 1) Hi. How are you and is there some fresh news in band? Hello. I am fine thank you. I have just spent a few hours in the studio recording and am now taking a break, so I thought this interview was a good idea. News with Elvira Madigan? Well, I see You ask about upcoming releases further down below, so I'll leave those news to that question. But other than coming CD:s in the very near future I am in heavy writing/recording of an album called "Regent Sie". I have been working on this album for quite some time and things are getting along very well. I record extensively over several months (up to about one or two years) for Elvira Madigan albums so it is a rather long journey. Taking these breaks to answer interviews and check emails and correspondances are many times a blessing 2) Which story and meanining is hidden behind name Elvira Madigan? The lady Elvira Madigan (or Hedvig Antionette Isabella Eleonora Jensen) was a tightrope dancer at a Circus who lived 1867 - 1889. She fell in love with a lieutenant called Sixten Sparre with whom she fled from Sweden to Denmark on the account of the fact that he was a married man. But leaving Sweden made him a deserter from the army and when funds ran low in Denmark they chose to commit suicide while away on a picnic. So Mr Sparre shot his Elvira Madigan and then himself (by mutual decision of course...) instead of risking beeing seperated for the rather obvious outcome of his incarceration if returning home to Sweden. A rather romantic tale that has spawned films in the past. I basically chose the name because it doesn't mean anything and because it is not in English. These facts provide for the perfect situation where the genre for music is never out of sync with the bandname. I also started off writing lyrics only in Swedish so an English band name felt rather strange. And it also sounds rather nice as it slips off the tounge... 3) You are doing all alone and all parts was done very very good (bass, guitar and vocal ) without maybe drum which is drum machine. That is instrument for my opinion which have soul and is very important. Why you did not try to find some season musician and to record it live? Maybe it will be more real... The reasons for not using drummers up until today are many. First, well you see when I started this little one-man band of mine it wasn't really to start making a name out of myself or even releasing the recordings on CD:s. Initially it was an explorational journey to dealve deep inside myself and create the most creative stuff I could possibly spawn. And I had so much material just stacking up on me by early 1998 so it was also a way to get a weight of creativity off my shoulders. Actually, when I recorded the first songs for Elvira Madigan (a yet unreleased selftitled debut - which is now licensed to "Black Lodge" and will see a future release) I wrote down all the drum patters in case a drummer wanted it if Elvira Madigan was to get a deal or something like that. So I prepared myself to rerecord everything just in case... but I never did send out that album/demo in any larger quanteties to record companies, it just wasn't the priority. You see, Elvira Madigan was a very egoistic journey only started to satisfy myself and to make music I myself would feel was the best possible I could make. At the time I started recording the album "Blackarts" (first released 2000 and now set for a rerelease in the summer!) it occured to me that I actually got across what I wanted artistically in these initial recordings. I felt there was no need to prepare for rerecording the songs. The productions (even though obviously lacking the larger fundings) fitted me perfectly. I rather like the personal soundscapes than the latter day perfect productions who many times lack in originality, and so without even trying or having thought about it I had ended up with productions which didn't really sound like anything. Anyway, it seems I'm babbling on a bit here, but the point is that alot happened without me planning things to get this far. I am actually quite happy with the drum sound though. I have heard quite a few other recordings by bands using drum machine and compared to those I think Elvira Madigans drumwork sounds quite authentic. Also, nowadays I realize that the creative process of making my albums is much too intense to involve a drummer. I write and record basically at the same time and the sessions for one album last approx 1 - 2 years. And when that time has passed I am usually so burned out that I just want to mix it and leave the material to be released. But, I shouldn't say too much either, because anything can happen in the future. 4) Can we see and hear Elvira Madigan Live, because it is one-man project? (If not) do you plan something change about that in near future? And who was playing on tour at "Bloodstock 01"? Well, Elvira Madigan has never played live. The "Bloodstock 01" promotional tour (which also included a visit to the Sweden Rock Festival) did not consist of live shows but rather me renting stalls to sell my CD:s (at that time only "Blackarts" was out). So it was only in promotional purposes I travelled to England to get the name of Elvira Madigan out. Regarding future shows there are no plans at this moment. The fact is that one would have to get together a rather experienced group of people since I wouldn't fancy spending years in rehearsal to just end up sounding like a "rookie" band. I don't really mean anything cocky by that by any means, but the recording sessions do already take up so much time and from earlier experiences from playing in bands