Lucem Fero | Interviews | Lion's Share

“The Edge of the Razor” - Lion's Share axeman Lars Chriss slices through the intrigue surrounding fifth opus Emotional Coma

By Anthony Morgan

Four acclaimed albums were the crux of Swedish Melodic Metal greats Lion's Share contribution, namely Lion's Share (1995), Two (1997), Fall from Grace (1999) and Entrance (2001). All worthy titles, and musical items that warrant further investigation. These great achievements fail to mention completed tours with some of the greatest names in history. Names that will be etched into the historical tomes forever, their bold print never fading. Deep Purple, Scorpions, Manowar, Iced Earth, Dio, Motörhead - need more names be shared? This is what a cursory glance at the group's biography reveals, though the intimate details are much more enticing. Following 2001's Entrance, their lone release for Massacre Records, the voice of Lion's Share grew silent somewhat. Tired and worn from the daily grind of handling the group's affairs, mainman Lars Chriss sorely needed a welcome break. Chriss lent his musician skills to a selection of tracks from a variety of artists, and gave modest, lowkey updates on the progress of Lion's Share's fifth effort over the next few years. A mass culling of the lineup did little to offset fears, and many feared that Lion's Share had been laid to rest. Occurrences in private somewhat differed to this image though, and the seeds were being slowly sown.

Vocalist Patrik Johansson joined the ranks in 2003, building a career with such illustrious groups as Astral Doors, Wuthering Heights and Space Odyssey following the union. A mere year later Sampo Axelsson was recruited for bass duties, already having undergone a stint with the legendary Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Trapeze) in the 90's. Both arrivals were kept quiet from the press for quite some time, affording the group time to work without the immense pressure the media's gaze usually gives. AFM Records announced that Lion's Share had inked a worldwide deal with them in April 2007, and promised that the much awaited fifth effort would swiftly follow. It's name? Emotional Coma, unleashed in June 2007.

Stripping away the keyboards, large background vocals, and the progressive elements, a much nakedly stark ambience was left in the place of Lion's Share's previous stylings. More uptempo, Emotional Coma exudes incredible energy and immediately adds an exclamation point to any statement it wishes to make. The acclaimed Richard Evensand (Chimaira, Soilwork, Therion) filled in behind the drumkit as a session musician, offering a modern drumming style which suits the written material. Other known names lent their creative juices to the overall album, all with sparkling reputations. Rock institution Bruce Kulick (ex-Kiss) weighs in with a guitar solo that adorns chosen video cut “The Edge of the Razor”, whereas as burgeoning axeman Glen Drover (Megadeth, Eidolon) displays his extraordinary musicianship upon the title track. Renowned singer Mats Levén (Yngwie Malmsteen, Therion) even makes a return appearance, providing backing vocals once more.

Abundantly refreshed from a six year hiatus, mainman Lars Chriss was extremely keen to discuss the various aforementioned nuts and bolts that shaped Emotional Coma. One email from Lars to the editor (the interviewer, yours truly), and the deal was set in concrete. A down to earth gentleman, it's warming to see proactive musicians whom actually seek out the press.

Hello?
Anthony?
Yeah, this is Anthony. Is this Lars?
Yeah.
Alright. How are you?
I'm fine, thank you. How are you doing?
Yeah, I'm alright. Is it alright if I start the questions?
Sure.
How did Emotional Coma come about?
After our fourth album Entrance (2001), I needed a break. I had been touring album after album for eight years, so I definitely needed to do something else and recharge the batteries in the meantime. It ended up being a six year break. Of course, during this period I gained a new lineup. I did some other things like guest performances and so on, but it was around 2003 when our new singer Patrik Johansson joined the band. A year later Sampo joined, so I would say from at least 2004 we worked pretty hard by writing songs for demos and so on. It's been a difficult gap between releases, though we actually had the luxury to be able to take our time making it. We were on a break anyway, so it didn't matter of course. We're very happy with what we worked for. We found a logo, and came up with a cover that has a mascot on it; it's like Iron Maiden's Eddie, or the covers of Iced Earth. So here we are today, and we're real happy with our new label AFM Records. Everything sounds great.
Did you use that time to rest emotionally as well?
I did yeah, and that's because I used to handle everything regarding the band. I felt as though I was working all the time. I wasn't too understanding when other members started getting children and wanted a vacation, and that's because I felt the band was everything. Overnight it became difficult pretty much, and wasn't fun anymore. I was totally drained, and really needed a break. If I had continued, then there would have been a problem I suppose.
Do you feel the break has renewed your passion for music?
