ABLAZE MY SORROW : Magnus Carlsson interview

Magnus Carlsson speak about ABLAZE MY SORROW, his feeling about the death metal melo scene and about the incoming album, “Razorblade Revolution”

Hi Magnus ! How are you and how does ABLAZE MY SORROW is doing ?

Hi Silenius! I´m fine as well as the band.

Let’s speak a little bit about your introduction to music, how did you fall into it ?

It all started when I was a few years old standing and listen to my dad’s records. But if you mean playing guitar my dad had an old acoustic guitar which I started using when I became bored at my piano lessons.

I started taking out tunes from all sorts of bands, mostly metal bands.

One of those first bands that interested me was CANDLEMASS just because it was rather easy to pick up their riffs. 🙂

ABLAZE MY SORROW has been created in 1993 with Martin Qvist. What was your project / wishes when you created the band ?

We never started the band because we wanted to be famous or so, we just did it because we loved metal music and wanted to have fun. Me and Martin just jamed with 2 guitars in his boyroom and after a while we desided to start something.

Why did you choose the name “ABLAZE MY SORROW” for the band name?

The bandname was founded of our first drummer Fredrik Wenzel. In the beginning we played some slow metal music like early KATATONIA stuff. It just sounded good to what we did that time but I can’t explain it better then that.

What was your musician / band inspiration at this time ? What are your musician / band inspiration now ?

Mostly melodic metal like KATATONIA, EUCHARIST and AT THE GATES. Today I have got the same source of inspiration that I have before. When I listen to music today, which not happen so often, it’s always that same old shit.

It’s also good to stick to the roots ! Could you please tell us how did you learn music/guitar– self-taught or lessons?

I have never taken lessons for guitar. As I said before it started by playing piano which I found boring. I think my father wanted it more than I.

So what was your first guitar model?

It was an old guitar called Stinger. I bought it for 100 dollars with a tiny amp so you can figure it out that it wasn´t that good.

Do you remember the first concerts you saw?

It was a gig here in Falkenberg 1991 I think.

The awesome bands that played that night was AT THE GATES, EUCHARIST, DISSECTION and a local band called MEGALAW.

And on the other side, do you have some souvenirs about your first gig ? Do you remembers how many gigs you played between 1996 and 2002 ?

We have never been touring band so we just have played live about 10 times at that time.

I really appreciate your guitar composition from “Emotions still burn” to “The Suicide Note”, the guitars line are always very melodic warm and colorful, do you have some licks in your “book” for that ? What is your way to get it ?.

I always start a song with a melody that is going around in my head. It is not that hard to add the rest after that and I have absolutely no “book” for that.

So at the end how do you compose songs? Do you create the “tabs” for each instrument by your own or do you do it with others ABLAZE MY SORROW members?

Today it is much easier than it was before. If I have a riff in my head I always take up my phone and record it with my voice. I prefer to do all the instrument myself at first and when the song is finished I mail it to the others and they can have their opinion. After that we meet up and try to play it in our rehearsal.

Could you please share some information about your gear (guitar, amp, pedals) for each album ?

What I use is nothing special. A Gibson Explorer and A SG guitars, a Peavey 6505 and a Line6 gear for computer.

If you will have to give one or two words about each ABLAZE MY SORROW album, which words will choose to describe them one by one ?

If emotions…: faster than we could play at that time. 🙂 But we are still very proud about that record.

The plague.: a great bunch of songs with shitty sound.

Anger, hate and fury…: one giant step in the right direction

What was the biggest success / sales for ABLAZE MY SORROW ?

The fact that we have made 3 records that we are pleased with.

Number of record sales have never been important for us if it is what you mean. If we can sell only one record and the person who buy it love it, it`s more than enough.

What is a standard guitar warm up / training for your ?

I practice nothing. When we start to record something maybe I practice little but just at the song I will record. As to warm up it is the same. I can do some pushups just to get the blood pumping little more but that have nothing to do with guitar technique.

Which advice could you provide to a new and advanced player ?

First of all I don´t see myself as an advanced guitar player. I have never been driven to play fast solos and so one. When you listen to our riffs you can hear that they are not so advanced. I always have think that the composition is more important. Maybe it is because I can’t play that advanced. 🙂

On a weekly basis, about how much time do you spend practicing ? Pretty much nothing, really ?

