Here
is a new interview with the Swedish two man band Hordes Of
The Apocalypse talking about their upcoming debut and
more.Anyone who is interested should get in touch with the
band today.
Interview with Hordes Of The Apocalypse done by Patrick
1.Hello Thomas and Greigh how are things going with you these days? Please introduce yourselfs to the readers?
Greigh:
I’m doing fine thank you. Pretty stressful on the work front, but I’m fine with that.My name is Greigh Johanson, a musician and cineast who also owns and works with Goregasmic Magazine together with my friend Tim Nordstedt. That’s an magazine, and blog written in english, where we reviewing independent/underground film and music, worldwide.
Thomas:
The metal world entered very early in my life. I was about 13 when I did my first death metal demo. I’m soon 33 so lot of things has happened since then. I was about 20 when I did my first demo with Damnation Army, which I later, after some demos being released in the underground, got signed to Dutch label Mascot Records and got two albums made and distributed worldwide. I have also had countless of releases with different projects, early on, put out through underground labels from many corners of the world. I also ran (around 2004) an extreme metal underground label myself for a couple of years. The last years I have been producing music for american documentaries and various music for some horror movies and DVD extra material content etc. I also run, since a year now, a community called METAL KALMAR that has about 170 members. It’s a gathering spot for the very local scene where I live. Combined with that I also help out a local metal club called to film and edit interviews with the bands that play.
Interview with Hordes Of The Apocalypse done by Patrick
1.Hello Thomas and Greigh how are things going with you these days? Please introduce yourselfs to the readers?
Greigh:
I’m doing fine thank you. Pretty stressful on the work front, but I’m fine with that.My name is Greigh Johanson, a musician and cineast who also owns and works with Goregasmic Magazine together with my friend Tim Nordstedt. That’s an magazine, and blog written in english, where we reviewing independent/underground film and music, worldwide.
Thomas:
The metal world entered very early in my life. I was about 13 when I did my first death metal demo. I’m soon 33 so lot of things has happened since then. I was about 20 when I did my first demo with Damnation Army, which I later, after some demos being released in the underground, got signed to Dutch label Mascot Records and got two albums made and distributed worldwide. I have also had countless of releases with different projects, early on, put out through underground labels from many corners of the world. I also ran (around 2004) an extreme metal underground label myself for a couple of years. The last years I have been producing music for american documentaries and various music for some horror movies and DVD extra material content etc. I also run, since a year now, a community called METAL KALMAR that has about 170 members. It’s a gathering spot for the very local scene where I live. Combined with that I also help out a local metal club called to film and edit interviews with the bands that play.
2.When did you two first meet? Was it long before you got the idea to start a band? How did you two come up with the name Hordes Of The Apocalypse for the band?
Greigh:
I discovered one of Thomas music projects on YouTube three years ago and became very fascinated . I was also interested in his anonymity and tried to ferret out who the person behind the project was and I therefore chose to send him a message . It was via this route , this led to an acquaintance who would later formed into friendship. I've done an interview and an article with Thomas earlier , and I met him for the first time in Gothenburg for half a year ago, together with artist Richard Molander, who among others has made the art cover of our upcoming debut album.
The band name was kind of simple I think, although I got some help from artist Tim Nordstedt, the person who was also responsible for drawing our logotype. I wanted it as simple as possible, so we fixed it in one minute or so. It came to life when we wrote our second track, which title also is Hordes of the Apocalypse. I wrote the lyrics with inspiration from Umberto Lenzi’s cult film “Nightmare City” and combined it with my own fantasies about an Apocalypse and a Zombie breakout.
3.Would you guys like to add more members to have a full line up or do you prefer to work as a two piece band?
Greigh:
I don’t know if this project is meant for more people. As it seems now, it requires a huge mental activity and some juggling, which can easily be split if more offers on it. Me and Thomas has an identical approach in two different levels that make it float on in a way I never thought was possible. Thomas is the instrument and I'm the brain, so to speak.But I can’t speak for both of us. Thomas might have a different view of it?
Thomas:
As for now I write the main bulk of the music while Greigh covers the lyrics and concepts. The interesting part to the song writing though is that nothing I write would have sounded the way it does without the inputs from Greigh. As adding other people it is not very likely. We have a very hard work regime that few probably would be able to keep up with and stay sane.
