Matt: How has the tour been thus far, after your difficult beginning, as far as with the visas?
John: Yeah, it�s been really good; there�s been really a lot of people. It�s been a really good turn out, and we were really surprised that there were so many people that knew about us. Yeah it was a bit of a�
(Ola Henriksson joins in on the interview)
Ola: Bobby Liebling.
John: Yeah, Bobby Liebling from Pentagram he came up and played.
Matt: Yeah, it�s actually on YouTube.
Matt: Did one of you guys, did somebody contact him - did he know you guys were playing there? How did that work out as far as playing with Bobby Liebling?
John: Yeah, I don�t know. I think I heard rumors that he was going to come, cause he played with Joe Hasselvander two nights before, I think. And he said that Bobby was gonna come along.
Ola: There�s a couple of guys doing a documentary about Bobby. We met them in New York? Yeah, in Brooklyn, and they have contact with Bobby, on a regular basis. And they actually drove out and got him to the show. But Bobby said he had heard our stuff earlier and really liked it. And he knew that we were doing some covers by Pentagram, so he wanted to sing. We did two.
Matt: You did �When the Screams Come� and �Yes I Do.� The new drummer (Jens Henriksson) is your brother, right? Is he permanent?
Ola and John: Yeah.
Matt: And obviously that must be working out okay, because it�s your bro?
(laughter)
John: When we recorded the single, [it was] the first thing we did and he played drums on that as well, and produced it. And we had this other drummer, Jonas Arnesen, who played for about four years and then he quit this summer.
Matt: With him quitting, was that amicable, or he just got tired of being in a band, he wanted to do different things, or wasn�t liking the direction?
John: Yeah, I think it was quite difficult with work and the band at the same time and stuff like that. And he�s got a girlfriend who lives out in the country.
Ola: He lives about one and a half hours from our rehearsal studio; he thought it was a pain in the ass.
Matt: What was the decision behind releasing a 7 inch (If Crimson Was Your Colour)?
Ola: We had two songs that sounded a bit different from what we usually do, and we decided that would be a good thing to release as a 7 inch. We weren�t sure if we were going to put them on the new album, so yeah let�s put out a 7 inch.
Matt: I already saw on Rise Above that they mentioned the new album should be coming out Easter 2007. Is that just a random report?
Ola: That�s the plan.
Matt: Do you have all the songs ready to go, or are you still in the process of writing?
John: Yeah, in the process of writing still. We�ve got a bit more than half the album, and then we�ve a few more songs to do. But we�ve had the U.S. tour in between, so we haven�t had a chance�
Matt: Will there be another Pentagram cover on the next album?
Ola: No.
Matt: Since the response has been so well, will you come to the U.S again, if possible?
John: Yeah, I think there are plans for us to come back quite soon.
Matt: So roughly six months from now?
John: Yeah.
Matt: There appears to be a scene brewing in your home town of Orebro in regards to bands like you and Dead Man and Burning Saviours. Is there a scene per se developing as far as within your sound, or is just you three bands doing your �70`s thing? Not to dumb it down or generalize.
John: Yeah, there�s quite a big scene of a lot of bands coming and doing the �70`s thing. There�s quite a few more bands. There�s a band called Gripped Illusion and Troubled Horse. It�s a big scene there.
Matt: In regards to your similarities to Pentagram, is it hard to shake that vibe? How do you guys deal with staying fresh?
John: We don�t really think of it like that. We�ve been listening to �70`s music since we were like 14 or 15; it�s just what we play.
Ola: I think you can hear some other influences as well. The main influence is still the �60`s and �70`s; hopefully some other things can come through.
John: Yeah, I think we stay fresh by having that base.
Matt: Have you noticed a difference between European and U.S. crowds?
Ola: The U.S crowds are more into it, that�s the feeling I get.
Matt: So are the European crowds a little more laid back - I hate to say boring, they`re not as intense?
John: I think they`re more laid back. In Sweden in general, people don�t listen to their own music. They prefer English and American bands.
Matt: This is my last question already and on a good note, what�s your favorite beer?
John: (looks at what is in his hands) We�ve been drinking Stella (Artois) for most of the tour.
Matt: I�ve never had Stella before.
