Altered Aeon Interview

Purveyors of a highly energetic, versatile style of thrash metal, Sweden's Altered Aeon take no prisoners on their skull-crushing debut "Dispiritism." The group's attention to diverse textures and fluid shifts in time signatures are just the beginning of a long list of positive attributes that make their forceful style of thrash a devastatingly enjoyable listen. Erin Fox speaks to the band's drummer, Henrik Ohlsson about the group's highly addictive brand of metal mayhem.

The Gauntlet: How did Altered Aeon originally come into existence?

Henrik Ohlsson: It started back in 2001 when Kjell and I met. We discussed the whole thing about forming a new band and we made reality out of those plans later the same year. I played all the instruments in the beginning but we recruited Niklas pretty soon and he played bass for a year or so before switching to rhythm guitar. We had some sick fucking rehearsals back then with me on guitar, Niklas on bass, Kjell on vocals and pre-recorded drums! At first Altered Aeon was called Thrawn and it wasn't a "real" band until we recorded our first and only demo in February 2003, it was more like a project before that. But after the demo-recording we managed to get Per (who recorded solos for the demo) into the band as a full member and we also recruited Anders on bass around May 2003. We had a guy called Tord on bass before Anders but he decided to quit the band when we signed to Black Lotus in mid-2003. That pretty much sums up the early period of the band.

The Gauntlet: Why was it necessary for the group to change its moniker?

Henrik Ohlsson: We changed our band name from Thrawn to Altered Aeon because we wanted a moniker that was more aligned with the lyrical concepts and another reason was that we didn't own the rights to the name Thrawn. I guess you could say that Thrawn was the name of the band in its project-phase and Altered Aeon was something that fitted better once we became a real band.

The Gauntlet: What is the primary goal that you hope to accomplish with the group?

Henrik Ohlsson: We obviously want to take this as far as possible in terms of success and have the band going for as long as we can but mainly we just want to record and release killer albums, do some killer shows and have a good time. Anything beyond that is a bonus for us because we know that tech-thrash bands has always had a hard time to get commercial success or whatever it`s called he-he. We play this music because we love it and it`s such a great thing that we can release albums and get all this feedback from doing what we love to do. It`s an awesome thing.

The Gauntlet: How do you plan on achieving this goal?

Henrik Ohlsson: There is no way to happiness; happiness is the way he-he. Well you know, as I said, we've accomplished what we set out to do just by picking up our instruments and play. Anything beyond that is a bonus, we love to bring our musical madness to the masses though and we'll continue to do that for as long as possible!

The Gauntlet: In regard to the new album, why did you choose to record at Black Lounge Studios? What was the overall recording experience like for you?

Henrik Ohlsson: We recorded our demo "Lights Creates Shadows" in the Black Lounge studio and it was pretty natural for us to go there and record our debut album "Dispiritism" as well. We get along well with Jonas Kjellgren, the owner of the studio, so choosing Black Lounge felt like the right thing to do. I play with Jonas in another band called Scar Symmetry by the way. In any case, the overall experience was smooth and the band was never in the studio at the same time, we all recorded our parts by ourselves with Jonas producing the whole thing. Per even recorded solos at his place, a recording space he calls Studio Kabyss. But we all got together in the studio when we mixed the album and the result was amazing, in retrospect the guitar sound could have been rawer but what the hell�you just can't make the perfect album. Then we mastered the album at Athens Mastering in Greece because Black Lotus masters just about all their releases there.

The Gauntlet: Why is it that you have chosen to play heavy metal as opposed to other forms of music? What are the primary factors that motivate you musically?

Henrik Ohlsson: Personally I've always felt drawn to metal since I heard KISS when I was 8 years old. After that I haven't heard any form of music besides that has consumed my mind in the same way. It`s the aura of the genre that is so compelling I think, and the music just plain rules! There is a reason why metal has survived for so long; it is an awesome form of music that speaks to the hearts of a lot of individuals. One important factor is the feeling that there are no rules when you play this kind of music, it`s more a case of learning the rules of music so that you can break them, you know. You can just sit down and try to create sounds that are cool and no one will point a finger at you saying that you can't play that way. Well�there are exceptions of course but I think you know what I mean. And you can take influences from just about anything and put it in metal, for better or worse, because the possibilities in metal-music are endless. I find it extremely rewarding to just create what comes to mind and then release it as an album or whatever. I don't think it`s possible to work this way with other forms of music, the metal world is one of a kind and that's why we all love it I guess.

