Getting a little bit tired of all those melodic death metal bands? Pick up the latest The Crown outburst "Crowned in Terror" and I promise you won't be singing any of those sweet melodies for a long time. Although their music is also based on good dose of melody; aggression, speed and power is what makes them stand atop their peers. Those five guys are like bulls on Speed ready to tear any place down wherever they show up. With the addition of Tomas Lindberg (ex-At The Gates, Skitsystem, Lock Up, Disfear, The Great Deceiver) The Crown opens a new chapter in their career and sets the bar even higher. Just a week before they hit the States I had the pleasure to talk to Janne Saarenpää (drums) about their new member, album and musical inspirations.

Chris


Ready to conquer the States?

Yeah. [laughs] I hope so.

What's next, what are the plans for the rest of the world?

I don't know. There's a lots of talk and a lots of stuff going on but you know, there's always a lots of talk in the music industry. [laughs] So, there's not much worth mentioning since nothing is decided yet. We have two festivals booked; one in Germany and one in Finland but we're hoping for a good European tour and there's actually a talk about second US tour so, we're hoping for the best.

Tell us more about the latest news of Axis Percussion officially signs you?

Well, cool thing. I'm using their pedals and they were interested with endorsing them with people like me. It feels really cool to have my first endorsement deal; I'm actually first in a band to have one. I'm nothing but honored.

Maybe that's your first step to live from drumming only?

Yeah, I hope so. [laughs]

Since At The Gates called it quits Tomas Lindberg was involved in and still is, I think 4 (Skitsystem, Lock Up, Disfear and The Great Deceiver) projects so, how did he end up in The Crown?

We have known him for several years, actually. When we did our first tour in Europe we had a warm out band called Sacrilege and they didn't have a singer so he was hired to do the tour with them. That whole tour was one big ass misery; poorly arranged, everything was shitty but from all this we could always get into part mood and do great shows and have fun. We could see it right then that Tomas was really a cool guy and if things could go rough with The Crown he would be the good guy to work with. So, when Johan quit we wanted to have a guy that's experienced who've worked on the scene for many years and is as hungry as we are. Tomas was really the first and maybe the only name that come out when we were talked about replacement.

Aren't you afraid that with all these bands that are issuing albums with Tomas fronting that his voice won't be recognized as a unique for The Crown only?

Yeah, of course that's never good. I, personally really want to stay true to The Crown because playing in only one band only I'll help to preserve our sound somewhat unique. Of course he's wearing his voice out in many ways with those other bands but most of those bands are maybe not that... big and they are not into this same kind of music. OK, it's metal but it's not death metal so, it still feels it's really worth the shot because he's a great singer. You can hear that on this new album that he's at least as hungry, if not even hungrier then we are. It's a move in the right direction anyway.

Since you've announced the change of the vocalist so long ago was Tomas involved in the writing process of this material?

It was pretty much lyrics only, also Magnus, our bass player, he also wrote some of them since he already started coming up with the titles and concepts for them. It really helped Tomas to get into the band even faster. So, for this album he worked on lyrics only but I'm sure on the next one he will have as much input as everyone else in the band.

Since 'Death Metal Holocaust' features Johan Lindstrand as a guest vocalist does it mean that the band's members are still good friends with him and there was really no bad blood when he quit?

That's pretty much it and that was very cool way for him to say goodbye to us and fans. Of course it was hard when he mentioned that he wants to quit the band but he was nice enough to say it in due time. When he actually quit it was almost a year since the first time he mentioned it and that's of course helped us to still be friends through all this.

Was it also like returning the favor since Tomas guested on your previous album?

Yeah, that also. It was cool, Tomas sang on our previous album so why not switch everything. [laughs]

Going back to the hunger topic... It seems like The Crown have sped up the tempo and it's even more aggressive than before. Was it intentional or new blood ignited the flame?

No, it wasn't intentional and I feel really good saying that because you can tell that many band are only aiming to get more brutal and that sucks 'cause you can see that their songs aren't turning out as good as they could have been. It just turned out this way and I think the main reason that our songs are faster and more brutal is because we have been touring with these total high quality bands. The US tour with Cannibal Corpse, Nile and Krisiun [laughs] it can't get any better. European tour with Morbid Angel... after seeing those bands every night for four- five weeks it brings back memories how it is to play fast. They are gods in handling their instrument so all those bands really inspired us a lot. Plus we are big fans of those bands too so; it just felt natural to speed it up.

The Crown started as a death metal band but it's hard to call "Crowned In Terror" a death metal release. Did it also just turn out this way or you don't want to limit yourself within one music genre?

Well, when people ask us what we're playing we say death metal but after the second album we were quite confident in ourselves that we could try stuff that all of us like even though it might not be the purest death metal. We didn't want to limit us to one genre only we wanted to do death metal but with other elements in it that we like and what style it would be it's not really important as long as we feel it sounds as The Crown.

