“Marching Off To War” - Unleashed's ninth studio album Hammer Battalion swings its battle-hardened axe against the enemies of metalheads worldwide


By Anthony Morgan

Following the release of 1997's Warrior, premier Swedish Death Metal act Unleashed opted to shift away from the limelight, and take a break from the record industry. Two records followed, namely July 2002's Hell's Unleashed and July 2004's Sworn Allegiance respectively. Having fulfilled their contract with Century Media Records, Unleashed inked a record contract with SPV Records in July 2006. Granted the opportunity to begin afresh, eighth studio album Midvinterblot came in October of that year. Alongside fellow Swedish veterans Entombed, Grave and Dismember, the group embarked on the Masters of Death tour during the winter. From February to March 2007, Unleashed undertook a North American headlining tour with both Krisiun and Belphegor handling support. Scheduled on April 28th in Hauzenberg, Germany, Walpurgis Metal Days festival featured the group in the headlining slot. In August, Unleashed took part in Jalometalli festival at Club Teatria in Oulu, Finland. In late November to mid December, a European trek alongside Swedish Black Metallers Marduk occurred. By late December, pre-production for Unleashed's ninth studio album had been completed.

In January 2008, Unleashed announced that the group's ninth studio album would be entitled Hammer Battalion. The album's respective compositions were laid down at various periods during that same month and February, all in the confines of the group's own recording studio in Sweden. Axeman Fredrik Folkare once again handles production duties, aiming to achieve cleaner yet even more brutal sonics. Necrophobic guitarist Sebastian Ramstedt designed the album's artwork following instructions submitted by Unleashed, and Thor's hammer combined with various other Viking symbols figure.

Its lyrical content touches upon many topics. Whereas “Long Before Winter's Call” raises questions as concerns the validity of Jesus' supposed birth date, “Entering the Hall of the Slain” explores the tale of a man who knows his mortal days are coming to an end. “Warriors of Midgard” comprises a discerning vitriol against the Swedish Public Employment Service meanwhile, given the task of administrating Sweden's unemployed. “Black Horizon” concerns an individual who has been in a war situation, and is travelling home. A music video of that very track is scheduled for filming in Belgrade during June. A rallying cry to all metalheads across the globe, Hedlund proposes that all metalheads unite together and defiantly form a hammer battalion - a supreme weapon against the aging yet still much relevant prejudice that exists against those whom raise the Devil's horns. Etched for release across the globe in early June, Hammer Battalion strongly challenged vocalist Johnny Hedlund's abilities as a vocalist.

Kindly agreeing to an interview with Lucem Fero, Hedlund touches upon the numerous aforementioned key details surrounding the process which spawned Hammer Battalion, and other closely related topics. Hedlund also recounts Unleashed's reasons for both parting ways with Century Media Records and taking a lengthy break during the late nineties, and why the group are happy they inked a deal with SPV. The frontman also fondly looks back upon both his time in Nihilist, and Unleashed's first two albums. With Unleashed's twentieth anniversary approaching, writing sessions for the group's tenth studio album are already underway, not to mention plans for a DVD. As opposed to supplying brief answers in the vein of some artists, Hedlund instead courteously replies to each question in sufficient detail. Holding conviction, no answer seems a lightweight response. He indeed takes much care in penning his lyrics, and those lyrics possess more depth than the casual mind may see. In all, Hedlund comprises a most engaging interviewee, something that cannot be said of most.

 

  • Hello? Is this Johnny?
  • Yeah, this is Johnny.
  • This is Anthony. I'm sorry the phone call is a little late, though I was actually given the wrong number by Adam. He actually missed one digit off the phone number given to call you.
  • Yeah, this is alright. Perfect.
  • Is it alright if I start the interview now?
  • Yeah, absolutely.
  • Could you give me an introduction to Hammer Battalion?
  • Yes. When we started to pen the lyrics and music in support of the album, Hammer Battalion was the rough idea we had. We wanted to translate our ideas into a concept, and that concept would be a battalion in some respects. At that time, we hadn't really stretched towards the hammer theme. We just wanted to create something which would symbolise the feelings of metalheads against the world. Therefore, we said; “What would be more reasonable than to have a battalion, and to form a battalion somehow?”. Since our symbol has always been Thor's hammer, naming the album Hammer Battalion suited the record pretty well. In terms of the music and lyrics, it's very much an Unleashed-esque album in many respects. We haven't really kept away from anything, and we're not really famous for doing that either. We just try to make stronger tracks all the time, and improve the production values. When people listen to Hammer Battalion, that is what they'll hopefully hear.
  • You mentioned that Unleashed tries to write stronger and stronger tracks. In comparison to past material, do you feel these are better songs?
  • Yeah, I definitely do. In making Hammer Battalion, I think we have taken a small step forward from Midvinterblot. For groups in general, that is the basic goal. You have to try and improve yourself; you have to write slightly stronger tracks all the time, and possibly become a little better at production. I think that we've written a slightly stronger album than before - that is our hope, at least. When Hammer Battalion is released, we'll see what people say.
  • You said that Hammer Battalion symbolises the feelings of metalheads around the globe. Are they feelings you feel as well?
  • Yeah, really. Way before Death Metal was even invented, I was actually a metalhead - just like many of my friends. We went to the record shops, and purchased our Motörhead and Judas Priest albums. We were always in the minority even back then, not to mention now. Given the fact we were a group of metalheads, we always had our share of people spitting at us. Uniting together, and becoming more of a battalion, would just be a stronger front against those who don't accept us. Like I said, that's the basic idea behind Hammer Battalion.
  • Do you view the topic differently than when you were a teenager?
  • I don't really view the topic any differently. Society is more or less the same as it was back then, and nothing much has changed. Obviously, things progress much quicker these days. A number of things seem to have progressed at a much quicker pace, but I don't think society in general has progressed all that much. Basically, people are the same.
  • How would you describe the musical vibe on Hammer Battalion?
  • I would describe Hammer Battalion's musical vibe as classic Swedish Death Metal. We have our share of faster songs, mid-paced songs and slow songs - this is the traditional approach for Unleashed. For those listeners who haven't heard of Unleashed before, I'd like to mention the fact that we may not be a traditional Death Metal act as we don't pen very technical albums. We are not a very technical group, and that is probably what differs Swedish Death Metal from other styles of Death Metal. Hammer Battalion has its share of strong choruses though, and quite memorable songs.
