Another early 80’s act has returned to the scene to deliver more high-quality traditional metal – proving that there’s no age limit in this genre. Swedish act Mindless Sinner are a quintet of musicians that deliver potent twin guitar-oriented traditional riffs, chock full of those indelible vocal melodies that soar through the musical landscape while the rhythm section pounds out the foundation that puts listeners in a festive mood. Their latest album Metal Merchants contains a lot of the spirit and power that put Judas Priest, Accept, and early NWOBHM artists into the hearts of millions from all parts of the globe. We reached out to vocalist Christer Göransson to find out more behind the record, finally opening for Judas Priest after pandemic delays, favorite memories from their first EP release to playing other countries, favorite Swedish metal albums / artists, what metal means to him personally, as well as future plans into 2025.
Dead Rhetoric: Metal Merchants is the latest Mindless Sinner studio record. How did the songwriting and recording sessions go for this set of material – did you have any specific ideas of where you wanted to go stylistically that may have been similar or different to previous records?
Christer Göransson: Well, we started out back in November of 2021, a long time ago. We had some ideas for 11 songs – our original drummer played on the recording, Tommy (Johansson). After that he decided to leave the band for personal reasons. We got a new drummer, Linus Melchiorsen, and we had some more songs we wanted to record so we ended up recording two more songs, to end up with 13 songs on the album. We just wanted to make a better album than the last one, so to speak. On our terms.
Dead Rhetoric: Did the pandemic have any effect on the songwriting? Where you were able to drill down deeper on the details maybe?
Göransson: The Poltergeist album, our previous album, was released on the 17th of January in 2020. And then COVID-19 struck the world in March. That album went down the drain so to speak. We wrote songs along the way, but we started recording this in November of 2021. I don’t know if this affected us in many ways.
Dead Rhetoric: Were there any songs that came together easier than others – or specific tracks that took on a great transformation from the initial idea to what we hear as the final product?
Göransson: Yeah, some songs from the beginning, you think that this one is going to be great. Then when it’s recorded, you realize oh no, this is not so great. Some of the songs got better and better for the ride. We have a song on the record called “Third Time’s a Charm” – and that’s about us being the support act for Judas Priest here in our hometown. The first date was in 2020 I think, it was postponed to 2021, and then the third date finally happened in 2022. It’s about things in life where that happens.
Dead Rhetoric: How was it to be able to open up for such a legendary band like Judas Priest, your heroes? I would imagine a dream come true for a band like yours…
Göransson: Yeah, it was. Judas Priest is my personal favorite band. I adore them, it was a hazy dream. They were cool, and it went well actually.
Dead Rhetoric: How would you compare the guitar styles of Magnus Danneblad and Jerker Edman within the band?
Göransson: They are two different players, but together they really fit very well together. I think Jerker is a bit more melodic of a guitar player, and Magnus is more like a shredder.
Dead Rhetoric: The title track speaks about the metal community and the common love/passion for this genre. What has heavy metal meant to you personally over the years – and how has your commitment to the genre evolved from your early days of youth to what you’ve been able to put forth as a musician in bands all these decades later?
Göransson: You know, we’ve been around for so long. We started this band back in 1981, and this is our life, music is our lived. “Metal Merchants” – the lyrics talk about everybody in the business. The fans, the bands, the promoters, the guys who sell the merchandise, everybody is a metal merchant when it comes to our music. That’s what the song is about.
Dead Rhetoric: What about the cover art, how did the idea develop?
Göransson: We had an idea that we wanted to make. We had our little mascot, that we call Mr. Evil – he’s like our Eddie. We wanted a steel mill with lots of smoke and fire, and then he would appear with molten metal coming out from his hands. We contacted an artist from Romania, and he did the album cover.
Dead Rhetoric: How does it feel to be a part of the High Roller Records roster after your previous albums on Pure Steel?
Göransson: It’s great. I think we are home now, so to speak. High Roller Records is a great label, and so far, so good. Great people to work with.
Dead Rhetoric: What would you say are some of the key elements and qualities that have to be present to make for an ideal Mindless Sinner song?
Göransson: For starter, there must be a melody in the song. It’s important that the vocals are very melodic. It can be a harder riff or a fast song, but it has to have those elements in the song. It can be hard heavy metal, but there has to be a melodic touch.
Dead Rhetoric: Do the melodies come easy to you as the singer than the lyrics – or do you handle both hand in hand?
