Check out www.metalcovenant.com for an interview with Stanne done by Michael from Metal Covenant, it got pictures too.
Metal Covenant
Your Daily Dose Of Metal!
Metal Covenant
Your Daily Dose Of Metal!
Interview with Stanne
- Thread starter Washi
- Start date
DragonLady1
Firesoul
solefald
Vheissu
"Michael: Which one of your own albums and songs do you prefer?
M. Stanne: When it comes to album, I have to say "Character", obviously. My favourite song is probably "Razor Fever", from Enter Suicide Angels. We rarely play it live, though"
RAZORFEVER???live???
when? where?
any witness here of this miracle
M. Stanne: When it comes to album, I have to say "Character", obviously. My favourite song is probably "Razor Fever", from Enter Suicide Angels. We rarely play it live, though"
RAZORFEVER???live???
when? where?
any witness here of this miracle
solefald
Vheissu
Tracklist
01. Dreamlore degenerate
02. Tongues
03. Punish my heaven
04. Insanity's crescendo
05. Hedon
06. Nightfall by the shore of time
07. Zodijackyl light
08. Lethe
09. Constant
10. Edenspring
11. Scythe, rage and roses
12. Of chaos and eternal night
13. Razorfever
14. Bringer of torture (Kreator cover)
damn I need a time machine
01. Dreamlore degenerate
02. Tongues
03. Punish my heaven
04. Insanity's crescendo
05. Hedon
06. Nightfall by the shore of time
07. Zodijackyl light
08. Lethe
09. Constant
10. Edenspring
11. Scythe, rage and roses
12. Of chaos and eternal night
13. Razorfever
14. Bringer of torture (Kreator cover)
damn I need a time machine
KryptoN
Hidden
Schwedentod
Member
Razorfever is still on my "best of DT"-cassette I have in my car (no CD-player...). I totally love this song and was always wondering why no one else seems to have a notice of it.
solefald
Vheissu
yeah the 2 songs on enter suicidal angels, razor fever and shadowlit facade are really one of the best of the"old" DT era.
razorfever live, oh yeah that would be a dream
razorfever live, oh yeah that would be a dream
solefald
Vheissu
yeah the 2 songs on enter suicidal angels, razor fever and shadowlit facade are really one of the best of the"old" DT era.really underrated
razorfever live, oh yeah that would be a dream
razorfever live, oh yeah that would be a dream
solefald
Vheissu
Zack
charting my way to top :)
- Feb 9, 2005
- 2,642
- 1
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Didn't want to open a new thread, but here's an interview that I don't think anyone's mentioned. It's recent too. Not too much interesting stuff in here, but the end is kinda funny 
Dark Tranquillity are one of the founders of the Gothenburg sound, alongside At The Gates and In Flames. And unlike their contemporaries, they did not break up or go off in a direction that riled their much of their original fanbase; they stuck with it and grew as artists, changing their sound slowly over time while still remaining faithful to their roots. Now on their second U.S. tour in support of the "Character" album, Dark Tranquillity has been leaving a trail of pleased audiences in their wake.
Phil: First of all, I've got to ask what it's like going from being the direct support act to the opening band on the tour?
Mikael: We would prefer to be the direct support, but it's kind of cool because you get to set up all the stuff and you get to have sound checks, so it's better that way. And also, actually, every night people have actually been in. Usually that's a problem for opening bands and I don't think that we've opened a show say in ten years, this is the first one we've done touring in the opening slot. But it's alright, people are in there and enjoying it, so it's fine.
Phil: I heard there were problems at the Edmonton show where security were really slow getting people in there.
Mikael: It wasn't that bad, actually. There were enough people in there; we were happy.
Phil: We had one member of our message board complaining about that, he said he missed half your set because security was slow and then he saw you guys bowling after the show.
Mikael: Oh! (laughter) That was a crazy day, crazy place. Ever been there?
Phil: I've not been up to Edmonton; the only places I've been to in Canada are in B.C. Alright, now how does this compare to your previous U.S. tours; the one with Nile you did about three years ago and the one you did with In Flames and Sentenced before that?