  • Ok. Was there a reason for that approach? Is there a reason why you decided to go in that direction?
  • It's always been this way really. In the past nineteen years, we haven't really changed our focus. It's pretty much the same.
  • Have you ever been tempted to add new ingredients, and add something which is different to material you've recorded in the past?
  • I will say though that I think we are developing. However, I feel we are developing within the medium of Death Metal that we choose to play. I don't think we have delved towards another musical style, but we are definitely incorporating new elements. For example, Hammer Battalion has a little more blast beats than what we've done before. Some people who've listened to Hammer Battalion have said to me that there are more Black Metal ingredients than in the past, and Black Metal is very close to Death Metal. Normally, it's pretty difficult to identify which music is Black Metal and which music is Death Metal. At least, that's some of the responses I've had so far. In some respects, we've possibly tried to change a few elements. We tried to incorporate a few new drum parts and so on, and they're elements which we haven't tried before. Generally though, Hammer Battalion is a Swedish Death Metal, and a classic one.
  • Do you notice these Black Metal influences which listeners have spoken of? Do you agree with the statements these listeners have made?
  • I can't say I do, and I really can't say that I don't. It's really difficult to tell. Many years ago, our management stated; “What is the difference between Death and Black Metal really?”. Much of it is based in the more whole type riffing, and both styles use that. Some people would refer to that as Black Metal, though I would refer to it as Death Metal Whichever way people refer to it is fine by me; in my opinion, it's very much the same.
  • You mentioned there are more blast beats as well. Can you tell me about that?
  • Yeah. We sat down, and discussed how we wanted the overall perception of Hammer Battalion to take hold once the album had been written and arranged. Also, we discussed how we wanted people to view this album. Compared to the records we've written in the past, we wanted Hammer Battalion to be a slightly faster album overall - not by much, but just a little bit. All in all, we just wanted to give the whole album a slightly faster edge. Obviously, we've also written slower songs and mid-paced songs. In order to achieve this goal, but without making every song faster, we tried to incorporate a few more blast parts than we've done previously. I think it came out very well, and was a good thing to do. In using more blast beats, the whole album is a little more aggressive.
  • You mentioned strong choruses, so can you expand further on that as well?
  • Yes. Personally, I belong to the kind of people who really enjoy watching groups play that generally use very strong choruses in their material. I'm not really a technique freak. When I see a group in concert, I really like them to have songs which'll actually be remembered in twenty years from now. You return home from work, school, or whatever, and that beat crawls into your mind - it just remains there. When you attend a party, you give that song yet another spin. You grow sick to death of that very song, and that's since know the chorus so well. That's often the case, and I've felt this way for the best part of my life. Whenever you attend a party or show, you want to remember that, especially strong track with a magical chorus. If you only write songs with extreme technique, complete with roughly twenty-five riffs in the same song and devoid of a recurring chorus, then you don't really experience that feeling. That's the reason why we approach songwriting in this manner; we really try to focus on penning memorable songs.
  • In saying that, are you referring to artists such as AC/DC and so on?
  • Yeah, of course. When I grew up, I listened to groups such as Motörhead, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Saxon, and artists of that nature. They're the masters of penning really strong tracks which boast amazing choruses, and that's the school I came from. Back then, Death Metal didn't exist.
  • In recording your vocals and bass parts, what did you aim for? What goals did you have?
  • Prior to even entering the studio, I wanted my contributions towards Hammer Battalion to be superior in comparison to Unleashed's previous albums. However, I realised that approach has limitations, and I can't physically maintain such an approach either. That approach meant I tried to contribute as much power as I could, and still maintain a pretty clear voice so that people would understand the lyrics nonetheless. I turned up the volume on my headphones, and that was to make the feedback so loud that I could really push my voice to the limit. That can't be done forever I guess - at the end of the day, my ears aren't going to handle such noise. Right now, I think my voice's ability is at its maximum. I'm contributing as much power as I can towards the vocals, and am still able to keep a good melody line while retaining pronunciation etc. My contribution towards Hammer Battalion was to basically commit as much power as I could in terms of the melody lines, and things like that. As far as my bass contributions are concerned, I'm not really a technique freak. When it comes to laying down my bass contributions, I play my parts as they should be played. When it comes to technique and flaunting skill, I leave more of that to the lead guitar player.
  • Do you see yourself as more of a Lemmy type of player then?
  • Well, I wouldn't even dare to compare myself to someone of that stature (laughs). Even still, my focus isn't really the bass guitar. I play bass guitar as it's nice, and somebody has to perform bass duties. When it comes to playing instruments, I'm not really a technique freak as I said. When it comes to the bass, I give my share. However, I really enjoy singing both vocals and melody lines, not to mention talking to the crowd every day while on tour. That's what I live for.
  • You identify as more of a vocalist?
  • Yes, I think I'm definitely more of a vocalist than actually a bass player. Obviously, I can play bass. If I observe the amount of time I dedicate towards practising and so on, then writing melody lines, vocals and lyrics consumes most of my time. I practice bass duties of course, but the amount of time I devote towards that isn't even close to the amount of time I devote towards performing vocals.
  • Have you ever been tempted to recruit another bass player, and just concentrate on performing vocals?
  • No, definitely not. I really enjoy playing bass, and it's likely something I don't wish to give up. On the contrary, I would probably feel very strange not having a bass guitar strapped to my shoulder. I've played bass for as long as I can remember (laughs), and I really enjoy playing it to this day. If you want to strive towards technically improving your bass playing skill in some significant fashion, then you're seeking to achieve a new level of technical experience in some respects. Right now, I don't see the need for that in our music. When it comes to lyrics and vocal melodies on the other hand, I think that's an area where I can explore. For another fifteen to twenty years, I have ideas for material I want to write, for material I want to develop, and material I want to explore.
  • So you feel there's a lot more creativity left in Unleashed?
  • Yes there is. Actually, we're working on the next album right now. I was doing a lot of work on the next album last night. We have many ideas for the future - it's a really inspirational time right now.
  • Are there are any songs written for the follow up to Hammer Battalion?
  • Nothing I wish to discuss at this moment (laughs). Given the fact that the rest of Unleashed hasn't really seen those lyrics yet, it'd be strange to go into any detail as regards their content. We've written the entire music towards four new songs though. Right now, I'm writing both the melody and vocal lines for those songs.
  • Can you tell me anything as regards the music to these four new songs?
