There's no denying that one of the biggest melodic death
metal acts on the scene today is Swedish outfit Soilwork.
Over the last decade, Soilwork have seemingly gone from
strength to strength, with the band pushing their sound beyond the confides
of what is generally considered the typical melodic death metal mould
with every new release, which in turn draws more and more followers
to Soilwork's cause.
In mid October 2007, Soilwork released their seventh full-length
album 'Sworn To A Great Divide' to overwhelmingly high praise, followed
immediately with a European tour (dubbed 'Eastpak Antidote Tour') alongside
Dark Tranquillity, Caliban and Sonic Syndicate.
Keen to keep the momentum going, the band stuck to the
road for a quick month long North American tour (The 'Clash Of The Metal
Titans' tour) with Killswitch Engage, DevilDriver and Lamb Of God, followed
by a Finnish/Baltic tour with Path Of No Return.
Having just wrapped up their month long second 'Scum Of
The Earth' North American tour (with Throwdown and Through The Eyes
Of The Dead and War Of Ages), I caught up with Soilwork vocalist Björn
'Speed' Strid, who's taking a well earned break from the road in Phoenix
(Arizona) after completing some thirty-two shows in a short thirty-four
days! While soaking in the perfect weather, I asked Strid about the
Soilwork's return to a thrashier sound on their latest release 'Sworn
To A Great Divide'.
"Well I guess we were really looking back a little
bit while making this album. We wanted to bring back the thrashier influences
that we had back in the day and kind of mix them up with the more recent
heaviness and direction of sound we've had on our last couple of releases.
We also added some more atmospheric touches to the sound as well. To
be honest, I guess we were looking back on the 'Natural Born Chaos'
(2002) album a little bit than the others. That album really had the
perfect balance between the heaviness and the melodies. I mean we didn't
want to make a 'Natural Born Chaos II', because that would be pointless.
But we did want to capture that feeling and that balance, while taking
it all to a new level. And I think we managed to achieve that."
But while Soilwork are pleased with their efforts on 'Sworn
To A Great Divide', Strid isn't blind to the fact that the press have
been less than impressed.
"I'm totally happy with how the album turned out.
I'm no so sure about the press, because the feedback has been fifty/fifty
both for and against. But the most important thing is that we as a band
are happy with the album, and that the fans are happy with the album.
And let me tell you, most of the fans out there seem to be really happy
with the album. I mean they're coming to the shows, and singing the
songs along with us. And to me, that's a good sign."
Another good sign for the band is the sales figures that
accompany 'Sworn To A Great Divide', with the group's latest effort
one of the band's fastest selling albums to date.
"Yes, that's true. I'm not quite sure about Europe, but it seems
to be going really well there too. But here in the U.S., the album helped
us get up on the Billboard charts for the first time (entering in on
the chart at #148). And the album is actually selling better than 'Stabbing
The Drama' (2005) as well. I think that it's really cool that even though
we're onto our seventh album, it feels like we just keep on going up.
I guess that's kind of unique. Usually if a band is ever going to make
it big, they usually do that after their second album. In cases like
that, they usually go up, and eventually go down after that. But for
us, we just seem to be going further and further up with each new release.
And now that we're on our seventh release, I think that's pretty cool.
I mean, we've really taken the slow road, that's for sure! (Laughs)
But I think in doing so, we've built up a really loyal fan base, who
are always there to buy our albums. Of course, we always try and reach
new fans as well, and in the last few years, we're been able to broaden
our fan base and make things even bigger through good tours and playing
all over the planet."
While a return to the band's thrashier roots has played
a part in helping shape 'Sworn To Great Divide' in a musical sense,
Strid also credits working with producer Devin Townsend once again (former
Strapping Young Lad front man, and who last worked with the band on
'Natural Born Chaos') in helping him break new ground on the vocal front.
