All Interviews
Fate
Fate
Posted on May 15, 2006
by Anders
The Danish melodic hard rock mastodon has returned with a comeback album with quite an impact. To be honest I don't remember much of them from their heydays, but "V" took me to another world. I got in touch with bassist Peter Steincke, who answered most of the questions and Per Johansson (his answers are marked with his name in front of them, ed) to answer the questions about the great lyrics on the album. So read on and get a lot of info on the new album and a little of what to expect of the band in the future.
Hi there, how are things in Denmark as we speak?
Fine, thanx. It's almost summer, after a very long winter!
Will you please start off by introducing yourself and tell us how you ended up on the melodic/hard rock scene back in the days?
My name is Peter Steincke and I play the bass and keyboards I went to see a Uriah Heep concert, and I loved their bassplayer Gary Thain decided to play the bass too! The love for rock music started out with Zeppelin, Sabbath, Purple. Then I started out playing rock! And in '85 we started FATE.
A small introduction of the rest of the band will be great as well!
Per Johansson on vocals and Søren Hoff on guitars. We had a Swedish drummer, Micke Kvist, playing on the new album. Then again it will be another drummer live. Micke living in Sweden and we in Denmark makes it a bit difficult! Playing live we will also have a keyboardplayer.
What have you all been up to, in the time between the last album "Scratch N' Sniff" up until now?
Per continued making music. I changed completely and ended up in a totally different line of work and Søren, like all guitar players I have ever known, play the guitar all the time when it’s possible!
Why did you choose to call it quits then and have you ever regretted that decision?
We simply needed a break. We did a lot of touring and stuff after our 4th album, with Mattias Eklundh on guitars, but in '91 Mattias left to pursue a solo career. Søren Hoff then became the guitar player and still is. Then in '93 we decided to take a little break! It turned out to be a rather long one! I never regretted it for a moment, but on the other hand its great to be back!
How did the "reunion" come about?
A couple of years ago MTM wanted to re-release our old albums, and they also talked us into playing one gig in Germany, which was great fun, and slowly the idea came up to do a new album – which we then did!
How is it to be back?
Super
You have just released your new album "V", a strong and powerful record, how do you in the band feel about it?
We are very happy about it .We did it without any interference from anyone. It's completely our own thing!
Is it the strongest album you so far have made?
I think so – but off course you do every time!
What do you expect of the album?
Hopefully that people like what we are doing…
How has it so far been received both by the press and by your fans?
The press: Mostly positive I think! The fans seem happy! Some people think that we have changed a little bit!
Now you have the "comeback" album out and it seems to be getting rave reviews and a lot of attention, what's the plan now?
The next thing is playing some live gigs here and there. There are plans, but nothing solid at the moment.
How much more music do you have in you and how many more Fate albums can we expect?
We have a lot of music left in us, but let's see what happens?
Who are the main songwriter(s) in the band?
We all are.
How do you in the band work when you write and arrange the songs, is it a band effort or more of an individual effort?
We are all making the music together. Usually an idea will come up, then Per will do some cue vocal, Søren will do his guitar stuff and maybe it will end up being something we can use. Sometimes we can't even agree on what part is the chorus and what part is the verse! So it's very much a collaboration where everyone contributes.
Where do you find inspiration for your music?
You get inspiration from everywhere: life in general and all kinds of stuff. In this case the making this album was not so much a question of inspiration, but more that we have grown older…
The music has its roots in the traditional hard/melodic rock/AOR scene, though sounds very up to date and not "arcane" at all, what have you done to keep up with standards and so forth and how do you manage to keep the music sounding fresh?
Nothing - to be honest. We just play what we feel like playing. Off course you have been listening to a lot of different music over the years and might have picked something here and there. Also you develop as a musician over the years and that will influence the way you play.
You have an incredible ear for good, smooth and catchy songs, how important is "the good song" for you?
Extremely important! The melody is a very big part of a good song!
Which elements a song do you weigh as the most important ones and please state examples?
Technicality, melody, groove and so on is equally important in this line of music. This goes for all our songs on our new album. If a song is a mixture of everything, we like it and then hopefully it will appeal to others too!
What do you want to tell with your music?
Have a good time!!
How much does the music mean to you?
A lot of course – on the other hand it's not a matter of life and death… But it has been and still is a very important part of our lives…
Is it Per Johansson who has written the lyrics on the new album, or who is the mind behind them?
Per: Yes :o)).
Which themes do the lyrics touch and how important are they compared to the music?
