HEXENHAUS
As everyone knows, hexenhaus is one of my big favorite bands. I saw them live in tierp in november 91 and I think they did a great show. I got to be lyrical when I jumped around on the floor and played scaled rat when they played. The only thing that maybe wasn't 100% right was the song that had a hard time coming together in the dense sound. Here is a great interview with mike that was done that night in november. Read and enjoy!!!
ARE YOU HAPPY WITH YOUR NEW ALBUM, AWAKENING?
Yes, that's a pretty logical answer. Of course, in retrospect you discover some things you could have done better. But overall I'm happy anyway.
ARE YOU HAPPY WITH YOUR NEW ALBUM, AWAKENING?
Yes, that's a pretty logical answer. Of course, in retrospect you discover some things you could have done better. But overall I'm happy anyway.
HOW IS THE NEW ALBUM DIFFERENT FROM THE PREVIOUS ONE IN YOUR EYES?
There are two big differences. One is production-wise and the other is musically. The production is much better than on the previous one, which was a bit tricky to produce. The sound is much more solid, if you play one after the other you can hear what a fucking difference it is. Rougher production, much thicker sound. It's a damn clean and nice sound on the previous album, a damn special sound. Now we've used a little more effects, not much more, but a little more, to broaden it a little bit. The new material is more accessible. Since the vocals have become more melodic based, we've been able to make music that's a little more accessible too. We've been able to pull it down a little bit and let the vocals do a little more of the heavy lifting, that's a big difference, since we've also done a little heavier songs on the new album too.
DID YOU PRODUCE THE NEW RECORD YOURSELF?
Well, it's like this, it depends. Actually, you can distinguish between producer and producer. A producer in the rock world is usually a different producer than in the rest of the music world. In the rock world, it can be a player who comes in and sits behind the taps and then he screws up the sound. But in the rest of the music world, it can also mean that it is the producer who is also behind the product that comes. He holds the strings and the overall thing, so to speak. It is I who have tapped the guitar sound and the drum sound, so it is basically me who has produced. The others are also there and say what they think. There is no producer out there in the rock world who is perfect. That is the advantage of being at a lower level, like me. I have to listen to what others say. But as a big producer he can turn a deaf ear and say that I am the best.
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YOU HAVEN'T WORKED WITH MATS LINDFORS ON THIS RECORD?
No, we haven't worked at all in that studio. It's a completely different studio. He owns Stockholm recording (?) now and that's his thing. Mats is really good but it might not be the right thing for Mats to do this kind of music. He's better at some melodic music, a little softer. Like Europe. He's done Glory and Norum's record and stuff like that.
WHAT HAVE THE NEW MEMBERS MEAN FOR THE RECORD AND THE BAND IN OTHER WAYS? (FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW, THEY HAVE A NEW SINGER AND BASSIST SINCE THE LAST RECORD)
Conny hasn't really meant anything to the music on the new record for the simple reason that he came in so late in the process. He's a bit of a slob, he's probably mixed in a few angles and some opinions like that. But then Tomas has meant all the more then, vocally. Also the fact that Thomas has written more than half of the lyrics and also squeezed in a song. The reason why Morta quit (the old bassist) was because of his wife. It was that usual syndrome that appeared. He simply had to choose between her or Hexenhaus and then he chose her and no one can blame him for that.
THE COVER OF THE RECORD, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?
What you see on the cover is an egg that cracks. But inside the egg there is no baby bird but something else, something modern. Something that wakes up.
(Thomas) It goes with the lyrics on AWAKENING a little too. It's IC circuits and computer gadgets that come out of the egg. It's like the future is born.
(Mike) It can be interpreted both positively & negatively. I see it as something positive. If you look at it musically. AWAKENING is not a musical text. But I see AWAKENING, the title, as an awakening for HEXENHAUS. You can see AWAKENING as an awakening in time. Just this thing about it moving forward. Technology etc.
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WHY DID YOU RECORD INCUBUS ON THE RECORD? (it was also on the debut 88)
It's just a bonus track on the CD, it's not on the LP. We wanted to do it again with some rearrangement because it's a song that we like. It's a fun song. We've done it a little differently. I think it's such a good song from the beginning that I thought it would be right to do it again with such a much better band.