  • They will be very much like the tracks featured on Hammer Battalion, and the lyrics will also remind listeners of this album. We feel very strongly that Hammer Battalion is likely our best album so far, so we don't see new material opting towards a major change. We don't want to walk away from Hammer Battalion's concept, at least not a lot. Small, developmental changes will always occur, although these new tracks will remind people very much of Hammer Battalion.
  • Are there plans to enter the studio in order to record these four new songs?
  • No, as that would definitely be too early. I'm thinking of entering the studio in spring 2009, but that is just a guess.
  • Would that be in support of a follow up to Hammer Battalion, or a new EP?
  • I'm sure that would be in support of a new album, although Hammer Battalion isn't released until June 2008. In light of that, commencing with recordings for the follow up to Hammer Battalion in spring 2009 would be pretty insane. This is mostly a guess, though I'd prefer to enter the studio at that time if possible.
  • Do you like to release albums every two years or so?
  • Yeah. Of late, we've actually discussed what's a smart and comfortable way to move forward. We want to keep busy, and don't want to lapse into a period where nothing happens. We want to continually move forward - like I said, it's what we basically live for. Possibly releasing an album every sixteen to eighteen months is a somewhat normal pace for Unleashed, I would guess.
  • You mentioned that you like to keep busy. There was a five year gap between Warriors and Hell's Unleashed.
  • There was a reason for that too. We had embarked on tours for the majority of our adult lives, although the record company kept all of the profits. When Unleashed arrived home at the end of the nineties, the scene had diminished. We were not only broke, but tired (laughs). We really needed to stay away from the music scene for awhile for those reasons, and recharge the batteries. All in all, we needed to focus our attention on something totally different. We always knew that Unleashed would return to the music scene, and release more records. A lot of people said; “Well, you were away for five years”. Well, the fact of the matter is that we didn't tour in four years. However, we were away from the music industry for no more than three years. In the year 2000, we began to pen music in support of Hell's Unleashed.
  • You mentioned that the record label received most of the profits. Were you referring to Century Media?
  • Yes I was.
  • How do you feel that hiatus benefited Unleashed?
  • If we hadn't taken that break, I'm not sure where we would have been today. It was such a good time to return home, and actually concentrate on wholly unrelated things. It was a really, really perfect time to recharge the batteries, and re-evaluate our career. We had been signed to Century Media for eight years, and we didn't exactly know if we wanted them to distribute our next album. We had to adopt an approach that was something fresh, and also have a brand new start in some respects. Att the end of the day, we took the decision to leave Century Media. Most of all though, I think it was really beneficial to stay away from the music industry for awhile. Whether you draw paintings or carve furniture, I don't feel it matters which profession you're a part of. At some point in your life, you need to stop and think. You deliberate as to whether that's really what you want to do, or if there's something which you can improve upon within your profession. We thought we should possibly adopt a different approach to the business aspects of the music industry, and that we should also possibly build our own studio. That's exactly what we did; Fredrik built his own studio, and that's where we've recorded the past four albums. During those years away from the music scene, numerous pieces of the puzzle came together. Looking back at that time, it was definitely a healthy decision.
  • Do you feel that Unleashed is much stronger as a result?
  • Very much so, very much so. Not only are things better organised nowadays, we actually think that being in Unleashed is a lot more fun than it was in the early nineties. You need to experience a good time, and that's the fundamental idea of being in a group. If you're not experiencing a good time, then the cracks begin to appear when you're away on tour. If you don't have a fantastic time onstage, then you might as well stay home. You cannot be tired, and feel like you're worn out. If you embark on a mammoth North American / European tour, then that approach doesn't work. Today, we possess more power than we ever did before. Right now, I think touring is the funniest aspect of our lives. I'm just very excited, and I think all this can be attributed to the fact we took that very well deserved break back then (laughs).
  • At the moment, are you happy with touring?
  • Yes, very. As a whole, 2008 will be the busiest year in Unleashed's career. Therefore, I'm very happy with touring.
  • Are there any plans to tour within the United Kingdom?
  • Oh yeah. However, we'll be embarking on a tour of the UK after this summer. As always, we're going to perform at a number of festivals this summer. Also, we're going to record Unleashed's first video. Really, it's going to take awhile; the North American tour starts in September, and as for the European tour... I'll likely be able to reveal the dates planned for the European tour next week, I'm almost positive. From what I understand at the moment, the UK dates should include Birmingham, Leeds and London. I'm not a hundred percent sure but that's what I've heard thus far. My manager is going to send me the correct list of dates either late this week, or the beginning of next week. In January 2009, we'll be conducting the second leg of the European tour. Some groups wish to tour for six or seven weeks in a row, although Unleashed wants to tour for only three and half weeks at a time. We'll then return home for a couple of weeks, and then tour for another three and a half weeks. I'm sure the British dates are in November, or December.
  • Are there any plans to visit Wales? Wales in the UK?
  • I don't know (laughs). I'm actually in discussions with my manager to plan extra dates in two countries, and those two countries happen to be the UK and Canada. I'm pretty sure we could arrange more dates, and those dates should include Wales as well. I really can't say though, given the fact that arranging the dates isn't really in my hands. I've asked if we can arrange more dates in Canada and the UK, as I can see that certain cities are missing on the itinerary. Arranging more dates should be possible, but I honestly don't know the answer yet (laughs).
  • Ask your manager if Unleashed can play a date in Wales. That'd be great that would.
  • If we play in Wales, what's the city we should play in?
  • Cardiff.
  • Cardiff? Ok, ok. Alright.
  • A lot of great Metal groups have visited Cardiff.
  • Alright. I'll definitely keep that in mind.
  • Ok, that's great. Of course, Century Media Records was mentioned earlier. When Unleashed initially began to work with Century Media, was Century Media fine to begin with?