Göransson: I think so. You can have a melody in your head that ends up as a song. On the other hand, you can have a lyric and you write the song off of that. You can play a guitar and write something off that. I think it’s easy for me because I have the melodies in my head. When the guitar players – we are the main three people in the band writing, we have the ideas for the songs. The bassist and the drummer also have their input. We think that everybody is writing the song, so they all have input. If the guitar player has an idea about the vocals, it’s easy for me to write the melody he has in mind.
Dead Rhetoric: Where do you see the major differences in the profile and following of Mindless Sinner from your initial efforts during the 1980’s to the reformation of the band? Do you believe the internet, social media, and other instant communication technology platforms have given the band a second chance at glory beyond live show / festival appearances?
Göransson: Yeah, absolutely. Back in the day, we had nothing. We used to copy cassettes and send tapes to the record companies all around the world. It took ages just to get an answer back. Now you can press a button and the songs are off, and the labels can have an answer for you the next day. It’s easier in one way, but nowadays there are more bands. It’s harder to push forward, because there are lots of good bands around. And everybody can make a record – you can make a record in your bedroom and release it to the world. I think it’s easier in that way, but it’s harder because there is more competition.
Dead Rhetoric: Do you enjoy the current recording technology at your disposal compared to the days when you were on the clock in bigger studios paying by the hour or session?
Göransson: Yeah, because nowadays we have our own studio. But it goes hand in hand, you get spoiled when you have your own studio. If you go to a studio and you have to pay for it, maybe you have a Monday or Tuesday to record the vocals, then on Wednesday… now with our own studio, we can record anytime we want. It’s a minus as well, because you can put things off until tomorrow. The tools are great though.
Dead Rhetoric: Can you describe the importance of band chemistry / friendships for Mindless Sinner? Has it been important to divide out responsibilities beyond the music activities to achieve better things on the business end for the group, especially if certain band members have special skills in these areas?
Göransson: Yeah, when we first started out in 1981 and then split up in 1990 – we were always friends. We’ve known each other since we were in school. We did other projects outside of that time, but we were still friends. No hard feelings ever in the band. We are buddies.
Dead Rhetoric: What would you consider some of the career highlights for Mindless Sinner? Specific albums, shows, tours, festival appearances, or other activities where you felt like you were making a strong impact with your music and activities?
Göransson: The first moment was when we released our first record, our first EP Master of Evil. That was a very proud moment for us. Then you have some shows that we have done, like the Keep It True festival. We’ve been to the United States and played there, we’ve been to Japan, we’ve been to England – we’ve been everywhere. Every place that we are able to tour and play has been a dream for us. We wanted to do those things back in the day, but we couldn’t. It’s great. And every time you finish a new record, that’s a great moment as well. It took so long for us to record Metal Merchants from the Poltergeist record – I think it’s been five years since the last one.
Dead Rhetoric: How would you assess your vocal regiment and abilities at this stage of your career? Are there specific tricks of the trade or ways you keep things in shape both in the studio and on stage?
Göransson: No, but it’s better now than it was before. I don’t have any tricks. It’s natural for me, I just belt it out as good as I can.
Dead Rhetoric: What do you consider three of the premiere Swedish metal or hard rock albums that every reader of this site need to invest time and energy into that stand the test of time – beyond the catalog of Mindless Sinner, of course…?
Göransson: Axewitch’s first EP Pray for Metal. Torch, their first album with the blue face on it. And I like a Swedish band called Madison. Their second album Best in Show, a great album. You have tons of bands – Heavy Load, Europe of course, but they were on another level. And then you have the new bands – Enforcer, Ambush is a great band. Helvetets Port, there are lots of great bands from Sweden.
Dead Rhetoric: Being a huge fan of Judas Priest – what are some of your favorite memories beyond playing with them, did you get the chance to take in their shows live before?
Göransson: I’ve seen them lots of times. Best memory is when I got to see them for the first time back in 1984 when they came to play Sweden. A friend of mine, we went to England in 2006 to see them at the Royal Albert Hall, and that was a great memory. And of course when I got to meet the band in person, that was great for me.
Dead Rhetoric: Which types of hobbies, interests, or passions do you like to engage in away from music when you have the free time and energy to do so?
Göransson: I don’t really have many hobbies. Fishing maybe. If you call that a hobby. Otherwise, nothing special. If I don’t play music, I listen to music. Music is really always in my life.
Dead Rhetoric: What’s on the horizon for Mindless Sinner over the next twelve months? Are you already working behind the scenes on songwriting for the next release?
Göransson: We have some things cooking, but it’s nothing finished. We have some ideas, absolutely. We are trying to get out there as much as we can. We have some things planned for next year, we’ll see. Hopefully as much as we can.