Interview

ProgPower USA XV Interviews: EVERGREY's Ekdahl and Englund Discuss "Hymns For The Broken," Reveal Hope For Acoustic Album

Not altogether unexpected, given Evergrey’s close relationship with ProgPower USA promoter Glenn Harveston, it was still a nice surprise to most to see drummer Jonas Ekdahl and mainman Tom Englund announce a listening party for the new album, “Hymns For The Broken,” at ProgPower USA this year. Their video for “King of Errors” got the world chattering when it revealed that Ekdahl and previous guitarist Henrik Danhage were officially back in the band after a few years’ time. The listening party at the festival revealed that the support for Evergrey never waned among their core USA fans, with the crowd giving applause after every single song that played.

During their time at the festival, the Evergrey men made time to have a nice long chat in person with MetalUnderground.com’s Frank Serafine, during which it was revealed that much of the new album was inspired by mainman Tom Englund’s descent into depression and self-doubt, as well as overcoming it to get to where he is today. In good spirits, the guys joked throughout the interview. Englund even almost got teary-eyed when describing several touching emails he received from Evergrey fans. Moreover, it was revealed that Evergrey would like to eventually release an acoustic album, which would be an excellent choice given their flirtation with acoustic songs on past records.

Frank Serafine (Progressivity_In_All): The last time we interviewed you was in 2011 at this same festival. You’ve made five visits to ProgPower so far.

Tom Englund: Really? We’ve been debating that.

Frank: Does Glenn keep inviting you or is it just that you don’t ever get away? Haha!

Tom: Of course Glenn keeps inviting us. For this time, it’s actually a plan that we made up that should be a cool thing. He was so kind as to pay for our hotel rooms, actually.

Frank: Very nice!

Jonas Ekdahl: He’s an amazing guy. The best.

Tom: FUCK everyone else!

Jonas: Glenn for president!

Tom: If I’m bringing someone to a deserted island, I’m bringing Glenn [Harveston, ProgPower organizer]! And he can yell at me and call me a bitch. Yeah! (laughs) We love him.

Frank (imitating Glenn’s mannerisms/language): “I don’t know about that, Tom, but I think you could eat a cactus! I think you can.”

(all laugh)

Frank: In the last interview, you mentioned that the next horizon for Evergrey is to do a country album. (laughs) When is that actually coming out?

Tom: We should do that! I love country! I love this ‘Keith Urban country.’

Jonas: Yeah, they sell a lot of albums! And make a lot of money!

Tom: They make MONEY! And they get to marry Nicole Kidman, too.

Jonas: Yes! There we go!

Frank: The Evergrey Nashville record! Nicole Kidman’s very tall, by the way. I’ve seen her in an elevator in the symphony in Nashville, and she’s very tall.

Tom: I love that.

Frank: REALLY TALL. Like, eight feet.

Tom: What?! I don’t love that. Get away from me, alien-face!

(laughs)

Frank: What got you to decide to have a pre-release party here for “Hymns For The Broken”?

Tom: Timing! It was perfect timing to do all interviews for the US here. Calling from fucking Sweden is useless, time-wise. We’re in this promotional circle anyway, so doing this now is perfect timing. Meeting all the friends, playing the album for the fans, getting the word going… everything is perfect.

Frank (to Jonas): You and Henrik [Danhage, guitarist] are back in the band now. Were you able to contribute substantially to the songs during the recording period? Or was the music mostly written already?

Tom: Yeah, it was mostly written by him!

Frank: Ahh, okay! So Hannes [Van Dahl, previous drummer] wrote the last stuff and you wrote this stuff, yeah?

(all laugh)

Tom: Yeah, it’s a drummer band!

Jonas: Somehow, I just started to miss playing in Evergrey even though I wasn’t thinking about it. I obviously felt it since that is the kind of music I put out when I write at home. The more we started talking again, the more I realized that I really missed this. All of the sudden, Hannes got the opportunity to play with Sabaton and he jumped on that train. So awesome for him. Tom called me up and asked me if I could do two off-shows as a session guy, a hired drummer. It was really interesting. I felt really excited!

