The Storyteller Interview

The Stotyteller

It all started in the 80s. It was here that Swedish became known for its high quality and in some cases better quality than some of the NWOBHM-bands that had influenced the Swedish bands. The quality of the Swedish metal remained of a high standard even when the new death metal ones replaced the old heavy metal bands. Now Swedish bands no longer were the follower but the leaders. So it is no wonder that it was a Swedish band that blew life back into a power metal scene that had almost disappeared thanks to grunge and Nirvana. Without Hammerfall power metal would not have been where it is today. In the footsteps of this band a whole host of new power metal bands crept out from their dungeons. Some of them injecting something new and fresh while other just continued where Helloween left with "Keeper of the Seven Keys" albums. The Storyteller is one of these new bands but instead of being another Helloween clone they try to inject something of their own in the music. To find out more I phoned L-G Persson (vocals and bass).

-Anders Ekdahl

Since I now so little about The Storyteller a short background history might be in order.
We have been a band since 1995 but back then we had a different style. It was just acoustic guitars, bass and a lot of vocals. The approach was the same, with the mediaeval influences but as a hardrock band we've existed for two years.

What made you go hardrock?
We have always wanted to. Fredrik Groth and I (the rest of the band is Martin Hjärpe on drums and Lasse Martinsen on guitar - AE) have always wanted to but never been able due to not finding the right members so while waiting for them to turn up we did the acoustic thing. The thought has always been there to start a hardrock band.

What inspires you the most musically?
It is different things for different members but if I speak for myself it is stuff like Iron Maiden and 80s heavy metal. Blind Guardian and the power metal bands. Gamma Ray, Stratovarius but I also listen to things like Blackmore's Night and to some Irish folk music. It is a combination of all this that influences our music.

How did you end up on No Fashion?
Well, it wasn't through the usual way of sending a demo cassette. One day while I was working it dawned on me that the music consultants at my work has addresses to different labels. So I thought "Why not put together a press release and fax it to some addresses". So I put together a press release on one A4. One label I sent it to was No Fashion/House of Kicks. I heard from them within two days. We had interest from some other labels too but No Fashion was the one that felt right.

Weren't you afraid of signing with No Fashion seeing as they are more known for their black and death metal bands?
We were a bit surprised because we didn't think that there would be a Swedish label interested in our kind of music. I guess we have to thank Hammerfall for that, having made the Swedish labels realise that there is an interest in this kind of hardrock in Sweden too.
The way we got our deal is interesting. Other bands send demo cassettes but we got the deal based on a press release before we had sent them the demo.

Do you think that this new wave of power metal has helped you get a record deal?
Partly yes, but at the same time it is like No Fashion said that we are not traditional power metal. We are a bit different. Some songs are very much power metal while other have more of an mediaeval feel to them.
We do not have the high vocals either that f x Helloween has. Our vocals are more normal which also was something the label thought to be interesting since it made us stand out from all other power metal bands.

How long did you work on the material?
The material was ready when we entered the studio. We spent three weeks in Studio Fredman.

And you're satisfied with the end result?
Yes, we have been given full freedom to decide different things, such as the running order, the cover and what to be said in the CD booklet. We've had total artistic and musical freedom.

To my ears there's a red thread of Swedish heavy metal going through you music. Has Swedish heavy metal been a major influence on you?
Swedish heavy metal has meant something to me. There has always been good bands coming from Sweden but I do not know if it has influenced me that much really. It is more the German bands and 80s hardrock that has been an influence. I know that our guitarist listens to Europe and things like that.

How will you follow up the release?
We've already started to think about the next album. We are working on… We are almost finished with all the material. The first record was a story. Each song was part of a larger whole. Record number two will be a continuation of the first. So there is a bit of work to be done on that. It has to be in the same spirit as the first story.

No Fashion makes a big thing out of your lyrics being Fantasy inspired. Where do you get your influences?
Inspiration is in part taken from Tolkien but I've always been writing so most of the inspiration comes from me. I'm very much influenced by Fantasy stories, dragons and demons you know.

Is it possible to write a Fantasy story without it being about the battle between good and evil?
When it comes to Fantasy I think… For me personally it was natural to have a great story. Good and evil is a concept that works.

What is it that makes Tolkien so intersting?
I do not know. I'm more inspired by Fantasy but he is an incredible writer, he can tell a story in a way that captures you and transports you into his world. That is something we've also tried to do. To tell a story as detailed as possible. Music and lyrics has to work in symbiosis.

