in. Lasse responded by offering us a record deal instead of the price to rent
the studio! That was cool of course, but we were already negotiating with
a small little Spanish label, as well as the rather famous Limb music
productions from Germany. The deal itself, plus the fabulous contact we
immediately established with Lasse made the choice rather easy.
MM - Would
you like to take us through the tracks on the new album ‘Waiting In The
Wings’ and share any thoughts or stories behind the songs?
Andreas - Sure! Tommy has written most of the lyrics but I love the
lyrics so I have a pretty good idea about the ones I didn’t write as well.
"Star of David" is a quite progressive and rather heavy track that opens the
album. The story takes place in the 30's sometime I guess, and portrays a
Nazi-soldier in love with a Jewish night club singer. I love the mood of
that song – excellent lyrical work by Tommy.
"Taint the Sky" deals with the
witch persecutions that occurred in Sweden in the mid 1600's. It is a
powerful chorus song and has some beautiful guitar work by Johan. Plus I
like the track since there is a bass solo in it… (:
"Waiting
in the Wings" is a continuation of the story of the song “Like Him” from our
first album "Become". Where "Like Him" tells the story of an indoctrinated boy
breaking free and in the typical naïve way of an adolescent thinks he’s gonna make everything right. WITW continues when the boy has grown into a
man and finds himself being what he swore he’d never be. It discusses the
life of a grown-up, always filled with compromises, lies and pleasing
everyone. He still bears the legacy of his tyrant father within him and
the song shows him battling his inner demons and fears, and also the guilt
from the little boy inside him pointing out that he failed his promise. Musically it is also very epic. I tried to squeeze in several different
moods and feels in it and I think there is some stuff that is true power
metal, some really heavy prog and some more vivid 80’s hard rock in it.
"Banish
the Wicked" has the heaviest intro on the album and tells the story of a
little more fictional kind. It is about a village a long time ago and a
looming evil the villagers do not understand – I’ll leave it at that! Johan
shreds more than ever on it…
"Not an
Angel" has the obvious werewolf theme to it but also deals with the duality
of man in a more general manner. It is also the fastest song we’ve ever
written including a great keyboard solo by Kyrt and a cool chorus.
"Devil’s
Inc." is an epic story by Tommy about a man selling his soul to the devil
and only too late finding out the price of his wicked ways as he enters
eternal damnation. Johan has added several very 80-ish elements in that
song which stand in bright contrast to the extremely progressive vocal
lines Tommy laid on top.
"Walking Tall" is straightforward, both regarding
the music and regarding the lyrics. The story is about betrayal and lost
love. It has an extremely cool middle section, and according to me Johan’s
best guitar solo ever. Johnny really gets to work there as well on the
drums ad the bass intro kind of kicks ass as well.
"The
edge of my Blade" is a powerful and moving story of a poor boy who
witnesses his father’s murder as a child and sets out to avenge his death
as a young man. This is a great story of how hatred can never be healed
through violence as it only digs a deeper hole in your soul. One of the
absolutely strongest moments of the entire album is in this song according
to me, the vocal part leading up to the guitar solo. The grand outro,
composed by Kyrt, is a worthy end for such a powerful song. Again a great
chorus by Tommy.
The
closing track "Pieces" is a gloomy look at the world today. Must we destroy
the earth, our only home, before we see the consequences? A beautiful
piece by Tommy and Kyrt.
MM - What
was it like going into the studio to work with Tommy Hansen on the new
album? Was he a hard taskmaster to work for, or is he on the same
wavelength as you?
Tommy -
The whole album was recorded back in the 'sound v science' studio in Sweden
together with producer/drummer Mr Daniel Flores (Mind`s Eye). We where
pretty much our own bosses in the studio and that’s how we like it to be.
When finished back home, the whole band headed of to Jailhouse studios in
Denmark for the mixing session and to meet Tommy…
:) Nothing
could be easier than to work with him! I mean the guy is such a pro! He
has been producing and mixing famous bands since long before I was even
thought of … And on top of that he is a perfect gentleman! Before we went
to Mr Hansen we where a little anxious about the whole thing. We didn't
want to be just another modern metal band with Rammstein guitars and never
present bass. But it was really a smooth ride all the way, him taking out
the best in our music, making sure that we sounded as much “SW” as we
possibly could! And for that we will be forever grateful!!!
MM - Who
writes the songs and the music you perform? Is there a key person who
does this or do you all add in to it?
Tommy -
We are all partners in crime I guess! Someone comes up with an idea for a
song but everyone still puts their own trademark to the overall sound,
making us sound like the 5-piece band we are! Most of the musical content
originates from Johan (guitar) and Andreas B (bass) though. The lyrics are
handled by me and Andreas B and the melodies to support the words usually
comes from me.
MM - How
long did it take for the new album to be created, from initial conception
to the finished product? Are all of the songs ‘new’ songs or were there
any that were left over from your debut album, but that you just didn’t
have room to include?
Andreas - Well, I guess two of the songs on this album were almost
finished by the recording of "Become". We made a conscious choice though to
include the oldest material in general on "Become". This is the reason we
get a more homogenous sound on the new album. I guess you can say that it
was written over the course of little more than a year or perhaps 1½
years.