  • I would say that Unleashed was one of the few groups which built Century Media, given the fact they had virtually nothing. When we signed with Century Media in 1991, they had no money and a very small office (laughs). A lot of the money which came in from the success of Unleashed in the early nineties was kept by Century Media to build Century Media, and the problem was that they didn't really want to give anything back to the group. If you sign a contract when you're aged between roughly sixteen and twenty-two, which the bandmembers were, and you don't really have any experience of the music industry other than the fact you really love to go on tour of course, then you're going to get fucked. It's obvious. We signed a deal that was very very long, and can almost be described as a slave contract. The problem is escaping from that contract, and that's very very difficult. Even in order to receive some kind of money back, we had to negotiate every year. Who am I to complain? Every group has these kind of problems, although there are better and worse labels. If I compared that to our relationship with SPV for example, I don't have any of these kind of problems today with SPV. I have no problems like that whatsoever. If I compared how SPV treats us to how Century Media treated us for fifteen years, then it's ridiculous. I think they took advantage of the fact we were very young, and very anxious to go out on tour. I'm not going to say I regret it, as we embarked on tours very early. Century Media definitely helped us tour, and they kept their promise. In that respect, they were pretty good. The business side of the music industry isn't something that you think about during the early years though; you think about that when your guitar breaks down, you think about that when you have to pay the rent when you return home, and you think about that when your amplifier stops working. You start to think about all those problems, and wonder; “Who the fuck takes my money?”. You're selling two hundred and fifty shirts a day, and you're not receiving any money. That's what happened to Unleashed during the early nineties, and you start to think about those issues after awhile. You move forward, and you have to learn the hard way. That's what we did, I guess. Obviously, these are a few of the reasons why we left the label.
  • Were you surprised by SPV Records' attitude and approach when Unleashed initially began to work with them, considering what Unleashed had been accustomed to? Your knowledge of the music industry was mostly drawn from your experiences with Century Media.
  • In a way, I was. I knew SPV was a bigger label, and I knew they had a lot of my favourite heavy metal groups on the label such as; Motörhead, Saxon and Whitesnake and so on. Those are big acts, so the fact that they were so interested was a surprise to me. On the other hand though, there were many record companies which showed interest in releasing Midvinterblot. We had a lot of record labels to choose from, which was a good situation to be in. A lot of them were similar to Century Media though, and we really wanted to have a major change. We also listened to the fact that SPV said; “Well, we believe in Unleashed. We also believe in the future of Unleashed, and Death Metal. We think this is something that's going to happen”. They didn't look at Unleashed as a cash cow, or something to merely make money from and put in a corner. They said they really wanted to promote Unleashed, and perform a really strong job for the group. They wanted to take Unleashed back to the US, and have us start touring the States again. For many years, we haven't toured the States. In terms of distribution and so on, things really started working again. SPV were willing to commit to those statements to paper, so these were not just empty promises. Once we realised that, we said; “Well, we'll be the first Death Metal group on Steamhammer”. We were really looking for a fresh new start, and SPV felt the same way. To this day, I think they look at the signing from the same perspective. They've distributed Death and Black Metal music for ages, so that's nothing new - they already distributed our records in Germany. On the actual record label Steamhammer, no Death Metal group had been signed to them before. For them, it's a new experience as well. I think the co-operation has been fantastic thus far, and I'm very very happy about it.
  • Do you see Unleashed's future being with SPV?
  • My gut feeling is that it might actually be that way, although I really can't tell right now. They said they just wanted to have an option for the second album, so we'll see what happens after Hammer Battalion. If they say they want to have a new record deal with Unleashed, and want to release our upcoming albums, I will of course be happy to really look into that. We'll have to take that discussion when the time comes. As far as right now is concerned, I really am just very positive towards SPV, and the work they've done for us. I think this might actually continue.
  • In writing Hammer Battalion, were there certain groups which influenced your contribution to the album?
  • Unfortunately, I think the standard answer would be yes. Whether you know it or not, it's likely that you get influenced by anything you listen to. I think that goes for both me and Fredrik, who respectively write most of the lyrics and music. Yeah, why not? It'd be mad to say that I can't get influenced by other groups. it's really difficult to name specific groups though, and that would be a little unfair too I guess.
  • So you can't identify certain groups, or anything of that nature?
  • I listen to so many different groups, and musical styles. Those musical styles include; Heavy Metal, Death Metal, Black Metal, Rock 'N' Roll, Speed Metal and Thrash. When we actually write lyrics and music, I don't really know which groups influence us the most. Whether you like it or not, you always get influenced at some point. I really try not to get too influenced by other groups, given the fact that there's always the risk of copying some group. You don't really want to do that.
  • Could you talk about some of the topics which inspired the lyrical content featured upon Hammer Battalion?
  • Unleashed has always been a group that is quite traditional, and we don't really change extremely much from album to album. We have our fair share of Viking tradition type lyrics, and we always had those. Some political content is included, and so are anti-religious type lyrics. In comparison to before, I think we have approached anti-religion in a slightly different way. Yeah, these are the basic topics. Also, there's some lyrics which are somewhat critical of society. As the lyrics take more time to write, we probably put more energy into penning them than we put into penning the music. The content is very traditional for Unleashed.
  • You said that you approached anti-religion in a slightly different way, so could you tell me about that?
  • We have a song called “The Greatest Of All Lies” featured on Hammer Battalion, and the album also features a song called “Long Before Winter's Call”. Over the past few years, I've just felt the urge to approach Christianity in a slightly different way than other groups and ourselves have done in the past. I want to try and look at what they claim to be fact, and then approach those topics by talking to them in their own words. I want to ask them questions, and really really talk about what they claim to be fact. It's easy to just write very aggressive, anti-Christian type lyrics, and that's what we basically wrote for quite some time in the past. I'd really like to adopt a new approach, and really look at the stance they're opting for. I'd really like to look at what they actually claim to be true and the boring part of this is that you have to study your Bible (laughs). To try and really understand what they claim to be right and wrong in this world, I've studied the Bible a little. Actually, these are some of the things that I've spent some time on. I think it has developed our lyrical content, and taken it towards a brand new level. In the future, I'm going to keep doing that.
  • Do you feel you're trying to expose Christianity?
  • Yes; I think that's a small mission I have, to be honest. In my lyrics, there's some things I really like to talk about. Whether or not these are new things that are being exposed or revealed, I don't know. I'm not sure, although some group likely did this before. I don't know if they approached the topic in this way, and I don't know if other Death Metal groups have approached the topic in this way. I think I'm on the right track, at least. I've accrued some good criticism against Christianity, so I'll continue to study the Bible.
  • Is there a reason you developed into a person who is anti-Christian? Was there a certain experience which shaped your opinions on Christianity?
