Mortal Sin was a fanzine from West Germany written in German. But here’s an article translated to English for you. Fun fact: Tröjan, so Trojan with the two dots over the O in Swedish means Sweater or T-Shirt.
Tröjan
Those of you who were following the metal scene four years ago will surely still be familiar with the name Tröjan; the English quartet released the LP "Chasing The Storm" on Roadrunner in 1985 and then disappeared into obscurity. And this despite the record receiving positive reviews everywhere! After many years of silence, I was quite delighted when a three-track tape from this very band landed in my mailbox one day. The songs impressively demonstrate that the English scene doesn't seem to be as dead as everyone claims; a raw, British sound resonates, very old-school, sometimes ballad-like, sometimes a bit faster. In short: simply good, which is why we immediately asked guitarist Pete Wadeson for an interview.
First, could you tell us why you left Roadrunner back then? I actually remember the label as a company that does something for its bands.
- The main reason we left Roadrunner is that they didn't give us the support we needed. It's clear that the company also does a lot for its bands, but mostly the American ones; this is because those bands are usually licensed by Combat or Metal Blade, which saves a lot of money that can then be put into promotion. We, on the other hand, were signed directly by Roadrunner, and most of the remaining money we had was spent during the recording of "Chasing The Storm."
Why haven't we heard from you? Did you spend so long looking for a new company?
Those of you who were following the metal scene four years ago will surely still be familiar with the name Tröjan; the English quartet released the LP "Chasing The Storm" on Roadrunner in 1985 and then disappeared into obscurity. And this despite the record receiving positive reviews everywhere! After many years of silence, I was quite delighted when a three-track tape from this very band landed in my mailbox one day. The songs impressively demonstrate that the English scene doesn't seem to be as dead as everyone claims; a raw, British sound resonates, very old-school, sometimes ballad-like, sometimes a bit faster. In short: simply good, which is why we immediately asked guitarist Pete Wadeson for an interview.
First, could you tell us why you left Roadrunner back then? I actually remember the label as a company that does something for its bands.
- The main reason we left Roadrunner is that they didn't give us the support we needed. It's clear that the company also does a lot for its bands, but mostly the American ones; this is because those bands are usually licensed by Combat or Metal Blade, which saves a lot of money that can then be put into promotion. We, on the other hand, were signed directly by Roadrunner, and most of the remaining money we had was spent during the recording of "Chasing The Storm."
Why haven't we heard from you? Did you spend so long looking for a new company?
- Among other things, yes! The main reason we left was because we had a lot of work to do with contract terminations and we wanted to write as much new material as possible. During this time, we played a few smaller gigs and lost our drummer, San Hall. It took us ages to find a suitable replacement.
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Wouldn't it have been easier to give up everything and start over?
- No, we never lost faith in the band because, firstly, we're a close-knit group and get along very well with each other, and secondly, it's people like you who, with your interest, always give us the strength we need.
How do you rate the old songs from the LP compared to the material on the new demo?
- Compared to "Chasing The Storm," everything is much more thought-out, as the songwriting has also improved significantly. I also believe we've found the happy medium between thrash and power metal!
Compared to 1985, you can't exactly say it's become more favorable for a new attempt…
- That's true. But I hope the public senses that there really is a place for us in the scene. Judging by all the positive reactions to new material, I'm very confident about our future.
Do we already have any contacts with record labels?
- Yes, some of the companies are really into our new material and have shown a lot of interest.
We're still in negotiations at the moment, but we hope to find a place somewhere in the near future. In fact, we're currently experiencing quite a surge in metal bands in England who are certainly good enough to have a say in the scene in the near future.
Okay, what's coming up for Tröjan in the next few weeks?
- First of all, we're obviously concentrating on getting a deal, releasing the second album, and then hopefully doing an extensive tour. If we were able to play in Germany, that would make us very happy.
A final word?
It's good to be back and we hope we can bring our metal to your country soon!
You heard it, folks. Tröjan really have it in their hands, so if you're looking to make a splash, feel free to write Pete a letter and ask for the tape: PETE WADESON, 17 ASHBOURNE AVE, WHELLEY, WIGAN, GREATER MANCHESTER, WN 2, 1 AD, ENGLAND!
/ Frank