But at the same time, I didn’t want to rush into things when we started. We started talking more and more and thought maybe if I would lay down the drums for the new album as a session drummer... The more we were talking, the more I realized I wanted to do this. At the same time, I was really afraid that we would end up where we left off a couple years ago when we left! I think all of us really felt that it was so important to take out the trash with the old stuff - clean the air.

Tom: Really, really, really, really clean the air.

Jonas: We had long talks just to get it all out there and to start off again on only good terms. It feels so great and I’m so happy. I’m proud of this album and this band. It feels great to be back.

Frank: Since you’re back, does that mean Deathdestruction is on hold?

Jonas: No! We’re going. Of course.

Frank: Nice. That’s good to hear. I was wondering and a couple of people were wondering about that.

Jonas: A COUPLE of people! (laughs) There’s only a couple of people who know about us. (laughs)

Frank: Oh, come on. You’re bigger than that. (Tom laughs) So, you guys worked with Jacob Hansen on the mixing for this record. How was it to work with him?

Tom: Well, the thing is that we really didn’t WORK with him on it, because we were in Denmark at a hotel and then we came to the studio at, like, two o’clock and were amazed -- and then we left!

Jonas: And he kind of wanted to work on his own! Then he texted us, “Okay, now’s the time you can come in and check out how it sounds, if this is okay or not.” We came in, it was fucking killer, and then we left. He was given so many files and tracks.

Tom: It’s unbelievable that he could make it sound like that. He made it sound like our demo mixes but fifty times better. I don’t understand how he did it! SO MANY FUCKING TRACKS!

Frank: There was a lot of attention paid to it -- like on the children’s choir tracks. It was huge.

Jonas: It was. And at the same time, even with all those tracks, of course we had a talk about all the dynamics, but he really focused on that. All the songs breathe -- it’s not in-your-face all the time. It would have been easy to just push the mix with all the different tracks and to have everything in-your-face all the time.

Frank: Like the mix on Monday Morning Apocalypse? That was a very in-your-face mix.

Tom: We mean more in a negative context. He managed to make everything sound MORE.

Jonas: Maybe “busy” is a better word. He made everything breathe. So much air and clarity. He fuckin’ nailed it.

Frank: I have another question for you as a drummer. You have, as a sort of signature look, these long black armbands. I’ve been wondering for awhile now -- are those compression sleeves, sweat bands, or just something you wear to look cool? Because they DO look cool!

Jonas: It does? Wow, thank you! That’s the purpose. I’ve wondered, “Does it look cool?”

Tom: Who did the all-black sleeve tattoo thing? The Rage Against the Machine guy, right?

Jonas: Yeah. It doesn’t have a special purpose other than just to look cool. It feels cool! (laughs)

Frank: Nice! What were some of the lyrical inspirations for the new album?

Tom: Life. Heavy shit. Going from being pretty certain that Tom, the vocalist of Evergrey, was the person that I was to not believing that at all, and ending up in exhaustion/depression. Going from the stages of being totally exhausted to sitting in my sofa feeling only safe in the corner of it and getting a heart attack everytime the fucking phone rang and opening emails where people only wanted shit from me. It was the transition period from being totally broken to where I am now. It’s a long journey -- four, five years where I’ve been feeling like crap about being me. It’s tough.

Frank: Well, the fact that you’re here today and you have a new album that sounds amazing is testament to the fact that someone CAN overcome depression and bounce back really well. I really like to delve into the lyrics of the songs. You mentioned last time that the “Glorious Collision” record was about the break-up of the Evergrey lineup. Does it make it at all awkward to play those songs with the band members they were about now?

Tom: No.

Jonas: YES! (laughs)

(all laugh)

Jonas: No, of course not.

Tom: What do we play? We haven’t even decided what we are playing from that album.

