Interview with: Pandemonium

Hell on Fire: Hello Hellord and welcome to H.O.F, everything ok with you?

Hellord: Hello. Yes, everything is fine. The summer is finally ending and darker times are approaching, so I can not complain...

Hell on Fire: Tell me my friend, how everything started with Pandemonium since the begining?

Hellord: The band started back in 97 by me and Oscar (former guitars) when our old band End decided to quit. We released our first demo “Emotions” in early -98 and the music then was more in the veins of old melodic death-metal like Amorphis a.o. Through the years the music has gone through changes which has ended up in the sound of melodic death/black-metal that we play today. In all, we have made 6 releases. One Demo, two ep’s and three full-length albums. Through the years, as most bands, we´ve gone through some line-up changes. The line-up of today, is the following:

Lugal-hellord: Guitar & vocals
Enlil: Battery
Martu: Bass
Lahmu: Lead vocals

Hell on Fire: As you know i had the chance to hear your latest work “Whispers” that for me is a really great work, powerful and really well achieved, congratulations for that! In general what can you say about all the process of Whispers? Are you happy with the final results of it?

Hellord: We choose to record the album ourselves. We borrowed a local and all necessary equipment, and did the recordingsession ourselves, since some of us are familiar with recording. In this way, not only it would be cheaper for us, we also got much more time and we didn´t have to feel that preasure which you normally have when you´re in a professional studio. The mixing and mastering-process though, was made in a professional studio (roastinghouse-studios) by us, Pontus Lindmark and Anders Theander. This was necessary since it´s very difficult for yourself to hear the nuances in the music you´ve recorded yourself. We also needed some “extra ears” for the overall sound. I think this turned out very well. In my opinion, this is the best production we´ve ever done. There are always some small details that you´re not 100% satisfied with, but on the other hand, that will hopefully be improved till the next time. Over all though, we´re happy with the result.

Hell on Fire: Apart of Whispers you guys have 5 more records since 1998, for you Hellord which are the main differences between the previous one “The Autumn Enigma” and “Whispers”?

Hellord: I think that the “Whispers” album has a more homogenious sound and the songs are more like each other than they were on the “Autumn enigma” album. The sound is also more brutal in my ears. I also recorded all the guitars this time so they´re not so devided as on the other recordings.

Hell on Fire: Since 1998 until now most probably you feel an evolution in all aspects of the band, do you feel that you guys now are more mature and professional?

Hellord: Yes definitly. Since we´re only 4 members in the band now there are not so many oppinions about things as it were before. We know what we want.

Hell on Fire: As you know last year i put you guys at the Hell on Fire compilation “30 Bands Unleashed Vol.1”, immedialty after i listen to “Whispers” with the song “The Curse and the Serpent” you guys were the chosen ones to represent Sweden! For those who don’t know, can you talk a little about the metal scene in Sweden? Do you have enough supports in there for a band to live only with music?

Hellord: There are a lot of bands from Sweden, but the support.. I don´t know... Most bands, like us, want to play outside of Sweden because people over here are so stiff. If you want to live on your music it´s impossible to just be a name in Sweden. You need a more wide perspective.

Hell on Fire: I see! Your voice is really great and powerful, do you or did you ever had any kind of singing classes? Any special cares with the voice?

Hellord: Nope. Just pure hate, wrath and power. When I went to high-school, I was singing in a choir, but that´s not a big help when you scream your lungs out which I do in Pandemonium.

Hell on Fire: Any special meaning for the name Pandemonium?

Hellord: The meaning is hellish noise and chaos, and that is what we want to spread through our music. But the listener will of course react and say: The music is NOT chaotic so what´s the point? Than I would say: It´s not the music it self that is chaotic, it´s the feeling of a hellish darkness and beauty combined in chaos that we want to spread. It might sound pretty complicated, but that´s the meaning. The more complicated, the more mysterious. That´s the main thing.

Hell on Fire: What does your lyrics talks about?

Hellord: I can only speak for myself, but my lyrics are about dark things and dark happenings in life. It´s often personal stuff. But sometimes I also use other peoples fates and experiences. All this covered with furious, destructive and dark metaphores, turns out to pandemonic lyrics.