"It was a little bit different this time around since
I recorded the vocals at his home studio. He's the kind of guy that
doesn't like to travel too much. Basically he feels more comfortable
being at home, so I decided to go over to Vancouver and record the vocals
at his house. It was really cool to live with Devin at his home for
two weeks, because I got to know him a lot better. It was like two buddy
recording vocals in his basement. There was no pressure to it, so it
was a lot of fun. Sure we worked hard. Sometimes we would work like
a full eight hours of the day. It was crazy, but we had a lot of fun.
I don't know what it is, but he makes me feel so relaxed, and he allows
me want to explore with my vocals a lot. He's not the type of producer
to settle with just the one take and then move onto the next song. He
helped me play around and find some new things and experiment more with
my own voice. So I'm really happy with the results. There's a lot of
singing styles on 'Sworn To A Great Divide', and he helped me take that
it to that next step."
It's been quite a tumultuous time within Soilwork over
the last year and a half in term of line-ups, with the first casualty
being the departure of Peter Wichers following the release of 'Stabbing
The Drama' in 2005. But as Strid points out, the parting of ways was
amicable.
"I know that people were kind of sceptical of the
band following Wichers departure from the band. And I think rightly
so, because he was a big contributor to Soilwork's songs throughout
the years. But he definitely made the right decision for himself. He's
not the kind of guy who would make a decision like that overnight. That
situation had been going on for quite a while. We're still very good
friends with him, and we talk all the time. Who knows, we might even
do something together in the future. I think we really wanted to prove
on this new album that there are still plenty of good songwriters in
the band that have been contributing to Soilwork's songs in the past
as well. I think we really pulled it off. It still sounds like Soilwork
to me. I think there are some really strong songs on the new album.
It's a very diverse album, but that's the way we wanted it to sound
as well."
But if the resignation of Wichers wasn't a big enough
blow, Soilwork lost a second guitarist when Ola Frenning decided to
part ways with the group back in February 2008. However, this time things
weren't quite as harmonious.
"The difference between Frenning and Wichers is that we basically
let Frenning go. We just came to a point where we just couldn't work
with him anymore, so we had to let him go. That's the difference here.
Wichers made the decision for himself, and Frenning didn't. We made
that for him. It was a hard decision in a way, but we definitely knew
it was going to be for the better for all of us. I mean at forty-two,
Frenning is a little bit older than the rest of us. So I guess he was
seeing things in a different way to the rest of us. He was looking at
keeping Soilwork's sound really straight forward metal like, while the
rest of us wanted to keep up the progressive elements that make Soilwork
famous in the first place. So I guess he was seeing things in a different
way. That's all I can say. It came to a point where we couldn't work
with him in a professional manner, as well as on a musical and personal
level."
Apart from musical direction, touring also seemed to be
a matter the two sides didn't see eye to eye on either.
"That's right. That was also one of the things we
didn't agree on. As soon as a tour was booked, especially in a place
like the US where it's not really all that close to home, he was kind
of sceptical about it. I don't know what it was all about. The rest
of the band was really up to the touring, and he just wasn't into it.
He wouldn't complain if we were touring in Europe, but as soon as there
were two tours in a row, he always made it feel like it was too much.
The way we saw it, every time there is a tour, there was simply no point
arguing about it. I mean, without touring, what's the point of being
in a band?"
Filling in on Frenning's place is David Antonsson (who
is otherwise the guitarist in Swedish heavy rock/metal act Edenhead).
And while Antonsson's position within the band is far from permanent,
he's more than a fitting replacement.
"That's right. He did some tour work with us on this
last tour we did here in the US He's a great guitar player and a great
guy too. We'll have to wait and see what happens in regards to making
him a permanent member. We'll try a few more guitarists, and then we'll
make a decision. We should have a permanent replacement in the band
before the end of the year. But as of right now, Antonsson is helping
us out, and we all rock out onstage. It's a fun feeling playing in the
band now, so the decision to part ways with Frenning was one made for
the better."
Wichers' replacement in Daniel Antonsson (who is also
a member of Pathos and Dimension Zero) on the other hand has certainly
been a wise one with his contributions to 'Sworn To A Great Divide'
helping Soilwork once again find their thrash groove.