That was something I wanted to ask you, if it is important for music and lyrics to co-operate?
That is A and O to us. You have to be able to feel the words when you read the lyrics and to feel what mood the text portrait.

Is it possible to read more into the lyrics other than just the concept so that titles such as "Sense of Steel", "Power Within" and "A Test of Endurance and Strength" could be applied on you as a band?
To us the deal came easy, strange as it might seem. I think it was a combination of us being stubborn but also of being at the right place at the right time. We were lucky that No Fashion was looking for another power metal band to sign. So we have had some luck but we have at the same time worked hard.

Do you think that this new wave of power metal is as strong today as it was when Hammerfall released their "Glory to the Brave" album?
I do not know. I think the scene is getting rather stuffed by now. People have started to sort out the good from the bad. All we can do is wait and see where we end up. If we are to be considered interesting power metal or if we sound like all the other.
I do think that this new wave will last. The bands that are appreciated will be here in the future too.

So you do not feel that there's a risk you'll get lost in this new wave?
We will keep doing what we do now. We will not change the concept with the mediaeval influences, the Fantasy lyrics. Hopefully we will evolve and become better.

Where do you think the album will work best?
That is hard to say. I've heard that the record is doing well in Sweden which is strange since Sweden usually isn't a country that appreciate this kind of metal. That's what I've heard from the label. I haven't heard anything from Europe yet. That takes at least six months.

Is USA interesting to you?
No Fashion is right no negotiating but it takes time but the thought is that the record will be released there too. We have a lot of people from USA writing to us through our web site, all asking the same question. All we can do is hope that some distributor picks it up.

You mentioned earlier that you are influenced by the mediaeval. Wherein lies the medieval?
Mediaeval? That we use different instruments like mouth harp and things like that. We also work with choir arrangements and to vocally be mediaeval, or what we think is mediaeval.
We have not studied how they built their music back then at all.

Something that bugged me to begin with was that you mix faster songs with slower. Is there a thought behind this?
Yes that was a conscious decision based on the meaning of the lyrics. We wrote a lot of songs to begin with and then we put words to the music to get a full picture. Some songs ended that way up being slower while others were faster, so yes this was a conscious move from our side.

And you think it works?
Yes we felt that there had to be some slower songs. You could not have everything going 120 mph all the time. That would have been boring.
On the next album there will be more fast songs. We thought it time to increase the speed.

Even if this is just your debut album where do you see yourself fit into this new wave of power metal?
Hopefully we end up with the elite. We would rather not end up being compared to any other band. We don't want to be known as The Storyteller that sounds like this or that. We want it to be The Storyteller sounding like The Storyteller. That we will be accepted amongst the bigger bands. Way too many bands are being labelled for sounding like this or that. But I guess that the chance of that not happening is slim.

If you get offered the chance to tour with a bigger band would you jump on it?
We are right now working on gigs and things. It is hard as a debuting band. All the booking agencies keep telling us that the record is great but that we should get back to them once we know how it has sold. At the same time we have out label that keeps a look out for the possibility of us going out a s opening band.

Do you think No Fashion does a great job pushing you?
Yes they are really good at advertising and things like that. That they have done well but No Fashion is a record label and not a booking agency so it up to us to fix gigs. They do keep their ears and eyes open for us should anything come up.

So you have plans to sign with a booking agency?
The record was so late in being released that most booking agencies already are full. We do have a couple of festival gigs planned for this summer here in Sweden. We are working really hard on getting in touch with a booking agency.

Why does the record not have a title?
It came naturally with it being the first album for The Storyteller. It is a presentation of the band.

But then the story doesn't have a name?
No but we will probably give it a name on our next album. Right now it is just a presentation of the band and an introduction to the story. We have plans on naming the story after what it is about next time.

Will that not be strange giving the story a name when it is a continuation from the first album?
I do not think so. The way we in the band feel is that this was the natural way to do it. It felt right to just call it "The Storyteller" instead of forcing a name.

Shouldn't the track "The Storyteller" be the first song and not the last?
We felt that the story had to come first and then as an end have the track "The Storyteller" as a presentation of what the band is all about. We felt that this was a more natural solution. It might have been to much for some if the record had started with a nine minute song.

http://welcome.to/storyteller

The Storyteller
C/O Fredrik Groth
N Fiskargatan 5F (3tr)
803 10 Gävle
Sweden


	..........

