Interview with death metal band from Sweden - IN PAIN.
Answered Michael "Micke" Andersson, thank you!
Translated Duzl, thank you!
Questions prepared Jakub Asphyx.
Recenze/review - IN PAIN - The Thing from the Grave (2022):
Ave IN PAIN! I have been listening to your new album "The Thing from the Grave" for some time now and still I am discovering new and new pieces of darkness in it. I must admit that I expected good work from you but I didn´t expect that you were gonna kick so much ass. The album for me really did great. What are the reactions of fans, and what about their reviews?
Micke: Hi! Thanks. So far it’s been good. And it’s been a couple of hectic weeks mailing out orders, rehearsing and other band related stuff.
The album has a classic Swedish sound. Oh, nice, I'll tell you! Still, But I still have to compare it with your first demos, where the sound was even dirtier. How has your created process changed? Time and technical possibilities are different than in the 1990s.
Micke: Well we recorded the first demo on a 8 channel porta studio in a basement with a person that didn’t know anything about Death Metal. So the result was bad haha. Now we have played for 30 years and we have the opportunity to go to a better studio, the song writing is better and we can handle our instruments better.
How does IN PAIN make new songs? How is the process of creating new material itself? Who is the author of the music?
Micke: Nowadays Wegren, Nicklas and I write the music. I write all the lyrics and vocals arrangement. There’s a certain “frame” you have to stay in, it has to sound In Pain to pass through. Wegren and Nicklas know how to write an In Pain song so it’s not a problem. I have been writing songs since the beginning of the band so I definitely know. You present a whole song and we listen to it and make some changes if needed and after that it’s vocals and after that it’s good to go.
You've always had the wonderful covers of your records. Does it matter a lot on how the album, the cover, look like? Who is the author of the new release " The Thing from the Grave"?
Micke: Thanks. We want something that looks good and represents the music. For us it’s important to have a good cover. The artist is Ola Larsson. Ola has done work for Disma, Sulphur Aeon, Thy Primordial among others.
Who is the author of the texts and what they are discussing? Where do you get inspiration for themes?
Micke: Nowadays it’s me. They are about horror, gore, misanthropic, the occult etc. Inspiration comes from books and horror films. I really enjoy the old Hammer Films, so there’s a lot of inspiration for lyrics writing there.
Only you Micke remained from the original set. When I look at the Encyclopedia Metallum, the number of musicians who have gone through IN PAIN is respectable. How do you explain that?
Micke: Yes, that’s right. I’m one of the founding members and the only original member left. Well if you play for this long people will quit and find other things they’d rather do, some lost interest in music, some got family others wanted to play something else. Nothing strange really but like you said, there have been a few.
Like IN PAIN, you were at the birth of a phenomenon called „Swedish death metal“! I'd ask you to remind us a little. In our country, democracy was born in the nineties, and you were creating something new. How was the 1990s in Sweden? Do you remember how you set up the band? Me and my readers would wonder what it was at the beginning.
Micke: Yes, it was Loui and I who started this band. We met in school and started a Punk/HC band and In Pain developed from that. It was quite easy to start a band, you didn’t need your own stuff you could just borrow instruments and a rehearsal place for free. People and bands helped each other out in a whole other way back then. I don’t think it’s the same today. And back then there was no internet, some things are way easier today. Some things were better in Sweden during the -90’s and some things are better today.
Between 1994 and 2015, you have interrupted your activities. Why actually? What was the reason?
Micke: The band was on hold a year or two due to military service around -96. The band has always been more or less active. I mean we have recorded stuff between 1994 and 2015. For example the Warmachine demo and the War demo. We have been active in other bands during the years so that’s the main reason the band hasn’t been that active at some points.
You play typical, classic Swedish death metal. You have never been driven from this path, you are "orthodox". Personally, this is one of the reasons why I liked your work, but did you think about to try to play something else, to make IN PAIN sounds different?
Micke: We did a more experimental song once that should’ve been released on a compilation album many years ago but it was never released. Besides that we have stuck to the “In Pain sound”. We will continue on that path and develop it more but when you put on an In Pain album you’ll know what you get. If we want to play something else or make dramatical changes we will start another band instead, you don’t want to fool your fans.
Are you considering re-releasing the 1993 and 1994 demos? Maybe as a bonus to the CD? Let me ask you again, will this year's album be released on vinyl? What's your relationship with vinyls? Do you collect them? Do you have a large collection?
Micke: I’m actually going though old recordings, demos and VHS right now. I’m going to put together a compilation with old stuff. The plan was to release it this year but I think it will be next year. Part of the -93 and -94 will be on the compilation.
This years album will be released on vinyl 2023 through Regain/Helter Skelter & To The Death Records. I like the vinyl format and I buy vinyls but don’t consider myself a die hard collector. If I have many? Depends on who you ask. I haven’t counted my records in years but I think I have maybe around 1000, CDs way more.
We are approaching the end so I would try one more philosophical question. How would you define a style called Swedish death metal? What is this music for you and why did you choose this style?
Micke: Heavy, dark, melodic and crushing guitars maybe? It’s hard to describe really. Death Metal means a lot to me, it’s been a part of my life since my youth. As long as I have the energy to play Death Metal I will.
It was the music I wanted to play, simple as that.
What are the plans for IN PAIN in the coming months? Will you support the news with a longer tour and also visit us in the Czech Republic?
Micke: The plan right now is to get the band ready to play live. Our drummer decided to leave the band and we just found a new one so we are rehearsing the live set now and as soon as we are ready we will be able to play live again. Would love to play in Czech Republic, one day it will happen.
Thank you for your interview, and I wish you a great CD sales, hundreds of crazy fans, and a tons of good ideas.
Micke: Thanks Jakub, always a pleasure talking to you. Cheers!
Recenze/review - IN PAIN - The Thing from the Grave (2022):
Recenze/review - IN PAIN - The Sound of Death (2019):
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