It is not a often thing to welcome a famous foreign band in Poland twice a year. Tiamat has a chance of becoming a leader in an unoficcial show rate classification in our country, being at us for the third time during 365 days. Recently the Swedish quintet did a second show in 1995 for their fans on a concert recorded by the S-3 studio, a cracovian center of polish TV. It was a show only for the lucky ones that managed to win the invites in TV or radio contests. For those who weren't lucky we've got great news. In september Tiamat will come to Poland again, this time with... Black Sabbath!!!
Taking the occasion, we've made an interview with two major Tiamatmen: Johan Edlund (voc) and Johny Hagel (bass).
Iwant : We've heard about your problems in getting to Krakow.
Johan Edlund : Yes, first we stood in a traffic in Germany. I don't exactly know what was happening, I was sleeping. When I woke up, i realized we aren't moving. We had to wait for about six hours. After that we spent some time on the Polish border, but we managed to come.
IW: Was that your first concert in television?
JE: Not exactly. We did stuff like this in Sweden already.
IW: Will you use playback today?
JE: No, we always play 100% live. Even when the concerts are so specific as today.
IW: You've said you weren't satisfied with mini concert album "Live in Israel". Maybe it would be worth to record a new live material from this tournee, this time with "wildhoney" tracks?
JE: I think we should release a new studio album and maybe after that we'll think of a new live album. I guess it'll be a double live album, we want to add a VHS with the show to that, but not right now, certainly not after "Wildhoney".
IW: Why did you actually release the "Gaia" mini album??
JE: I don't know. To sell more copies and to make more money. Ha ha!!!
IW: And only that?
JE: No. Actually, I don't really know why did it happened.
IW: Was that your idea or the Producers'?
JE: We wanted to take few songs from Wildhoney and modify them .
IW: Kto jest autorem remixów?
JE: Zrobiliśmy to wspólnie naszym producentem Waldemarem Sorychtą. Nie było nikogo z zewnątrz.
IW: Why did you put a Pink Floyd composition on "Gaia"?
JE: I like their music. It's my favourite band.
IW: "When You're In" isn't the most famous Pink Floyd song...
JE: No, it isn't. I like almost everything they recorded and it doesn't matter is it an old or a new material.
IW: Do you dream about playing a tournee or a festial with Pink Floyd?
JE: (with smile)I got other dreams.When they realize, maybe I'll start to think about things like that. At this i don't think it'd be possible.
IW: The cover of "gaia" is a project of Carlsten Dresher. Who is he?
JE: It's a company man from Century Media. He's making covers, commercials and such.
IW: Let's talk about the clips to the songs:"Whatever That Hurts" and "Gaia". Who is the producer of those videos? Whose ideas they consist?
JE: The same woman was responsible for making both of them. She was free to do whatever she want on "Whatever..." I was satisfied with the end result, but some fragments weren't good for the rest of the band. They weren't sure about them. In making of "Gaia" I told her about the way I'd see it. She used my ideas and it went great. I like this clip much more than "Whatever..."
IW: Are you going to record a third video?
JE: Maybe, I don't know. It's hard to say at this moment.
IW: Which song would you choose for the video?
JE: If we would make one, It would be "Do You Dream Of Me?"
IW: Some bands after a few years of career make so called Home Videos, with all clips, fragments of concerts, interviews, back-stage stories which occured on tours. Do the Tiamat fans have the chance for getting that sort of thing from us?
JE: I don't know. I think that this kind of tape is more fun for the band than for the fans. It could be some kind of souvenir with concerts, tours, jokes etc recorded in chronological order.I'm not exactly sure this is interesting for fans. We weren't made for doing jokes in wardrobes before or after concerts. It suits Sepultura or Metallica, but not us.
IW: On the recent Tiamat albums, "Clouds" and "Wildhoney" there are no thanks or cheers. Why is that?
JE: At first if we had did such a list it would be incredibly long. We decided that we give thanks to our closest friends, our parents, girlfriends. Besises that I don't think we are obliged to thank anybody, because it's we who create the music of Tiamat and we should be the ones to thank for, not otherwise.
IW: Different musicians on albums, different on tours. Is this good for the band?
JE: It isn' really the most important thing. People shouldn't worry about that, looking for who is in the band and who isn't. Listen to the music, go to the concerts, try to understand the whole conception of Tiamat, don't worry about who is doing what and for how long. The sound and the picture-this is the most important thing. That's all.
IW: Are you going to work with the same musicians in the next album?
