Scar Symmetry Interview

Interview
Henrik Ohlsson
Scar Symmetry

Lineup:
Christian Älvestam Lead Vocals
Jonas Kjellgren Guitars
Per Nilsson Guitars
Kenneth Seil Bass
Henrik Ohlsson Drums

9/25/05
Interviewer: Karma E. Omowale

Stockholm Sweden’s Scar Symmetry is another band, which hails from the Mecca of melodic death metal. This all star band is comprised of founder Jonas Kjellgren (Carnal Forge, Centinex, World Below), drummer Henrik Ohlsson (Theory In Practice, Mutant, Altered Aeon), guitarist Per Nilsson (Altered Aeon), vocalist Christian Älvestam (Unmoored, Incapacity, Torchbearer), and Kenneth Siel. The band has broken the sound barrier in reference to time served, they formed in 2004, cut a demo, got signed to an Indie label then moved on to greener pastures inking a contract with Nuclear Blast Records, cut an album Symmetric In Design, and are about to cut another one… Remember, it has only been a year! Read on in this interview/conversation, Ohlsson throws me for a loop as I was originally expecting Kjellgren to phone. Henrik discusses the band’s next project, tentative title, shares his thoughts on fellow labelmates, In Flames as well as him turning the tables to interview me.

Karma: Sorry to sound shocked… I was expecting Jonas, so I am a little caught off guard. [Laughs]

Henrik: [Chuckles] I'm sorry but Jonas had some business to take care of so I am taking some of the interviews.

Henrik: I would probably call the music melodic death metal you know, 'cos it's an easy definition, and relatively short one. We try to keep the music a little heavier than the average death metal band and include a lot of melody in both the vocals and the music. Of course, we have death metal vocals.

Karma: The band formed in 2004 [then they were signed to Cold Records] then boom your CD… all in record time. Backtracking a bit, I understand that Cold Records signed you from name recognition. How cool is that!

Henrik: Well, yeah that was pretty much the reason because Omer at Cold Records he knew us from our other bands and he just wanted to hear what we could come up with so therefore we wrote one song [“Seeds of Rebellion”], recorded it and sent it to him. When he heard that the music was brilliant, you know, at least in his opinion, [We both chuckle] that’s when he wanted to sign us. So it wasn’t like he signed us just because of our musical pasts, he had to hear the music as well.

Karma: Do you have advice to for the new bands for a faster track to being signed, etc.?

Henrik: Well, really make sure that you are producing quality stuff. Practice a lot on your instruments so that you can deliver it in the best way possible, and then play music that you feel passionate about! I think you can hear that in the music when you like it or if you’re just doing it for the hell of it. [Laughs]

Karma: So how did the transition from Cold Records - Metal Blade – Nuclear Blast happen?

Henrik: Metal Blade wanted to sign us directly, they wanted to buy us from Cold, so to speak and they couldn’t really pay us much money, or as much as Cold Records wanted. That’s when Omer at Cold called some other labels and asked them if they were interested. As it turns out, Nuclear Blast was interested and paid the amount of money he wanted.

Click album cover to read our review of Symmetric In Design by Scar Symmetry

Karma: Speaking the debut CD, Symmetric In Design, in which is amazing by the way.

Karma: How have sales/responses been so far? Has it met or exceeded your expectations?

Henrik: Yeah, definitely! I don’t think that any of the members in Scar Symmetry have experienced this kind of response in our other bands, you know. It’s been really overwhelming. Sometimes you just can’t believe what you’re reading! [Laughs] Everything has been so great! It’s really been amazing!!

Karma: Are you satisfied with the way Symmetric turned out? Would you change anything?

Henrik: I am surprisingly satisfied with the album still and it’s been a year since we recorded it. The thing is that we are in the middle of recording the second album now and all the stuff we didn’t play on the first album, that’s what we’re doing on the second one. But the first on is the best for what we did at that point in time, you know.

Karma: Since you are still in the recording phase, do you have a tentative title yet?

Karma: Just curious if the lyrical content will fall along the same lines as Symmetric?

Henrik: We’re going to try to take some things to the next level, let’s just say. The clean vocals for example, we’re going from the boy band kind of vocals to more intimental kind of clean vocals also. We’re gonna try to explore many ways of singing stuff.

Karma: Stepping back a bit to Symmetric the lyrical content addresses mystical matters, reincarnation…what are your religious backgrounds, are you into the occult, Christians, etc.?

Henrik: We really haven’t…have a Christian background in any way. Death metal made us turn against Christianity in the beginning when we were fifteen years old or something. That’s when we started looking into occult themes and stuff like that, not really something we practice. Lyrically, it’s a really interesting theme to explore I think.

Henrik: I think it is a possibility. Not really, any stranger to show up in another body as it is to show up in this one [as in our current embodiments], if you know what I mean.

Karma: Oh yes I do, so here’s an off the wall question, if you had the choice, what do you want to come back as next lifetime?