YOU HAVE SOME ACOUSTIC STUFF ON THE RECORD. HOW DOES IT WORK LIVE?
The acoustic songs that we play in the program we play on electric guitar. The songs that are mostly acoustic we don't play in the program. If you count out the intro, which we don't run, but if we did run it, it would probably a tapeback as an intro then. Otherwise it's Necronomicon, the long song and we don't play it live because it's too fucking big to play live. It's okay to do something like that on a record because then you can break it up with some acoustic stuff. But live it doesn't work, it's like half a concert, one song.
WHY DO YOU MAKE SUCH SHORT INSTRUMENTAL SONGS IN A COUPLE OF MINUTES?
Cool. It's fun to make instrumental music. I make a hell of a lot of instrumental music myself at home that never gets released.
BUT WHY SO SHORT SONGS, ALL THE OTHER BANDS THAT MAKE INSTRUMENTAL SONGS ALWAYS USE 10-MINUTE SONGS. BUT NOT HEXENHAUS, THEN THEY'RE SHORT STUFF!
I think it's cool. Maybe not that many people have done it before. Leppo has done a song like that in CANDLEMASS. Codex Gigas and that Chopin death march. I think it's pretty cheeky to squeeze in stuff like that. Then if you don't make them that long, you can make them more interesting in another way too. If you're going to make a long song, you have to have 500 parts in it to make it interesting as instrumental music. If you make a song that's 2 minutes long, you can play a heavy, fairly simple melody like A temple for the soul on the last album and still make it interesting, right? Because it's basically a verse melody and a guitar solo in the middle and then it's over. But it stays pretty interesting anyway because it doesn't get so damn long.
HOW DID YOU COME INTO KING DIAMOND?
It's because I know Andy la Roche or Panda at the time. I mean, I've known him privately before. So it was a bit along those lines. They needed a new guitarist then. I talked to Panda and he wanted me to come down and try out & then I got the job right away.
WASN'T THERE ANYTHING BEFORE, BEFORE PETE BLACK CAME INTO THE BAND, THAT YOU WOULD COME AND PLAY WITH THEM?
No, I talked to him a little bit like that. But I wasn't as good at guitar then. Yes, I've practiced a hell of a lot and gotten a lot better the last 3-4 years, and before Pete came in it was almost 4 years ago. I didn't know Panda that well then either. The reason Panda wanted me in the band now is because he knows I'm a hell of a good guitarist, especially a good backing guitarist. But also because he knows I'm a nice guy & that I work with that way. Because they've had some problems with rowdy members and then they don't want any more rotten eggs in the band. I've been in it since Feb.-March. But not much has happened with KING DIAMOND in the last year here.
WHAT IS IT LIKE PLAYING WITH THE KING AND THESE GUYS THERE?
Kurre hasn't been there himself. He hasn't been here for two reasons. Partly because he lives in Denmark and the band rehearses in GOTHENBURG. We'll do that too when he's there. The other reason is that there's no reason for him to be there when I'm supposed to stand there and fumble through the songs. We might play four bars and then we'll stop there and do the same thing again. We'll soon start rehearsing for real & then he'll be there. But I've met him before so he knows who I am.
AND IS HE NICE?
Yes, he's nice. But he's a bit mysterious, I'm not saying that as something negative, he's just that kind of person. Quite deep, you can tell.
WHICH IS MORE FUN TO PLAY, HEXENHAUS OR KING DIAMOND?
I think everything is fun to play. It's not really possible to compare because King Diamond's songs are harder than HEXENHAUS's songs but HEXENHAUS riffs are harder than KING D, if you know what I mean (I understand, the question is whether the readers understand -ed)? The songs that King Diamond has are harder because there's a lot more stuff in them. There's a lot more riffs and different parts and tempo changes all of a sudden and stuff. But our songs are harder to play so everything is like a challenge. The guitar itself is harder to play in our songs. But it's like a challenge in different ways, it's not really possible to say what's the most fun to play. Of course, it's fucking awesome to stand and play. I've always listened to King D's shit since the first album and also since MERCYFUL FATE. I've been with them all the way. So it feels really fun to stand and play those songs. It's really cool to stand and play COME TO THE SABBATH, which you've been listening to since you were 15 at the very least.