		The Stotyteller It all started in the 80s. It was here that Swedish became known for its high quality and in some cases better quality than some of the NWOBHM-bands that had influenced the Swedish bands. The quality of the Swedish metal remained of a high standard even when the new death metal ones replaced the old heavy metal bands. Now Swedish bands no longer were the follower but the leaders. So it is no wonder that it was a Swedish band that blew life back into a power metal scene that had almost disappeared thanks to grunge and Nirvana. Without Hammerfall power metal would not have been where it is today. In the footsteps of this band a whole host of new power metal bands crept out from their dungeons. Some of them injecting something new and fresh while other just continued where Helloween left with "Keeper of the Seven Keys" albums. The Storyteller is one of these new bands but instead of being another Helloween clone they try to inject something of their own in the music. To find out more I phoned L-G Persson (vocals and bass). -Anders Ekdahl Since I now so little about The Storyteller a short background history might be in order. We have been a band since 1995 but back then we had a different style. It was just acoustic guitars, bass and a lot of vocals. The approach was the same, with the mediaeval influences but as a hardrock band we've existed for two years. What made you go hardrock? We have always wanted to. Fredrik Groth and I (the rest of the band is Martin Hjärpe on drums and Lasse Martinsen on guitar - AE) have always wanted to but never been able due to not finding the right members so while waiting for them to turn up we did the acoustic thing. The thought has always been there to start a hardrock band. What inspires you the most musically? It is different things for different members but if I speak for myself it is stuff like Iron Maiden and 80s heavy metal. Blind Guardian and the power metal bands. Gamma Ray, Stratovarius but I also listen to things like Blackmore's Night and to some Irish folk music. It is a combination of all this that influences our music. How did you end up on No Fashion? Well, it wasn't through the usual way of sending a demo cassette. One day while I was working it dawned on me that the music consultants at my work has addresses to different labels. So I thought "Why not put together a press release and fax it to some addresses". So I put together a press release on one A4. One label I sent it to was No Fashion/House of Kicks. I heard from them within two days. We had interest from some other labels too but No Fashion was the one that felt right. Weren't you afraid of signing with No Fashion seeing as they are more known for their black and death metal bands? We were a bit surprised because we didn't think that there would be a Swedish label interested in our kind of music. I guess we have to thank Hammerfall for that, having made the Swedish labels realise that there is an interest in this kind of hardrock in Sweden too. The way we got our deal is interesting. Other bands send demo cassettes but we got the deal based on a press release before we had sent them the demo. Do you think that this new wave of power metal has helped you get a record deal? Partly yes, but at the same time it is like No Fashion said that we are not traditional power metal. We are a bit different. Some songs are very much power metal while other have more of an mediaeval feel to them. We do not have the high vocals either that f x Helloween has. Our vocals are more normal which also was something the label thought to be interesting since it made us stand out from all other power metal bands. How long did you work on the material? The material was ready when we entered the studio. We spent three weeks in Studio Fredman. And you're satisfied with the end result? Yes, we have been given full freedom to decide different things, such as the running order, the cover and what to be said in the CD booklet. We've had total artistic and musical freedom. To my ears there's a red thread of Swedish heavy metal going through you music. Has Swedish heavy metal been a major influence on you? Swedish heavy metal has meant something to me. There has always been good bands coming from Sweden but I do not know if it has influenced me that much really. It is more the German bands and 80s hardrock that has been an influence. I know that our guitarist listens to Europe and things like that. How will you follow up the release? We've already started to think about the next album. We are working on… We are almost finished with all the material. The first record was a story. Each song was part of a larger whole. Record number two will be a continuation of the first. So there is a bit of work to be done on that. It has to be in the same spirit as the first story. No Fashion makes a big thing out of your lyrics being Fantasy inspired. Where do you get your influences? Inspiration is in part taken from Tolkien but I've always been writing so most of the inspiration comes from me. I'm very much influenced by Fantasy stories, dragons and demons you know. Is it possible to write a Fantasy story without it being about the battle between good and evil? When it comes to Fantasy I think… For me personally it was natural to have a great story. Good and evil is a concept that works. What is it that makes Tolkien so intersting? I do not know. I'm more inspired by Fantasy but he is an incredible writer, he can tell a story in a way that captures you and transports you into his world. That is something we've also tried to do. To tell a story as detailed as possible. Music and lyrics has to work