JE: I don't know. We we will soon make a tournee with Black Sabbath, which will last for 3 months. After that we'll make a break and nothing is going to bother us except our new material. When we write it down with Johny we'll make the decision if the musicians are staying with us. Maybe we won't be needing the drummer - who knows, maybe we will us an automatic drum machine. We want to be open, we never promised anyone that he will stay with us longer.
IW: Are you a dictator in Tiamat?
JE: In a way, you could say that. You know, there aren't any fights between us. We left each other in peace, nobody blames anybody. If you choose to go a different way than the rest of the musicians, then of course, it is hard to communicate, but after that you can still be friends. That is how it was with "old Tiamaters". We're buddies.
IW: Utrzymujesz kontakt dawnymi muzykami Tiamat, którzy uczestniczyli w nagrywaniu wcześniejszych płyt?
JE: Z niektórymi z nich tak. Wiesz, nie ma między nami żadnych "kwasów". Rozstaliśmy się w zgodzie, nikt nie ma do nikogo żalu. Jeśli decydujesz się na obranie innej drogi niż reszta muzyków, wtedy owszem, trudno się porozumieć, ale później wszystko mija i można być dalej przyjaciółmi. I w przypadku niektórych "starych Tiamatowców" tak jest. Jesteśmy kumplami.
IW: What do they do now? Do they play in some bands?
JE: Yes, those are small, local bands. Our first bass guitarist (Jorgen Peterson) has recently became a husband and also a father, at this moment he doesn't play.
IW: Each album your vocal gets better. Do you work on your voice?
JE: Do I? I don't take any singing lessons, but alone I try to sing as best as I can. These are individual attempts of finding out what can I do with my voice. As it turns out, there are many ways you can change your vocal. I try to find the part which suits me and Tiamat best. It's very hard, but on the other hand fascinating. It's a kind of an experiment on yourself.
IW: You've played on few big , open-air festivals. Was that your first "Open-Airs" ?
JE: Not quite, but those were the first that big f.e. Dynamo. Masses of people...
IW: Do you like these kind of concerts?
JE: I don' have a general opinion on that. I certainly wouldn't go for this concert if i were a fan. But for us as a band Dynamo is very good, great audience. I think it is worth to play on those kind of festivals from time to time. It's something completely different.
IW: Doesn't that bother your music? Are you capable of making your hypnotic show on that kind of concert, or do you need a closed hall?
JE: We will never play in day light, forget it. We would rather play for ten people at night than for a hundred thousand when the sun is on. We can't spoil our show, that wouldn't be it. The concert would lose much that way, it would be boring and that's not the point.
IW: You've played with hardcore bands this year. Do you like this kind of music?
JE: No! It doesn't get to me at all.
IW: You had an occasion to play with Samael.
JE: Yes. It's the fourth time already. I know all the musicians better than good.
IW:What do you think about Vorphlack, I think it's a very interesting person.
JE: That's right. I like in him that he is honest and sincere, he isn't afraid to say what he thinks. As it is in whole Samael. They create their own, original style, they don't worry about how is it going to be accepted. They do what they wish to do, all the time.
IW: Johny Hedlund from Unleashed which I talked to during Metalmania said that you have changed your style entirely, that you've left playing death metal. I think he was right...
JE: Yes, I have Unleashed albums in my home and sometimes i listen to them. I like them very much and i wish them the best.
IW: But yoy aren't a death metal follower any more?
JE: Sometimes I listen to it, but rarely.
IW: Do you write compositions during tours?
JE:No.Never.
IW: Do you still get best ideas in the night when you can't sleep.
JE: Yes. Always then.
IW: Which new countries have you maneged to visit this time?
JE: Portugal and Spain.
IW: What do You think about new project of your producer (Waldemar Sorychta) Grip Inc.? Won't it be a problem for him to be a producer?
JE: This music is not mine. And I think this project may be an obstacle in our cooperation. Who knows, maybe we need to look for a new producer.
IW: How is Johan like?
JE: I'm surely not an open person. I like spending time in home, with my Girlfriend (with Christina, of course she was with Johan in Krakow, so as on the tournee in Poland in January). I feel relaxed then, i watch TV, i finally get time to get bored. My favourite food: Swedish sandwiches wid swedish milk. They're the best!
IW: Album nr 5 will be ready...
JE: I think at the beginning of 1996. i we are starting to work on it in october.
IW: Name 5 best albums for you.
JE: It is a hard task. For sure they are last Pink Floyd live album and last King Crimson. I like the soundrack for "The Book Of Jungle", jazz, funky, great album. What next... well, the first Pink Floyd's album
IW: Thank you Johan, have a great tour with Black Sabbath and Motorhead. See you in Poland!