I do understand that it is really not an easy task to be a good live band. And Elvira Madigan is by now almost an established concept so peoples expectations would probably be rather high and I would hate to spend an enormous amount of time and effort to just end up disappointing people. Well then, seems I'm a little "scardy-cat" after all! But nothing is impossible and everything in Elvira Madigan is recorded in such a way that it is possible to play it live. 5) Album "Witches", you last album still, have some ideology. Can you explain what is actualy means all album? Even though all Elvira Madigan are musically conceptual (that is: riffs and melodies reoccur throughout the albums) "Witches..." is not an album that has a complete running story through the songs as many have thought. I mainly focused on crimes of the cross or the general practice of the dark arts when writing the lyrics. It would be rather silly to mix English and Swedish in a story which is binded together since the only ones who would understande the entire tale would be Swedish anyway. Mainly when I write my lyrics I want to tell small tales or just describe a certain situation or emotion. The fact that many tracks talk about tales concering witchcraft or witches was something that at first came as an accident. It just happened basically, but I liked that fact pretty much so I continued along that line. The ideology might be critisism from an objective view of the many crimes the faith of the "Good Book" is responsible for yet never has firmly recognized themselves. It is like the "crimes of the century" that everyone knows about but are to numb or witless to recognize. Everyone knows who was to blame but noone has ever been punished. As far as I know, the papal constitution has never taken responsibility for forming the first Inquisitions and all the evil they stood for. And yet today, biblical societies are often part of practising evil they think themselves being free of by using their bible as manual. Within "the Jehovas Witnesses" peudophiles can molest children and not fear legal reprimands other than being asked to "ask for forgiveness" from their victims and ultimatly from God. Crimes like these are kept secret withing Christiam societies and nevere reach national courtrooms. This was a rather large issue taken up by the Swedish press two or three years ago and as late as a few months ago another (smaller) Christian society were involved in internal murders here in Sweden (-one involved claims to be the "Bride of Christ"!!). Ahh! It just sickens me that the faith of the Cross is a recognized national religion within many countires. I mean, if the bible were written down (and rewritten several times later on) some hundreds or even a thosand years after everything happen was supposed to have happen, - how distorted aren't those tales by now. If I tell a joke, say about how five hedgehogs were crossing a road (and then some more...), and people continue carrying this tale by word of mouth for a thousand years, well I suppose the number would eventually have risen to about two hundred hedgehogs, and the hedgehogs themselves would then end up being hippos. And that people follow that bible like a manual (or even worse - choose what passages are true or not by own will) is just a testament to how utterly braindead the human race is. The exclution of "Lilith" is a prefect example of how the book already is filtered and censored to fit some pricks need. 6) "Witches - Salem (1962 vs. 2001)" was released in 2001. under Black Lodge Records, if I am not wrong. That was so long time ago. What is up with new songs. Have you recorded something between that and current time and what we can expect in near future? Ahh... Now that I've let some steam off, new releases might be a positive new subject. Well, "Witches - Salem (1692 vs 2001)" was released in december 2001 (but really didn't hit the market until early 2002) on my own record company Northlore Records. By that time I included in my daily routine also management of distribution and selling/promoting Elvira Madigan. In 2002 I was contacted by the newly started company "Black Lodge" who then bought up licenses to rerelease my CD:s, and in the spring of 2003 "Witches..." was rereleased. So in the near future the "Blackarts" album will be out (and this CD is completely remixed in my rebuild studios as well as remastered!) probably in the summer of 2004. It might seem that nothing much has happened lately but the fact is actually quite the opposite. You see, right after finishing "Witches..." in the studio I started recording the next CD which unfortuanly as been waiting for more than a year now due to the rereleases on "Black Lodge" and different legal matters. This CD is a quite therapeutical work for me consisting only of covers from the non-metal scene. It is called "Angelis Deamonae - Wiccan Aftermath" and is set for release in the autumn of this year (so 2004 will have two album releases by EM!!). The CD consists of tracks originally written by such acts as "Tori Amos" and "Chris deBurgh" (among others) recorded in Elvira Madigan style. So it feels basically like a completely new album due to the fact that the songs sound completely different from the originals. It sounds just like any other Elvira Madigan album. There are many instrumental interludes included and the dynamic variation is there just like on my previous works. The fact that practically all songs are unknown to the average metalhead also adds to the feel of originality. I can truly promise that it is a covers album like none other! I really look