It has, and it's been very good. My guitar playing has improved as well, so I'm a better guitar player. I've been by myself for the first time, been able to figure other things out and practice. Other things had always been getting in the way of my playing in the past. For the first time I had proper time to myself, and that was really good. It was refreshing too. I also had the time to figure out where to go next with Lion's Share. I like AOR groups such as Foreigner, though I also like really groovy bands like Arch Enemy or Soilwork amongst other artists. You can't have all your influences in one song though, or on one album, or even in a whole band. In the past I think Lion's Share tried to cover all influences and areas, so I decided early on that Lion's Share should write Heavy Metal. I grew up with those artists, and those being the classic bands like Black Sabbath. I wanted to return to my roots, and get rid of the keyboard type material. It's a very honest album, and you can really hear the band playing. It's full of energy, and we don't use drum samples.
With the keyboards and so on in the past, do you feel that that took Lion's Share from what you feel it's about personally?
I started the band with keyboards, and it was pretty natural back then. We were also very influenced by Dream Theater and groups like that, so back then I wanted to push that influence. When we released our first album in 1995, there was Grunge and Hip Hop everywhere we looked. We felt pretty original back then doing the music we did, and back then it felt right. Our keyboard player just quit after our third album, so when he disappeared I finally got the chance to do things my way and return to a more straightforward style. I believe I didn't take away from the writing, as those were my riffs and my melodies back then and they're also mine now as well. He used the keyboards and instruments like that with Lion's Share's sound, and he also added most of the progressive elements. If you went back to the old records and took away all the keyboards and all the more progressive aspects, you'd be left with what I wrote. I wanted more energy, a more modern drumming style and more uptempo songs. I had a clear idea of where I wanted to go with Emotional Coma, and that's how and why the new members helped Lion's Share reach that goal. Everything was pretty much planned. Also, I kept my eyes on AFM Records because that was the label I wanted to sign Lion's Share. They're a very current, growing label, and so far everything is going pretty much as planned.
Do you feel you were trying to get back to more like what Lion's Share sounds like live?
Yeah, I would say so. Progressive elements were present in studio material, but I always enjoy more straight ahead songs when we play in front of a live audience. You can get the crowd going, and you can get them jumping and so on. If you have all these constant drum changes and beats, then people will look. It's a band playing, and it's the energy we have when we play live. I think it's a great album, and a great lineup. When you start out as a band, I usually say it's more like a coincidence or an accident. You know some people, and they seem ok. You don't have a style though. This time around, we already had a style and we had a fanbase. These are also the kind of personalities I wanted within the band.
Is this a rebirth for Lion's Share?
Yeah, it is (laughs).
What was the writing process like for Emotional Coma from your perspective?
In the past, we mostly used analogue to record the albums. This time around though, it's all digital. I bought myself a home studio back in 2002. This time, a lot of the material such as vocal parts, guitar solos etc. turned out great on demos. That was pretty cool. With Sampo, I was very comfortable recording Emotional Coma right from the start. You don't cut demos, rehearse them and then lay down the album. You replace things from the demo along the way. We have a lot of left over parts which are half finished, and some have drums on them. We always use a drum machine when we write, and then replace it afterwards.
Will these half finished songs resurface on a follow up to Emotional Coma?
Yeah. I would say some of the songs will, sure. We always try to write an album more than just one song, and our goal is that a written song will put be on the CD so that it's played. We tried to make uptempo material, and there's a lot of variation with these songs. Of course there are a couple of great songs which didn't make this album, and those songs will hopefully make the next. We're going to begin writing soon because of this huge gap, and we don't want to waste any time. We're going to start already in October time, and hopefully have it finished by next September. We're going to establish Lion's Share again, show that it's our band and deliver.
Are these half finished songs in the style of Emotional Coma? Will the follow up to this album sound similar, or will it be a total departure?
We never want the albums to sound the same, otherwise then we would be issuing the same album over and over again. We're really happy with the record though. I would say it's going to have the same style, but be even more original and more like Lion's Share in certain areas. We like the traditional, Classic Metal style in the vein of Judas Priest or Black Sabbath. We like good playing, and I think it's going to be in the same direction.
How would you describe your guitar performance on this album?
I'm very happy with it. During this break I finally had the time to be on my own, and time to practice. I think I took a huge step forward, which I certainly believe so. Also, there is a bigger presence of guitars than in the past.
What influences did you have on your guitar contributions?
Ok, my favourite guitar players? That would be Gary Moore in the 80's, who had a very good tone and vibrato The guitar had power. Unfortunately he lost all this, which was a waste. Also, I listened to Michael Schenker in the past. Uli Jon Roth, Marty Friedman; there's so many great guitar players, but I grew up with these guys. Obviously, there's the band that got me started playing in the first place when I was really young. I confess this influence freely, and that was Sabbath. Obviously, (Yngwie) Malmsteen is another favourite in terms of when he came around with his material and played. That's even though I never adopted his classical style, as I'm more of a traditional guitar player. There've been many greats.
