Niklas Sundin: Good, thanks! We formed the band as young kids, and our prime goal back then was first and foremost to learn to play our instruments and then record a demo tape and perhaps even play live someday, so we certainly didn't expect this to last for this long.
La Baza Gatului: When did you start playing music and when did you realize that this was going to be your path?
Niklas Sundin: I began playing the guitar in 1989, the week before we formed the band. I haven't really thought in terms of this being a "path" or a profession or anything like that. We've all other things apart from being musicians, and personally I like to keep the music very separate from begin a career choice or anything. We've always played because we feel that we have to express ourselves this way, regardless of whether the audience is ten or a million people, so there wasn't really a defining moment when we though "let's do this for real" or something.
La Baza Gatului: What can you tell me about the Septic Broiler days?
Niklas Sundin: It was a very unique and special environment, being part of the early death metal subculture just as it started. After having being rabid tape traders for a few years, it felt natural to form a band and not just passively participate in the scene. S.B. was just meant to be a temporary name; since none of us had even touched an instrument before we started, it would have felt silly to have a serious moniker for the band.
La Baza Gatului: Do you consider Gothenburg the ideal place for starting a metal band? How difficult was it for you in the early days?
Niklas Sundin: Tricky question. One must remember that when we started, there was no scene here to speak of, just 20-30 guys with a desire to make extreme music. Even in the late '90's, when Gothenburg began getting hyped as a metal Mecca in the international scene, there really were just a couple of bands. No shows, no audience and certainly no public recognition. It was hilarious seeing all the "metal tourists" coming from Italy and Spain every summer, expecting to find musicians and bands in every street corner and gigs every weekend only to realize that it was a very clandestine thing. Anyway, for us, it was relatively easy to get started, but that probably had more to do with the standard of living in Sweden and the generally artist friendly climate in the education system and so forth. Of course we were struggling to get gigs and spending our pocket money on duplicating demos and trading tapes like any other band at the time, but at the same time we were kids living with our parents, so it was hardly a life-or-death struggle.
La Baza Gatului: For a long period of time (and even nowadays), many people associated Dark Tranquillity with Gothenburg death metal. When did, in your opinion, Dark Tranquillity stop being a Gothenburg death metal band?
Niklas Sundin: I really have no good answer to this; I never liked the whole "Gothenburg sound" term to begin with and thought that it was a useless label that quickly would die out. Genre definitions are so arbitrary anyway: If you ask a hundred people exactly what "Gothenburg death metal" is and how it should be defined, you'd probably get a hundred different answers. For me, we're just a metal band - no more, no less.
La Baza Gatului: Starting with Projector your music took another turn, more complex, more epic and catchier. Was it deliberate or was it a natural progression?
Niklas Sundin: It was very deliberate, and it ties in with your previous question a bit. Around '97-'98, the whole "Gothenburg" thing began getting attention and to us it was very provocative to be perceived as part of some new scene gimmick when we had spent nearly ten years trying to make innovative and original music with a voice of our own. We didn't want to be a part of that and felt that we needed to tear apart our old sound in order to build something new.
La Baza Gatului: Some associate this change with signing with Century Media, a record label more important than your previous one, Osmose Records? Is this the truth?
Niklas Sundin: Not at all - it's actually the other way around. "Projector" was recorded even before we knew that we would change label, and it was originally supposed to be released on Osmose. After a lot of discussions we decided to start looking for a new home, and Century Media were actually the only ones who wanted to release "Projector" as it was. There were other big labels interested, but they all demanded that we'd record a couple of "The Gallery" sounding songs in order to make the album more appealing to the old school crowd.
La Baza Gatului: When was the last time you listened to your older albums? What was the impression, would you change anything about them?
Niklas Sundin: I can't even remember. I listen to the old albums whenever we decide to play a song we haven't performed live for a long time, but that's it. I'm of course proud and happy with everything we've done, but we've played the old songs so many times - in rehearsals, in studio and live - so it really isn't very exciting for us to listen to them. Every album is a documentation of the state of the band at the given time, so there's no point in wanting to go back in time and change anything. It's easy to say that - for example - "Skydancer" could have used a more powerful guitar sound and better playing, but that's how things were back in the day. A modern production and precise playing would have rendered those songs totally lifeless.
La Baza Gatului: Could you please describe every Dark Tranquillity album in one word?