As I said before it’s nearly no practice at all. But we all try to meet up a couple of times a month to rehearsal.

No Fashion Records was your label for your three albums. Why did you choose to works with them and how did you approached them?

Martin Qvist and Tomas Nyqvist which was the former of NFR was tape-trading a lot at that time. When we have made our first demo he showed interested in it and wanted us to sign them. We were very happy (and stupid) to sign up for 3 records and so we did. Unfortunately Tomas left or sold NFR to MNW right after our first record so after that we had almost nothing to say about. We wanted to leave them after the first or second record but they didn´t allowed us unless we paid them 100 000 dollars. I guess they had a hope that we would be the next big thing. HAHAHA

The first album “If emotions still burn” has been released in 1996, with No Fashion Records. Somehow the album was not so well know or welcomed in France and around. Why do you think you were not able to go on the “first rank” ? Does the “pression” from the other Swedish Death melo bands was too strong ?

I do think that has to do with that there were almost no promotion from the label. And the fact that we couldn’t handle our instruments that well can be one thing.

So do you think that maybe an other label, like Nuclear Blast, was maybe more able to help to promote your band ?

Of course a bigger label have promoted that record better so yes we think.

Let’s say also, to be honest, do you have any regrets ?

Yea, the fact that we signed for 3 records.

Let’s speak again about your first album, ” If emotions still burn”. Have been inspired by the Swedish scene like AT THE GATE / IN FLAMES / DARK TRANQUILITY or some other “local bands” ?

You got that right with the bands. To mention other band you can say that a local band called EUCHARIST was a big source of inspiration.

The second album “The Plague” has been released in 1998 and the line-up has been changed. The strongest change is to see that Martin Qvist is no more part of the line up therefore you had to find a new singer, Frederik Arnesson, and a new guitarist, Dennie Linden. May we know why does Martin, as one of the founder, left the band ? Does the new members has been welcomed in order to change the music style or did you want to keep a straight line ?

Martin left just because he didn´t think it was fun to play anymore. He is still a very good friend to all of us in the band and I think he will do some guest appearance on our next album. I don’t think the few lineup changes has affected us musically more than the sound of the singer. I have always done most of the songs myself so no it has changed nothing.

Your third album, “Anger, hate and fury” has been released in 2004, and you had a new singer, Kristian Lönnsjö. Wasn’t it too difficult for your to find a new singer ? Did you feel more confident for this third album? The sound is very good, the composition are creative.

We know Kristian little before he got in the band so it wasn´t so hard to find him. I remember he played in a local metalband. We certainly felt more confident before the third album. The songs and arrangement were better and we could play them better than before. Then I think we have to mention the producer Fredrik Larnemoo and give him some creed.

ABLAZE MY SORROW has been reactivated in the 31st January 2013. Why have you waited “so long” ?

It just happened. I played little by myself at home when the band was down. As my son grown older and older I got more time for myself and the music. I started to do some songs and just asked the others if they were interested of playing together again.

ABLAZE MY SORROW Facebook page informed us that you are recording a new album. May we get some information about this album?

The style will be pretty much the same as Anger, hate and fury. There are a bunch of fast melodic songs and a couple of little slower songs. We have not contacted any labels yet but we will do when it is finished. The name of the album is “Razorblade Revolution” and it will be a killer of an album.

You are active since 1993 and the Swedish Death melo scene changed a lot. Bands like IN FLAMES or DARK TRANQUILLITY changed a lot and “old style melodeath” bands are now limited. What do you think about the new Swedish metal scene and worldwide scene?

I can´t say nothing about the new metal scene because it doesn´t catch my interest anymore. According to one the band you mentioned there is no metal left at all. That makes me really sad because it has been my favorite band since the beginning. In my point of view tons of synthesizers, pre-recordings and other shit that makes the sound fat is not the way it should be. Nothing is as good as drums, 2 guitars, a bas, and lunatic behind the microphone. With our next recording we will prove that. 🙂

Do you have a last word for the french reader ?

Thanx for the interview Silenius!

Prepare for the revolution… Razorblade Revolution