Mikael: The first one obviously was a lot of fun, we went with In Flames and it was just two weeks and it was just crazy. A great first experience of being here, so that was cool. The Nile one was pretty good, but it was kind of a different crowd, it was more of a Napalm and Nile crowd, but it was good, too. Then we did Soilwork; that was much more our crowd and this one is fantastic. This one is by far the best one we've done, actually. We're playing so many places that we haven't been and everything's so smooth and works out great. We're just really, really comfortable; we love it.
Phil: Are you playing the same set every night or are you varying it out?
Mikael: We are varying it, but sometimes we do the same. We also do headlining shows whenever Opeth has a day off or when they do their own shows; tomorrow we headline in San Francisco.
Phil: Okay, the next question, I've always wondered about this, why is "Tranquility" in the band name spelled with two L's?
Mikael: That's how they spelled it in old English literature, like Shakespeare and stuff like that. That's where we were influenced from when we started the band.
Phil: Okay, 'cause I was thinking that it was more of the Megadeth, Def Leppard school of thought.
Mikael: No, no. It can be spelled either way and it was just they way that we learned the word when we were starting the band. It's more like old English.
Phil: Okay, now the U.S. reissues of "The Mind's I" and "The Gallery", were they at all inspired by the insane prices the Osmose pressings were selling for on eBay and other such places?
Mikael: Yeah. I mean, we knew they were really hard to get, people were trying really hard to get the albums and they weren't available and Osmose, they kind of aren't really doing that much anymore, so it was hard to even get them reprinted, so Century Media bought the rights and then released them. It was only supposed to be for America, but they were released in Europe as well. I think they're great; I love it - it's a much better release.
Phil: I remember going to downtown Portland to 2nd Avenue Records and just picking up "The Mind's I" for something like thirteen bucks and then three weeks later I see a used copy selling on eBay for like forty-five bucks; I'm thinking to myself, "fuck, I'm in the wrong business."
Mikael: Oh yeah. (laughs) Oh well, we never see any of that money, anyway.
Phil: Okay, given that Dark Tranquillity are one of the pioneers of the Gothenburg sound, what do you think of the direction that a lot of the bands are taking it these days?
Mikael: I think it's interesting and of course it's kind of flattering that bands are influenced by our kind of music, but the again, I'd rather hear original music; that's what I love, that's what I care about and that's why we started, 'cause we wanted to make something that no-one else has done, you know? Music is art and you don't want to copy, so it's sad that people are copying a little bit too much, but then again, a lot of people are taking it in a different direction and it's kind of cool.
Phil: Yeah. I've always had this feeling a lot of duplication, while imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, it does kind of cheapen the originals.
Mikael: Yes.
Phil: You guys have managed to avoid that because you've always gone in a more artistic direction than a lot of the other bands.
Mikael: Yeah, I hope so.
Phil: Now, I read about your appearance on Swedish television, talking about junk food. What specifically was talked about?
Mikael: It's a new TV show in Sweden and we only have a few channels and it's on the national one, which is the biggest one that everybody gets in the whole of Sweden and it's a metal show, one of my oldest friends is hosting it, so it's pretty big news. It's really cool; we've never had a metal show on there before. He wanted an angel, so we said junk food, 'cause I love it! I'm really interested in trying anything. So we went to my absolute favorite hamburger place in Gothenburg and we just talked about the best and the worst, you know, German dinner kabobs, shitty White Castle burgers and stuff like that. (laughter) It was just a fun thing, nothing about music at all.
Phil: Now would that incorporate some of the European breath mints I saw when I was over there where they have black licorice in the middle?
Mikael: What? Breath mints?
Phil: Yeah; I think junk food, I think candy as well.
Mikael: Ah! I'm not into candy at all; I'm into burgers and kabobs and stuff
like that.
Phil: Ah, greasy stuff.
Mikael: Yeah!
Phil: Now, at the Feast of Burden, who would you invite and what would you serve for dinner?
