Interview

Evergrey - Interview - Adam Barthonnet


After Andromeda, it's another swedish band (Evergrey) who received us for an interview about their sixth album : "Monday Morning Apocalypse". Procued by Sanken Sandquist and Stefan Glaumann (Rammstein, Def Leppard, Feve Jovi). they are currently on tour and will be on many European music manifestations. Thanks to Anthony Beauvois for the translation. Thanks to Anthony Beauvois for the translation.

Adam :
Can you explain me how the band was born, its creation and how did you meet each other ?
Henrik Danhage :
The band was started around 96, I believe, with Tom [S. Englund] and his old friend Dan Bronell, who was playing guitar, at that time, and both of them came from playing in death metal bands before, but they wanted something more melodic and, you know, more atmospheric, so, what they started was using that kind of death metal edge, but making it more melodic. And they want to re-evolve the process, so Tom started singing and it’s pretty much what started the band.
Adam :
For your new album, how did you perceive the evolution of the new album, I mean, is it that different from previous ones?
Henrik Danhage :
We brought it much fast, I think we took somewhere like 6 or 8 weeks to write all the songs, and then we were in the studio for 6 weeks, which is really really really fast for Evergrey. So it was really good because it felt really fresh, though, at the time. On the previous album, The Inner Circle, when you’ve been sitting well a song for 4 months, it doesn’t feel that fresh any more. So it was just a big breath of fresh air that came in, you know. Then the producer came in, so something new happened again, we were gonna start with the songs again, you know. It felt fresh the whole time.
Adam :
By fresh, you mean, were you inspired by common, by nowadays society, or…
Henrik Danhage :
No, no. I have never thought about that. I mean, I sit down and play guitar and when I come up with something good, I try to play it. A good riff should be that good that you’re not gonna forget it, you know. Because if I can’t even remember my own riff, chances are that you’re not gonna remember it, the first time you heard. So that’s what we just pretty much do, just sit in a car, sort of humming up or something. Straight on, you need to, you know, get that down. So, no, it’s not like I said, “hum, let’s get inspired in that”, it’s not like that.
Adam :
Were you inspired by others groups, I mean, which kind of groups influence your style… That melodic and acoustic in Closure, how you create it…
Henrik Danhage :
I think it was the same thing that Jonas… You’re sat down in home or something like that and you’ve started to play and you’ve found a couple of chords that you really like, you know. Cause, still, it’s music we’re doing, it’s not like, we’re not building a time machine or, you know, finding the cure for cancer, it’s rock’n’roll. I really think if you’re gonna think too much before you have an instrument and started playing, you’ll lose the whole thing. So, that was the same thing because after he was done with his, the piano thing, as a demo, I think it’s very different from time to time. That’s not a format like, “If we do like this, it’s gonna work”, you know, it’s not like that. But everything inspires you, but it’s nothing that I think about.
Adam :
In a few words, how can you sum up the spirit of the group?
Henrik Danhage :
: Only one word I would say is “quality”. No matter if we play a hard riff, we do that very good and we’re all so good in what we do that I can play something only me, and people will get moved by that or Richard [Zander] can just play a little thing on grand piano and people will get tears in their eyes. So, it all comes down to quality, I would say.
Adam :
Just to transmit your feelings?
Henrik Danhage :
Yeah. It’s through the instruments and Tom’s voice and his lyrics. And I think it all has to do with, we’re all very demanding of ourselves, that it has to be perfect, as far as the feeling has to be perfect. It’s not that important if a vocal line is a little “uh” (high-pitched breathing-out sound) or a breathing or something… if all the other elements… it’s there, you know. But it all has to be perfect.
Adam :
Before Evergrey, did you attend other groups, of death metal or whatever…
Henrik Danhage :
I’m 42 years old now and I think I’ve been in 3 bands before Evergrey in my whole life. So, I’ve never been one of those guys that jump on a lot of bands. And it’s not a bad thing doing that, because I always enjoyed finding people to play with that I’m enjoying being with. And the band that I played in before Evergrey was playing some kind of panthera harder, you know…
Adam :
I think that’s all.
Henrik Danhage :
Alright, cool
Adam :
Sorry, I’m only a beginner. It was only my third interview.
Henrik Danhage :
OK, it was good.