  • I'm not so sure. In order to say that, I would probably have to say that there's been a change in myself during the past few years. There really hasn't; during the past few years, no special event has happened which has made me change my views on Christianity or anything. For most of my intellectual life, I've probably held the same ideas and the same criticism. If you look at the way things develop in this world, then you'll know that there's always a reason for why things happen. These are the topics that I've tried to look into. It would be clichéd to mention the apparent terror of the past few years with the United States, Britain, the Iraq War, the Muslims, the Slavs and so on. Even those topics are a little too clichéd to start hacking to pieces, I think. Given the fact that people take some of these things for granted today, I want to dig a little deeper than that. For example, take into account the birthday of Jesus Christ. On this Earth, there are too many people who still think that Jesus was actually born on the 25th of December. On the other hand, Christian intellectuals these days would never say that Jesus was born on the 25th of December. I could ask anybody in the country where I live “When is the birthday of Jesus Christ?”, and they would respond “Oh, it's Christmas Day. The 25th of December”. These are some of the things which they have called fact, and for so many years that people have actually believed are true. Whether we're revealing something or not, these are some of the topics which I want to bring up to the surface and discuss.
  • I read that the birthday of Jesus Christ was January 6th.
  • Yeah. Who knows? I'm not saying that I know the exact date, and it probably depends upon who you ask. In writing the lyrics to “Long Before Winter's Call”, the second song featured on Hammer Battalion, I'm approaching the topic at least. Studying the Bible a little bit, Jesus should have been born somewhere in September or October. Some people say Jesus was born in January, and there are some who even suggest that he was born in April. I don't know, and it's really not my responsibility to pinpoint a date. How come they can't agree though? If Jesus' birth date is so important, then they should be able to agree on when he was born. I know when the date of the Midvinterblot is, and that is the winter solstice. That date has always been the same, and is also the reason for celebrating Yules Eve. These things we know. Since I want to look at these topics from a slightly different angle than before, that's why I began to study the Bible at least.
  • Could you talk about some of the Viking themes featured upon Hammer Battalion?
  • Yeah. I think that we've always written the Viking tradition type lyrics, and I would rather look at the Viking lyrics we write as a tradition. Some people would think those lyrics have something to do with religion, but they really don't. We just aren't a religious group. For example, Hammer Battalion features a song called “Midsummer Solstice”. Midsummer solstice is the celebration of the summer solstice, and that happens in June every year. It's a Viking tradition, and is a tradition which is celebrated for a number of reasons. You normally celebrate summer solstice in the hope of good fortune, fertility and so on. Of course, it will differ from person to person. These are the type of Viking tradition songs that we write. Actually, there are other lyrics I would categorise as touching upon Viking themes. Hammer Battalion also features a song called “Entering the Hall of the Slain”, for example. The song concerns a guy who knows that his mortal days are coming to an end, and he waits for death. Looking back at his life, he realises that the past few years haven't been all that fantastic due to the fact that he's been in pain. He still lives his life though, and doesn't regret anything. He doesn't fear God, and he doesn't fear the pain. When his time comes, he'll enter the Hall of the Slain, which is literally Valhalla. It's really a song for those who are in that situation, and we'll probably all be in that situation one day, whether it be sooner or later. We'll be on our deathbed, and we'll have to look back. Even though it's a Death Metal song, I think the positive vibe of this song is that you need to evaluate your life as a whole, and not just the past few years when you might have been in pain. You know things are coming to an end. Don't be in fear of the pain, and don't be in fear of any God saying to you that you've been terrible for the past eighty years or so. The track has a somewhat positive vibe, but it's also a very Viking, Unleashed-esque song I would say. Valhalla is the Hall of the Slain, and where you go to when you die. Our perception and explanation of the place Valhalla would not be a physical place up in Heaven, as some religious people would say. Valhalla would just be a place in the conscience of those who survive you. The conscience of those who live on when we die will be our mental Valhalla, and that is why I sing about it.
  • So you feel that normal, everyday people can identify with these Viking themes, and can draw parallels?
  • I'm sure they can, especially if they look at the lyrics in a slightly different way. For example, Hammer Battalion features a song called “Black Horizon”. In some respects, it's a war themed song. It concerns someone who has been in a war situation, and is travelling home. However, there's another aspect to the song's lyrics as well. That person has suffered some horrible experiences, and is looking forward to returning home. In stone, he'll carve the names of those who have fought with him. At the time, he fought in pursuit of a better living for his family. From this Viking raid he had conducted, or whatever it could have been, he tried to bring home some goods once again. There's always another aspect to such lyrics. If you care to view that other aspect, then there's meaning in those lyrics for a lot of different people.
  • In June, a video will be recorded for the song “Black Horizon”.
  • Yeah, that's right. SPV made the suggestion to record a music video for “Black Horizon”, and the label actually works with a company in Belgrade. It's going to be really, really exciting. Unleashed have recorded music videos before, but never a real music video so to speak. We've recorded live videos, and live shoots, and footage like that. We've never recorded a professional video before that's in the vein of a small film, so that's going to be really exciting. I'm almost a little nervous about it (laughs). It'll be cool, I'm sure.
  • Will that be recorded in Belgrade?
  • Yes, it will. The music video for “Black Horizon” isn't going to be a live recording, and a lot of actors will be featured. We'll likely play our instruments during the music video, although it isn't going to be a clip lifted from a live show or anything like that. The music video will feature a story, and that story will be scripted and so on.
  • Is there a story written for the video to “Black Horizon” yet?
  • There is a story written, yes. The story written in support of the music video is based on the lyrics which accompany “Black Horizon”.
  • Can you reveal anything about the story?
  • I read the written script a few weeks ago, so I don't recall all the details. I know the script will revolve around the lyrics to “Black Horizon”, and those lyrics concern a Viking travelling home from a battle. When we travelled home from North America during early 2007, the idea for the lyrics was conceived. The North American tour felt like a battle in some respects, even though we were very, very happy with its outcome. We were worn out somewhat following a month travelling on the tour bus, despite the fact it's pretty normal to feel a little bit tired after that period of time. “Black Horizon” concerns a victorious Viking, and that Viking has been in a victorious battle. He's returning home, and will have to bury the friends who have fought with him in battle. We'll see what the exact details actually contain. I read the script for the first time, and I really liked it. I just don't know if every single element from the original script will be kept - there'll be a discussion between us, and the director of the music video. We'll see. The music video will definitely feature a battle of some kind, and I'm sure it'll include Viking ships, and craziness of all kinds (laughs). I just don't know the exact details of how the music video will take shape, though it'll be really interesting to view.
  • Will that be the only music video recorded for Hammer Battalion?
  • I can't tell whether more music videos will be recorded in support of Hammer Battalion following the completion of “Black Horizon”'s music video, but we'll see. If the music video recorded for “Black Horizon” works well, you never know.