Mikael: (grins) Oooohhh-ah! (pauses) Who would I invite? I think I would have a Mexican fucking taco feast extreme with extra everything! I mean, the biggest one! I would probably invite the band and treat them to the biggest fucking meal they ever had! (laughter)
Phil: Okay, just one last question - a guy I know said he was down somewhere in California, I don't remember what city, for the In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Sentenced show and according to him, you got stranded after the show, separated from everybody else, and ended up staying with him and his friends. Now I have no way of verifying this, but I just figured I'd ask about it.
Mikael: (pauses) I don't remember. No, I don't think so. (pauses again) I honestly don't know. Could be true; stranger things have happened. I didn't stay overnight or anything like that, that's for sure. Perhaps I went over to someone's house, had a few beers and then went back to the bus or something like that. Next time you talk, ask him for details. (laughter)
Phil: All right, thank you very much.
Mikael: It's a pleasure.
Rahvin- What would you think about opening and interview thread, and the first post would list all the interviews in the thread so there are no repeats?
Dark Tranquillity are one of the founders of the Gothenburg sound, alongside At The Gates and In Flames. And unlike their contemporaries, they did not break up or go off in a direction that riled their much of their original fanbase; they stuck with it and grew as artists, changing their sound slowly over time while still remaining faithful to their roots. Now on their second U.S. tour in support of the "Character" album, Dark Tranquillity has been leaving a trail of pleased audiences in their wake.
Phil: First of all, I've got to ask what it's like going from being the direct support act to the opening band on the tour?
Mikael: We would prefer to be the direct support, but it's kind of cool because you get to set up all the stuff and you get to have sound checks, so it's better that way. And also, actually, every night people have actually been in. Usually that's a problem for opening bands and I don't think that we've opened a show say in ten years, this is the first one we've done touring in the opening slot. But it's alright, people are in there and enjoying it, so it's fine.
Phil: I heard there were problems at the Edmonton show where security were really slow getting people in there.
Mikael: It wasn't that bad, actually. There were enough people in there; we were happy.
Phil: We had one member of our message board complaining about that, he said he missed half your set because security was slow and then he saw you guys bowling after the show.
Mikael: Oh! (laughter) That was a crazy day, crazy place. Ever been there?
Phil: I've not been up to Edmonton; the only places I've been to in Canada are in B.C. Alright, now how does this compare to your previous U.S. tours; the one with Nile you did about three years ago and the one you did with In Flames and Sentenced before that?
Mikael: The first one obviously was a lot of fun, we went with In Flames and it was just two weeks and it was just crazy. A great first experience of being here, so that was cool. The Nile one was pretty good, but it was kind of a different crowd, it was more of a Napalm and Nile crowd, but it was good, too. Then we did Soilwork; that was much more our crowd and this one is fantastic. This one is by far the best one we've done, actually. We're playing so many places that we haven't been and everything's so smooth and works out great. We're just really, really comfortable; we love it.
Phil: Are you playing the same set every night or are you varying it out?
Mikael: We are varying it, but sometimes we do the same. We also do headlining shows whenever Opeth has a day off or when they do their own shows; tomorrow we headline in San Francisco.
Phil: Okay, the next question, I've always wondered about this, why is "Tranquility" in the band name spelled with two L's?
Mikael: That's how they spelled it in old English literature, like Shakespeare and stuff like that. That's where we were influenced from when we started the band.
Phil: Okay, 'cause I was thinking that it was more of the Megadeth, Def Leppard school of thought.
Mikael: No, no. It can be spelled either way and it was just they way that we learned the word when we were starting the band. It's more like old English.
Phil: Okay, now the U.S. reissues of "The Mind's I" and "The Gallery", were they at all inspired by the insane prices the Osmose pressings were selling for on eBay and other such places?
Mikael: Yeah. I mean, we knew they were really hard to get, people were trying really hard to get the albums and they weren't available and Osmose, they kind of aren't really doing that much anymore, so it was hard to even get them reprinted, so Century Media bought the rights and then released them. It was only supposed to be for America, but they were released in Europe as well. I think they're great; I love it - it's a much better release.