The Gauntlet: Tell us about the lyrical inspirations behind the song "The Resonance Of Form In Transition"�

Henrik Ohlsson: The inspiration came from the fact that we become better individuals when we take responsibility for our life-situation rather than playing the victim role. I think it`s a cool thought that we created our own lives up to this point and once we are aware of that we can go on and create a more fulfilling life, sort of becoming your own god in a way. Instead of looking at outside factors to explain why things are as they are, I think it`s more rewarding and closer to the truth to look inside. But it`s tricky to remember that at all times! There is always a choice and an alternate truth if you want it, an altered aeon if you will!

The Gauntlet: What are some of the venues in Sweden where Altered Aeon receives the warmest receptions? How do you feel about the reaction to the music of Dispiritism at your live performances?

Henrik Ohlsson: Good question, because we haven't really played live yet. As a matter of fact we're going to play our premiere show this weekend! Yep, on the 23rd of July we'll headline a place here in Sweden with a band called Corrupt as support act. So we're hoping for a warm reception there. Well, the reaction of the live audience is something we look forward to but haven't experienced yet. But the reaction to the recorded music we have done has been excellent so therefore we have high hopes.

The Gauntlet: To what do you attribute the popularity of heavy metal in Sweden?

Henrik Ohlsson: The northern grim attitude! No, I'm not sure. I think that metal is equally popular in other countries in Europ� but I could be wrong of course. A lot of the metalheads in Sweden got into the music through the phenomena of heavy metal in the 80`s, you know, and when a thing like 80`s metal hit you when you're a kid it`s hard to avoid being bound to metal for the rest of your life. That's my opinion anyway, he-he. And I guess the climate could be a factor for the popularity of metal here�but as I said- I'm not sure, he-he.

The Gauntlet: What do you believe is the single most important thing that a band can do in order to achieve recognition on a broad scale?

Henrik Ohlsson: Play the right thing at the right time. It`s all about timing if you ask me. And money. It doesn't matter what you do if you're not doing it at the right time, but with the right timing you can be huge as a band. We've seen that with several bands, they were perhaps not the best musicians in the world but they provided the industry and the fans with the thing that they wanted at the right time and that's what made way for their success. If your timing is right, the industry will put money into what you do and people will spend money on what you do.

The Gauntlet: How do you feel that the musical styles of the individual band members contribute to the overall sound of Altered Aeon?

Henrik Ohlsson: Oh, the style of each member is what makes "Dispiritism" sound the way it does. Remove one component and the sound of the band would change a lot. So each member contributes a lot in that aspect.

The Gauntlet: Who is the most musical member of the group?

Henrik Ohlsson: Per (lead & rhythm guitar) without a doubt. That guy can play anything; he's probably the most diverse musician I've played with.

The Gauntlet: Is it easier to create music with a stronger degree of dynamics being that Kjell is such a diverse vocalist?

Henrik Ohlsson: I think that the vocals adds another dimension to the music and Kjell`s voice was what made me want to play with him in the first place so yeah, it's a good thing to work with a vocalist that you appreciate. Even though the songs are based on riffs rather than vocal lines I always hear Kjell's voice in my head when I write a verse for an Altered Aeon song and that inspires me when my mind is blank.

The Gauntlet: What direction will the next Altered Aeon album take?

Henrik Ohlsson: Good question, I`ve written a lot of songs and there`s all kinds of stuff in them! There`s a lot more song-ideas for this album than we had for "Dispiritism", so the sound of the next album depends on what songs we choose for it. We've got a shitload of brutal songs, a bunch of moodier mid-tempo songs and everything has some technical twists but it is overall pretty straightforward I think. But I said that "Dispiritism" was pretty straightforward too and everyone still called "very technical", etc. Anyway, the next album will be extremely awesome and extremely Altered Aeon, that`s for damn sure!