Henrik: [Laughs] Well, it’s hard to say, I'm trying to deal with this lifetime now so…

Henrik: Yeah, definitely! We can do whatever we want and I don’t we could produce a good song if it were tied up to something you know. We just have to do what we want to do basically.

Karma: It seems that according to the artwork for the CD, it is a strong yin/yang influence; the same could be said for the name of the band…

Henrik: …well we wanted the front cover to be a symmetrical pattern and we just left Pär Johannsen to do what he wanted to do with the front cover as long as it looked cool, you know and have this symmetrical theme. That’s what he did.

Henrik: he did a lot of artwork for our other bands, plus he was cheap too, okay. [We both laugh]

Karma: I can understand how working with someone previously ties into them understanding your vision, and he did a hell of a job [tying in the artwork for the cover with the lyrics].

Henrik: Yeah, he did. It’s one of the finest looking covers that I’ve seen, personally.

Karma: Now as far as the new material concerned, you are recording in Jonas’ studio [Black Lounge Studio].

Henrik: Yeah, we’ve recorded the drums and most of the guitar already and it’s 13 tracks, almost an hour worth of music. It’s going to be intense. Perhaps a couple of tracks will be bonuses for some special edition or something.

Karma: Curious about the photo shoot you did for your promo shots, was that in Stockholm?

Henrik: It was taken in Avesta, a small city in Sweden where Jonas has his studio. We just went out there and took some shots. We really didn’t pay too much attention to the photos for the first album. Actually when we did that photo session, we hadn’t really met each other yet and we hadn’t played together either. {Laughs] So it was really strange, that was before we had any songs or demos.

Karma: Are there any touring plans in the foreseeable future, especially the U.S.?

Henrik: That depends on Nuclear Blast; they’ll have to set us up for a tour or something if it’s going to happen. I’m sure they’re going to come up with something at least festival shows and something like that for the next summer.

Karma: If you could tour with anyone, whom would you choose to make up the perfect bill?

Henrik: Probably Morbid Angel, even though they play a much harsher form of death metal, but they’re like gods to the most of us. That would probably be a good band to tour with. Of course KISS is the first band I really liked. That would be a strange bill, I know but… [Laughs] Scar Symmetry, Morbid Angel, and KISS…

Karma: …coming to a town near you! That would be very interesting, but I am sure that bill would draw a lot of people! [We both laugh] Whom are you listening to in the genre right now?

Henrik: Oh, that’s hard! I’m not really listening to any of the melodic death metal bands. I’ve heard some songs from Opeth and In Flames, you know. I don’t really like In Flames so I listen to Opeth!

Henrik: I don’t think they have very good songs basically! I mean that they’ve taken melodic death metal to a new level in many different ways but their songs… I don’t know, they just don’t appeal to me.

Karma: Is it more of a recent development, like did you like the older, IF material as oppose to what they are doing right now?

Henrik: Yeah! Older IF had some good songs, now they are just more about doing strange sounds and stuff like that.

Karma: I hear ya! If you could commission another band, to do a Scar Symmetry cover which song would they do and which band would cover it?

Henrik: Oh shit, that’s a hard one! I would like…well, W.A.S.P. to do “Reborn” maybe that would be cool! I think that song would probably fit their style you know and Blackie Lawless would do an excellent job on the growls I think.

Karma: Both he and Chris Holmes would do a killer job on bass/guitars…they could mix it up some too.

Henrik: Yeah! You know Blackie Lawless has this raw kinda of sounding voice anyway; he was almost doing black metal things when black metal wasn’t even thought of.

Henrik: Oh, that’s hard! Probably Sean Reinert, [with Cynic / Death] he can play everything from death metal to jazz stuff.

Karma: If you could interview a band, name one that you would love to know more about?

Henrik: I think I would like to interview Trey Azagthoth from Morbid Angel. He has some interesting ideas that are sort of like our lyrics actually! [Laughs] He’s living them, so that’s cool. I would really like to talk to him!!

Henrik: You’re not concerned with the storms that are getting on over there? [Reference to Hurricane Katrina, etc.]

Karma: No, I am not located in the south, which is where the hurricane is hitting. We’re in the Midwest, so I guess you could say I am closer to Canada than Texas or New Orleans or any of the southern coastal states.

Henrik: What are thoughts concerning the weather condition down there in New Orleans and all that?

Karma: Well to be honest I am hurt for many reasons. I feel horrible for the people that have been displaced losing their loved ones and homes… It makes me want to cry, I love New Orleans. I have a strong connect to NOLA because I vacation there a lot for Mardi Gras and recently the Voodoo Fest. Wish that I could do more than just give money/food/supplies, etc.

Karma: Then of course, the devastation continues because Hurricane Rita just hit Texas…

Karma: Well feel free to use for one of your songs… [Hysterical laughter ensues] of course I had to throw that in there!

Henrik: All right, we’ll see about that. Keep your eye out for a song with the name karma in it. [Laughter continues]

Karma: And if I ever saw that, I’d shit myself!! [Uproarious laughter ensues] Well thank you!

I'd like to thank Henrik for doing the interview and to Loana dP Valencia at Nuclear Blast for making it possible.