4.Hordes Of The Apocalypse is getting ready to release their self-titled debut how long did it take to write the music for this release? For the readers who haven't had the chance to hear your music how would you best describe Hordes Of The Apocalypse style?
Greigh:
It actually have a title, it goes under “Now they’re everywhere! There is no Escape”, that title appears as a quote from "City of the Walking Dead " which is an alternative title items of Umberto Lenzi 's “Nightmare City”. Anyway, we wrote everything, recorded and produced it in a time of two weeks. When I scroll through my documents I can see that we began the first track in Dec 3th, and the very last piece was finished in Dec 18th.
Hordes of the Apocalypse is a mix between every genre we like. It has a catchy D-beat touch with influences of Crust, Hardcore, Thrash Metal, Death Metal and Black Metal, you can also hear some Progressive stuff in it, and some references from movie soundtracks as well.
Thomas:
I get a kick out of the ”no fear” approach we have when we get busy. This anarchistic way to go about is very satisfying. We are not holding back anything.
5.When will the debut be ready for the fans and listeners to download the release? Where can the fans get it from?
Thomas:
It will be out on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, and about 30 other streaming services just in time for new years eve. There will be no trouble to hear it for anyone. After, we will have later on a physical release but that is still under discussion.
6.I believe Hordes Of The Apocalypse just made a video for the song Seventh Avenue.How long did it take you guys to make this video?
Greigh: When I wrote lyrics I can imagine a picture or a video in front of me. So when I work with a track I do also have a video stuck in mind. It took me between 45-60 minutes to come up with the video for Seventh Avenue. I borrowed sequences from some of my favorite movies; giallo-classics and Srdjan Spasojevic’s “A Serbian Film”. The whole idea was to create something you’ve never seen in Giallo-terms before; Necrophilia
7.Thomas I believe you started out in the underground scene with your band Damnation Army how long was this band active? Is their any releases or merchandise still available for the readers?
Thomas:
My last album was out 2009 I think and since then I have been rather quite. I would say it is still active in it’s absence, ironically, but I never laid if off. But at the same time I can’t promise another release, even if I have had one in mind throughout all these years passed.
8.Thomas I know you dropped out of the metal underground for a few years.What made you decide to get out of the scene for those years?When did you decide to return ?
Thomas:
I got in a long running relationship with a girl, who also had a child, so many personal interests of mine fell off, kind off, because of many hardships with things that needed to be solved. It’s a long story and a more or less a fog now. But my relationship ended a year ago so as soon as it did I went back like I had it before. I continued just where I left off. My single life before was only around training, music and movies. Today it is back to that, just like I want it. No complaints, no regrets. I have to say that I owe some credit to my good friend Filip from the band Rave the Reqviem. I did a remix for a song of his called ”The Ascension”. It really sparked my metal interest again. To get back doing something official again .
9. In your opinions what is the best and worst thing about the underground metal scene today? And what does the term Underground metal mean to you?
Thomas:
I really have to find out again Patrick! My absence has left me clueless about todays scene. Hopefully it is the same as 15 years ago but I highly doubt that! Underground to me hints the fact that there is a more free approach to the music and how it is distributed. A sense of true passion for the music and less concern about ”making it”.
Greigh:
I don’t know if I find anything negative with the underground scene, not more than 90% of the music is unlistenable and consists of comprehensive shit. But this has probably always been so, I suppose? The most positive thing is that the music has become more understood and got the possibility to standing at the center. It’s not as elitist and extreme as, let me say, in the 80's and 90's. I think the Underground scene has a greater importance nowadays. Now you can even make money on that crap. And oh, don’t misunderstand me, I like underground, but I have not really understood the concept; Is it more or less unique than anything else?
10.Besides the band I believe you two are big movie fans. What are some of your all-time favorite movies? Are their any new movies you feel the readers should check out soon?
Greigh: This is a question I get all the time. I'm pretty tired of it , so I say as usual : It's enormously difficult to express myself about some films. I like to constantly discover new films , even if the old Italian giallos and zombie / cannibal flicks is what I grew up with.