What lyrical themes does Emotional Coma explore?
Patrik wrote all the lyrics, and they're pretty dark compared to the other albums. He writes about things that go on in the newspapers, and that's the kind of guy he is. He likes to write about brutal things that happen. For example, “Cult of Denial” is about some young kids that announced they were going to kill themselves.
So in terms of lyrics, you prefer to focus on more personal or social themes rather than say fantasy and so on?
Yeah, I would say so. We're not a Power Metal group that writes about dragons, and we're more focused on the music itself.
Is the fact you went on a break the reason why some of the other band members left?
No, as I pretty much fired them all. I felt that I was going to try and take Lion's Share towards a more straightforward approach with other people, and I did tell them that.
Was that because of mostly creative differences?
No. When we started out, everybody was single. Members then started getting involved in relationships, having children and so on. It started getting more difficult, and we had an instance where somebody wanted a vacation. We had a show, and someone had to go on a... anyway, it was real tough. I couldn't handle the band with all this shit going on, and you grow tired of each other. It was tough for me because I was constantly working hard with things, and I never had any time off or time to play guitar. I think it was the pressure; you have the pressure from both the band and the label to come up with better shows, and more sales. It gets pretty rough.
Are you still friends with the past members?
Yeah, more or less. There's quite a few though, so I don't keep in touch with all of them. There's only one of them I'm not happy about, and that's because he was very bitter.
Is there a reason why he's bitter?
I really don't know. I think maybe it's because he put a lot of years in the band. I'm the sole owner of Lion's Share's back catalogue, so he couldn't continue the group without me. It's my band more or less, so maybe that's one reason. He had no option other than to play with other people. I'm not a psychologist, so it's hard for me to understand it in a way. It's just kept on, and I've heard it for years. I can't understand fully why we fired him, but that's his problem. I'm happy today with whatever has happened, otherwise we wouldn't have Emotional Coma. He was the kind of musician that got too emotional in some respects. I'm here though (laughs), and not him.
Are you able to say which past member that was?
No, I'd rather not.
It's just that the line is a bit poor, and I wasn't too sure if you had mentioned that person's name or not. That's all.
I didn't, because after all these years I think it has to stop (laughs). I don't want to add fuel to the fire, but he knows who he is.
So if he happened to read this interview, he would know that person is him?
Oh yeah (laughs).
As it was a long break from the last album, do you feel that the follow up to Emotional Coma is definitely going to be released in 2008 or 2009?
We're hoping to release it September next year, and we're going to start writing this October. Hopefully we're going to do some shows, and maybe some summer festivals. You can never tell though, but we're real happy. We want to record an album as good as, or hopefully even better, than Emotional Coma. We need Patrik around though. It's going to be tough, but that's our goal. We don't want to take another break, so let's say it'll be out before the end of next year.
As you had a strenuous schedule a few years back, is your current schedule more relaxed?
No, not really. I had a rest though, and I knew beforehand what was waiting. That's probably why the gap was so long. Sure; after two years I was relaxed and recharged, but I knew I wasn't ready for a big tour. As soon as I had a new album and a new lineup, then I knew a label would be interested once more. I'm very thankful for every review, and I know it's a lot of hard work. I'm especially thankful for the emails, as they take a long time. People even write back in different languages, ones that I'm not familiar with. It's a lot of hard work, so you must be ready and you must really want to do it. I'm the kind of person that wants to do it at my best, and I want to be proud of whatever I do.
So now you're recharged so to speak, you feel that you're ready to give it your best shot and hope for the best?
Yeah, otherwise I wouldn't have released an album. It's now or never, more or less. I wanted things on our terms as well, and I got it that way. I wouldn't have signed with a whole label if I couldn't give it my best shot; I would rather have rested the name, and left it with a good reputation. Lion's Share is known as a good band that has good musicians, and a group that makes good albums. I don't want to bring that down. I need it to work, and a band and label that understands it all. Otherwise, I don't want to release anything.
This is obviously the first album to feature Patrik, so how has having Patrik in the mix affected the overall sound of Lion's Share?
It's great, and importantly he heard my new material when he joined. Yeah, he's part of the group. I think Lion's Share will always be my vision though, as I usually write most of the music. For this album, I wrote the melodies like I did in the past. He's cool though, and so is his voice. I knew where I wanted to go with the album, so it wouldn't have been the end of the world if he hadn't been on the album. We would've still released a good album, and we will in the future too. Hopefully he will be on them, though you never know. I think Lion's Share is my vision though, and whether the other guys wish to join me is up to them.
Have the other members of Lion's Share committed to a long term future? Do they wish to do future albums and tours and so on?
