RoR - Just for the record, could you
go through some history of time between the break-up of At the Gates and
the formation of the Haunted? Specifically, did you know Jensen from his
work with Seance, or as a friend? I guess I'm also curious as to how you
hooked up with Peter Dolving, as his work with Mary Beats Jane is very
different.
AE - Actually The Haunted was initially Jensen's idea. But he had trouble
findingthe right people to play with. Both me and Jonas had previously
been approached about playing, but we were to busy with At the Gates. When
we came back from the last American tour Anders called me up and said that
he and Jonas were leaving the band. Since they were the main songwriters
there was really no point in trying to continue with AtG. So I gave Jensen
a call and the next day The Haunted rehearsed for the first time. Just
me and Jensen though. I got to know him primarily from from his work with
Seance, when we did a tour with them in ´94. The tour broke down
however, but we became friends and in late ´95 he moved to Gothenburg.
Dolving, who was the singer of Mary Beats Jane, approached me about playing
session drums with them on a tour since their drummer's wife was expecting
a kid, and he wanted to stay home for that. I knew he would be the perfect
guy for The Haunted so I asked him about it and he agreed. His first work
with the band was a demo we did with the songs Undead and Shattered...
RoR - How has the response been to "The Haunted"
so far? Every comment I've heard and read has been a incredibly positive
one. Is the band happy with the final result? Would you do anything differently?
AE - Well, the response has been overwhelming really. Everybody is really
happy with the result. We were a bit stressed at the mixing process and
looking back at it we would have been better of taking some time off at
that time. But you live and you learn right ?
RoR - What is the time frame for the songs?
Are there any that are more recent, maybe more indicative of the sound
direction that The Haunted are going in?
AE - Time frame? Do you mean the time it takes to complete a song? In
such a case I can´t really give you an answer. Because once the idea
has come up it can take from 1 to 15 rehearsals until we´re happy
with it. Since the album came out we have done about 6 new songs and we
have ideas for another 4. They go in the same direction as the earlier
stuff. The main difference now is that we give the vocals a lot more room
and actually build songs around vocal ideas. This wasn´t possible
when we wrote the previous album ´cause Peter came in the band when
the songs were already.
RoR - What is the writing process for the band?
It's fairly detailed as to who wrote what, but there must be some input
from each member. Does this come during formation of the songs or closer
to the final recording?
AE - The credits that can be read on the album is more to show which
member came up with the initial idea. During the songwriting process we
all contribute to the shaping of the song.
RoR - You stayed with Earache, and are now
pretty commonly perceived as their saving grace. Do you think that they
will become a strong label again? How has their support for this release
been?
AE - It has been OK. Saving grace?? I don´t know. All good things
come to an end though.
RoR - In both At the Gates and The Haunted,
the lyrical content is just as important as the music, almost bordering
on poetry. The use of English is excellent, where do the inspirations for
this come from?
AE - From reading alot and just from being alive and aware about what's
happening in your surroundings.
RoR - Also in the lyrics, the view of life
and society is a pretty grim one, one that is also sadly right on target.
Is there anything in particular which brings such a discouraging view on
life? Was this view shared by the band, or mostly the lyricists?
AE - Tomas Lindberg and Peter Dolving are both interested in sex, violence,
crime, human behaviour [are what] (that? - Ed.) most people would call
insane.
RoR - The songwriting for At the Gates changed
drastically over it's career, what were some of the major influences for
that? I speak most specifically about the use of strings up to Terminal
Spirit Disease. Was Alf Svensson a large part of this sound? Your drumming
also seemed to be a large part of this change. You proved that you had
chops on the first releases, and then concentrated more on tightness for
Slaughter of the Soul. Was this intentional, or a natural change to fit
the songs on that album?
AE - Alf was responsible for alot of the weird ideas. We were experimenting
alot as a band and as musicians trying to push ourselves. WHen Alf left
the band we decided to make music that was more to the point and alot harder.
As for my drumming i´m just a teamplayer and have to work with what
is going on in the songs try to enhance it and bring forth a groove in
it. That´s the main reason why I changed my drumming style.
RoR - To most people that I talk to, Gothenburg
is considered to be a breeding ground for music, being a part of that scene
(if you do consider yourself that!) how do you perceive the music scene
there? What is an average day for yourself there?
AE - Gothenburg has got very many musicians but I don´t consider
it having a music scene anymore.
RoR - To continue that thought, many only know
Sweden through the music. having toured the world, how do you view life
in Sweden as compared to other countries? Would you ever consider living
anywhere else? Why?
AE - The Swedish standard is quite high (compared to the parts of the
world that I´ve seen). The nature is great, the air is relatively
clean, the water is good. I might consider moving to the east coast of
Canada since it´s nature reminds me a lot of Sweden.
RoR - You must have decided pretty early that
music was the direction that you would take your life in, if you can recall,
what do you remember as being especially hard times, and to contrast that
were there times that made everything seem worthwhile?
AE - I started playing drums at the age of 12 and knew quite early that
I would keep playing for a long time. The satisfaction of playing live,
making other people and yourself happy is by far the best. It is always
hard to survive on your music which is to say the least very frustrating.
RoR - What are you currently listening to,
or reading?
AE - Portishead-Portishead, Reading "Women" by Charles Bukowski.
RoR - Your brother Daniel also plays drums
in many Gothenburg bands, but your styles appear very different! Also,
how did you both end up playing drums?
AE - Yes our styles are different fortunately. It´s great to have
a certain personality to your playing. We had a drumkit at home and he
saw me play and later on gained interrest. He is very talented, I´m
proud that he is my brother.
RoR - Other than music, what other things are
keeping you busy in life?
AE - Love and friends. I enjoy food and beer.
RoR - There is a decline in independent record
stores here in the states due to the larger "chains" forcing them out of
business. Because of this, it's harder to get a lot of the more underground
stuff. Mail order and the internet both help, but finding places that are
reliable are tough. Do you have any recommendations for getting hard to
find material?
AE - That sucks. I don´t really see the same thing happening here
yet so I don´t really have any problem finding the cd´s I want.
RoR - What does The Haunted find the future
holding for them?
AE - Legal hassles, touring, doing a new album hopefully early ´99.
RoR - Do you have any closing words of wisdom
or thoughts you'd like to express?
AE - Things are never what they appear to be. Don´t sign any papers
at all...
Thanks for reading and look out for The Haunted on tour!!!!!!!!!!!
Check out The Haunted's Official Home Page at: http://www.bigfoot.com/~haunted