Per: Lovesongs, inner feelings, about good and bad, life itself and all in between. Lyrics are always important to those who write them, hopefully, but to me it is! The lyrics I wrote on "V" is deeper than "Scratch…" and you can easily hear that on "V". Life is much more complex today, than it was sixteen years ago and there are many things to write about and thank god for that; Listeners can bring themselves into a wonderful world when they listen to the songs on "V" and they can almost feel the hate, hopelessness, joy and a lot more. Listeners can, if they will, take themselves to many places regarding the lyrics, but it depends on witch mode they are in.”
Where is the inspiration for the lyrics found?
Per: All around me and in me.
If you feel like it you are very welcome to pull out your 3 favourite tracks from "V" and guide us through the lyrics, how the ideas for the music originated and so forth!
Per: I love all the songs but what's more important, is where the lyrics take you! Hope you understand. My story is as good as yours but I have chosen to share all my feelings with you and the rest of the world. I love singing the songs on "V", no matter what other people think of me. If listeners react on my voice and my lyrics, then I've succeeded. All the songs come from the heart from us and you can with no doubt hear that!
The album has been produced by Tommy Hansen, why did you choose him and are you satisfied with his work?
Because Tommy also produced our last album, "Scratch N' Sniff", so we had worked with him before. This time Per had his vocals pretty much laid out in advance, so we spent time on the drums in the studio. Søren also knew what he would do with the rhythm guitar, solos and stuff. And also the bass and keyboard were in place. So mainly Tommy glued the whole thing together. Tommy always makes things sound great and powerful!
It seems like the melodic/hard rock/AOR scene is on the rise again, some of the old bands are making noise, projects with legendary people etc. are releasing albums and so on, how do you look upon the scene, is there anything interesting to get and how is the scene in Denmark?
Well there is a lot of the old band resurfacing and that's a nice thing – and I think the scene in Denmark is fairly ok. There are more metal bands than melodic hard rock bands in Denmark though! But as long as it is rock……
You are working on getting a European tour up, though what about gigs in Denmark, do you have any planned here?
Sure we are gonna play in Denmark, but no dates yet!
When you look back at your career, which 5 Fate tracks do you see as the strongest and why?
That one question I really can't answer, because it actually changes. Also it depends whether you just listen to the songs or you play them live. Musicians are the worst to judge their own songs!
How do you look upon the future of Fate?
Positively and with curiosity…
Will you share your 5 all time favourite albums with our readers?
That also a question I don't like answering. Maybe those 5 albums haven't been made yet? It also changes – sometimes I like listening to this and that and sometimes to something completely different.
But of the top of my head: Deep Purple - Made in Japan
Queensrÿche - Operation Mindcrime
The Who - Live at Leeds
Led Zeppelin - II
Hughes/Thrall and tons more!!
Thanks a ton for answering my questions, if you have anything to add, feel free to add it now!
Good to be back!
Fine, thanx. It's almost summer, after a very long winter!
Will you please start off by introducing yourself and tell us how you ended up on the melodic/hard rock scene back in the days?
My name is Peter Steincke and I play the bass and keyboards I went to see a Uriah Heep concert, and I loved their bassplayer Gary Thain decided to play the bass too! The love for rock music started out with Zeppelin, Sabbath, Purple. Then I started out playing rock! And in '85 we started FATE.
A small introduction of the rest of the band will be great as well!
Per Johansson on vocals and Søren Hoff on guitars. We had a Swedish drummer, Micke Kvist, playing on the new album. Then again it will be another drummer live. Micke living in Sweden and we in Denmark makes it a bit difficult! Playing live we will also have a keyboardplayer.
What have you all been up to, in the time between the last album "Scratch N' Sniff" up until now?
Per continued making music. I changed completely and ended up in a totally different line of work and Søren, like all guitar players I have ever known, play the guitar all the time when it’s possible!
Why did you choose to call it quits then and have you ever regretted that decision?
We simply needed a break. We did a lot of touring and stuff after our 4th album, with Mattias Eklundh on guitars, but in '91 Mattias left to pursue a solo career. Søren Hoff then became the guitar player and still is. Then in '93 we decided to take a little break! It turned out to be a rather long one! I never regretted it for a moment, but on the other hand its great to be back!
How did the "reunion" come about?
A couple of years ago MTM wanted to re-release our old albums, and they also talked us into playing one gig in Germany, which was great fun, and slowly the idea came up to do a new album – which we then did!
How is it to be back?
Super
You have just released your new album "V", a strong and powerful record, how do you in the band feel about it?
We are very happy about it .We did it without any interference from anyone. It's completely our own thing!
Is it the strongest album you so far have made?
I think so – but off course you do every time!
What do you expect of the album?
Hopefully that people like what we are doing…
How has it so far been received both by the press and by your fans?
The press: Mostly positive I think! The fans seem happy! Some people think that we have changed a little bit!
Now you have the "comeback" album out and it seems to be getting rave reviews and a lot of attention, what's the plan now?