  • The press release issued for Hammer Battalion mentions parallels between the ancient struggles of Nordic forefathers and the ills of our modern society.
  • Yeah. When it comes to penning Viking type lyrics, my interest isn't primarily in taking a look at the past. I like to imagine the future, and take a look at current affairs. Even though we'll never know the facts in detail, I'm pretty sure that we deal with the same issues as they did back then. If you're a metalhead living in Europe, or North America, or South America, or wherever, then you likely cope with the same daily struggles and face the same difficulties as other people did all those many years ago. Things merely look a little different, and the weapons used are a little different. In comparison to nowadays, I'm sure there was more physical harm back in those days. I'm sure that we deal with very much the same type of topics, even though society is changing and things look a little different nowadays. I try to combine some of these Viking themes with 2008 themes. That is my plan, and that is what I do in writing those Viking songs. It's the same with the Viking tradition, since I speak about the Viking traditions of 2008. I'm sure that the fundamental values and reasons for celebrating midsummer solstice, for example, are the same today as they were way back then. As we move onward of course, things change, society changes, and people change a little. However, the fundamental ideas are the same. When we celebrate something like that, I think both those elements are topics which you can combine quite easy. These traditions even have the same names; it's still called the summer solstice, and that name hasn't changed in thousands of years. I think this is a nice goal to work towards.
  • Hammer Battalion's lyrical content deals with fighting back against the authorities, so how do you feel the authorities oppress people in general?
  • When I lyrically deal with authority, especially political authority, I think those lyrics almost always concern Swedish issues. I tackle pretty local issues, although I'm sure people have the same issues everywhere. Is that the answer to your question?
  • I was wondering how you feel the authorities keep people down so to speak.
  • Yes, I think I've written a few tracks concerning this issue. On Hammer Battalion for example, “Warriors of Midgard” is one such track which deals with a Swedish political issue. That song concerns... what is it called in English? Swedish Public Employment Service, which is actually a long name (laughs). The organisation is viewed as a control authority; they're meant to handle unemployed people, whereas the truth of the matter is that they actually don't. What that organisation does is control the unemployed, and distribute money to these people incase they apply for vacancies that they can't really gain anyway. These days, the Swedish Public Employment Service are part of a meaningless situation. For the past ten or fifteen years, they've had a meaningless job. As society has decided they should exist, they can still continue to survive. As far I'm concerned, that organisation doesn't really have any existence. They should be put out of business. If you look at a society like Sweden, or Britain, or Germany, or any other, then you'll know that these institutions are so old. They're also so - how should I say it? - untouchable that you can likely argue in support of their demise for a hundred years, and they'll still be in business and still in their jobs. They employ ten thousand people in order to administrate people that do not have jobs, and for what reason? For absolutely no reason (laughs). I could probably drone on forever; I have such a hatred towards this institution, it's almost ridiculous. In writing “Warriors of Midgard”, I'm trying to make a political statement, and I'm trying to raise the issue of how this institution works. It isn't very easy; we're a Death Metal group, so I can't delve too deep into politics. I tried to combine that issue with the daily struggle of just any normal metalhead. Whether you're young, middle-aged or old, it's a fucking institution that you have to deal with at some point in your life. Very few people live a full life without becoming unemployed at some point.
  • How did the recording process develop for Hammer Battalion?
  • Yeah. Some time before we enter the studio, the group has a period of roughly one year in which we write most of the music and lyrics. The fruits of that labour usually comprise the music to roughly twenty-five to thirty songs, and the lyrics to roughly fifteen to seventeen songs. To discover which tracks are the strongest, we make them compete with each other. We perform pre-production five months prior to the studio recording, and from that point we more or less know which songs are strong enough to actually warrant a studio recording. Hammer Battalion was recorded in Fredrik's studio, and we obviously had a lot of time. We decided to record the album in January and February 2008, and we went back and forth to the studio whenever we wanted. Actually, that was a very good luxury to have. In the early nineties, we had to book roughly ten days to record in the studio, and then we had to leave. You'd have no more time to record, and would have to pay for those ten days. We built our own studio, and Fredrik did a fantastic job. All the time, Fredrik's skills are improving. Compared to fifteen years ago, things are very much smoother today. We can go into the studio, work hard for a week or so, and then take five days off if we wish. We just record in a normal fashion; we record the drums first, one guitar, and then some bass, and then some more guitar. Following that, we begin recording some vocals. After awhile, we've finished recording. So that the rest of the group can listen to the album, Fredrik proposes a production style. He always handles the mixing, and things like that.
  • Is there a reason why Fredrik produces Unleashed's albums?
  • Yeah. On every occasion, Fredrik performs a fantastic job. There's no reason to change a winning situation, and that's how we feel at least. He's both produced and mixed Unleashed's past four albums, and we think he performs a superior job with each successive record. I think we're on the right track.
  • The option of hiring a producer has never been considered?
  • By me? No. We used producers in the past, and we feel that in having Fredrik produce our albums we have better control. In early 2000 to 2001, we opted to build our own studio. Looking back, I think it was the right decision. We wanted more time to revisit the studio, change aspects of certain songs, and improve upon the quality of certain songs. We also wanted to be able to take a week off, return to the studio, and then listen to the album again. If you rent somebody else's studio, you can never afford to do such things. Like I said, Fredrik performs a fantastic job in producing the albums, and implements a superior production with each successive record. There's no reason to change that.
  • In producing Hammer Battalion, what type of production did Fredrik opt for?
  • In trying to improve upon Midvinterblot's production, I think Fredrik aimed to increase the brutality present within the guitars. He also mentioned that he wanted to slightly modify both the vocals, and the drum elements. When I actually listen to Fredrik's production for Hammer Battalion now, I think he achieved those goals and implemented the changes that he said he would. To improve upon my vocal contributions towards Midvinterblot, I committed more effort towards making an even stronger impact, and gaining yet more power. Right now, that power is likely the maximum amount which I can commit. While recording Hammer Battalion's last two tracks, I even hurt one of my lungs. I used so much power, and it really hurt that lung. In terms of how much power a vocalist can contribute towards a song, I was likely committing the maximum amount. In producing Hammer Battalion though, I think Fredrik's main goal was to possibly achieve both a slightly cleaner and slightly more brutal sound than what was achieved with Midvinterblot. I don't really think that's an easy task. By just opting for a harsher and dirtier sound, you can always achieve a more brutal production. On the other hand though, you might lose some of the clean aspects which people want to listen to. If you listen to a nice riff, you don't want the sound to be too muddled. It's the same with the vocal elements, given the fact that I want people to hear what I'm singing. I think that was Fredrik's basic goal in producing Hammer Battalion; obtaining a slightly cleaner production, yet making it slightly more brutal overall.
