Scandinavia rules! And more and more interesting bands from up north invade the rest of Europe with their tunes. And where elks rock the honorary swedes from Megalomaniac Productions are not far away. Although their attempt to have a sensible conversation with the noisemakers of TIAMAT failed they still insist on its reproduction.
He still likes make-up but since the days with his first band "Treblinka" to "Tiamat" today Johan Edlund's musical orientation has changed considerabely. With their last cds "Wildhoney" (1994) and "A Deeper Kind Of Slumber" (1997) they followed the footsteps of Pink Floyd. So lie down and listen...
Megalomaniac Productions: Whoever feels like answering this one - how did Tiamat start off?
Tiamat(all): Do we have eight years? Or at least several hours? (giggling)
MP(trying again): Johan - I know it startet with "Treblinka", and I know that you don't like to talk about it.
Johan: Yes, that's right. Because it has nothing to do with Tiamat.
MP(not giving up): I know that in Scandinavia ethnic or rassist allusions are not that inhibiting as they are in german speaking countries...
Johan: It might be true, but about this thing I really don't want to discuss, because it is such a long time ago and it has nothing to do with what we do today. And I was really a different person then. You should have asked me ten years ago. Well about 1987 I started this thing and we recorded the first Tiamat album in 1989. This is where I see the start of this band.
MP: Since then, the line-up of the band changed considerabely.
Johan: Yes, and that's another thing I don't really want to talk about too much, because we had different line-ups on every record. It will only be confusing to get into all these members leaving and getting back.
MP(incredibly understanding): I can live with that, because it might confuse me too, when I have to type all this... But give me at least a statement how Tiamat sounded in the beginning. At that time you were in the death metal corner. How was your road to now? "Wildhoney" brought up a completely different sound and changed a lot in your appearance...
Johan: I never really saw this change. We just kept on going, so I wasn't thinking about it. As we changed members and the years passed of course the music changed, too. We didn't do it on purpose. It was just something that happened. Like evolution (Tiamat chatter swedish and giggle).
MP: And 'Tiamat' is Sumerian for what?
Johan: It's a god. Actually I don't like to talk about this any more, because now, today it has another meaning. It is more personal. For me it has not this historical meaning anymore. I don't see it as a god from Iraq really. It's more the name of something that became my life.
MP: For a lot of your former fans it is very difficult to cope with the changes in your music...
Johan: Well, for us it's not a problem. It's a bigger problem for them. They pay money to see us live and scream for songs from the first album. I don't think they know that much about this band, that they are really "into" this band. Otherwise they would not have expectations, because then they knew, that we do different things.
MP: What made you personally change your style, your ways? What made you grow? Where are your influences?
Johan: I don't know.
Anders: Life.
Johan: Yeah!
Lars: Getting older.
Anders: Yes, age.
Johan:We always try to do something as good as we can. As good as we are able to. And that was actually the case with our first record (starts to munch away all my liquorice). Even though you might not hear it. That's the thing: trying to do something that sounds good.
MP: What makes an audience for you an outstanding audience?
Johan: I just think if they like it, it's cool. They don't have to jump around a lot. They don't have to scream or shout that much...
MP: How do you visualize your music on stage?
Johan: It's important for every band how you visualize it, I guess. And yes, the light show is very important. It's getting more and more important and I think we are depending on it a bit. Actually I think it would be a bit boring to see us without a light show.
MP: So I better not lean back and close my eyes during your performance, because I would miss the light show?
Johan: Well, I mean, if you go to a concert you won't sit alone in a nice sofa. You will need something else. Our music might work better if you actually listen to it at home. I don't know if we are a 'live' band. We try to add with the light show and stuff...
MP: Does it then make a difference for you to play live on stage or to record in the studio? And then, is it a difference if you play on festivals, like this whole summer?
Lars: It's always a big difference...
Anders: ... between recording an album or playing live. Both is nice. And playing festivals, I guess, means reaching a bigger audience for us. But sure ... (all Swedes start laughing and through liquorice at each other)
Johan: Live is maybe a bigger kick, a personal kick, but it is not a long kick. It is not as creative, really. I think I'm happier after a recording session, because that will last longer. To play live, to have a big audience, that gives you a kick only for a few hours. But then you start thinking about the next show.