Hell on Fire: What do you like to do in your free times?

Hellord: I don´t know what the other guys do. For myself though, I don´t have much free time. I hardly have time to watch TV...

Hell on Fire: Apart of Pandemonium do you have any kind of favourite band/s? Like, if you had 1 day the chance to share the stage with a band, which will be and why?

Hellord: I don´t have any such favourites... But it´s always cool to play with the bigger names, because there are always more people who are able to see you.

Hell on Fire: What can you say about the other band members, Enlil, Martu, Nirah and Lahmu! Do you think they are the perfect formation for Pandemonium? It is good to work with them?

Hellord: They´re good guys. We have a good mood in the band and it´s easy to work with them. Nirah though, is not a member anymore since he did not have enough time to play with us.

Hell on Fire: I suspect that you must be the composer of the band, am I right or you guys go into the rehearsel room and simply play and share ideas to compose the tracks?

Hellord: We used to do like that, but not anymore. Nowadays me and Enlil writes all material and than we reherse it together. It´s easier and more effective. And since Nirah, who also came with ideas, does not play with us anymore it works out better to write the songs by two with the computer as help to record and programme all keyboards.

Hell on Fire: Indeed computers in the present days are really important! Are you guys looking for a label? For you Hellord which are the benefits of having one?

Hellord: Of course we want a label, but we´ve also grown so tired of all those small labels who does not give you the necessary help, so we will try to find a serious one before we sign up. The benefits are that they are supposed to finance your recordings, duplications and do the promotion. It´s a hard work which takes much of your time if you do it yourself. The biggest problem is that a lot of labels today does not do what they´ve promised...

Hell on Fire: I totally agree with you but i suspect that you’ll have a great label interested in the band! Do you already have in mind to compose a new album or is to soon to talk about it?

Hellord: We´re working on a new album at the moment. There are 8 written songs that we´re rehersing and the plan is to have about 10 songs ready to record a new promo this winter.

Hell on Fire: Good to hear about that! Going back to your function in the band you also are the the guitarrist and the only 1, it is difficult to sing and to play guitar at the same time? Once again but now for the guitar, did you or do you have any kind of guitar lessons?

Hellord: Many years ago I had guitar lessons. I also used to work extra as a guitar teacher, but I don´t have time to do that now. The combined singing and playing is not so difficult as it looks like. Maybe in the begining when you haven’t learned the lyrics well enough, it can be difficult. But there´s only one way to overcome that: To practice! The more you do it, the easier it becomes.

Hell on Fire: Which is the best advice that you can give for a band in the begining?

Hellord: Reharse a lot, get to know each other musically, have fun together and find out what you want to play. Try to get as many gigs as possable to get the live-show experience. Than everything will fall in place.

Hell on Fire: How as been the reaction of the media and listeners so far about Pandemonium?

Hellord: I my oppinion pretty good. It can always be better, but it depends. When you´ve recently released something, the attention to the band is bigger. I think it´s like that for most of the bands.

Hell on Fire: Also in concerts, how do you see the reactions of the crowd when you guys enter on stage?

Hellord: It differs a lot from place to place and It also depends on how drunk people are. But mostly people get excited when the horror-intro goes on and we enter the stage. Sometimes though people just stand there and look at you as if you were an idiot, but we don´t care. We alwasy try to do a good gig. You have to be proffessional in that case. If people pay to see you, than you have to deliver a good show worth seeing.

Hell on Fire: What do you wanna say for those that always follow and supported the band since the begining?

Hellord: You´re true and loyal. That means a lot!

Hell on Fire: My friend, thank you for your time for this interview, i wish you guys to continue with the great and powerful sound and also that the band have lots of concerts hopefully and also in portuguese territory!

Hellord: Thanks for the attention and we really hope to get the opportunity to play in Portugal! Greetings.





By: Nightshade

Pandemonium Myspace
www.myspace.com/pandemoniummetal

Pandemonium Official Site
www.pandemonium-metal.com