Witchcraft
Witchcraft
How are things in Witchcraft camp at the moment and how are you doing?
Fine thanks, we have been rehearsing a lot lately and shooting a video for our forthcoming single ‘Child Of Fire’ which has been great fun.
Will you start off by introducing yourself and tell us why you play doom/psychedelic rock?
We are four guys from a town called Örebro which is about two hours drive from Stockholm. We have all played in different bands prior to Witchcraft, Magnus (vocals, guitar) played in a 70s heavy rock influenced group called Norrsken, Ola (bass) played in a similar heavy rock outfit called Great Mammoth, Jonas(drums) was in the punk group The Pricks known for their really fast one minute songs and I was in a garage band The Roadrunners.
You released your debut album “Witchcraft” last year, how has the album been received?
It has been received mostly very well, we got some very good reviews in different magazines and people have written and told us how much they enjoy the album. So we are really pleased.
Do you know how many copies you have sold of the album?
I’m not sure, I think maybe 4 or 5000 copies.
How do you look upon the album, here a while after it has been released?
I’m pleased with how it turned out, there are things we could have done better or differently, mostly on the production side but then again its our first album so one cant be too picky.
Who writes the music in Witchcraft?
Magnus pretty much wrote the whole first album and still writes most songs and all the lyrics, but we all contribute with songs.
Where do you find inspiration for the music?
I don’t know, we usually come up with riffs when just sitting at home playing the guitar or drinking beer and jamming in the rehearsal studio.
Are there any certain things and events that influence you and do you have to be in a certain mood to write music?
I usually come up with musical ideas when I’m in a good mood I don’t think there is any particular event that has caused me to write music.
Can you mention 5 bands and 5 tracks that have meant a lot for you personally and for your song writing/playing style?
Black Sabbath and Pentagram for sure, its hard to choose a song, maybe ‘Hand Of Doom’ with Black Sabbath because of the great atmosphere and tempo changes in the song and ‘Last Days Here’ by Pentagram because of Bobby Liebling’s awesome voice on that track.
I think the folk psychedelich group Comus has meant a lot, their first album “First Utterance” is amazing, to pick a song there I would say ‘Song To Comus’. My Dad is a big fan of The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan and I grew up listening to them a lot, ‘Gimme Shelter’ is a great song ‘Masters Of War’ by Dylan has got some of the best lyrics I have heard.
What lyrical themes does the band touch?
We have a lot of heartache songs for sure, and a few songs about the occult. Magnus writes all the lyrics so I think he writes about what ever going on at the time. On the new album there is a few songs that are more political which I think is cool.
Will you pick out your 3 favorite tracks from “Witchcraft” and 3 tracks from the forthcoming album, and tell us a bit about the musical ideas behind the tracks and the lyrics?
The song ‘witchcraft’ is pretty cool, I like the structure, starting of in a 60s garage type sound then going into a doom part and finishing in a folky type riff. Then I like ‘Schyssta Lögner’ a short, up tempo song sung in Swedish, it is fun playing. ‘Her Sisters (They Were Weak)’ is also a fun song playing. Live we usually have a long jam session in the middle making the song 10-15 min. 3 favorite songs from the new album is probably ‘Mr Haze’ a very 60s garage inspired song. ‘I See A Man’ a more heavier song with different tempo changes, and I like ‘Sorrow Evoker’ as it starts of with a heavy type Black Sabbath riff and then when the verse comes in its more acoustic folk like the band Forest.
You are soon ready with your new album, what can you tell us about and what can we, the listeners/fans expect from it?
Well, we recorded the album at New Rising studios in England within two hectic weeks and had Jens Henriksson produce the album as we feel we are on the same wave length and he did a good job producing our first record. Compared to the first album our new one probably sounds clearer and easier listening but still with a very 70s production.
What do you expect from the upcoming album?
Hopefully that people will like it and that we will appeal to more. When we released our last record we did a 4 week European tour with label mates Orange Goblin and Grand Magus, so I hope we will do another tour.
When the band started to write music for the new album, what did you have in mind and what do you want to accomplish with the album?
We just wanted to do a good follow up of the last album but with a different sound.
When will it be released and do you have an album title and the song titles ready for us?
The album will be called “Firewood” and the songs are ‘Child Of Fire’, ‘If Wishes Were Horses’, ‘Mr Haze’, ‘Wooden Cross’, ‘Queen Of Bees’, ‘Merlins Daughter’, ‘Sorrow Evoker, ‘I See A Man’, ‘ You Suffer’, ‘Attention’ and a cover of Pentagram’s ‘When The Screams Come’.
When I read your recent interview with Terrorizer, I was quite shocked when I read that you had tried to make the sound/production more polished, why did you choose that?
I like the production of the first album a lot but I think it would be too much recording the same way again, I think the more “polished” production fits the new songs better.
Are you satisfied with the Rise Above’s (the label Witchcraft is signed to) work?
Yes we are very satisfied, when we got signed to Rise Above it was more than we could have hoped for.
Your music will fit a vinyl release perfect, the sound from a 12” will be perfect for your music in my ears, do you know if your full lengths will be released on vinyl and do you wish it happens?
Our first album was released with 1000 copies on vinyl and sold out in a few months so it seems like a lot of people want our music on vinyl. I think “Firewood” will be pressed in 1000 copies.
Do you like vinyl, why/why not?
Yes, I prefer vinyl, I think the sound is more compact and has a nicer feel to it, and also the cover on cds is too small so it is hard to appreciate the art on the cover.
Will you share your 5 favorite albums, both a Scandinavian top 5 and an all time top 5 will be appreciated, with us metal heads?
My favourite Scandinavian top five is not very metal but I listen to them a lot.
November – En Ny Tid Är Här
Råg I Ryggen – Råg i Ryggen
Pugh Rogerfeldt – Ja Dä Ä Dä
Made In Sweden – Snakes In A Hole
Kalevaala – People No Names.
My all time favourites is a tough one maybe
Black Sabbath – Paranoid
Captain Beyond – Captain Beyond
Zipper – Zipper
Comus – First Utterance
Cream – Disraeli Gears
Thank you very much for answering my questions, if you have anything to add, feel free to add it now!
Thanks, I hope people will be as pleased with the “Firewood” album as we are. Cheers and rock on!
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