Sunday 1 February 2015

INTERVIEW: Johan Söderberg from Amon Amarth

On the final night of Amon Amarth's UK tour, I spoke to guitarist Johan Söderberg about what it is like to tour in England, covers and the possibility of a new album.

How has the tour been going so far?
Good! It has been sold out almost every show.

How does it feel to be playing in Southampton tonight?
I'm sure it is going to be good! But it's cold in here, I hope it warms up when the people come.

How would you say that crowds in England compare to other countries that you have played in?
I would say that it's not a huge difference. Everywhere that we play is all the same, except for maybe South America. People are a little more crazy over there!

How would you describe your music to someone who has not heard it before?
It is kind of like traditional heavy metal, but it's more dorky-sounding and a little more aggressive.

What should people expect from a live show from Amon Amarth?
It's just a well-played, tight band with lots of power.

What inspires you to continue to write music and keep performing?
I'd say it's my biggest interest. From the beginning it was like a hobby and now it has turned into work but it's still one of my biggest, like, what I do in my spare time as well.

Have you hear the cover that Sabaton did of 'Twilight of the Thunder God' and what are your thoughts on it? Would you ever think of covering one of their songs in return?
I thought they did a good cover of it, but we are not going to do any covers. I also heard they play it live when we had them as an opening band in the US.

What made you want to become a musician?
I guess it was when I was a kid and I saw Iron Maiden and bands like that play. It felt like something that I wanted to do.

What are your favourite and least favourite things about touring?
I mean, the least favourite thing is that you can never really be by yourself. You are always surrounded by people. The good thing is that you get to see lots of places in the world that you would never see otherwise.

What advice would you give to aspiring musicians?
Just play the kind of music that you like to listen to yourself and keep on doing what you like to do. I guess that is the best recipe for success.

Do you have much planned for the rest of this year?
This is the last tour for this album, so after this we are going to go back home and start working on new material.

Have you already got the new material planned out or are you waiting until you have finished the tour?
Not really! Just some small, small ideas.

Listen to the interview here: https://soundcloud.com/juliaconopo/interview-johan-soderberg-from-amon-amarth

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