What in your mind differs The Crown from the rest of the Sweden's scene?

I don't know... there's a lot of talk about Gothenburg sound that is almost purely about melody and we're not about melody only. It's hard to say... but I think we are a bit more brutal and faster than usual Swedish bands.

I've got one more that's even harder to answer... where do you feel you stand among your peers (Entombed, The Haunted, Soilwork...)?

Somewhere in the middle... [laughs] It's really hard to say. I would pay money to get a chance to jump out of the band and become a fan not involved in the band just to know how people look at us. Are we big in Sweden? Are we small? It's impossible to tell from where I stand, really.

Wasn't the choice of Mega Studio a conscious decision to separate The Crown from all those bands that record in Fredman and Abyss?

Well... [laughs] We were actually about to go to Fredman's studio again but as usual we were very lazy booking the studio and stuff, so when we called him he told us he has some free time in March, right now. So, we would begin recording now and that made us to pick Studio Mega. We knew he didn't do any big albums before but he has a good equipment and right attitude so, we felt like we can take a shot and try it right there. The plan was to mix that stuff in Studio Fredman and we did so, but it didn't sound good, those studios didn't mix well. So, we went back to Studio Mega, which was a good decision because at the end we could really hear that we sound as good as it does on the album. We weren't afraid to get Gothenburg sound going to Fredman because we're pretty confident that when we go to the studio with ourselves and our equipment I'm sure we will preserve at least parts of The Crown. You'll always hear it's The Crown album, no matter what studio we're in.

Can you explain why on the back cover of the booklet your logo remind me so much of Venom? I don't see too many similarities between two bands?

No, it's very much a coincidence. It was this German friend of our bass player who had made it for fun on his computer and he send it too him to check it out. We though it was so well made that we might as well put in on the album. Yeah, we don't sound as Venom but having this sign there is kind of a paying tribute to them for being there when this form of music was created. They are one of the most important bands for us; we wouldn't sound like we do if Venom wasn't there at the beginning. I hope Venom guys won't take it as a plagiarism...

Since you've started playing as young kids I was wondering if are you still good friends that meet together for a beer, go out or wives and families (or girlfriends) took it all away?

No, that's pretty much part of the magic. When Johan quit I was afraid that we would lose this because we have always been very good friends, seeing each other often and going out together but we still do. That's pretty much the magic of the band because we stayed together for so long and we're still good friends and I really hope that it will last forever.

Unfortunately it's time to end this interview... all I can say is to congratulate you on really great album and I hope to talk to you in person in two weeks in Chicago. Any final comments?

Cool. I hope that all the people that would read this interview will check out our album and maybe come to the show to see us 'cause we love playing live and the more people the merrier, as they say. [laughs]

Interview with J (guitars) by Kwiecio.

Hi, first question is: what has been the greatest adventure of your life?

That’s a tough first question! I’ll assume it is band related and not personal, which makes the answer a little tricky since Barús has only existed officially since March this year. The whole process of getting the band together, defining goals and recording our first EP has been an awesome adventure… we should have some more compelling stories to tell as the band continues to move forward.

How have the general reactions to the debut EP been so far? Do you think you got the production you were looking for?

Response so far has been great. We have had very positive reviews for the EP so far. It is only available in digital format at the moment; we're working on a CD release somewhere near the end of 2015. Concerning the production - we recorded and mixed the whole thing ourselves. Despite having to do everything on our own time and with a very limited budget, I think that the final sound has a certain charisma to it and does justice to the songs and the aesthetic that we were aiming for. So yes, I feel that we reached the production we wanted, even though we will be able to perfect our sound for the band's future releases.

Your music is sometimes hard tangled and twisted. What about the process of creating songs? Do you write in the practice room or at home?

The creative process we go through is fairly natural. In general one of us starts by recording some demo elements at home, whether it's a couple of riffs or a complete song. Much of the writing process is basically starting from a simple idea, pulling that thread and seeing where it leads, while trying to remain unbiased by external elements and just letting things happen. When it gets to the point where you are no longer hearing a series of riffs but feeling an emotion, a certain atmosphere… that usually means that the song is going somewhere.

Once these demo versions are built we play them together and usually tweak things here and there. The lyrics and vocals on the other hand are almost exclusively written and thought out by Keithan, our vocalist. He takes some time to let the music soak in, and then proposes the lyrical content and vocal placement.

You define your music  as  death metal, but I don't know it's  appropriate for you because you mix many different genres together, I hear some black metal, post-metal, even djent in there and also other styles - does this reflect your personal taste?

I think that death metal remains the anchor of our music, but we definitely draw from many genres. The theme and feelings expressed in our music can be conveyed through many forms of metal or even different musical styles altogether. We're definitely more interested in exploring certain moods rather than qualifying to one genre in particular, and that reflects our personal tastes in music and life in general.

