Swedish band Tungsten contains some notable players in its lineup – drummer Anders Johansson a part of Yngwie Malmsteen, Stratovarius, and Hammerfall among others, while vocalist Mike Andersson spent years fronting Cloudscape. Add in Anders’ sons Karl on bass/keyboards and Nick on guitars, and you’ll hear a style with one foot in the classic heavy/power metal past, with the other adding in industrial and modern hard rock/metal touches to the sound. The latest album The Grand Inferno contains songwriting chock full of strong musical components, where the arrangement and its logical hooks/melodies are king. We had the chance to speak with Mike about the new record, their move to Reigning Phoenix Music, what it’s like to work with Anders and his sons, special memories around Sweden Rock Festival, prized vinyl possessions, wisdom imparted to his family, and what’s in store for the group.
Dead Rhetoric: The Grand Inferno is the fourth studio album for Tungsten. How did the songwriting and recording sessions go this time around? And where do you see the greatest improvements or differences compared to previous records?
Michael Andersson: Everything was very fluid. The actual song progression, it went just like on the previous albums. It’s very similar. It’s only that myself and Karl (Johansson) collaborated on a bit more vocally and also lyrically. Apart from that, I don’t see any bigger difference, we work more or less the same way all the time.
Dead Rhetoric: You’ve released three singles/videos to date for the album with “Walborg”, “Blood of the Kings”, and “Vantablack”. There seems to be a great balance between presenting the band in a light that is serious about the music but also inject some of your personality into these clips. How do you feel about the visual medium in presenting Tungsten to your followers / audience, does it give people a chance to experience the band in a unique way compared to the records and when seeing the band live?
Andersson: I think so, especially the videos. You have to separate the personal things from the private things, but we like to be humans. After all, we are humans. Some bands are very mysterious, there’s a level of secrecy, a special vibe. We are who we are. We do this, this metal music, because we love it. We like just being ourselves, at the end that’s what counts I believe.
Dead Rhetoric: Does it also help to have a band member working on the videos – I know in the past you used to work with Patric Ullaeus, a famous Swedish music director?
Andersson: The thing is yes, we used Patric for the first album videos, and I think we talked to him about doing things for this album as well. Our guitar player has learned how to create music videos as well, he’s gotten better and better. We’ve come to this point that as long as we have good ideas, we can make a music video ourselves, if we are technically able to. For example, the video for “Blood of the Kings” was a lot of my ideas. The cinema thing was not my idea, but things around there were my ideas that we talked about. “Vantablack” was Nick having a bunch of ideas, everyone contributes. Nick is producing it, filming it, cutting it and finalizing it. All the basic ideas are fine-tuned by the band members.
Dead Rhetoric: When it comes to the cover art, did you work with Andreas Marschall again like on the previous efforts?
Andersson: Yeah – not the album cover, but he did the cover for the first single “Walborg”. That cover was originally intended to be used as the album cover for The Grand Inferno. Since we switched the record label last spring, the record label suggested we stick to our mascot but Tungsten 2.0 since it’s a new start with a new label. During the spring we asked a friend of ours, a very unknown guy named Jakob to see what he could create. It’s as simple as that.
Dead Rhetoric: How would you describe being in a band with a father and two son combination lineup that you have here? Would you say there is a great mixture of influences from the old school and modern aspects because of the differences in approach and ages present?
Andersson: I think there is, and that’s one of the things that makes us unique. When we were together, we are a band – it’s like it’s Anders and his two sons and me. We actually work as friends and as a band. The father and two sons thing – they have that when it’s family time. When it’s band time, it’s band time. We treat each other with tremendous respect. For my sake, I’ve been a friend of Anders for over fifteen years. I don’t think that’s enough. His sons are very musical, and easy to work with. We have fun, we are very creative I would say.
Dead Rhetoric: After three albums with Arising Empire, you are now on Reigning Phoenix Music. Where do you see the differences so far between the two labels, and do you feel they have the right mix of staff, experience, and ideas to push Tungsten into a bigger footprint for the global scene?
Andersson: I think so. Both labels are very experienced, and good labels. I don’t want to bullshit about Arising Empire at all, they are the ones who put us here, they did a tremendous job for Tungsten and we really love those guys who run that label. The simple reason that we switched was music – we were on tour last year in Hamburg, Germany, and we were contacted by people from AFM Records. They told us when it was time for us to renew our contract, contact us. That’s what happened last spring – we had a new offer from Arising Empire, but we also had offers from three other record labels as well. We were in a very nice position in choosing what label we thought would be best.
In this case it was Reigning Phoenix Music. It’s a new label with people from Nuclear Blast as well as AFM. The guys from AFM that contacted us in Germany, they went over and started up Reigning Phoenix. Our music fits their label better, it’s more the right genre. Arising Empire is more hardcore metal, more growls, and a new kind of melodic youngster metal. Nothing bad about that, but we felt that even as they did a great job for us, we felt a bit misplaced. That’s the only reason why we tried with Reigning Phoenix, it might be good for Tungsten.
