Hey there, please start off with a small introduction of yourself and tell us why you play thrash and how you got hooked on it?

Hey, well I’m Mike from Lethal and we’re great. I play thrash because I’m a heavy metal maniac and thought it would kickass to make and play such music. It all started with Ride the Lightning many moons back and then I was trapped.

Will you introduce the rest of the band too, and tell a bit about their strong and weak sides?

Bob Nordin on guitar, riffmeister general, a bit too fond of his floyd rose

Erik Grahn, guitar, killer songwriter but should stop whining and start drinking like a man

Emil Walterholm, drums, killer skinbasher who should be more of a heavy metal maniac

When and how did Lethal get formed?

In early 2004, the thought had been there for a while and me, Erik and Bob had discussed it and when we realized we could force a friend to play drums, we got started... He was exchanged pretty soon though due to several reasons and we got Emil.

Why did you choose to call the band Lethal?

Because we play fucking Lethal thrash metal terror

You are playing thrash straight to the bone, as in the heydays of thrash, why did you choose that path?

That was when thrash was good... We weren’t around to do it back then so we have to be twenty years late, it’s simple really.

Which bands have influenced you as a person and the sound of the band?

I could mention shitloads here but to keep it thrash I’ll say Sodom, Kreator, Dark Angel, Morbid Saint, Metallica’s old stuff, Testament, Exodus, Infernäl Mäjesty, Slayer... Well, all the good thrash bands basically.

In the heydays of thrash a good tradition was to make a track called ‘Tormentor’, you have revived that on your “Demolition” demo, how come?

That’s not really optional so we just did it. That particular song was written already (By Erik) long before Lethal actually formed.

How was the demo received and how many copies have you sold of it?

Very well mostly, though as we all know it’s not going to change the world or anything like that. 222 copies were released through Final Punishment in cooperation with Steelfire Invasion and those sold out from the labels in a little over a week, though some copies are probably rotting away at distros here and there. Add to that some 50 CD-Rs or so that I’ve sent out myself before the demo was released and after it sold out.

How do you look upon the music on it today?

I still think it kicks ass but I must say I’m a bit tired of it, playing it in particular. It feels a bit dated, stale and uncomplicated compared to our new stuff.

Who writes the music in Lethal?

Mostly Bob and Erik, but I do my parts as well and plan to do more once I stop being so fucking lazy

Where is the inspiration found for the music?

Violence and force! Good music, war, anger, stupidity (such as Christianity) etc

You got picked up by the label Witches Brew pretty fast, how was it to be signed?

Felt nice, I thought from the start that WB is the right label for us and that’s why I sent them a demo. I was glad to hear that Cheryl liked it and wanted to sign us.

Though the plans did get screwed up due to Witches Brew closing, didn’t they?

Yes, but I still wasn’t devastated as I could understand her reasons and was confident that we’d find something else once stuff picked up for us again, all of that was in a bit of a slow period for us as a band anyway.

The label is now up and running and you’re back at it as nothing has happened right?

Yep, Cheryl contacted me a while ago and said that she would stir the brew again and wondered if we were still up for a 7” to be followed by an album. Of course we were.

You are soon ready with your first 7” “Deliverance” released by Witches Brew, what can we expect from it?

Extreme aggression! Faster and slower than the demo, more varied, better sound... Well, better everything pretty much. A first taste of what the album will be like, I guess.

You have just released the title track from the EP online, how has the reactions to it been so far?

Released and released... I’ve let some people here and there have a listen, so I hope it doesn’t spread all too much and I hope those who like it will get the 7” so we can afford to release that damn album sometime. Anyways, the reactions have been very very positive, I think I’ve converted some people that didn’t even like the demo to thrash metal terrorists with this.

The band has progressed a bit, the music is more powerful than on the demo, there are added more elements and the song is more interesting, the vocals are more unique and the sound is better… but how would you describe the progression of Lethal from the demo to now?

Well, we’ve become better songwriters and musicians... To me it’s not really a huge change (It hardly is to anyone, for that matter) as I’ve been there every step of the way, but I do notice a differance.

When will the 7” be released and what do you expect from it?

I don’t have an exact date but I’ll be sure to let you know... I’d guess in a month or two.

Besides the 7” you will also release a full length album on Witches Brew, do you have any idea about when that will happen?

Not at all, all I can say is “when it’s done”. I hope it won’t be too long.

Have you started to write music to the full length album and do you have any idea how the outcome will be?

Yes, some music is done or halfway done, but not close to everything... I can’t see into the future so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. It will thrash your fucking necks off, that’s for sure.

How far do you think you can take Lethal?

Very very far, but we don’t want to go there. This isn’t a job, it’s just some kickass thrash for the sake of thrashing. Getting a few more gigs would be nice though, let me know if you’ve got something for us!

Well that was all from me, thanks a lot for answering my questions, if you have something to add, please do it now!

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[This interview was first published on the now defunct scandinavianmetal.info webzine]