forward to getting this CD out. I listen to it every now and then and am completely blown away by it myself!. It was finished mixed in January 2003 and I have been waiting frantically to get it out. Other than this, well I rebuilt the studio completely after the covers CD was mixed and then started recording my next original full length which will be the hugest thing so far. I have now spent more than a year recording it and things are rapidly advancing, but it will probably take the rest of the year to get it finished. It will be done completely in English to give way to the very vivid and poetic story which is told throughout the songs. This is the very first real conceptual work and the production is just huge and for me there are so many things to keep track of - on behalf of the fact that I record all the songs simultaniously (which I normally don't do). I have gone to extensive lengths just to get a really good story as well as a language that feels original and a storytelling that is crystal clear to understand. Conceptual pieces has been rather the flavour of the month lately (especially in the prog-metal scene) but in my opinion not any of them has been able to succeed in what makes a conceptual album good (apart from individual works by "Ayreon" perhaps). You have to really understand and care about the story and this has been my main objective. I am a true sucker for the King Diamond albums I grew up with ("Fatal Portrait" to "Conspiracy") and even though I can't (and won't) make an album like these I have hade them as a good example of how important the storytelling is. Well, to be honest I can't really say to much about this album currently in the making (everything is changing all the time) so I'll have to come back to you regarding this when time is ripe. But it is truly my largest undertaking so far. 7) Songs, and lyrics are on many languages... You have Latin too. How do you get idea to use this ancient language? I was doing some research when I noticed most of the songs tended towards the subject of "Witches" and "herecy" in general. And I learned more about when the first inquisitions was formed and so on. So quite a few instrumental titles on the album refers to this very moment in time. "Anno Domini 1232" was the date "Gregory IX" (the pope) first formed the "first of three" inquisitions ("first of three" was an instrumental track that didn't make it onto the album). The latin title of "Ecclesia Non Novit Sanguinem?" is the latin phrase coined at that moment by these evil men of the cloth and it translates something like "The Church is untianted with blood". I just added the questionmark to emphasize how utterly contradictory that very phrase is. 8) To be honest, recently I heard for many bands which is not so young, but have one or two albums... I don't want to talk about names but all that music is good and quality but have the similar influences like some bigger bands and sounds similar on some way. I must say that I respect your sound very much. Actualy I was listening only the last album "Witches", but sound is very original. Do you think that too J? Yes! As I said earlier in the interview I rather stumbled upon a quite original sound by accident. It spawned out of the raw creativity Elvira Madigan consists of. It is more the feeling and how I present it that matters compared to get the richest and most expensive soundscape possible. But by that I don't really mean that the production is crappy (for those who haven't heard Elvira Madigan)! It is just very different. I remember featuring one of my very first tracks recorded on a sampler in Italy several years ago, and when I got copies of the sampler when the magazine came out, I listened through it and there was a few other bands before the EM track came along. But when my song appeared it was such a different sound that I sort of jumped a bit. I then realized that it might be a rather good thing because one really noticed that song. 9) Actualy I was reading many reviews on internet and on many webzines, they all compare you with Cradle of Filth. I can't cay that because only song "Häxor, Maror, Och Vittror" looks like Cradle of Filth, about other songs, there is no chance to compare Elvira Madigan and COF. You are playing atmospheric doom metal with a lot of different influeces and many different and interesting vocals, so on the other side Cralde OF Filth have their unique style of gothic metal with black metal vocal. What is your reaction where you see Elvira M. sound like COF and similar bands or something similar - do you say "oh shit, again. I don't deserve that" or you must agree in their opinion. Oh! How sweet! Wonderful that you don't see EM as very much alike Cradle of Filth. Very sweet indeed, because it is - as you indirectly point out - quite rare. I myself can't grasp how stuck up alot of people can be with comparing me to CoF. At some point I can accept it though. I mean, when a new act hits the shelves You need to be able to describe it and comparing it with other acts is then perhaps the best way. I remember when "Crimson Glory" released "Transcendance" and everywhere they went they were compared to "Queensyche". They themselves said that in time people will grow to understand just how different they are to Queensryche and lo! - How very true that was. For when looking back it is obvious that the two bands were to completely different things, there just wasn't anything else available at that time to compare them with. The same applies for Elvira Madigan. I can understand some of the comments because I try to use as wide a range of my