So I had the honor recently of getting Par Johansson of the legendary Diabolical to answer some questions for me about his band and their new record Neogenesis. Suffice to say, it's a pretty interesting interview and I think you guys will enjoy reading it.
If you don't know Diabolical already find them on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/diabolicalofficial?fref=ts
What is the driving force behind Diabolical?
That is a really good question.
I believe that fuel that ignites our fire is that we want to change the concept of death metal. It sounds arrogant, but it’s really not.
We want to evolve and transcend ourselves constantly, both visually, musically and concept-wise.
What inspires your lyrics?
Carl Stjärnlöv (guitar, vocals) has written all the lyrics and manuscript on Neogenesis. He is quite the perfectionist and actually attended writing classes to be able to master the craft to the fullest. The inspiration, I think, is change, revolution and evolution really. You see and read stuff more or less every day that makes you question our existence, and makes you want to rebel against it.
What kind of message are you trying to spread?
We want to get people to read between the lines, to believe in themselves and to acknowledge that they possess the key to a better future within.
How do you feel about ‘Neogenesis’ now that it’s been out for a little while?
I must say that I’m very pleased. Both in the way it came out and how it’s been received.
This is by far the most elaborate and well written album that we’ve put out and I feel privileged and proud to be a part of it together with my brothers in the band.
How did the recording process go?
It took quite some time. We recorded everything in Necromorbus Studio, with Sverker Widgren (guitar, main vocals) at the helm, when it wasn’t booked. It was a real humongous mix with ridiculously many audio channels. I think it’s the biggest mix Sverker’s ever done actually, and he pulled it off with flying colors as usual!
The recording sessions went just fine. We did record all the pre-production material in the same room so we already kind of had our game legs so to speak.
How did you develop your image?
Hm, that’s a tough one. We don’t really think about that too much. We do what we want, play music that we would like to hear, write what we find important or inspiring.
What is in the future for Diabolical?
The future looks bright for us I’d say.
We’ve recently inked a deal with the great Chaotic Tapestry Management (www.ChaoticTapestry.co.uk) that will help us with tours and many other things.
2014 will see Diabolical in Bergen, Norway for the first time, playing at the Blastfest Festival together with bands like My Dying Bride, Marduk, Taake to name a few.
There are plans in the making about more than one tour in 2014, and we also already have some new material written that we’re working on from time to time.
So we have a lot on our plate!
How do you think you will develop musically over the years to come?
I think we’ll evolve quite much actually. There are new twists on Neogenesis musically that we’ve never had before. All of us have a quite diverse diet of music so we never know what might be blended into the mix.
What do you think sets your sound apart from all the other death metal bands out there?
I think that we have our own sound.
The guys we are now have played together for quite some years now and we know each other well on many levels. I think our personal sounds mesh well together and we usually have songs composed by more than one or two members, something that gives us a kind of twist that wouldn’t be there with only one songwriter.
What do you love so much about music?
I love the excitement about listening and searching for that perfect album. There are so many good musicians and bands out there that still give me the spinechills.
I also love the fact that music can bring me up when I’m down. Especially depressing music. It never gets out of style.
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