Yeah. That's our goal for sure, otherwise we wouldn't have done it. You can never tell or know, as someone can get sick for awhile or someone can get an offer from another band. The label wouldn't have signed us though if we weren't committed to a long term future. We're not a project; we're a band.
Due to the six year break, do you feel that some people are getting the wrong message? Do you feel they think that Lion's Share is a project instead of a proper group that wants to tour and do the whole works so to speak?
Yeah, I've discovered that. During this period, Patrik did music with Astral Doors and sessions for Space Odyssey. He's got two bands; Astral Doors and Lion's Share. With Wuthering Heights, he's only a hired singer. So, that's the guy we want to release the next album with. We want to establish that this is a band. In the past also, we have had members leave. Lion's Share is pretty much Lars Chriss.
As Patrik is also a member of Astral Doors and Lion's Share, how does he juggle his commitments with both groups?
He told us he'll be able to fulfil his commitments, but that's why he's saying no to all the other offers. In the past we had all these influences as I said, but I decided “Great! Let's do adopt a more melodic, Hard Rock approach”. We try to strive, and have all three bands (Lion's Share / Astral Doors / Road to Ruin) running. You know, that's our goal.
If Lion's Share gains a lot of shows and becomes hopefully bigger and bigger though, would Patrik stay with Lion's Share?
Yeah. We got three members in the band, though we haven't discussed anything. Everybody's in on this, and that's our goal. Time will tell, though you never know. Ronnie James Dio could end up joining us, and Patrik could end up singing with Deep Purple. I don't know.. you never know.
Is Richard (Evensand, former Soilwork / Therion / Chimaira) a permanent member, or not?
No, he couldn't be a permanent member. When we recorded Emotional Coma, he told us that he was going to move to Australia in order to marry his girlfriend. It didn't make sense for him to become a full time member, and that's because he was only waiting for the visa to move to Australia. Therefore, it didn't make sense to rehearse with him after the album and do some shows. We eventually decided that he would do the album, and we would get another guy to play with us at all the shows. We had a guy called Stefan Norgren to do all the shows.
Is he known from any Swedish bands?
Not really, though I'm not sure. He's got other bands that are more brutal (Eternal Oath), though I forget the name. I know him, and he's a great guy.
Is he going to drum on the next album?
We haven't decided, but we felt we had such a good chemistry between the three of us. We will eventually choose a permanent drummer that is able, that can rehearse and is generally great. Lion's Share needs a special drummer, and that looks better - it also makes more sense. Otherwise, we will be switching drummers.
So you're not sure whether he's going to play on the next album?
No, we haven't decided. It'll be Richard if Stefan couldn't.
So although Richard cannot tour, you're still open to working with him in the future?
Absolutely. He's a good friend, and very nice. Hopefully he'll be over here, as Australia is far away from Sweden. Richard will hopefully come down at some point, and then lay down the drums. He plays with a lot of energy.
If Lion's Share gets some Australian shows, would Richard play with the group for those specific shows?
That's not impossible.. he really wanted to. We all decided that it wasn't a good idea, and that's because we'd end up practicing for maybe only a few days. If we get a really long tour, maybe then Richard might play with us - if he wanted to, he could come with us. He's done drumming with Chimaira, Soilwork, Therion etc. I think Richard plays on our new album extremely well, and can play anything. I'm sure he's up for it.
In what ways is the music dark on Emotional Coma?
Yeah, I would say it's dark. I'm a huge Black Sabbath fan. It's traditional, classic and the way I like to sound. It's always good to listen to different types of music, though I don't agree that we're Power Metal. I don't think we have anything to do with Stratovarius, Helloween, Gamma Ray or Blind Guardian. We're more traditional.
So you don't like being musically compared to those bands then?
I have the utmost respect for those bands and what they do, but I've never really liked that kind of music. To me, it's all about Heavy Metal and not Power Metal. As you said yourself, I'm happy to be darker like Black Sabbath. There's some good music though, like some of Helloween's material. I don't think that Lion's Share is like those bands, and that's because we're traditional.
You mentioned Black Sabbath, so are you a fan of a certain period in their history?
I pretty much like everything, but my favourite period is with Ronnie James Dio. I'm really excited about Heaven and Hell touring - when we played the Sweden Rock Festival in June, they were playing. I had a couple of beers, and I watched that.
So are you hopeful to meet Heaven and Hell?
Yeah, and I know Dio from the past. Lion's Share did a tour with Dio, Manowar and Motorhead at the end of 1999.
So you know Ronnie then?
Yeah, I do. I always meet up with him when he's back in Sweden, so I know him pretty well. He's my favourite singer, and I'm really happy for him that success has come his way. From what I understand, he's doing great.