voice as possible to make the music more varied and dramatic. So I do use high pitch screams and low "talking" as well as whispers and grunts. - Hence the comparisons to Dani Filths throaght. But I also sing with either a clear voice or a more "crunchy" one. And as You so wonderfully said - there are alot more influences in my music than CoF. I must say that I would understand better if people said there was some similareties to Blind Guardian, for their varied speed metal and strange songstructures has been a rather large influence for me. But bands like "Hexenhaus", "Jethro Tull" and "Mekong Delta" are really technical stuff that is quite responsible for my - at times - chaotic music, and latter day "Marillion" and "Tori Amos" for the emotional input. Well, these are of course only a few acts mentioned for I do listen to so much music and so many bands. I am pretty sure people will put aside the endless CoF comparisons in a near future. The album I am currently recording is so far from CoF that I'm sure thing will shape up by then. 10) In other side of journalists are fans... Do you satisfy with support of Elvira Madigan? Very satisied indeed. Whenever someone sends me email telling me how much they like Elvira Madigan I treasure that contact immensly. I always answer fan mail. Since I don't play live it is my only means of getting fan-feedback. Every now and then I might even stumble upon people who are huge "Elvira Madigan fans" (as they themselves put it) and I feel enormously flattered. As I said earlier, I started this thing out of pure egoistic reasons so whenever someone I don't know say they like my stuff it is like an eerie blessing... And I almost feel like a Rock Star! Haw! 11) Probably you work a lot of when we are talking about Evira Madigan because you are working almost all in the band. Do you have some side project and what do you working in life behind band Elvira Madigan? I don't have any side projects. Elvira Madigan includes such a wide spectre of musicgenres that I do get all my kicks recording EM songs. I can basically record whatever I like and it can be regarded as Elvira Madigan. So there is really no need for a side project. Beside music I do have another job, but what I do to provide for myself and Elvira Madigan expenses is quite a little secret. I do work shift though and that gives me lots of time to spend doing stuff for this band. I do in fact like having another job for it gives me opportunity to relax from the music and to then be able to head into the creative process with more energy once I return home again. At times when I have too much free time it doesn't necessarily mean I record or write more music. I also need to get out of the studio to meet people, or I'll become a frantic maniac who keeps to himself all the time! 12) I am interesting in one thing. Which is feeling when you get idea and finished some project (for exampe album) alone and when you realize that people love that and suppport You and your work. It must be great, and you should be proud on Elvira Madigan. Why thank You! Yes sometimes recording my albums feels needlessly hard. I insist on not using regular song structures and that means one has to try harder in order to get the songs to feel natural and not just messy and chaotic. Sometimes I can almost feel ill and my head is haunted by a restless (and relentless) "itch", when things don't end up properly. I then just ponder for days about how to solve things. It is an enormous creative process which is based more on providing the proper feelings and songs instead of just basing tracks on riffs I like. The songs themselves must feel completely perfect and in line with what I want to present at that time, but they must also fit an entire album. I really want my albums to be like journeys and worlds of their own and this eats up much energy but the end result is always enormously satisfying. One could just collect the best songs and mash them onto an album, but I like it so much better when each song is perfectly positioned and is weighed against each other carefully. I suppose all the time spent with each song adds to the fact that I never really dislike anything I have done in the past. I can always feel proud of the tracks and the albums and that feels very very good indeed. It's like being really proud of ones past and not regret stuff. Hearing You say I should be proud of Elvira Madigan makes me even prouder...! It is like having anonymous friends all over the world whenever people like what I do at such large extents. For as far as I understand, it seems that people who like my stuff REALLY likes it and understands the deapth I try to create. And that is almost like religious revelations! Strange comment though... As I just thrashed religion a few questions earlier... 13) Ok. That will be all for now. It is enough I think, but I am really enjoying while I am writing this questions. I hope so that questions wasn’t boring for you. Until next time, say something for Nocturne readers. No the questions were of course not boring! I was actually quite flattered and touched by the fact you are among the few in current time realising the many differences between that major Black Metal band with whom I am always compared. Anyway, this is the first interview to a Serbian press-medium and that is always very nice. I truly hope we can speak again when the album I am currently recording is out for sale. And for Nocturne readers! Well, hope You haven't been bored by my babbling and never hesitate to "babble" in feedback to me via email should You desire to do so! Cheers and thanks. |