Our music aims to be powerful, grim, aggressive, murky, sometimes nauseating, which we feel is mostly represented by death metal. So even if, for instance, you find some rhythmic work more akin to djent (or experimental metal as it was called before it all went downhill – I’m not a fan of modern "djent") it always integrates into this raw aesthetic, with similarities and influences from the old school death scene.

What is the meaning of the cover of your EP? Who is the author and does that harmonize with the lyrics?

The cover has a strong meaning in regards to what we express in our music. To be more precise, Keithan generally forms mental images associated to the songs during the writing phase. The artwork is a result of this process: it represents something symbolic, difficult to apprehend, magnificent and terrifying at the same time. It was made by Alexander Brown, who we asked to represent this iconic structure with his own artistic sensibility; we wanted the pillar to seem as if it could fall at any time.

What kind of subjects do you write about?

The lyrics are mostly introspective and relate to existential questions. Keithan’s writing deals in an abstract manner about emotional struggles, the sensation of death, self-doubt, and the way these things define us as individuals. But most of all, the lyrics are composed with a narrative structure that ties the songs together. Secular and esoteric auras are mixed together to bring forth something mysterious.

We could go into more detail, but we prefer not to tell too much. Mystery is the friend of knowledge, contrary to what we are usually led to believe.

Being a part of the French scene how do you see it? Are there any upcoming bands that people should look out for?

In the last few years there have been quite a few interesting bands coming out of France, especially in extreme metal, sometimes with an unusual and avant-garde approach. I think the last few records of bands such as Deathspell Omega influenced quite a few people and also put a bit of a spotlight on this kind of thing coming out of France.

I think the French scene is probably the same as everywhere. Quite a lot of average or bland stuff but when you dig a little you’ll find many hidden treasures, sometimes completely unknown to the general public. As for bands, a lot of good stuff is coming out of the French underground label "Les Acteurs de l'Ombre", The Great Old Ones for instance.

How do you look back on the shows you did so far?

We've actually only done one show under the name Barús, as we officially "unveiled" the band when we released the EP in March. The show was great though, and we are getting ready to play a bunch more this coming fall.

Besides Barús, are you currently in other bands? Or you played before your current band?

Most of us play in several bands. Two of us play in Maïeutiste, a black metal band, whose first album will be released via Les Acteurs de L'Ombre this September. Marco, our guitarist also plays in a brutal death band, The Walking Dead Orchestra, and Keithan also plays in the black metal band Caïnan Dawn. Other than these most of us also have some projects outside of metal, ranging from grunge to ambient electronic music.

You live in Grenoble close to the Alps. It is rather a medium-sized town, right? Are there any other bands there? What is the condition of the local scene?

Yes it's a pretty mid-size town, it's quite dynamic but still feels comfortable, it's a human scale where you can get to know people and places, and do your own thing.

There are a bunch of metal bands, maybe not so many which play death metal, but a few notable ones. The black metal scene is going pretty strong lately as well, especially if you consider Chambéry (45mins away, in Savoie) as well. The scene in Grenoble is good, however it can be a little self centered at times, so we're also trying to get exposure outside of it.

France is a very tolerant country, where there is a lot of immigrants. In our country there is a lot of discussion about the various consequences of the influx of Muslims into Europe. Could you tell us what is your opinion on that?

I think that tolerant is maybe a bit of a strong word given some recent developments but I suppose we’re not doing too badly. To be honest as a band we feel no interest in bearing a political message or vision, our music aims for a more introspective or even philosophical scope. What is often seen as "issues" stem from social disparities, cultural differences... people have a very large tendency to make over-simplifications, sometimes scary ones and it invariably ends in hate channeling more hate and so on. I’ll leave it at that.

Do French people pay attention on what is happening in Eastern Europe Are and the condition of the distant countries of the European Union and what is their opinion about that and functioning stereotypes?

To be perfectly honest I think that in times of economic crisis like this people become very much self-centered. You see things from afar in the media, for instance the situation in Ukraine, but very few people (myself included I have to admit) go the extra mile to build their own understanding and find out more than what we are fed on a daily basis, which is more often than not quite biased.

How does 2015 look for Barus?

The end of the year is looking great for us. All being well we should have a physical release for the EP, we have some great gigs coming up, including one with Temple Of Baal and Malmort. Our first full length is in the works, the writing and demo recordings are almost finished so we should be getting into the actual album recording sometime around November or December.

Anything you'd like to add to conclude this interview?

Thanks for proposing this interview and giving us some exposure! For anyone interested in our work, head over to: https://barus.bandcamp.com, our EP is available for download/purchase (name your price), keep an eye out for a physical release sometime late this year!