So when you think of that group, do you think of it as Black Sabbath or Heaven and Hell?
(Laughs) It's Black Sabbath of course; they're playing Black Sabbath songs. To me, this is the better Black Sabbath. It's better than with Ozzy, and that's even though they did groundbreaking material with him.
Is the fact you like singers such as Ronnie James Dio the reason you chose Patrik to join the group? The press release says that Patrik has been favourably compared to those type of singers, so did that influence how he came into Lion's Share?
Yeah, I like that kind of influence. Ronnie is my favourite singer of all, though I also like singers such as Jörn Lande (ex-Masterplan), Russell Allen (Symphony X), Tony Martin (Black Sabbath) and Patrik. I think that kind of voice gels with my way of writing songs, and that's in terms of the melodies, the arrangements and so on. I was actually talking to Tony Martin about a possible collaboration, and at that time I was just writing songs. It was in 2003, and I was just about to give him one or two songs. That's when I heard some of Embrace the Galaxy on the internet, and this was Patrik's first ever album with Space Odyssey. The song was called “Despair and Pain”, and my reaction was “Wow!”. I then found out where he was living, so I tracked him down and got in touch. He was well aware of Lion's Share and our albums. We hit it up, and I asked him to join Lion's Share in 2003. After he joined, the first Astral Doors album (Of the Son and the Father) came out. He had a new career, and was singing on albums while doing a lot of touring. During this period he started building his fame, and yet he was totally unknown when he joined Lion's Share. We didn't want to go official with it as we wanted to work without the pressure, and also we didn't want them thinking “Ok, Lion's Share has got a new lineup and a new album”.
Patrik joined in 2003, yet it's only now that people are hearing material with him singing. Was the fact that Patrik had to wait four years for a debut album with Lion's Share frustrating for him, or was he a very patient person? Was he patient about you having a break?
I think it was pretty natural for both of us, and that's because we were writing songs. Patrik was doing commitments with Astral Doors at the time, and I was using that time to do some mixing, some playing and some writing. I also wasn't ready for this; approaching labels, going on tour and doing interviews. I didn't want to go on tour, and he was busy writing and cutting demos with Wuthering Heights and Astral Doors anyway. We mixed this album around the new year, and then we had to find a label in order to negotiate a record deal and so on. Even though it came out in June, it's not that much of a gap for us. We worked with the album for a year and a half at least, recording vocals and so on. Patrik did his vocals in the place where Sampo and I live, and they were done in just over a week. We then recorded some more songs, and then went back and did some other things. It was spread out somewhat. In our world, it doesn't feel like four years.
Is it really nice to be finally back?
Yeah, it's real nice. I'm so glad that people are saying this is our best album, and we're gaining a lot of new fans. In Sweden, I've seen a lot of young kids with shirts and whatever. I'm seeing a new generational group growing up, so hopefully we'll gain a generation and a new fanbase. During the shows we've been doing, we've seen a lot of old faces showing up as well and they were real happy when the new album came out. We have the fanclub, Lion's Share Army.com, and that has been growing all these years. It's been great. We're really thankful to everyone for being patient, whether they're visiting our website or writing emails. We're just real thankful.
In what respects does Emotional Coma have diversity from a musical perspective?
I've tried to take that away. In the past I think they were possibly too diverse as I said, so this is more focused on my Heavy Metal influences. We wanted diversity though, so we started from Doom'ish, heavy type material that resembled Black Sabbath to material that possibly sounded like the Painkiller release. We then have some more modern tracks like the song “Trafficking”. It has some Rammstein; obviously not vocally speaking, but more in terms of the energy and the rhythm. I think we want some of these modern influences mixed with the traditional influences like Black Sabbath and Painkiller. We tried to stay within that, and we wanted that to be the Lion's Share sound. In the past I think I have always been like that, and we always try to write catchy type songs coupled with an attitude. The old fans seem to like the new album, and the new fans that have discovered Lion's Share with Emotional Coma seem to like the old albums. I think we have a traditional Lion's Share sound that's trying to evolve. Apparently people appreciate a lot of our material, so maybe it's a sign of the times. Right now, people are getting into this style again and there's also the fact that these groups are getting bigger than they've been in a couple of years. Bands like Iced Earth are doing well, so maybe it's a sign of the times as I just said. As I view it, it's more countries like Germany, Finland and Holland that used to be into this. For some reason the UK lost track, but from what I've heard it's coming back today and I really hope so. It's the country that invented this kind of musical playing, and it's getting more popular again. I think it's selling more than it ever did; from what I understand, Heaven and Hell did well.
So you feel that there's a resurgence in terms of the popularity of this style of music?