Thomas:
I have a very broad interested in movies but I do tend to focus on horror and exploitation films. Directors like Lucio Fulci, Dario Argento, Mario Bava, Jean Rollin are some of my favorites. The films that got me hooked were Zombie 2, The Beyond, Suspiria, Lisa and the Devil, Demons, Texas Chainsaw Massacre… These are very obvious films but if you want me to go deeper we will have to spend the entire interview speaking about this because it will never end.
11.In your opinion's what makes a good movie?Who are some of your favorite actors and actresses?
Greigh:
It’s all about a good plot, with an able and clever director and some cool layout and special-effects, of course with traditional and handmade effects. I also like psychological twists where the brain must be involved and thinking, drama-stuff is my thing. No brain-dead Hollywood nonsense, even if I can appreciate that sometimes when I am on a low standard level. But among the twists I talked about, it may well also contain vomit, faeces, urination, necromancy, pedophilia and all that obscure imaginable. I'm bad at following specific actors and actresses , so I leave that question to Thomas .
Thomas:
For me its all about vibes and something that speaks to me. Something I can relate to or just some atmosphere that totally enthralls me. I seldom care about the story, I go for the feeling I get. To be hooked on certain scenes or to just emerge in a movies world. It can be a very personal experience. One less obvious film I can mention that really gets me like that is Fade to Black. For me it doesn't become a movie, it become something more than that. It comes to life. Now that’s interesting.
12. Hordes Of The Apocalypse comes out of the Swedish metal scene.What is your opinion of the Swedish metal scene?
Thomas:
Believe it or not but I almost don’t listen to music. It has been like that for the last 10 years or so. I don’t follow what happens so I can’t say. So as for the scene I can only speak for how it was back then.
Greigh:
It's like a bag of mixed candy. You can always find something that is sour, sweet, salty or bitter, no matter who mixes it. It works that way, even with music in general. There are breadcrumbs and then there are fermented herring. I like when tones are swinging, those tones that press against the chest. The new wave of Swedish Death Metal is sovereign; bands in style with Entrails, Torture Division, Blood Mortized etc . But if there’s something I would tread down the foot for, it’s Metalcore and Eurovision Metal. I have never understood that type of genre at all.
13.Who are some of your all-time favorite Swedish bands? Are their any new bands you feel the readers should check out?
Greigh: I would like to say; Tribulation, Repugnant, Birdflesh, Nifelheim, Mordant, Entrails, Morbid Insulter, The Third Eye Rapists, Zobibor and some hundreds more. I’ve to many favorites from the Swedish scene.
But one new band I would tips you about would be Total Inferno. Recently they released their debut album ”The Return of Evil Chaos” via Pure Metal Records, it’s just as catchy as our debut.
Thomas:
I grew up with the mid 90’s black death metal scene in Sweden so that’s what still sticks in my mind. As for new bands I can’t say.
14.When not working on the band's music what do you guys enjoy doing in your free time?
Thomas:
Training, especially calisthenics and running is a big part of my everyday life. Playing, composing music. Investing time in movies, not just as entertainment but to learn and dig deeper in that wide realm. Doesn’t have to be more complicated than that. I do love to have my movie night routines with friends too.
Greigh:
Is there time for that? When? Haha, nah that was silly of me. But sometimes it feels that way , in that I have a full time job at the side of the magazine and the band. I also have a family to hang out with, a fiancee and a son. It's basically my only recreation. And watch movies, listen to music and play games of course. But in general I'm not a person who likes to socialize with people.
15.Thank you Thomas and Greigh for taking the time to fill this interview out.Good luck with the band do you all have any final words for the readers?
Thomas:
Thank you, Patrick, for taking the time! Please check out our album and emerge yourself in its chaos.
Greigh:
One does not want to reveal too much about the future, but we have been talking about recording a split EP together with Total Inferno. The guys seem to be interested, so we'll see what happens.Thank you for the interview, hope you will be happy with the end result of what one can throw away in two weeks of creative boredom. Nah, It wasn’t that horrible - quite the contrary, because I love our energy in Hordes of the Apocalypse. I like to work with Thomas, It’s a life of inspiration for me. Thanks.
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