JE: Thank you too! Greetings to all readers of Metal Hammer and all Tiamat's fans!
Tiamat is not only Johan Edlund, therefore we had a talk also with the bassist Johny Hagel, which gives interviews very rarely, and isn't popular. Howewer, he is also Tiamat's member.
IW: Johny, you are the second member in the band. How did it happened that you're playing in Tiamat?
Johnny Hagel: I saw them for the first time in a concert in 1992. I thought that it's a very good band. A month passed, we met again on some kind of music party. After that i called them; I hired myself on the attempts and here I am.
IW: What did you do before?
JH: I've played in other bands. It wasn't anything special. Not on this level.
IW: What was your part in the "Clouds" album?
JH: I wrote "The Sleeping Beauty", Most riffs on the album are mine. There wasn't much time for creating something better cause when I got into the band the material was already ready. Besides, i had to focus an the attempts, master the older and the new pieces. It was rather stressful because of the lack of time to finish it all up.
IW: And what was your part in "Wildhoney"?
JH: Much bigger. I took partt in writing most of the compositions on the record., of course except the lyrics, which are the written entirely by Johan. I was not only the creator of music, but also the arrages and ideas on how can all the pieces on Wildhoney could be melted into one. It's a great feeling to make such a beautiful album as "Wildhoney".
IW: Which material do you like more: "Clouds" or "Wildhoney"?
JH: (With no doubt) The one from "Wildhoney".
IW: Why?
JH: Because it's an album that sounds like i wish Tiamat would sound like. But this doesn't mean that I don't like playing older songs. I love some of them, but we played the so many times, on so many concerts. This is beginning to get boring.That's why I like the "Wildhoney" material more.
IW: Some think that Johan is a Dictator in Tiamat. Is it true?
JH: Ha, ha! No! Every decision is made by him and me together. We are a team. Tiamat is not his property. Johan is not a dictator and doesn't try to be one. I know him very good, he also know exactly what am I like. There is no animosity between us.
IW: Your satisfied with the "Wildhoney Tour". Is it your biggest tournee?
JH: Yes. That's because it's "our" conerts now, i mean they are what we want them to be. We play as long as we want, we've got our own lights, our technic. The tournee is designed for us. We would like to work this way in the future.
IW: What was the best concert you'ce playe and what was the worst?
JH: The best? Hmmm....
IW Todays concert will be the best!
JH Ha, ha, yes! The worst was... err...hm...I don't know. I guess in Denmark. We've played with Type'O'Negative. The public didn't give us warm welcome ,they went there only for Type'o'Negative. That was the worst concert. And the best one? There were many good ones.
IW: We've heard many good things about the show you gave on "Dynamo Open Air".
JH: Oh yes! It was super on Dynamo. It was the biggest audience in front which I played. Dynamo was one of the best concerts ever. I like also concerts in Poland, for your audience, in Warsaw or Katowice.
IW: How goes on the cooperation with the new musicians?
JH: They are in the band only to play. Infact it's hard to call them full members of the band. They don't have to play exactly as on the albums, they have some freedom, they can bring up something theyselves. Of course without exxageration.
IW: How do you think, are they going to stay with you longer?
JH: It's hard to say. We didn't settled how long will they play with Tiamat. They were to do the whole tournee. But what will be next, who knows? Maybe it will last longer. They like what they do. We shall see...
IW: How are you privatelly? Have you got a family, what are you interested in besides music?
JH: I haven't raised a family yet. My family are my parents and my brother. Hobby - of course music, it's my life and it is more important than anything. I like sport, especially football. If i have some free time I go to the cinema, I like also to watch Videos in home.I like cinema more of course. I spend my time in home, getting rest, especially when we return from the tour, where you meet and get to know hundreds of people every day. It gets very exhausting after some time, and boring too. Besides that, you still have to be with the same people in an autocar. It's nice to leave this and stay in home alone for a while.
IW: 5 of your favourite albums?
JH: New Pink Floyd live, New Bjork album is all right, what else? "Dark side of the Moon", Samael's "Rebbelion".
IW: You go on a toornee soon, this time with Black Sabbath.
JH: Yes.Before that we will play in Pilzno in Tchech Republic tommorow. After that we have a festival in Germany, we return to home for few days, and after that we will play at Roskilde Festival in Denmark. Just after that we fly for a month to the States with Black Sabbath and Motorhead. We return to Europe at the end of August and start the european tornee with the Sabbs alone. I hope we'll see again!
IW: Mee too! So, good luck with your USA tour and good bye!
JH: Thanks! See you.
IWANT
The mighty translator is: Koomi (Koomi@op.pl)
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