The rumors precede Sharlee D'Angelo being a sex symbol. Master of ceremonies, Dani Filth of Cradle of Filth, dedicated a song to Arch Enemy's bassist and was kind enough to knight the 6'6" fast-talking Swede with a statement that supports my aforementioned statement! As you may or may not have heard, Sharlee is easy to get along with. I first saw him perform with Mercyful Fate some x years ago and I look forward to seeing his performance every time he comes through town. Probably because he performs with a different band each time! Witchery, Mercyful Fate, now Arch Enemy. He's all over the place. But does he really like jumping from band to band as a hired hand? Sharlee gives us insight to these questions and more.

Erika: Okay, what's all this nonsense of you being a sex symbol? For Dani to make that comment that he did…

Sharlee: Wha… what did he say?

Karma: Like, you’re the Prince of Sex…

Sharlee: [Chuckles in disbelief] When did he say this?

Karma: During their set.

Sharlee: I don't know. Right before they went on stage tonight, he's like "I got a name for you". Like what? [he says with a smooth accent] "Marquis de Suave". [Hearty laughter fills the room]

Erika: What is all that about. I read these interviews, it seems a bit of a disgrace a little bit. I know it's all in fun.

Sharlee: Yeah.

Erika: But to not take your craft seriously.

Sharlee: There's certain magazines that do those sorts of interviews. It's a relief to do them. When you do a whole fucking stint of things for a new album, you sit and talk about the album and these musical questions. Then once in a while a silly one comes along and it's just great. You can just relax and have fun.

Karma: Oh, you just wait honey [laughs]

Erika: But I want to know more about the serious part of it. I know you from the previous bands you were in. So, I would like for the record a complete rundown of the bands you were playing with Before Arch.

Sharlee: Before Arch?

Erika: Um, heck, during, yea.

Sharlee: I know! Well, yeah, how many [thinking] Mercyful Fate, Witchery, Dismember, Sinergy. Um, a band called Illwill as well. Some other stuff I think [laughs].

Erika: See, exactly.

Sharlee: Somebody called me a musical prostitute. Well, you know cause I do take offense to that because like prostitutes do get paid. So I'm just a regular slut! Cause I like it! [Uproarious laughter]

Erika: For instance, I've seen you with Witchery with Mercyful now with Arch… Which one are you a permanent fixture?

Sharlee: Oh yeah with Arch. I have been for many years. You know, being in Mercyful Fate, it was a great thing for me. I sort of learned the ropes in that band. They took me out. It was already an established band. With Arch, it's a different thing now after two albums, I got in on the third one, but I got to be there to build the band up. That's so much more satisfying in a way, in that sense. So, I'm just loving it. Seeing how things are so much more, more appreciated by people all over. So many people come up every night and say like, something about how fantastic we are and I'm like what've you been listening to. It must've been something else [laughter].

Erika: So do you take everything you've learned from the other bands and bring it to the table?

Sharlee: Yeah! I mean everything you do it's sort of musical development. You learn stuff cause you get in a different situation. That's sort of why I've been jumping at opportunities when people ask me do I want to this. Even if I don't really have the time. I just do it because it would be so much fun to actually play that sort of music. You know, Fred asked me from Dismember, asked me to be a member. Just came up to me in a bar and said that they didn't have a bass player. Would I be interested in doing a tour with them? Fuckin' hell yes I would because I never before actually played in a death metal band. Like a real old school death metal band. It would be so much fun. Just listen to it. But nobody that I knew wanted to play that sort of music so. Which was like (big sigh of honor). And one of my favorite death metal bands as well. Just getting in and doing that. Then sort of like approaching it my way. And they [Dismember] were sort of like taken aback a little bit by what I did 'Oh we never really thought about doing it that way. Cause like Richard the old bass player was just following the guitars all the time. I'm more like…I follow the drums. So it gave me a new sort of groove to surface. It's very much a learning experience. A couple of years ago some friends of mine had sort of like seven piece. Sort of like glam punk band. And they were doing a demo and they needed somebody to play bass. I had to rethink everything I knew. I learned so much from just doing that demo. Like wow, a new sort of like, all the harmonies and melodic things you can actually do. 'Cause it's a different accompaniment than I'm used to.

Erika: Are you more comfortable doing that, to work with different bands so that you can bring something fresh to the fold?

Sharlee: Everything you do that's new to you. You have to think again. When you've done an album and your touring for about two years you play the save stuff over and over again. So, you like throwing in new things here and there but it's the same "something" and when something completely different comes in then it's like you have to think about the music again. You're not the robot anymore.

Erika: So you prefer that.

Sharlee: Absolutely. I would try to do it by myself but it's hard to do. You need that outside influence. Somebody that pokes you in that certain direction. Why you have to do this.