  • In recording the follow up to Hammer Battalion, will you still stretch your vocals as much as you can?
  • Yeah. In recording the follow up to Hammer Battalion, I think I'll adopt the same approach. I'm very happy with my vocal contributions now, as I think they've reached towards a level where I have wanted them to be for some time. I've done more singing practice than I have in my whole life, and I also tried to improve the melodies, my breathing and other such things. It's really important to breathe, especially when you're singing in front of a crowd, and also when you're laying down vocal tracks in the studio. Over the years, I think I've learnt to adapt. This time, I possibly contributed a little too much power (laughs). Towards the conclusion of the studio recordings, I was really hurting. I'm very happy with my vocal contributions now, so I think we'll use the same approach in recording Hammer Battalion's follow up. I don't think I can contribute more power than I have towards the vocals, as that would be insane.
  • While recording the last two songs for Hammer Battalion, you said that you hurt your lungs. While performing those songs on tour, how are you going to stop yourself from hurting your lungs?
  • If you're talking about my vocal contributions in the studio, I just had to contribute that much power nonetheless. My lung hurt a little bit, although I don't know why. The pain has disappeared now, but I wasn't really ok again until two and a half months later. That has never happened to me in my whole life, so incurring that pain was strange. Fredrik said I probably incurred that pain as a result of contributing a little too much power towards the vocals. He said he had never heard me using so much of my body to contribute vocals to an album, and remarked that my effort was a little too much. He actually thought the volume emanating from the earphones was a little too loud, even though he sat next to me and wore no earphones. The contributed power was likely a little too much (laughs). It still achieved the intended result though, so I'm happy.
  • Considering you might hurt your lungs, are you going to have to tone it down while performing on tour though?
  • I doubt that's going to happen, as performing on tour is a totally different situation. If I'm on tour, then I don't use even remotely as much power as I use while recording in the studio. In the studio, I perform vocals every third day in order to obtain a fresh throat as possible. Every other year, that's roughly four or five days (laughs). Therefore, I'm not using that much power for a lengthy period of time. When you embark on a tour, you play twenty-three shows in twenty-three days. I'm not using half as much power while on tour, so I can handle performances a lot more easily, and not go insane with my vocals (laughs).
  • Do you have a favourite song on Hammer Battalion?
  • I couldn't choose a favourite track from the album, and it'd probably be insane to do so. I really like all the songs featured on the album, since they're all amazing. Every song has its special moment in my opinion, so I wouldn't even dare to choose a favourite (laughs).
  • Is there a specific track from Hammer Battalion which you feel will translate to the live setting pretty well?
  • I think Hammer Battalion features many songs that will work very well live. Every time we write a new album, I think we always have the same problem. We don't really know which songs are going to be the most favourable ones amongst the fans, and it's really difficult to know that as well. That's always the case, and you always feel “Yeah, maybe this song would work better live”. After letting our friends and other people everywhere listen to the album for quite awhile, somebody always has a differing opinion anyway (laughs). Identifying which songs could be in the setlist is always a struggle. Hammer Battalion obviously features several tracks I definitely want as additions to the setlist, given the fact that the audience can sing along particularly well to those songs. We'll see though. I really don't know yet, so I'm not going to reason too much about that issue at present (laughs).
  • Could you talk about the artwork for Hammer Battalion?
  • The artwork? Yeah. Inspiration for the artwork came from the title song “Hammer Battalion”, as we wanted the artwork to just feature something that would symbolise a Metal battalion of sorts. We said; “Well, we've always used Thor's hammer as our symbol. We're discussing the formation of a battalion, so why not a hammer battalion? The artwork should be drawn like that”. It features Thor's hammer, and also Viking type symbols such as swords, axes and a shield. We gave the idea to the artist, and that was the artwork he designed. We were very happy, and definitely feel that this is the best artwork ever featured on an Unleashed album.
  • Do you know the name of the artist?
  • Yeah. His name is Sebastian (Ramstedt), whom happens to be a member of the Swedish group Necrophobic.
  • Ok. Looking back, how do you view Where No Life Dwells and Shadows in the Deep? Do you feel those first two Unleashed records are classic albums nowadays?
  • Yeah, definitely. For many years, people have commented as such. Of course, I'm happy about that. We still perform songs lifted from those albums, and we actually enjoy doing so. However, I try not to focus on the past too much. I know people love the old albums, and that's great of course. Yeah, it's really nice. It's where everything started, so I look upon those albums with nostalgia. I think these were good times. Back then, a lot of people bought their first Death Metal albums. When those albums came out, some people had never even heard of that particular musical style.
  • So you view Where No Life Dwells and Shadows in the Deep as classic albums?
  • Yes. These days, I feel they must be deemed classic albums.
  • Looking back, is there an album which you view as the weakest in Unleashed's catalogue?
  • I don't think I'm really in a position to say, and I obviously like all the albums. It's really difficult to tell, as every given year and situation spawned its own album. We released Shadows in the Deep during 1992 for example, and that was the best album we could pen at the time. In writing Hammer Battalion, we wrote the best album that we could at this moment in time. It's difficult for me to say I dislike one album in favour of another, as I know we all contributed as much as we could when making those albums. I guess others will have their favourites though, and I respect that.
  • So your favourite Unleashed album is currently Hammer Battalion?
  • Yes, I must say that my favourite Unleashed album is always the latest one (laughs). It's inevitable; the latest album is what I just recorded, and what I channelled so much time and energy into. I'll always answer that my favourite Unleashed album is the latest one.
  • It's nearly twenty years since Unleashed formed, so are there any plans to mark the occasion?
  • Yeah, of course. We're making plans to mark Unleashed's twentieth anniversary right now, although nothing has been decided yet. Of all the possible ways to mark the occasion, thus far, the only thing that I think will happen is the release of a twentieth anniversary album. We're working on new songs at present, so that twentieth anniversary release may be a new album of original material. That might be the case, though we'll see. I'm not going to think too much into the future. I'm sure the twentieth anniversary might even be marked by a DVD release actually, since we're working on that also.