MM - What do
you think are the biggest differences between ‘Waiting In The Wings’ and
your debut album ‘Become’?
Tommy - Personally I think there are quite a few differences between the
albums… I mean just listen to the sound on “Waiting in the Wings”… It's god
damn crystal clear, heavy and 'in your face' at the same time. There is
also a big difference in terms of writing the albums. “WITW” was written
in a very short period of time, which makes it a far more homogenous album
than our debut!
Another
thing is that I am now a member of the band … (I'm so glad we sorted that
out..!) :)
MM -
Does
the band get much opportunity to play their songs in the live arena and
are there any plans to take the music from this new album out on the road?
Tommy - As for now the chances to get out and play on this album are a
lot bigger than on our debut “Become” from last year. Now we are signed to Intromental management and one of their biggest undertakings is to get us
out on the road, and nothing would make us happier than to be able to meet
or fans all over the world!
MM - How do
you feel the band has evolved musically since it first began. Have you
changed direction musically or perhaps matured as you’ve all found your
niche market?
Andreas - I would say that there have been no conscious efforts to alter
the sound or head in a certain direction. I guess, we all grow and our
taste for what is cool and what’s not grows with us. I’d say that when we
started out in the absolute beginning, let’s say when we wrote "Day By Day",
there were still obvious traces from our time in Mankind, the power metal
band that led to the birth of Seventh Wonder. I think those remnants are
now all gone. I think it is safe to say that we have found ourselves on
this album.
MM - At what
age did you become interested in being a performer and what/who inspired
you to join a band?
Tommy - For
me it was just a few years ago… I really wasn't that much into metal music
at that time, but a good friend of mine (Johan Larsson) asked me if I
wanted to participate in a metal project with the progressive metal band 'Vindictiv'. I said yes and the rest is history ... :)
My
musical inspiration is mostly down to this friend/musician Johan Larsson
who introduced me to the world of music, sharing his view on things with
me! But also playing in a band like SW with some of the most awesome and
talented musicians of course is a major source of inspiration as well!
Andreas - I was 14 and all of sudden decided that I was gonna start
playing the guitar. Can’t say why really … I guess it had something to do
with my growing interest in hard rock and heavy metal. I started my first
band when I was 16 and from then on I knew where I wanted to go.
MM - What’s
the biggest misconception people tend to have about you because of the
music you make?
Andreas - That we do stuff just to shine. We don’t. Sure, we want to get
the people thinking. I mean, to us it’s really cool when we can “fool”
people into thinking –“ok, this is a simple 4/4”, but where we sneak in
multiple rhythms, key-changes and whatever. That’s what keeps us alert and
what keeps us interested in the music we make.
But
make no mistake -The songs are ALWAYS the most important thing. Many
reviewers have understood this and salute us for it – that makes me very
proud! If you peel everything else away and there are simply two guys
with acoustic guitars and a singer – the song still needs to kick ass. Melody is the key to us.
MM - What
are you listening to these days yourselves? Old classics or modern
bands? Do you ever listen to music that is very different to what you do
and if so what?
Andreas - I think I mostly listen to the same stuff I’ve been listening
to for 10-15 years now. The newest acquaintances I’ve made are A.C.T and
Mind’s Eye, two bands I really like a lot. Kyrt is actually a real A.C.T - freak
and travels across the country to see them any chance he gets.
MM - Do you
think the internet had been a viable tool for connecting you and your fans
now that the industry seems to focus on the flavour of the week?
Andreas - Absolutely! We probably would still be making demos if it
weren’t for the internet. We are humble about it and I guess that to a
certain point we need to face the facts and accept at least some illegal
downloading as a means to get the word around.
MM - We
often hear that there is a big problem now with people copying and
downloading albums instead of buying them. If you had the chance to speak
to a room of people who copied/downloaded your music, what would you like
to say to them?
Andreas - Like I said, I hold no grudge towards them, as I have
downloaded music myself. However, and I stress this, if you like what you
have downloaded it’s your damn duty to go and buy the album. If not, the
industry withers away. Downloading is great to dare to try out new bands
and new stuff, but if you like what you hear and want the band to put out
more albums, you need to support them by buying the cd.
MM - I would
also like to perhaps prick your conscience and ask have you ever copied or
downloaded music in the past?
Andreas - Like I said – absolutely. Most people who would say no lies. I
think of my youth in the 80's – I mean, everyone copied cassette tapes back
and forth and that didn’t hurt anybody. But back then, if you really liked
it – you bought the album. That’s the difference. I download to check stuff
out. What I don’t like I throw away, what I like I buy. The last cds I
bought were by Mind’s Eye, A.C.T and Xsavior. Two of those I had
downloaded first, and then I bought them!
MM - If you
could ask one of your heroes/someone who’s inspired you a question, who
would it be and what would you ask them?
Andreas - Hey Jesus. What’s it like up there?!
MM - Finally, is there a message you would like to send out to all your fans to
close out this interview?
Andreas - Yeah, check out our music and give it a chance. I hope you ‘ll
like what you hear! Check out the website for more info and news at
www.seventhwonder.nu.
Thanks
for the interest in the band!
Tommy
Karevik (vocals) and Andreas Blomqvist (bass) from Seventh Wonder |
