Switchblade interview circa ’07
I did an interview for the swedish gods Switchblade back in 2007 for their “2006” album. Published at Electric Requiem magazine which is now not available, thought some people might find their words interesting. Words by Tim. Enjoy.
The new album is awesome!
-Thank you very much. We´re pretty happy with it ourselves.
How did it come out so dark and intense?
-Well, the album came out more or less how we intended it to be from the beginning. We had a goal in our minds from the start that we were going to really explore dynamics to the fullest on the album and I think that we succeded pretty well with that.
The fact that you recorded in a special place, played a huge role in that?
-Yes, I think that the location and isolation of the Mission Hall Studio where we recorded played a pretty big role in how the album turned out. We were living in the studio 24 hours/day so we were really focused on the recording but at the same time we felt really relaxed cause the whole atmosphere in the countryside is very calm. It´s not the same pressure as you usually experience in other studios. There is a studio diary on our website with lots of pictures from the recordings.
The big blast in this release is the astonishing sound! With whom are you working with and how much important role plays the equipment for you?
-Yeah, we´ve always been really concern with our productions and equipment and I think that we´re getting closer and closer to what we consider to be the ultimate production/sound for our songs. We recorded the album with Mathias Oldén from LOGH. The Travis Bean aluminum neck guitars we use play a pretty big role in our sound as well I guess.
The third album didn’t have even titles for the tracks but rocked our asses with the first listen! The sound there is getting closer to Steve Albini’s craft. I think you also like Shellac. Comments.
-Yeah, all three of us are great Shellac and Albini production fans. Our third (2003) album was recorded by Carl Wikman at EAR Studios. We´re pretty happy with the way that album turned out as well. We have always been looking for alot of room-ambience in our recordings and have always avoided classical hardcore/metal cliché productions with drums without ambience and such.
Do you play along for many years together and what are the secrets of Switchblade that makes them such a huge band?
-We´ve been playing together for 10 years come this winter. I don´t think that there´s any special secrets that makes us the band we are. And I don´t really think we´re a huge band at all if you mean succes-wise…? We really don´t sell that much records and usually play pretty small shows…
Switchblade. Really nice name. What symbolizes for you?
-Well, it doesn´t really have a deeper meaning but it has grown to symbolize alot of things for us personally.
“2006” has a black metal feeling that is well hidden in the guts of the first track along with super slow riffing connecting to stuff similar such as Khanate. How came the collaboration with ‘E’ of Watain fame? Do you listen to black metal?
-Yeah, we all listen to quite a lot of black metal so it´s not that strange that it shows in our songwriting a little bit. I´ve been friends with “E” for a few years cause he´s always been a customer at the recordstore where I work. We thought that his vocals would fit well with the song and the atmosphere we were aiming for. A lot of people don´t seem to understand that it´s both “E” and Anders singing on that track…
Why did you decide to have lyrics and vocals in the two song new album? Mattias Friberg of LOGH is appearing for second time in your releases. How’s that?
-What do you mean…? We have always had vocals on all our releases even though some people seem to think that we´re an instrumental band. For the last album we just thought that Mattias Friberg´s vocals would be a great addition to the song. We´re good friends and great fans of LOGH so it´s great to get to collaborate with them.
Another thing that makes Switchblade surface is the song structures. Explain us how a Switchblade song is taking form.
-Well, usually someone bring a riff or two to bandpractice and we play it over and over and just try to feel what would fit with those riffs and then try to write new stuff around those riffs. We never bring complete songs to bandpractice. We try to have all three of us contribute to each song.
I know that you play with Travis Bean Guitars. Another synonym with the Albini and co. But in the “Switchblade” (2003) album we can see some Breach atmosphere too. So this combination along with your fantastic song structures creates so huge albums in my opinion! Comments.
–Yeah, Breach is another band we have always had deep respect for and we´ve been lucky to have played a few shows with them. And we recorded 2 albums, a 10″ etc. with Breach mastermind Anders Ekström. We shared practicespace with Breach for a few years. Our bassplayer/singer Anders even use the old Breach basscabinet.
You have already played with great names in the music business. Which do you believe was the biggest moment in the band so far?
-Well, one of the most rewarding experiences was when we got to fly down to Germany for one show with Sunn O)) and Boris.
How do you see your previous releases now that you are really far from them?
-Well, even though there´s a big difference between our older and newer material there is still a red thread running thru all our recordings. We´ve always had the same idea and attitude when making our records. We´re still happy with our older material. Especially the 10″ from 1999.
How convenient is to be a trio music band?
-It´s great. We used to be a four-piece from the beggining but it´s always been the three of us writing all the music.
Does the artwork play important role for Switchblade? All your illustration so far is more than beautiful and unique.
-Yeah, we feel that the artwork should be a part of the album and an extention of the music. So far we have always handled the artwork ourselves to have complete control and the get it just right.
How do you see nowadays the music network with the addition of the myspace thing? Do you think people and bands have to gain through this tool?
-Absolutely. Myspace is really a great instrument for bands to get discovered and for fans to easily get in touch with their favorite bands.
Future plans.
-We have just started writing new material for a new album. And we have a short tour coming up in December with our friends in KONGH. A band that you´ll hear more about soon for sure…
Close as you wish. Thank you for your time Switchblade. Keep on creating such unique music and atmosphere.
-Thanks alot for your interest in our band and keep your eyes and ears open for our next album.
Switchblade’s new album is gonna be released on 09/09/09 by Trust No One Recordings.
stealing the light 