Yeah. I think it's better than it's been since this band started out, especially in the US and in the UK. For some reason, Germany, Sweden and Finland didn't jump on that trendy bandwagon which brought the grunge genre with groups such as Nirvana. Maybe it's a wish of mine, but I think I see the signs. I think possibly the only downside of course is the illegal downloading, and this is hard somewhat. The labels don't earn any money, so the advances given to bands get poorer. The bands can't afford to use proper studios, and work with proper equipment. In the long run, I think the outlook for the bands is going to be worse. There's not going to be any money around, and that's a pity. In the end, everybody will suffer.
So you feel that funding for Heavy Metal music is suffering because of illegally downloading?
Oh, it sure is. I would say funding is suffering for all kinds of music.
Do you feel that record labels should endorse copyright protection on their CDs?
No, I don't think that's the solution. There's always ways around it, and I think the labels didn't wake up in time. I think the CD prices are too high, and they should have lowered the prices eight or nine years ago. We wouldn't have this, but they woke up way too late. I don't have the solution, I really don't. I don't know if they took it seriously enough, but now we're here (laughs). Unfortunately I don't have the solution, but I see the signs.
Does it really annoy you if someone comes up to you and says “I enjoy your music. I downloaded it off the internet”?
Sure. We played Sweden Rock Festival on June 9^th or something, I don't remember exactly. Emotional Coma was released June 16^th. When we did that show though, they were singing along to the new songs and the album wasn't even out. I see things too; you only have to Google something, and these foreign sites come up. I see material that's going to be released two or three months already available. It could be journalists giving the promos to someone else, or it could be someone from the label. I really don't know, but it's really scary. Even though I might want to buy it, I can get it from the internet two or three months before it's available. As a fan, I totally understand that you want to have it. It's really sad, and it's such a good sound as well. In the past, it was better when you had the vinyl.
So Emotional Coma was actually leaked on the internet?
Yeah, all promos are leaked. About three months before they're released, the labels send promos to journalists and magazines for review. When they do it, that's when the promos are leaked.
With some other labels, they're trying to personalize promos. When an album is leaked, they can trace it back to the journalist in question. Do you endorse that, or not?
Yeah, I didn't think about that. Something must be done. I don't know what, as I don't have the solution. That's one way though.
I'm aware that you said Lion's Share has gone to a more heavier sound, though could you tell me what melodic elements Emotional Coma offers?
We've always tried to write catchy melodies. I would say the melodies are very melodic, while the riffs are heavier and Doomier. That's the way I enjoy music. I really enjoy the melodies from AOR bands such as Foreigner and so on; I enjoy good melodies. I also like hard riffs though, so I try to combine the heavy riffs with great melodies. In terms of the the way we compose, we always write riffs and so on first. You can take that song anywhere you want, and put on growling or whatever you wish.
So it's all about a catchy a riff?
Yeah, and how well a riff sounds. We put in a lot of work. Sampo, for example, is musically deep and has a lot of knowledge. There's a lot of work on the arrangements, harmonies and so on.
Could you tell me about the music video for “The Edge of the Razor”?
Yeah. We had European press here for Emotional Coma's listening session on a Saturday (April 14^th 2007) , and then we did the video the day after (April 15^th 2007). On the radio track, Bruce Kulick of Kiss fame does a guitar solo. It didn't make sense not to do a video. It's a performance video, but it's a bit unusual. It's pretty dark, and you don't see much. It's mostly the band performing. We didn't spend a million bucks, but then again that wouldn't have made sense today. A couple of TV stations are showing it, and we've put the video track on a limited version of the album as well.
In terms of money, you would prefer more money to be spent on touring as opposed to a music video?
Yeah, because there's not that many Metal shows around anymore. It doesn't make sense to spend a lot of money, and nobody does that. I think it's a great tool though, and you can put it up on your MySpace. It's good to have one. When we played with Manowar in Germany, there was a station there which interviewed us. So, it's good to have a video. If we didn't have a video, maybe we wouldn't be taken as seriously. With a lower budget, you really have to keep an eye on the money. Of course, touring costs money in terms of advertisements and so on. There's so many releases out there every week (laughs).
Why was “The Edge of the Razor” chosen as the first video?
That's because our label AFM really wanted that one, and I believe I was too close to the songs to be able to single one out myself. It's very hard to choose one, especially when you've just done an album that you've worked so hard on. You're just too close to it. The A&R really went for that song though, and asked “What about this one? Or that song?”. I responded “Yeah, that's a good song”, so it was AFM's choice really. I was a little bit hesitant initially, and that's mainly because Bruce Kulick did the guitar solo. He's playing the solo, and it didn't feel right (laughs). I got over it though.
As you mentioned there's a certain budget on finance, does that mean that “The Edge of the Razor” will be the only music video for this album?
Probably. We might do something, and put it on Youtube though.