Dead Rhetoric: What do you consider some of the greatest memories you’ve had in your musical career – specific albums, tours, festival appearances, or other opportunities where you’ve felt that you’ve made a personal mark with your talent/craft that will stay embedded in your memory bank for a lifetime?
Andersson: That’s a tough question. With Tungsten, I would say playing the Sweden Rock Festival last year was fantastic. We played very early on the third day. We thought entering the stage at 11:15 am, there would be no people. People would be still at their tents and cottages sleeping, hangovers and stuff. Oh, we were wrong. The area was filled with people, thousands of people – at least 5,000 to maybe 7,000 watching our show. That became very emotional, because we weren’t prepared for that at all. We did a tour with my old band Cloudscape back in 2014. It was not my first tour, but my first longer tour – I got to visit many different countries. I could go on for hours, but those two things stick out to me.
Dead Rhetoric: When you feel overwhelmed at what life may throw at you and completely out of focus, what types of things do you try to do to regain perspective and ground yourself to push through the stress, anger, or negative feelings?
Andersson: Take deep breaths, lie down on the sofa if possible to get myself together. Give my wife a hug. Those things are the quickest way for me to gain focus again. Which is kind of rare, I rarely lose control. Of course it happens when you are tired, unintentional things happen that you are not prepared for. Relax, a few deep breaths, getting back into shape is the way it happens.
Dead Rhetoric: Do people ever seek you out for advice regarding anything related to the music industry or tips as a vocalist – and if so, what words of wisdom do you try to impart on them?
Andersson: It happens, not that often. I’ve always said when a record label wants you to be a part of their roster, always check out the record label first. What bands do they have? Do they have any band names you recognize? If there is, don’t be afraid to contact the band and actually ask if they are satisfied with the label. When you do get a record contract, never sign anything without getting a professional to look at it, a musical lawyer that knows the business. Never take chances, as it could cost you the rest of your economical life. Always get help with these things. Never trust what someone just says.
When it comes to contracts, it’s always a give and take. You can never get a contract that only is for you. You can make a contract that benefits both parties. Give and take so to speak.
Dead Rhetoric: How do you feel about your voice and technique today at 50 compared to your early days?
Andersson: I quit smoking five years ago, and that’s for the better. For me, I am as good as ever. I still progress. I love to sing. I’m at the top of my game from my point of view, so to speak. I’m 50 years old, in ten years it will be time to seek out other options to sing. As for now, it’s just cool and top notch.
Dead Rhetoric: How do you see the state of the heavy metal / hard rock scene across Sweden and other parts of Europe currently? What do you enjoy most about things – and what changes (if any) do you think need to be made?
Andersson: Changes, it’s hard. In Scandinavia, it would be nice if people got out to more club gigs. Big bands always have the crowds, medium bands, it’s 50-50. Sometimes they get full clubs or arenas, but other bands if it’s a Tuesday, people would rather sit at home with their family. Those things were better back in the day. Start buying tickets in advance and don’t wait until the day of the show. I don’t know how it is in the states, but that’s a typical thing in Sweden. Organizers are having a tough time, they don’t know how many people will come. Maybe 100 tickets are sold in advance, but will it only be those 100 or will the other 400 buy the ticket the same day at the doors? That’s people that need to be there.
If you compare that in Germany, when Tungsten was on tour with Bloodbound a year ago – there were good crowds every night. They have a different culture, the same in Spain and Italy. Scandinavian crowds are awesome, when they are there. It’s getting tougher for bands to tour there because of this.
Dead Rhetoric: I’ve read in other interviews your love of vinyl collecting. What do you consider some of your most prized possessions in that regard?
Andersson: I have all albums by Rush – from the debut album until the last one. Clockwork Angels, is priced around $600 now. I bought it for $20 back in the day when it was released. That’s my pride and joy in my collection.
Dead Rhetoric: What has fatherhood meant to you, and what sorts of skills and tools have you tried to impart on your children to prepare them best for the adult world that they will live in today?
Andersson: Be curious, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Open your mouth if you have problems. Never think you are a burden to someone else. If you are going to drink alcohol, drink when you are happy – and drink with respect. Never drink when you are angry, sad, or think the alcohol will help you out of it. It won’t. It should be for celebration. Believe in their goals, try to support their goals and dreams. That’s what I try to teach my sons. Both of them are very musical, but they don’t do music themselves at all. My stepson plays some drums, my older son is 23 and sings. But he doesn’t like to sing. He developed his own sphere, like Talking Heads from the late 70s. He’s the one who got me into Pink Floyd at an older age. Thanks to my son, I bought him all the vinyl and I like a bunch of their albums.
Dead Rhetoric: What’s on the horizon for anything related to Tungsten over the next year or so? Are you hopeful to try and make an impact sometime down the road on North America – even if it’s on a festival basis?
Andersson: Coming next is a Scandinavian tour with the Finnish band Sonata Arctica and Firewind and Serious Black. That’s the most immediate plan. It looks mellow for the rest of the year. When it comes to North America, we have no plans – but we do know we have our fans there. North America is the biggest user of Apple Music, the most streaming of Apple Music comes from there. On Spotify it’s Germany and Scandinavia. If a good offer comes, we are always open for discussions.