Dead Rhetoric: What do you hope people remember in 20 years when they look back at the Swedish metal scene?
Lindberg: Hopefully Bathory then? I think the scene will be as vibrant in 20 years as it is now actually. There is a lot of heart AND quality in the scene and I think that´s what people like.
Sundin: The truly great bands will hopefully be remembered for their music.
Stålvind: That the Swedish scene did have an impact world wide. Everything from Europe’s and Candlemass’ early days to the “Gothenburg sound” death metal and to the new wave of great traditional heavy metal.
Renkse: Mostly some key bands… Bathory, At The Gates, Entombed, Opeth.
Dead Rhetoric: What do you feel separated the Swedish scene from the other emerging scenes at the time?
Lindberg: Dedication was everywhere, in the UK, in Brazil, in Southeast Asia, etc. But maybe there was more focus to that dedication here in Sweden, I don´t know?
Sundin: It’s hard to know since this was the only scene that we had direct experience from. There were ‘zines and tape trading, but our correspondence with bands from other countries was mainly regarding the music itself and not practical stuff like the availability of rehearsal spaces or shows. Maybe the biggest difference from the scenes in – say – Eastern Europe or South America was how easy it was to get started. Bands like Vader had to build their own guitars in order to start playing, in a society that was very hostile towards metal music. This of course is very different from how things were here.
Stålvind: I guess the typical Swedish sound that is rooted in our folk music. It’s not that you can hear the folk music in modern music, but there is a kind of melancholic sound in a lot of Swedish in all genres. A Swedish musician would know what I’m talking about, but I’m not sure if this is perceived by other cultures.
Renkse: I think Swedish metal bands had a drive to add new and exciting things and come up with something unique rather than just copying their favourite bands.
Dead Rhetoric: With the globalization of metal, will different scenes, such as the Swedish metal scene, become a thing of the past?
Lindberg: No, I think it will still be relevant, because people need to categorize stuff. Put stuff in a certain order, certain bands next to each other, etc., to get a more comprehensive idea of the metal scene. Therefore they need terms as the Gothenburg sound, the Seattle sound, the Tampa sound, etc. So I think it will be as relevant in 20 years as it is now.
Sundin: I never believed that the geographic location of bands played much of a role in their sound. Scenes are more about the combination of people hanging out in the same places and sharing a common interest, and it’s a simplification so say that the climate of this or that place results in a certain type of music. Well, to me anyway. The one factor that might be gone forever is the fact that a lot of bands used the same studios. Places like the Storm Studio in Greece, Grieghallen in Norway and Sunlight in Sweden used to colour the sound of the bands quite a bit, and this helped to shape a specific regional sound. Today, where everyone has access to the same tools and equipment, part of that charm is gone. There will no longer be a “Greek drum sound”, but rather a global one heavily influenced by whatever the production norm is at the time.
Stålvind: Still Sweden has so many musicians per capita it is ridiculous. If you play a gig in Sweden you know that half the audience is musicians themselves. I can only hope that this trend will continue, but who knows nowadays when kids grow up on internet and has so much access to easy entertainment. Will there still be kids that will devote themselves to work hard on mastering a musical instrument? I hope so.
Renkse: Yes, with globalization/internet even metal is turning a little bit into a fast food-culture, and some of the aspects that have been unique for certain scenes/areas/countries are being washed out, unfortunately.
Swedish Invasion sale at Century Media Distro
At the Gates official website
Dark Tranquillity official website
Wolf official website
Bloodbath official website