  • At the moment, Unleashed is actually working on a DVD?
  • Yes we are, although we're still missing one full main show so to speak. We have documentary material stretching as far back as 1990 on VHS and so on, and material recorded as recently as 2008. We've recorded a lot of material for the documentary, but we also want to record live performance footage from one major festival. A lot of good cameras will hopefully be used, and things like that. We'll see though, since we're getting there.
  • You're hoping to coincide the DVD release with Unleashed's twentieth anniversary?
  • I don't really know if the DVD will be released to coincide with our twentieth anniversary, though I hope so. Hopefully, it's going to be released next year. I can't really tell though, and it's not only up to me. SPV will also have a say in the matter.
  • How do you feel Unleashed differs now when compared to how the group was nearly twenty years ago?
  • First of all, we've obviously learnt a lot concerning the music industry. That was quite the biggest lesson, I would say. It's as fun at least, if not more fun, to be a member of Unleashed as it was back then - actually, I enjoy being in Unleashed more than I did fifteen or twenty years ago. In that respect, I think being in Unleashed differs a little when compared to nearly twenty years ago. As I know what to expect, I think I can enjoy the touring lifestyle a little more nowadays. We don't become upset over insignificant issues anymore, something we easily did in 1993 (laughs). These days, everything is just more enjoyable. We've learnt lessons concerning the music industry; we've learnt that you've got to use business acumen in order to survive, or else the record company takes your money. When your guitar has broken down, you can't really buy a new one as you don't have the money. You have to learn lessons outside of the industry too, and that's the huge difference between what happened to Unleashed in the early nineties. Other than that, Unleashed is pretty much the same group; Unleashed features the same guys, and we write the same music and lyrics fundamentally speaking. Of course though, we develop.
  • Over the years, has your perspective changed much?
  • That's an interesting question. Whether my perspective has changed much or not, I'm not sure. My perspective has changed a little though, as I'm not the exact same person as I was twenty years ago; I'm older, and these days I handle more responsibility. When you're young, you don't really handle much responsibilities at all. These days I take more responsibility - mostly due to the fact that I have to, but also as I want to. I don't want to just leave tasks unfinished or forget about those tasks, as I want to perform tasks properly. When you're younger, you don't have to think about that so much. That must be one of the most important things that I've learnt to understand, I guess (laughs).
  • Were there certain milestones in Unleashed's history which you feel shaped the group as a whole?
  • In the early days, Unleashed becoming a touring act very early on was the most important milestone. Death Metal music is live music, and Unleashed embarking on tours as soon as possible just had to occur. Otherwise, Unleashed wouldn't have been here today. Way back then, that was one of the most important milestones. Switching record labels from Century Media to SPV was the second most important milestone, I think. It gained us a fresh start, and lent us the opportunity to actually write new ideas in the future. When you hear both the studio recordings and us performing live, Unleashed is probably better today than we ever were before. If we had languished on Century Media, that wouldn't have been possible. Signing a new record contract was another milestone for us.
  • Prior to forming Unleashed, you were a member of Nihilist. Looking back, how do you view your time with Nihilist?
  • That can be better classified as partying as opposed to serious music (laughs). Of course, I had a nice time as part of the group. These days, I don't really think about my time in Nihilist too much. A lot of people acknowledge the fact that I was the bass player in Nihilist, so I get reminded about my time in the group. That period was my youth. Back then, the scene started growing. I sent some mail to many people. I exchanged demo tapes and T-shirts with people from all around the world, items which you've never ever seen, you know (laughs)? The positive aspect about signing a contract and embarking on tours is that you can actually meet all those people, something which was fantastic. We never felt that would happen. Nihilist didn't really perform live that much; we never embarked on a tour, and only performed a few shows.
  • Are you still friends with the former members of Nihilist?
  • Yeah. Some of Nihilist's former members play in Entombed. We don't hang out that much since we don't live that close, but they're still very good friends of mine.
  • Do you have any personal highlights from being a member of Unleashed during the past twenty or so years?
  • Oh yeah. I probably have a hundred personal highlights, or a million (laughs).
  • Are there any which you particularly remember?
  • Yeah. I remember one of the most insane things we ever did which is particularly memorable, and that wasn't really meant to be done. During either 1992 or 1993, we performed a live show in Germany. The venue was situated outside Trier, and was pretty close to an air force base. From that air force base, members of a small battalion of military personnel - who worked with the aircraft - actually attended the show. They wanted us to return with them to the air force base, and party following the show's conclusion. We were drunk like fucking crazy, so we actually accepted their offer. We said “Ok, you smuggle us into the fucking thing”, and so they smuggled us into the air force base. That was quite dangerous. They were aircraft mechanics, and showed us the aircrafts that they were working on. Actually, I sat my dumb ass down into a fighter bomber. If I was sober, and thirty-nine years of age, I would've have done that. I was young though and drunk as hell. They actually had to smuggle us out of the air force base the following day, and drive us back to our tour bus. We could've been sentenced to prison for months if caught inside that air force base, so our tour manager was nearly ready to kill us. That was quite an insane situation, and stands out quite a bit from the other insane things which I've done.
  • Do you feel you'll be playing in Unleashed until the day you die?
  • I'm not sure I'll be playing in Unleashed until the day I die. I'm sure I'll be a member of Unleashed for at least another fifteen years though, or twenty. Right now, that's how the situation feels. Unleashed is like a football game, I think - right now, it's half time. Things just feels very good; the times are very inspiring, and I'm looking forward to many good years to come.
  • When the group possibly comes to an end in twenty years, is there a way you'd like Unleashed to be remembered?
  • First of all, I want everybody to remember the fact that Unleashed ushered the Viking tradition into Death Metal music. Bathory came before us, but they were a Black Metal group. Secondly, I hope people remember us as a group that never left our roots, and as a group that always gave a hundred percent when performing at every live show. That is how I'd like Unleashed to be remembered.
  • Do you have a message for the fans who've supported Unleashed over the last two decades?
  • Oh yeah. They've been so loyal to the group, so I'm full of respect for them. Actually, it's almost incredible. I would very much like to thank everybody for being there with us, and due to the fact that they're still here. I still meet the same people while on tour that I met in 1991, which is actually fantastic. I'll see you on tour soon.
  • Ok. Thank you for the interview Johnny, as it's much appreciated.
  • Thank you very much - it was really good talking to you.
  • Take care. Goodbye.
  • Ok, take care. Goodbye.