in symbiosis. That was something I wanted to ask you, if it is important for music and lyrics to co-operate? That is A and O to us. You have to be able to feel the words when you read the lyrics and to feel what mood the text portrait. Is it possible to read more into the lyrics other than just the concept so that titles such as "Sense of Steel", "Power Within" and "A Test of Endurance and Strength" could be applied on you as a band? To us the deal came easy, strange as it might seem. I think it was a combination of us being stubborn but also of being at the right place at the right time. We were lucky that No Fashion was looking for another power metal band to sign. So we have had some luck but we have at the same time worked hard. Do you think that this new wave of power metal is as strong today as it was when Hammerfall released their "Glory to the Brave" album? I do not know. I think the scene is getting rather stuffed by now. People have started to sort out the good from the bad. All we can do is wait and see where we end up. If we are to be considered interesting power metal or if we sound like all the other. I do think that this new wave will last. The bands that are appreciated will be here in the future too. So you do not feel that there's a risk you'll get lost in this new wave? We will keep doing what we do now. We will not change the concept with the mediaeval influences, the Fantasy lyrics. Hopefully we will evolve and become better. Where do you think the album will work best? That is hard to say. I've heard that the record is doing well in Sweden which is strange since Sweden usually isn't a country that appreciate this kind of metal. That's what I've heard from the label. I haven't heard anything from Europe yet. That takes at least six months. Is USA interesting to you? No Fashion is right no negotiating but it takes time but the thought is that the record will be released there too. We have a lot of people from USA writing to us through our web site, all asking the same question. All we can do is hope that some distributor picks it up. You mentioned earlier that you are influenced by the mediaeval. Wherein lies the medieval? Mediaeval? That we use different instruments like mouth harp and things like that. We also work with choir arrangements and to vocally be mediaeval, or what we think is mediaeval. We have not studied how they built their music back then at all. Something that bugged me to begin with was that you mix faster songs with slower. Is there a thought behind this? Yes that was a conscious decision based on the meaning of the lyrics. We wrote a lot of songs to begin with and then we put words to the music to get a full picture. Some songs ended that way up being slower while others were faster, so yes this was a conscious move from our side. And you think it works? Yes we felt that there had to be some slower songs. You could not have everything going 120 mph all the time. That would have been boring. On the next album there will be more fast songs. We thought it time to increase the speed. Even if this is just your debut album where do you see yourself fit into this new wave of power metal? Hopefully we end up with the elite. We would rather not end up being compared to any other band. We don't want to be known as The Storyteller that sounds like this or that. We want it to be The Storyteller sounding like The Storyteller. That we will be accepted amongst the bigger bands. Way too many bands are being labelled for sounding like this or that. But I guess that the chance of that not happening is slim. If you get offered the chance to tour with a bigger band would you jump on it? We are right now working on gigs and things. It is hard as a debuting band. All the booking agencies keep telling us that the record is great but that we should get back to them once we know how it has sold. At the same time we have out label that keeps a look out for the possibility of us going out a s opening band. Do you think No Fashion does a great job pushing you? Yes they are really good at advertising and things like that. That they have done well but No Fashion is a record label and not a booking agency so it up to us to fix gigs. They do keep their ears and eyes open for us should anything come up. So you have plans to sign with a booking agency? The record was so late in being released that most booking agencies already are full. We do have a couple of festival gigs planned for this summer here in Sweden. We are working really hard on getting in touch with a booking agency. Why does the record not have a title? It came naturally with it being the first album for The Storyteller. It is a presentation of the band. But then the story doesn't have a name? No but we will probably give it a name on our next album. Right now it is just a presentation of the band and an introduction to the story. We have plans on naming the story after what it is about next time. Will that not be strange giving the story a name when it is a continuation from the first album? I do not think so. The way we in the band feel is that this was the natural way to do it. It felt right to just call it "The Storyteller" instead of forcing a name. Shouldn't the track "The Storyteller" be the first song and not the last? We felt that the story had to come first and then as an end have the track "The Storyteller" as a presentation of what the band is all about. We felt that this was a more natural solution. It might have been to much for some if the record had started with a nine minute song. http://welcome.to/storyteller The Storyteller C/O Fredrik Groth N Fiskargatan 5F (3tr) 803 10 Gävle Sweden