Jonas: Every album marks a special period of time, so it’s not weird that you’re expressing what you’re going through at that time. It’s true -- I don’t think it’s awkward at all. I think it’s a really good album.

Tom: It wasn’t that much of a drama either. It was just small things that grew into a big thing over many years. That’s what we’ve said from the beginning and it’s so nice to be able to say that that was the truth. Some media tried to push that things were different than what we said. They (Jonas and Henrik) did interviews with Deathdestruction and we did interviews with Evergrey, and we were both saying the same things.

Frank: So, your “King of Errors” video was absolutely the biggest thing you’ve ever done. How did you go about arranging getting up on the big crane for it?

Tom: It’s a small arrangement -- we called the company who owns the crane eight years ago and we didn’t get a permit until now. It’s been a big wish for us to do that, in the harbor of our own town. It’s great to be standing on top of the world there.

Jonas: It was quite a hassle, getting all the gear up. I only had half of a drum set up there. It was big. I had to unscrew everything on the drums just to get in the elevator. You can fit maybe three people, and the elevator was packed. It took two minutes up to the top and then two minutes down, getting more stuff in. We had to use the stairs as well! Almost ninety meters up to the top!

It was totally worth it.

Frank: It is a big video and it is totally worth it to see.

Jonas: And then these guys, Tom and Patrick [Ullaeus, director] were out in the woods and all these environments for ten days to get the other shots.

Tom: Yeah, we’re doing another video, too, so it was hard work!

Frank: Is this other video going to have more footage of you walking through the nature scenes with the Evergrey flag?

Tom: Yes. Since it is a concept album, it’s nice that we can use these long shots. We filmed them for the purpose of being shots that were 30-40 seconds. What we show in “King of Errors” were the two-second clips. In the next video, it’s going to be super-big.

Frank: Bigger than this last one?

Tom: Yeah, but there’s not gonna be any band shots. Just this “movie” feeling.

Jonas: Kind of like a journey movie-theme.

Frank: Nice. So, Jonas, did your playing in Deathdestruction and writing some of that material influence what you do with Evergrey now?

Tom: I can answer that he’s a much better drummer now! He wasn’t half-assed back then, but… The same goes for Henrik. And I think we all… It’s a different level of playing for all of us.

Jonas: It kind of made us realize more that we don’t SUCK that much! (laughs)

Tom: We’re quite decent!

Jonas: With this recording of this album, everyone has encouraged one another to play their best and we’re always feeding positive energy. It’s been so much fun and easygoing, although it’s been really fucking hard work and long hours. The mood and the vibe has been great. Now we can really know that we’re good musicians. It was a great experience.

Tom: For us, it’s like being around some of the best musicians. I’m not saying we are that, but FOR US, we are that. I can turn to my left if we need a keyboard thing and we’ll have one of the best players out there playing piano, or whatever. That’s really how I felt. Too bad about the vocals, but…

(everyone laughs)

Frank: Come on! Everybody here in the states that I’ve found who mentions Evergrey isn’t a casual fan -- “Oh, Evergrey, yeah they’re okay.” No. They say, “Yeah, I LOVE EVERGREY!” Those are the kinds of fans that you have here in the US.

Jonas: That’s the kind of fans that we feel we have everywhere.

Tom: That’s what’s so humbling and beautiful in a way -- that we are important in other people’s lives. Even people that we haven’t met. People all over the world are supporting and encouraging… Can I tell you an anecdote?

Frank: Of course!

Tom: I sat at home and I got an email at, like, 5:03. It said “Hi, I just wanted to let you know that we used “Closure” at my brother’s funeral.” Ah, fuck, I’m gonna cry now… (laughs it off, clears throat) The next thing was, 5:07, like minutes later, “Hi, I just wanted to let you know that I’m getting married tomorrow, and we rearranged three of your songs for my marriage.” Then I was like, “FUCK!”

We really affect everything from life to death.

Frank: Let me guess what one of the songs was… “Watching The Skies,” right?