The acoustic songs that we play in the program we play on electric guitar. The songs that are mostly acoustic we don't play in the program. If you count out the intro, which we don't run, but if we did run it, it would probably a tapeback as an intro then. Otherwise it's Necronomicon, the long song and we don't play it live because it's too fucking big to play live. It's okay to do something like that on a record because then you can break it up with some acoustic stuff. But live it doesn't work, it's like half a concert, one song.
WHY DO YOU MAKE SUCH SHORT INSTRUMENTAL SONGS IN A COUPLE OF MINUTES?
Cool. It's fun to make instrumental music. I make a hell of a lot of instrumental music myself at home that never gets released.
BUT WHY SO SHORT SONGS, ALL THE OTHER BANDS THAT MAKE INSTRUMENTAL SONGS ALWAYS USE 10-MINUTE SONGS. BUT NOT HEXENHAUS, THEN THEY'RE SHORT STUFF!
I think it's cool. Maybe not that many people have done it before. Leppo has done a song like that in CANDLEMASS. Codex Gigas and that Chopin death march. I think it's pretty cheeky to squeeze in stuff like that. Then if you don't make them that long, you can make them more interesting in another way too. If you're going to make a long song, you have to have 500 parts in it to make it interesting as instrumental music. If you make a song that's 2 minutes long, you can play a heavy, fairly simple melody like A temple for the soul on the last album and still make it interesting, right? Because it's basically a verse melody and a guitar solo in the middle and then it's over. But it stays pretty interesting anyway because it doesn't get so damn long.
Please report dead links!
HOW DID YOU COME INTO KING DIAMOND?
It's because I know Andy la Roche or Panda at the time. I mean, I've known him privately before. So it was a bit along those lines. They needed a new guitarist then. I talked to Panda and he wanted me to come down and try out & then I got the job right away.
WASN'T THERE ANYTHING BEFORE, BEFORE PETE BLACK CAME INTO THE BAND, THAT YOU WOULD COME AND PLAY WITH THEM?
No, I talked to him a little bit like that. But I wasn't as good at guitar then. Yes, I've practiced a hell of a lot and gotten a lot better the last 3-4 years, and before Pete came in it was almost 4 years ago. I didn't know Panda that well then either. The reason Panda wanted me in the band now is because he knows I'm a hell of a good guitarist, especially a good backing guitarist. But also because he knows I'm a nice guy & that I work with that way. Because they've had some problems with rowdy members and then they don't want any more rotten eggs in the band. I've been in it since Feb.-March. But not much has happened with KING DIAMOND in the last year here.
WHAT IS IT LIKE PLAYING WITH THE KING AND THESE GUYS THERE?
Kurre hasn't been there himself. He hasn't been here for two reasons. Partly because he lives in Denmark and the band rehearses in GOTHENBURG. We'll do that too when he's there. The other reason is that there's no reason for him to be there when I'm supposed to stand there and fumble through the songs. We might play four bars and then we'll stop there and do the same thing again. We'll soon start rehearsing for real & then he'll be there. But I've met him before so he knows who I am.
AND IS HE NICE?
Yes, he's nice. But he's a bit mysterious, I'm not saying that as something negative, he's just that kind of person. Quite deep, you can tell.
WHICH IS MORE FUN TO PLAY, HEXENHAUS OR KING DIAMOND?
I think everything is fun to play. It's not really possible to compare because King Diamond's songs are harder than HEXENHAUS's songs but HEXENHAUS riffs are harder than KING D, if you know what I mean (I understand, the question is whether the readers understand -ed)? The songs that King Diamond has are harder because there's a lot more stuff in them. There's a lot more riffs and different parts and tempo changes all of a sudden and stuff. But our songs are harder to play so everything is like a challenge. The guitar itself is harder to play in our songs. But it's like a challenge in different ways, it's not really possible to say what's the most fun to play. Of course, it's fucking awesome to stand and play. I've always listened to King D's shit since the first album and also since MERCYFUL FATE. I've been with them all the way. So it feels really fun to stand and play those songs. It's really cool to stand and play COME TO THE SABBATH, which you've been listening to since you were 15 at the very least.
The front cover of the fanzine.