Niklas Sundin: Nope. Sorry, but it'd just feel weird trying to do that, and as mentioned above I don't really listen to the old albums.
La Baza Gatului: I am not going to ask you which of your albums do you like the most (it is difficult to choose and musicians tend to point towards their latest creation, which is understandable), but I would like you to tell me what are, in your opinion, We Are the Void’s strongest points?
Niklas Sundin: The songs themselves are all well-written and strong and represent most aspects of the D.T. sound. It's a well crafted album with lots of attention to the details and arrangements. To me, the highlights are found in the material that differs a bit from the typical D.T. norm - "Iridium" and "Arkhangelsk" spring to mind - but as usual everyone has different views on this.
La Baza Gatului: Who is the void? Who is we? What can you tell me something about the album’s concept?
Niklas Sundin: It's all Mikael's creation, so I'm not the right one to go in depth with it. My interpretation is that the themes have a lot to do with the opposition between the self and the surroundings, and the key to this is in the we are the void/I am the void juxtaposition. But this is just my own take on it, and I've always believed that the listener should make up his own interpretation of things as opposed to being told that "this song deals with XXX". The beauty with quality lyrics is that they should trigger the mind.
La Baza Gatului: I know you are also involved in design (band logos, band covers, t-shirts, etc.) Can you please name some of the bands you worked with?
Niklas Sundin: Yes, it's what I'm doing when I'm not busy with the music. I've had my own graphic design company (www.cabinfevermedia.com) since 1998 and have worked with In Flames, Arch Enemy, Moonspell, Sentenced, Soilwork and many more. These days I'm getting more involved with video production and animation though.
La Baza Gatului: What can you tell me about your other band, Laethora?
Niklas Sundin: We play brutal death/grind with a twist, and we have two albums under out belt so far. The last one, "The light in which we all burn", was released last year. For me, it's really rewarding to be able to play more extreme and intense music that doesn't have to rely on melodies the whole time, but it's far from a full time activity since everyone is busy with other bands, work, studies, family and so forth.
La Baza Gatului: During the years, there were quite a few member changes in Dark Tranquillity. This makes me think that, above all, you are a bunch of friends. Is this the secret of your band’s success?
Niklas Sundin: It's a very important factor for sure. You spend so much time together as a band, and the potential for friction and conflict is great, so obviously one needs to get along well with others and understand how they function. We all grew up on the same street, so the original members all have been friends since the age of 3-4.
La Baza Gatului: What is the best thing about being in a band and what is the worst?
Niklas Sundin: Best: The creative aspect and being able to do something you feel so strongly about. Worst: Compromises, endless time spent waiting or being transported and everything else that steals time from the music. Also, the current state of the music industry is a cause for concern, but this is a very vast subject to say the least.
La Baza Gatului: You had 2 concerts in my country, one last year in Sibiu and one a few weeks ago in Bucharest. Can you share some impressions with us?
Niklas Sundin: Both shows were excellent, and we had a great time both on and offstage. Professional organization, devoted metalheads and a generally good vibe. I really don't know why it took us so long to finally get to Romania, so it was great that we could return so quickly after the Sibiu show. We enjoy the bigger festival stages as well as smaller club settings, so it's cool that we managed to cover both situations. The Silver Church is a really cool venue; one of the most unique I've seen.
La Baza Gatului: Where do you picture yourself 10 years from now?
Niklas Sundin: No idea - I can barely think 10 days ahead, so 10 years is in an entirely different universe.
La Baza Gatului: This year you celebrate 20 years of activity, long may it last! Shall we expect some celebration surprises? Any special plans?
Niklas Sundin: We actually celebrated already back in 2009, ha ha! We count the birth of the band to be the day we formed Septic Broiler, as the transition to Dark Tranquillity really was just a name change. We had the same members, the same songs and so forth. Our celebration was basically to have a pre-screening of our DVD in a movie theatre in Gothenburg and then drink an insane amount of booze.
La Baza Gatului: What are your future plans?
Niklas Sundin: The summer festival season will start in a few weeks, and then we have another European tour in October/November. Apart from that, we've just started working on the next album, but it's way too early to know when it might be finished. Hopefully sometime in 2012.
La Baza Gatului: Thank you very much for your time. Please share a thought with Romanian headbangers.
Niklas Sundin: Thanks! Kudos to the Romanian fans and friends for your support. Hope to see you again soon!
www.darktranquillity.com
www.myspace.com/dtofficial
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