MER:
Congrats on the fantastic new album Return To The Past. This album has been a long time coming for your guys. How does it feel to finally have this album done and released?
LB:
Fantastic! After all the hard work it feels great to have the album available all over the world.
MER:
For readers not familiar with Seven Thorns, how would you describe your style of Metal?
LB:
True, European style Power Metal: lots of double-bass, very melodic, equilibristic guitars, and spiced up with some Neoclassical touches. Erik, who handles the vocals, has a rough edge and a somewhat lower pitch than what is common among Power Metal vocalists.
MER:
It took a long time for the band to culminate into the current form. What were some of the hardships the band faced early on?
LB:
Like with many other bands, it took a long time to find the right people. Since a band spends so much time together, and have to agree on the style, getting the right dynamics is vital. During the first years we were always missing one or two instruments in the intended set up. When I finally had a complete set-up, things started moving along well. However, the personal dynamics of the band were all wrong, and right after “Artificial Night” won a Metal Award, and the first record was ready, the band fell apart. I had to start all over again. Mik Holm and I reconstructed the band, making sure the members were not only good musicians, but also great guys who got along well together.
MER:
Regarding the partnership between you and vocalist / composer Mik Holm… how did the chemistry evolve, and can you relate that to your commitment to the success of Seven Thorns?
LB:
Mik joined the band as vocalist in 2003, and although we are very different persons, we soon realized we wanted the same things out of a band and agreed on the music we wanted to play. We went to Wacken together in 2004, and got to know each other better by discussing what was good and bad in the concerts we saw… and things evolved from there. We have gone to Wacken together every year since then.
MER:
How did it turn out that Erik “EZ” Blomkvist was to be the lead vocalist for the album? What does he bring to Seven Thorns that you didn’t have before?
LB:
We had many singers audition for the band, from rather good ones to outright disasters. Mik, being a singer himself, was highly critical and didn’t feel any of the candidates were right, so he searched the net and found a voice sample from Erik that he really liked. I wrote to Erik, and he agreed to come into the studio with us for the recording of “Forest Majesty” and “Spread Your Wings”. Both his voice and his personality worked perfectly with the rest of the band, even though he is a Swede! Erik is technically better than any singer we’ve had before. Also, his dark, rough timbre suits our music really well. Power Metal singers don’t always have to be tenors.
MER:
What is in the future for Seven Thorns? Will there be a tour and festival dates to support Return To The Past?
LB:
Hopefully! We will headline Bremer Metal Festival in November, but the planned Joker’s Ball was regrettably postponed until 2012, so we are currently working with our booking partners, Redlionmusic, to fill the hole.
MER:
MER wishes you the best of luck and hopefully tons of success! Do you have any final words to share for your new fans out there?
LB:
Thank you for the support, and don’t forget… “Metal Is Your Destiny!”
To find out more about Seven Thorns, check out seventhorns.com
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