(Jonas and Tom laugh)

Tom: He did say what it was, but I can’t remember. Actually, “A Touch of Blessing” was one.

Jonas: When we released the “King of Errors” video, which announced that we were officially back again, Henrik and I… It has been overwhelming, just reading all the comments and positive feedback from the fans. I realize that people care so much and really appreciate my work and everything. It’s un-fucking-believable. people from all over the world care so much for five jerks from Sweden! It makes you so fucking humble about everything.

Tom: And it does today. It didn’t do that so much before. Of course, we were appreciative about what we had, but in another way.

Frank: Have you guys had anything exciting happen at this year’s ProgPower appearance? I know that, a few years back, Henrik proposed to his girlfriend on stage. Did anything exciting happen at the listening party?

Tom: No, nothing like that! (laughs) People applauding in between songs. That was as much as we got!

Jonas: Speaking of proposal… (gets down on one knee to Tom)

(all laugh)

Tom: OH-FUCKING-KAY… Not here! (laughs)

Jonas: “I told you, ON THE MAIN STAGE! The main stage!” (laughs) No, nothing like that. Not here.

Tom: Just happy people.

Jonas: I’m just glad that people came out and listened to it. We got applause after every song. I think it’s kind of like family. This is my third time being here. It feels like family.

Tom: We know their faces. It’s so fucking funny, we did a shirt the time before the last time we played that said “The Family Reunion” on the shirt… That’s what we should’ve done now!

Frank: ...Now that it’s a full family reunion.

Jonas: Speaking of that, when we recorded the drums and the bass, we went to a studio that was owned by the guy who used to own the studio with you, Tom -- Arnold. The one who recorded ‘The Inner Circle,’ my first album with Evergrey. So we kind of came back together with that as well. And he was so excited to be able to record us again after ten years! It’s all been lining up. It’s unbelievable.

Frank: Speaking of lining up… I heard that, somehow, last night, you were in the Artmore hotel singing with Rick Altzi.

Tom: I wasn’t singing! He was! All of the other guys (writer’s note: including Michael Eriksen of Circus Maximus) were. I don’t do that. I can’t do it -- I don’t want to end up on YouTube. Sounding like an idiot.

(Frank laughs)

Tom: ...But Rick does! (laughs) But they sounded fucking cool! They had this girl…

Frank: Danae? The redhead? With the fox tail?

Tom: No, they had another girl. She sounded like fucking DIO! I mean really, REALLY good! It’s like, “What the hell is going on?!” And she sat there in her jeans-vest and I would never have thought that she’d sound like that. It was only 4:30 this morning.

Jonas: Yeah, I had the ‘santa claus shots’ or whatever they called Fireball and some kind of milk… Santa-semen?

Frank: Uuuuuuggghhhhhh…

Jonas: I don’t know! (laughs)

Tom: That sounds GREAT.

Jonas: Yeah, it’s fucking awesome. Anyways, what was the question again?

Frank: Just about a random singing bit… So, a final question -- are there any future tour plans set to support the album?

Tom: We have a lot of plans, nothing set yet because we didn’t want to rush this. We didn’t want to decide on who to work with for this album until we had the “King of Errors” video out. To see the response. If people thought it sucked, then we wouldn’t be in a good place! So now we’re in a great place! And in a great position to make the right moves. Hey! (to Glenn Harveston, festival promoter, walking by) Lover! Lover-Strauss!

Jonas (to Glenn): Assface!

Tom: Asshole! Don’t fucking walk by me again!

Glenn (to the guys): Let me just TURN IT UP for ya! (Turns up the middle finger lovingly.)

(Tom and Jonas laugh heartily)

Jonas: Yeah, so, touring is going to start next year. We’ll do some acoustic dates for the release of the album in Europe - Sweden and Germany. Some festivals in the fall.

Frank: Since you mentioned acoustic instruments, here’s the real final question: Are there any plans for an acoustic album in the future?

Tom: No plans, but there are wishes. From us!

Jonas: Yeah. That’s a nice wish.