Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Hammerfall interview done by Patrick on 12-7-16

Here  is  a  new  interview  with  Sweden's heavy metal,rock  legends  Hammerfall  who  are  getting ready to  release  their  tenth  release  soon  on  Napalm Rec.And  talk  about  the  new  release "Built To Last" and  the  bands  future  plans  and  shows/tours  coming  up  in  2017.
Regards
Patrick
fiendformetal@live.com
https://twitter.com/PDeathrasher
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Interview  with  Fredrik   Larsson   bassist  of   Hammerfall  done  by  Patrick


1.Hello  please  introduce yourself  to  the  readers? How  are  things  going  in  Sweden  these days?

Hi! Fredrik Larsson here, bass player of HammerFall! Things are getting a bit busy now with rehearsals coming up and still a lot of promotion and preparing to do. And of course the usual stress with everything around Christmas. Other than that, it's all good! 
 
2.Hammerfall  is  getting  ready to  release  their  new  cd  "Built To Last"  through  Napalm  Rec. how  did  the  band  come  in  contact  with  this  great  label?
 
Well, we were kind of looking around for a new label since our contract was fulfilled and we wanted to do things in a different way instead of just doing it the same way we've always done. We had a casual meeting with Thomas ad he made some impressions on us so we started to investigate our options and we were even more convinced that this was the way to go. It feels like it's still I'm the beginning but so far we have a great cooperation. 
 
 
3.How  long  did  it  take  the  band to  write the  music for the  new  release?Does  the  whole  band  work  on  the  music  or does  one  member  usually  write  everything?

It's mostly Oscar and Joacim that writes and I think Oscar started pretty much right after the last tour ended. There is a lot of planning to do and it's hard to know if you will write the perfect album in three months or in twelve so it's best to start early. I know he had a hard time getting the inspiration he needed so it took some time but he is also very structured and sat down a couple of hours every day just to get something down and in the end he'll get there. It's not a democracy in that case but it's always been Oscar and Joacim that had the vision for HammerFall and they have done a great job so far!

4.Are  their  any  shows  or  tours  planned  in  support  of    "Built To Last"   if  yes  where  are  some  countries  the  band  will  be  playing?Any  idea  who  are  some  bands  Hammerfall  will  be  touring  with?

We have a hectic period beginning early January next year. We start off with a European tour together with Gloryhammer and Lancer and then we have a South America tour coming up and later on a North America tour with Delain. And that before the festival summer starts off. We haven't planned next fall yet but I'm sure we're gonna squeeze in a couple of more shows. 

5.What  have  been  some  of  the  bands  most  memorable  shows  over  the  years?

For me personally I would say the Ines we've done in Scandinavium in Gothenburg. That's where I saw most of my childhood idols, such as Accept, Iron Maiden, Anthrax and many many more. To be on the same stage is a fantastic feeling and something I wouldn't even dream of when I was on the other side of the fence as a kid. And I must mention a free concert we did in Gothenburg as well, that was truly amazing. There were people everywhere. We played on top of our biggest avenue and it was so crowded you couldn't see the end. Fantastic. 
 
6.Are  their  any plans to  mane  a  video  for  the  new  release? If you  had  your  choice  what  song  would  you  like  to  see  made  into  a  video?

Well, we did a lyrical video to ‘The Sacred Vow’ and a proper video to ‘Hammer High’ which obviously are the singles. We usually just do one video per album so consider this a bonus. 

7.Hammerfall  also  plays  a lot  of  cover  songs  of  various  bands and  in  2008  did  a  cover  album "Masterpieces" what  have  been  some  of your  personal  favorite  cover songs  to do? Are  their  any  cover  songs  that  the  band  has  not  yet  done   that  you  would  like to  record  someday?

Since I didn't play on most of the cover versions I have to say ‘Youth Gone Wild’. A song that I really liked when I was younger and still think is a killer song! I can't say that I think about cover songs, it's just a fun thing to do. Don't hold your breath for more covers though. 

8.Hammerfall  formed  in  the  mid  90's  what  has  kept  the  band  going  strong  after  all  these  years?

I think we've always done things by heart and not followed trends. We play Heavy Metal the way we think it should be and we still love this. If we wouldn't I think it would have shown and people would notice. 
 
9.The  band  comes  out  of  Sweden's  heavy  metal   scene  besides  heavy  metal  do  any  of  the  members  listen/like  any  other forms  of  metal  and  music  in  general?

Yes, of course. We all like a lot of different music. I listen to a lot heavier music, thrash and groove or whatever the genres are called these days. I used to listen and play a lot of death metal as well but not so much right now. I know Oscar still listens to some old school death metal and we use to talk about it from time to time. We played together in Crystal Age, a death metal band, before I joined HammerFall. 

10.When  not   working  on  new  music  or  band  business  what  do  you  all  enjoy  doing  in  your  free  time?

Right now, HammerFall is taking most of our time, but Joacim is really into Whiskey and Champagne. Oscar is a big MMA supporter and he also collects and play a lot of video games. Pontus works as a Front of House engineer and records a lot of bands both live and in his studio. David is into beers and peppers, he always have a new brand to speak about. And I try to get as much family time as I can before the tours start. I got two sons that really wants my attention all the time.
 
 
11.Thank  you  for  taking  the  time  to  fill  this  interview  out  do  you  have  any  final  comments  for  the  readers?

Thank you very much! I hope I'll catch you all out on tour somewhere or on a festival nearby. Bring some friends and make the party even bigger!
 
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