Would that be a song played at a festival, or something of that nature?
Yeah. We have the entire footage from Sweden Rock, so we might put something from that out. We might do something where we just take material that we've filmed, put it together and then release it.
How did you get Bruce Kulick to guest on “The Edge of the Razor”?
We were working in a studio that is owned by the former Kiss Army president of Sweden, and Bruce was coming to Stockholm. Actually, the owner suggested we should invite Bruce to the studio. I've been a huge fan of Kiss since I was eight, so of course I loved having a Kiss member playing on my album. He went to the studio, listened to the song, done the solo and signed some Kiss albums (laughs). He's a nice guy, and he did a great solo. That was nice of him.
What do you feel his guitar solo adds to “The Edge of the Razor”?
I really don't know, as it's not like the album wouldn't have been as good without it. It's a good solo in my opinion though.
How would you describe that specific solo then?
He started out playing more bluesy, and that's because I think this is how he does material with Union and so on. I said “Go back, and do some more flashy things”, and wanted it to display more style while showing more revenge. That's another direction, and I think it's very much based on revenge. That's what I think, and Bruce uses the whammy bar to show that. It's a great solo with a lot of emotion, and has some flashy elements.
What is your favourite track from Emotional Coma?
(Laughs). All of them. I always try to write an album instead of a song, so it's hard to pick one. I don't think one song represents this album. When we were done though at least, I felt that maybe the first song is possibly better than the rest for some reason. After I heard “Cult of Denial”, I felt good about that being the first track.
Is there a reason why you particularly like “Cult of Denial”?
I don't know, but I think it's groovy somewhat. Also, “The Arsonist” is furious in some respects.
Could you tell me about the Angel Witch cover you did?
I was a huge Angel Witch fan, especially of that first album (1980's Angel Witch). When it came out, I listened to it all the time. Around two years ago, we got an offer to do a tribute that was being put together by a European label. There were other bands like Candlemass involved. We then started working on a demo, doing the arrangements and playing around with it. It turned out so great, and was there with all our other songs on the demo. We more or less got it right, and it didn't feel like a cover. It's like one of ours, and that's one good thing; that it feels like a Lion's Share song. The closer we got to choosing material for the album, the more it felt natural to include it. Patrik was also especially anxious, and he's very happy about his vocal performance. It's a great song, and I think we did a pretty good version of it. Actually, he said we should update the sound and the way it's played of it rather than just doing a regular cover.
You said it was for a tribute album, so was that song chosen for you or were you able to choose the song?
We picked the song.
Is there a reason why you decided that “Sorcerers” was the song you were going to cover?
That's one of my favourite songs along with the title track. I've always enjoyed the heavy material, and it's very Lion's Share'ish.
Could you tell me about Glen Drover playing on the title song for Emotional Coma?
I've known Glen for a couple of years, and that's from his other band Eidolon. We became friends, and we speak a lot on the phone. We always hang out when he's here in Stockholm playing with Megadeth, and I'm uplifted that he does a guest solo on the new Lion's Share album. That was pretty cool also, and very nice. He was busy recording the new Megadeth album (United Abominations), so he did it at his home in Canada and sent over the file. Again, it was very cool. He's part of the new generational guitar heroes along with probably Jeff Loomis from Nevermore, and I'm a fan of Megadeth.
Do you feel that his playing style is getting the attention it deserves now he's in Megadeth?
Yeah, I would say so. Eidolon was an underground band, so of course they hadn't sold many records, done many tours or had much promotion. Playing guitar with Megadeth has brought up his status, rather than him just being with Eidolon. Eidolon is a great band too, although it's underground. Yeah, I'm really happy for him. He's doing real well, and getting along with Dave Mustaine.
Yeah, Megadeth seem to be going from strength to strength now don't they?
Yeah, yeah. I'm happy for Dave.
Could you tell me about Mats Levén singing on Emotional Coma?
Yeah, he does all the back up vocals. He did that for our first two albums as well, and lives here in Sweden. I've known him for a number of years; he's a good friend, and a great singer. As concerns the choruses, we wanted to add another voice so the chorus stands out.
Mats sung backing vocals for Therion, and I know that Richard was in Therion at one time. Did they know each other, or were they in Therion at different times?
I'm not sure if they were in the band at the same time, but yeah they know each other.
How would you describe Richard's drumming style on Emotional Coma?
Amazing (laughs). It's very busy, modern, and really energetic. He's got a lot of energy, and brings a lot of energy to the songs. It was a lot of fun watching him in the studio, and I have some of it on videotape as well. Wow, an amazing drummer.. and one with a very nice personality. Richard's extremely down to earth.
Is he more into settling down now though rather than the record industry?