"He's an absolute asset to this band. I mean he's
a really cool guy and fits in the band really well. He's definitely
a metal head. He's a thrasher and that influence can be heard when he
plays the guitar. That was one of the things that we wanted to bring
back into the band. And I think he contributed a lot of interesting
things on 'Sworn To A Great Divide'. He contributed a lot of those thrashier
elements to the songs. He also had a good sense of melody too. I think
that's very important, because that's what Peter had as well. But the
most important thing is that Antonsson fits within the band on a chemistry
level. That's definitely really important, because you spend so much
time in the tour bus travelling around the world. Basically if you can't
get along, it simply isn't going to work. It doesn't matter if that
person happens to be the greatest musician in the world, if they can't
get along with the rest of the band, it isn't going to work. You still
need to be able to get along. So that's really important to us. You
know, we started the band when we were pretty young. I mean I was about
eighteen. And people do change. There have been a few line-up changes
within the band, but it's really not that weird. There are a lot of
bands out there changing their line-ups. And when you start a band when
you're really young, and you have been going for a few years, people
do change within that time. I mean its 2008, and I'm twenty-nine this
year. I have changed a lot myself since this band first started. People
find other values and priorities in their lives. It's not that weird.
But as long as we can find someone who can bring some fresh blood to
the band, and fits in with the rest of the band in a chemistry sense
so we don't have to struggle to keep the band going, we'll keep moving
forward. I mean, we only know one way to write Soilwork songs, so finding
someone that works within that chemistry and have the same musical vision
as us takes a bit of time. Luckily, we found Antonsson."
So far, the chemistry with the six piece act has been
working in perfect harmony, with the band managing to survive their
somewhat crazy and hectic 'Scum Of The Earth' North American touring
schedule.
"That was a cool tour. It was a different crowd for
us of course, because there were a lot of hardcore kids there. I mean
we've toured with hardcore/metalcore bands before, but it's been a while
since we had done that. Throwdown really comes from that hardcore scene,
so there were a lot of straight-edge kids there, and stuff like that.
But the kids seemed to go mental out there on the floor, and it was
really cool. In some places, there weren't a real lot of people, but
it was still really good for us. It was also a tough tour, like I mentioned
before. We played like twenty-three days straight. That was pretty crazy,
but having said that, I really think that tour was one of the really
good ones for us."
Although on a vacation, it won't be long before Strid
and the rest of Soilwork will be back on the road, with a string of
dates throughout the rest of the world.
"We'll actually be touring in Russia next. And when
we play Moscow, that'll be the one hundredth show of this tour that
we've done off the back of 'Sworn To A Great Divide'. I can't believe
that! We'll also be playing St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk, which is
in the middle of Siberia. It's crazy. Then we're probably going to do
China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Japan after we finish up in Australia.
It's going to be a pretty crazy tour, and also an interesting one for
us."
And speaking of Australia, the band is set to make a third
visit to southern shores mid May after a lengthy four year absence.
"I think fans can expect to see a huge growth from
us as a live band. It's been a while since we were last down there.
I can't believe it's been four years since we last played there! (Laughs)
It's crazy. I can't believe we didn't get down there on the 'Stabbing
The Drama' tour. We didn't even get to go to Japan on that tour either.
What makes it even more surprising is that off the back of 'Figure Number
Five' (2003), we actually played Australia twice! So it's kind of weird.
But we're really psyched about coming back to Australia because we had
such a great time down there in 2003 and 2004. We love the crowds down
there. And I really mean that. I always mention that when someone asks
me about certain crowds. I'm not just saying that because you're an
Australian journalist either. I really think that Australian audiences
are the loudest motherfuckers in the world! (Laughs) I mean they mosh,
do circle pits and everything else in-between in one! It's just crazy.
And after four years away, I can't wait to see and hear that once again!"
I would like to thank Björn 'Speed' Strid for
his generous time, and Chris Maric at Riot! Entertainment for making
the interview possible.
For more information on Soilwork, check out - http://www.soilwork.org
© Justin Donnelly - justindonnelly@ozemail.com.au