The next thing is playing some live gigs here and there. There are plans, but nothing solid at the moment.
How much more music do you have in you and how many more Fate albums can we expect?
We have a lot of music left in us, but let's see what happens?
Who are the main songwriter(s) in the band?
We all are.
How do you in the band work when you write and arrange the songs, is it a band effort or more of an individual effort?
We are all making the music together. Usually an idea will come up, then Per will do some cue vocal, Søren will do his guitar stuff and maybe it will end up being something we can use. Sometimes we can't even agree on what part is the chorus and what part is the verse! So it's very much a collaboration where everyone contributes.
Where do you find inspiration for your music?
You get inspiration from everywhere: life in general and all kinds of stuff. In this case the making this album was not so much a question of inspiration, but more that we have grown older…
The music has its roots in the traditional hard/melodic rock/AOR scene, though sounds very up to date and not "arcane" at all, what have you done to keep up with standards and so forth and how do you manage to keep the music sounding fresh?
Nothing - to be honest. We just play what we feel like playing. Off course you have been listening to a lot of different music over the years and might have picked something here and there. Also you develop as a musician over the years and that will influence the way you play.
You have an incredible ear for good, smooth and catchy songs, how important is "the good song" for you?
Extremely important! The melody is a very big part of a good song!
Which elements a song do you weigh as the most important ones and please state examples?
Technicality, melody, groove and so on is equally important in this line of music. This goes for all our songs on our new album. If a song is a mixture of everything, we like it and then hopefully it will appeal to others too!
What do you want to tell with your music?
Have a good time!!
How much does the music mean to you?
A lot of course – on the other hand it's not a matter of life and death… But it has been and still is a very important part of our lives…
Is it Per Johansson who has written the lyrics on the new album, or who is the mind behind them?
Per: Yes :o)).
Which themes do the lyrics touch and how important are they compared to the music?
Per: Lovesongs, inner feelings, about good and bad, life itself and all in between. Lyrics are always important to those who write them, hopefully, but to me it is! The lyrics I wrote on "V" is deeper than "Scratch…" and you can easily hear that on "V". Life is much more complex today, than it was sixteen years ago and there are many things to write about and thank god for that; Listeners can bring themselves into a wonderful world when they listen to the songs on "V" and they can almost feel the hate, hopelessness, joy and a lot more. Listeners can, if they will, take themselves to many places regarding the lyrics, but it depends on witch mode they are in.”
Where is the inspiration for the lyrics found?
Per: All around me and in me.
If you feel like it you are very welcome to pull out your 3 favourite tracks from "V" and guide us through the lyrics, how the ideas for the music originated and so forth!
Per: I love all the songs but what's more important, is where the lyrics take you! Hope you understand. My story is as good as yours but I have chosen to share all my feelings with you and the rest of the world. I love singing the songs on "V", no matter what other people think of me. If listeners react on my voice and my lyrics, then I've succeeded. All the songs come from the heart from us and you can with no doubt hear that!
The album has been produced by Tommy Hansen, why did you choose him and are you satisfied with his work?
Because Tommy also produced our last album, "Scratch N' Sniff", so we had worked with him before. This time Per had his vocals pretty much laid out in advance, so we spent time on the drums in the studio. Søren also knew what he would do with the rhythm guitar, solos and stuff. And also the bass and keyboard were in place. So mainly Tommy glued the whole thing together. Tommy always makes things sound great and powerful!
It seems like the melodic/hard rock/AOR scene is on the rise again, some of the old bands are making noise, projects with legendary people etc. are releasing albums and so on, how do you look upon the scene, is there anything interesting to get and how is the scene in Denmark?
Well there is a lot of the old band resurfacing and that's a nice thing – and I think the scene in Denmark is fairly ok. There are more metal bands than melodic hard rock bands in Denmark though! But as long as it is rock……
You are working on getting a European tour up, though what about gigs in Denmark, do you have any planned here?
Sure we are gonna play in Denmark, but no dates yet!
When you look back at your career, which 5 Fate tracks do you see as the strongest and why?
That one question I really can't answer, because it actually changes. Also it depends whether you just listen to the songs or you play them live. Musicians are the worst to judge their own songs!
How do you look upon the future of Fate?
Positively and with curiosity…
Will you share your 5 all time favourite albums with our readers?
That also a question I don't like answering. Maybe those 5 albums haven't been made yet? It also changes – sometimes I like listening to this and that and sometimes to something completely different.
But of the top of my head: Deep Purple - Made in Japan
Queensrÿche - Operation Mindcrime
The Who - Live at Leeds
Led Zeppelin - II
Hughes/Thrall and tons more!!
Thanks a ton for answering my questions, if you have anything to add, feel free to add it now!
Good to be back!
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