He met this girl in Australia, and it's hard to get between Australia and Sweden on a regular basis. It was very frustrating.
Is the fact he lives in Australia the reason why he couldn't join Lion's Share on a permanent basis? As you want to rehearse regularly and so on?
Yeah, exactly. We met up, and spoke about things. He really wanted to do it, but then he decided to move to Australia. I was hoping his parts would get done by September. We left him practice for a couple of weeks on his own. We have all the demos; he was rehearsing every day. It's good for him that he was finally able to move, and hopefully he'll get married and it'll last. Maybe then we'll see if she could move to Sweden. We'll see what happens, and whether he'll live off his playing or get another job.
How did Lion's Share come to sign with AFM Records?
I had kept my eyes on AFM, and I really wanted to release the album with them. I thought they would fit our music very well, and I really wanted to be on that label. I then heard from a journalist that I know in Germany, and he told me that he was friends with A&R (Markus Wosgien). He had just started work in November or something, so I asked “Can you check for me if they would sign Lion's Share?”. He said “sure”, and A&R got back to me. They wanted to hear some music, and we sent them two or three demos. It's great that we didn't have to spend time chasing labels, and sending around demos. We approached one label that we really wanted to sign us, and it was great.
Would you say that you had gone through enough with the more major Metal labels? Lion's Share was on Century Media..
It's pretty hard to tell when you're in the middle of something, but that was at the very beginning. The more traditional, melodic Metal came back, though we were on Century Media before this. We were on tour in Europe with Nevermore and Iced Earth, and we went to their office. They didn't seem like they had spare time for anything except Death Metal, so we really wanted to get away from them. When we were supposed to record our third album Fall from Grace, we saw a chance. That's because there were rumours they were suffering from economical problems, and we also discovered that the advance for the studio didn't show up. We put pressure on them to release us, and we fought our way out of there. We wanted to go to Massacre Records, which we thought was a better label for our kind of music. Century Media were good at putting their groups on tour, and getting them tour support slots with other bands. They were a bigger label, so leaving Century Media didn't turn out so good. We didn't know back then; if I did, I would never have done it. I think AFM is one of the top labels to be on though, and we're really happy. I think it's the classic label for our music, and I've met the people working there. They feel like brothers, and I feel as though I've known them for years.
Would you say you look back on Lion's Share's time with Century Media and your relationship with them negatively?
Back then, we were frustrated and wanted to get away. The move to Massacre was not the move we should have made. We should have waited, and could have stayed with Century Media. Melodic Doom was just around the corner. They did a deal with Nocturnal Rites, a group that were signed around the time we left. Today, I would say we would've never left. You always want to get bigger though, and you always want more, and then you make decisions sometimes which aren't the right ones.
How do you feel Lion's Share differs now to when you started the group in 1987?
We learnt from our mistakes, and became older. We have a name now, and we have a fanbase. I would say everything is better. We were struggling to find our way, and there was all this mess with labels. With the direction, I now know what I want and the way I want Lion's Share to sound. I guess that's the same for everybody - getting older. It gets better as you become older, and you should concentrate on things that you care about. In the world, everything was new and massive at that time.
What do you feel you've learnt over those twenty years?
A lot of things definitely (laughs). I don't have many regrets. At the time, it felt right. So, that's life. I don't know what exactly, though I'm sure I've learnt a lot of other things that I'm using.
How would you say your perspective has changed over those twenty years?
Things change, and you know more. Back then, it was pretty tough. Everyone was struggling more or else. There's a lot of rough times; all you can do is your best, and then be hopeful. It'd be nice to become more popular along the way, though you never know what can happen in five years.
Where would you like to take your career in the coming years?
I don't have any... I can't control that.
Where would you hope to be though?
I always hope to sell more records, gain more fans and be respected. I don't know, as I can't control it. All we can do is the following; keep on playing good, keep trying to deliver the best albums we can and keep trying to put on the best live shows we can. We're very serious about it, and we never have a drink before we go up onstage. People may have travelled far to come, and may have paid a lot of money.
Do you have a message for the old and new fans of Lion's Share?
We're obviously really thankful to our old fans that they've stayed with us, and that they were patient waiting for the new album. Of course, we're glad and welcome onboard any new fans too. Of course, we're hoping for their support. Let's hope they buy the album, as opposed to downloading the album. Request Lion's Share at festivals, and request us from promoters. We hope to come and play everywhere. People can visit our website, our MySpace and our fanclub, and we try to answer as much fan messages as we can. If we play in your area, then come and say "Hello". We would be happy for you to do that.
Ok, thanks for the interview anyway. I really appreciate it.
Oh, thank you.
It's nice to speak to you, and find someone really down to earth.
Ok, thank you very much.
Alright. Take care, and have a great evening.
You too, and take care.