Phil: I remember going to downtown Portland to 2nd Avenue Records and just picking up "The Mind's I" for something like thirteen bucks and then three weeks later I see a used copy selling on eBay for like forty-five bucks; I'm thinking to myself, "fuck, I'm in the wrong business."
Mikael: Oh yeah. (laughs) Oh well, we never see any of that money, anyway.
Phil: Okay, given that Dark Tranquillity are one of the pioneers of the Gothenburg sound, what do you think of the direction that a lot of the bands are taking it these days?
Mikael: I think it's interesting and of course it's kind of flattering that bands are influenced by our kind of music, but the again, I'd rather hear original music; that's what I love, that's what I care about and that's why we started, 'cause we wanted to make something that no-one else has done, you know? Music is art and you don't want to copy, so it's sad that people are copying a little bit too much, but then again, a lot of people are taking it in a different direction and it's kind of cool.
Phil: Yeah. I've always had this feeling a lot of duplication, while imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, it does kind of cheapen the originals.
Mikael: Yes.
Phil: You guys have managed to avoid that because you've always gone in a more artistic direction than a lot of the other bands.
Mikael: Yeah, I hope so.
Phil: Now, I read about your appearance on Swedish television, talking about junk food. What specifically was talked about?
Mikael: It's a new TV show in Sweden and we only have a few channels and it's on the national one, which is the biggest one that everybody gets in the whole of Sweden and it's a metal show, one of my oldest friends is hosting it, so it's pretty big news. It's really cool; we've never had a metal show on there before. He wanted an angel, so we said junk food, 'cause I love it! I'm really interested in trying anything. So we went to my absolute favorite hamburger place in Gothenburg and we just talked about the best and the worst, you know, German dinner kabobs, shitty White Castle burgers and stuff like that. (laughter) It was just a fun thing, nothing about music at all.
Phil: Now would that incorporate some of the European breath mints I saw when I was over there where they have black licorice in the middle?
Mikael: What? Breath mints?
Phil: Yeah; I think junk food, I think candy as well.
Mikael: Ah! I'm not into candy at all; I'm into burgers and kabobs and stuff
like that.
Phil: Ah, greasy stuff.
Mikael: Yeah!
Phil: Now, at the Feast of Burden, who would you invite and what would you serve for dinner?
Mikael: (grins) Oooohhh-ah! (pauses) Who would I invite? I think I would have a Mexican fucking taco feast extreme with extra everything! I mean, the biggest one! I would probably invite the band and treat them to the biggest fucking meal they ever had! (laughter)
Phil: Okay, just one last question - a guy I know said he was down somewhere in California, I don't remember what city, for the In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Sentenced show and according to him, you got stranded after the show, separated from everybody else, and ended up staying with him and his friends. Now I have no way of verifying this, but I just figured I'd ask about it.
Mikael: (pauses) I don't remember. No, I don't think so. (pauses again) I honestly don't know. Could be true; stranger things have happened. I didn't stay overnight or anything like that, that's for sure. Perhaps I went over to someone's house, had a few beers and then went back to the bus or something like that. Next time you talk, ask him for details. (laughter)
Phil: All right, thank you very much.
Mikael: It's a pleasure.
Rahvin- What would you think about opening and interview thread, and the first post would list all the interviews in the thread so there are no repeats?
good stuff zack. I haven't read a lot of DT interviews so I was rather intrigued. The feast of burden huh? I bet he liked that question! What was his reaction to the last question? Kinda like... wtf?
Zack
charting my way to top :)
- Feb 9, 2005
- 2,642
- 1
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- 32
Magrathean
worldbuilder
The interview thread is a good idea. Let's hope R reads this.
Ahh, finally mexican food gets the appreciation it deserves! I always said it was teh best.
Mikael Stanne said:
Ahh, finally mexican food gets the appreciation it deserves! I always said it was teh best. 
6 Stringed Fingers
EditablePoly 1
Magrathean
worldbuilder
Hey, when did that gig happen? Razorfever live is indeed a rare thing, as far as my limited gig knowledge goes. And yes, great setlist (Constant, Tongues, Scythe, Edenspring....).