MP: It was said somewhen, that on "Wildhoney" there are only drug songs for drug people. How did this come up (background noises like the hissing of beercans being opened...)?
Johan(slightly embarrased): I mean, I didn't say that.
MP: It was a quotation from "RockHard", a german magazine.
Johan: Don't believe everything you read!
MP: You're talking to a journalist right now!
Johan: We are not a drug promoting band. We are not!
MP: For me drugs mustn't be something stricly illegal. Coffee can be a drug, too. Love can be a drug, sex can be a drug.
Johan: Love is quite a heavy drug.
Thomas(dreamy): One of the heaviest.
Lars(realistic): Alcohol is a drug (opens a new can).
MP: When listening to your new record "A Deeper Kind Of Slumber", I was sort of overwhelmed with all kinds of feelings. Was this your intention?
Johan: I remember that Thomas said in the same interview that this album is a drug itself - which is quite good. You don't have to take drugs to get into the record. It could create a similar mood. I think if people want to take drugs it is not because they want to fall into a record but they have some bigger problems.
MP: How important is it for you to reflect how you fell in your songs?
Johan: I don't know, why I'm constantly asked this question. People really think that we are oversensitive just because we show other feelings than other bands. It is a very sensual music but most bands are ... (Thomas teaches Lars to say 'noch zwei Bier, bitte' ) ... well, some bands they will stand and scream out their aggression on stage and we might more cry out the anguish. It's a similar thing.
MP: Do you feel misunderstood at times?
Johan: Yes, quite often. But it's not really important. I mean, I wouldn't expect anybody to know us (multiple 'Skol' in the background).
MP: Why is it, that in Scandinavia so many metal-, gothic- or hard rock band seem to come up in comparison to the rest of europe?
Lars: It's cold and boring.
Johan: It's cold outside, so we stay in our rehearsal places.
Thomas: I think a few good bands came out in the early days of metal, so it is probabely a kind of a tradition - I'd say.
Anders: The bands that are good and do well, influence probabely a whole lot more. And then there are ten more bands doing the same thing.
MP: Listening to your music I guess I'm not wrong when I think that you like experimenting. Where do you think this might lead you on your next album? - Apart from more birds chirping?
Johan: Oh, that we stole from PinkFloyd. I don't think it's experimenting. I think it is more about boredom. That we easily get bored doing the same things, so we try it other ways. It's creating a similar feeling but with other elements.
MP: And you are quite reckless in achieving this, right? I know that there are bands, that are really giving heavy thoughts on wether their fans are capable of following them. This is not the thing you are into. For you it is more important to do whatever you feel like and only then see who are the people that follow you.
Johan: Well, we had the biggest, or the first big success with "Wildhoney" and the whole album was about just doing something for our own sake and not thinking what people would think about it.
Anders:I think people only like a band that pleases itself first. And that's what we are doing and that shows through. If we tried to fake it, it would not be the same thing.
MP: Another quotation I read from you says "We mix the 70ies and the 90ies and FUCK the 80ies". (all laugh)
Johan(clears his throat): Yes, absolutely. I detest them. They are cheesy. No, but seriously - there were some good songs written, but they never came out good. They sounded like crap. All this drum computer stuff. The production with the first samplers, first digital equipment where the sound is so bad...
MP: Is it true, that last year you spent only nine days at home?
Johan: No, that was 1995. Last year I was at home quite a lot. And this year I was home only three weeks so far.
MP: Let me guess - you have a functioning relationship...
Johan: Oh yes, but not at home - in Dortmund. (hesitates) Fuck, I don't know if it's functional (ALL yell). But it's tough. Life is hard...
Lars: ... and then you die!
Thomas: Hormons!!
MP: Tell me a bit about your future plans.
All:Touring, touring, touring and then touring some more. And then a new album and after that again touring, touring, touring and touring.
MP: When can we expect the next album?
Johan: I don't know.
Anders: Never expect the next Tiamat album. We think still in this century.
