Interview with vocalist Bjorn StridInterview with vocalist Bjorn Strid
Since Sweden's Soilwork debuted in 1998 with Steel Bath Suicide on Listenable Records, they have steadily grown and become more popular with each record. Their style has become increasingly more melodic, much to the chagrin of their old fans but it has also opened new doors and allowed Soilwork to cross over into the prog and heavy metal crowd as well. They have become popular here in the U.S. soil and some high profile tours have broadened their audience further. Here is friendly vocalist Bjorn Strid.
How has the response been to the new record?
It's been fantastic. I've been in the Nuclear Blast office in Germany doing interviews for three days and it's been a perfect response in general.
What do you hope to accomplish with this record?
With this record, hopefully we will do at least two tours in the States and maybe about two tours in Europe, we'll see about South America and Australia, but that would be a lot of fun.
Was the Hypocrisy/ Killswitch Engage/ Single Bullet Theory tour a success?
Yeah, I think so. Some of the venues were kid of shitty but we had a very good time and the response was fantastic.
There seems to be more anticipation in America for this new record.
This new one is a bit more varied and more all together. We have developed a lot as musicians during those years. On this new album we worked a lot with the keyboards and the clean vocals and the screaming vocals too of course. There's a great contrast between the melodies and the aggression. There's still atmospheric music which we like to do. I expected the album to turn out softer than Natural Born Chaos but now I think this new album is a bit heavier and intense in some ways. It's more varied and dynamic.
Do you feel Soilwork can still appeal to the Steel Bath Suicide fans?
I think so. In the past they've grown with the Soilwork sound. There's a lot of people who listen to Soilwork are objective when it comes to music. Of course, there are some people who ask us why we can't do The Chainheart Machine again. I totally respect that, but you can always put on the old albums. We don't like to make the same album twice. We've developed as musicians and we're doing what we like to do. Everytime we enter the studio it's got to be a challenge for us. That's very important. We went with the flow.
How are you able to stay creative and release an album every year?
Last year was hectic for Soilwork, we did a European tour, a Japanese tour, and somewhere in between we managed to write some new material. We got a lot of inspiration recording with Devin Townsend. He made us feel very confident in what we're doing. Peter wrote like three songs directly after recording Natural Born Chaos. There was no need to slow down.
How have you grown and evolved as a vocalist?
I've received a lot of confidence from Devin Townsend. I've worked a lot with clean vocals for this album. I usually use a vocal coach but on this album I did it on my own. I rehearsed for six hours a day to different types of music, not only metal. It's going to be a challenge for me everytime I enter a studio. I think I've experimented a lot with the vocals on this album, including the screaming vocals. They're more varied than before. I've worked a lot with the rhythms and the lyrics. I'm very happy about the result.
What's your biggest challenge as a vocalist with Soilwork?
I think I've succeeded with the new album. I experimented with clean vocals on Natural Born Chaos as well, but I think I really showed people that I could do the clean vocals and hopefully do it live. It shouldn't be a problem because my vocal chords aer getting used to touring.
Do you have certain expectations with record sales?
I hope the fanbase will grow a lot. I know that Nuclear Blast are doing a huge promotion for this album. Hopefully we can do a headlining tour in the future. We're fed up with playing only forty five minutes. I hope to play those songs the audience is shouting for. I hope this album is a statement for the Soilwork sound.
You draw fans of both death metal and prog.
It's pretty interesting. I know that Barney from Napalm Death likes Soilwork and Graham Bonnett likes Solwork, and Chris Impelliteri, Devin Townsend, and Rob Halford, those are guys from all different genres. That's a big honor. There seems to be a lot of people who listen to power metal and black metal who both like Soilwork.
Are you involved with any side projects?
I have Terror 2000, we're going to do our first show ever in Tokyo with Destruction. It's going to be great. I can't play the bass and sing at the same time so we have to hire a bass player. We intend to record a third album before the end of the year. I talked to Steve DiGiorgio about playing the bass on the next album.
What do you do in your free time?
It's all about music. I like to watch films and read books. There's not too much time. I spend time with my girlfriend as well.
Are all the members of Soilwork close friends?
Yeah, sometimes we get fed up on tours being so close together. We hang out at our hometown but sometimes we need to rest with friends who aren't in the music business but of course we're very close friends.
At this point in your career do you make money from the band?
I actually quit my job two weeks ago so I could concentrate on touring with Soilwork. That's a dream come true to make a living out of music. I miss my daily job because I got a lot of inspiration there. I used to work with children with social problems. Sometimes they told me horrible stories of what went on at home and I liked those kids a lot. They will miss me and I will miss them as well. They were seven years old up to fifteen.
What's the education system like in Sweden?
It's pretty good compared to other countries. You can get some contributions to study at university but it's a good education climate here.
Did you go to college?
No, I studied media, but I got fed up with it and started to play music instead.
What got you interested in music?
I liked to sing as a little kid. I remember when my mom bought a cassette of Iron Maiden's Number of the Beast at a gas station. She put the cassette in the car stereo and I was blown away. I was seven years old and since then I wanted to be a rock 'n roll singer.
How does the music and sound of Soilwork grow from here?
That's hard to say. We will develop as musicians. We will always write music which comes from the heart. I will use the screaming vocals in the future as well. The screaming vocals are a very big part of Soilwork's music. I will experiment a lot with my vocals. It's hard to say what the Soilwork sound will be in five years. We will always have the melodies, the atmosphere, and intensity in Soilwork.
Discography:
2003... Figure Number Five (Nuclear Blast)
2002... Natural Born Chaos (Nuclear Blast)
2001... A Predators Portrait (Nuclear Blast)
1999... The Chainheart Machine (Century Media)
1998... Stell Bath Suicide (Listenable)
Current line-up:
Bjorn Strid... vocals
Peter Wichers... guitars
Ola Frenning... guitars
Ola Frink... bass
Richard Evensand... drums