Erika: Have you tried to do it on your own? Go it alone?

Sharlee: I've tried to do it on my own. Believe you me! [Laughs]

Erika: That good old college try.

Sharlee: Yeah, but as I said, I play a lot at home but you just need that someone to point you in the right direction.

Erika: You like everything that makes up that band unit.

Sharlee: Yeah. But that's the thing, why I like playing in a band. A lot of people ask me 'So, when 's your solo album coming out?' I'm like, never! That's stupid. Like who the fuck would be interested in that. A bass player's solo album. Isn't that the most fantastically fucking boring thing you could ever think of!?!

Erika: They're thinking of who you are and whom you've played with.

Sharlee: I play music more than I play bass, that's the thing. You play songs you just don't play an instrument!

Erika: Do you play another instrument?

Sharlee: [In a low voice] The Organ.

Erika: Ha, ha, ha [rolling eyes ensue]. You had me there.

Sharlee: No, no. Sorry. I'm so bad. No… I've been fiddling about with other instruments. I actually started out playing guitar like many years ago. In the days of yore, I just switched over to bass because there was a bigger demand. I just did it to jam with people and play bass just because they didn't have a bass player. All of a sudden, I was like in demand. Not too many people do want to play bass. I actually like playing bass.

Erika: You're more comfortable with it.

Sharlee: Yea, it's a different thing. When I play guitar I never really had the interest to sit down and be the fastest guy in the world. Cause it never interested me. I'm more about stuff like the rhythms and melody and bass is like great for that because you can do simple things that mean so much per song. It's kinda like the less you play the better it gets. That's the thing, Cliff Williams from AC/DC, he invented this whole thing. 'Okay well, I staying on this one fucking note. You guys can do whatever you want but I'm staying on this note right here!' [Hearty laugh].

Erika: Let's take that in another direction. How Arch records...Angela is from Germany and if I'm not mistaken the rest of you guys are from Sweden. What's proper name… ?

Karma: Sverige.

Sharlee: There you go. Whenever you play in a band be it live or in the studio. Especially when it comes to recording 'cause then you've been writing songs and you've been doing that all up 'til the day of the actually recording and your head is so in it. At that point, I very rarely ever listen to any other music. I don't know. I just don't want it. I don't want to hear anything.

Erika: You want to keep it fresh.

Sharlee: It's concentration but it's good. You want to concentrate on it.

Erika: Are you doing any future extra curricular activities? You're such a busy man. Could it be bad?

Sharlee: For a long while it's been nothing but AE and touring. This summer we had a bit of time off. I got to do other albums. One with Witchery and one with Michael's [Amott] other band. A 17-space type thing. That's where I come from originally, musically. That was a big relief there's much more space for things in that sort of music. There's a lot more accuracy n' speed and whatever. And [Michael's band] is a lot less disciplined playing wise. There so much space to move around and whatever. A good experience. I breathed some new life into me to actually do that.

Erika: Do you see yourself as a free spirit overall?

Sharlee: I guess. Anything goes as long as it's good.

Erika: For the aforementioned do you know when there slated to drop?

Sharlee: No, not really cause both of those records are being shopped at the moment. They'll probably be out next year.

Erika: And the kinship out of Sweden? [turns to Karma]

Karma: Ja, Sverige?

Sharlee: Are you from Sweden?

Karma: Nej, jag är från USA.

Erika: Every other person is from The Haunted or coming out of Sweden right now. Is it a tight unit?

Sharlee: I'll say like 95% of my friends back home are actually in bands. There are a few people that I see on a regular basis. Like Jensen from The Haunted. He's like one of my best friends. But when you go out you see people from that or that band that you will run into. The thing is though, since they're all in bands, I only really see them like at festivals. Cause when I'm home they're gone and the other way around.

Erika: Aww.

Sharlee: You see them at like some Open Air thing in like…Hungary! So it's like [waving] Hey, how ya doin'? [Laughter] Even though we live like two or three blocks down the street from the person.

I guess some things must be sacrificed, all for the love of the music. Thanks to Sharlee and the rest of the guys in AE (and crew) for putting on a great show and to Jensen at Adrenaline PR.

Click here to find out the answers to questions that the "Marquis de Suave" didn't

even answer on the
Arch Enemy website

in Part II!

Related Links

o     Click here for new interview with Michael Amott

o    Here for part II of this interview with Sharlee

o   Here for more photos of tonight’s show the Headbangers Ball Tour

o      Here for photos of the band during Ozzfest 2005

o     Here for photos from the during Doomsday Tour (headlining tour)

o     Here for new Witchery interview with Sharlee

o     Here for part II of the Witchery Interview with Jensen