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Darkwater interview (08/2007)


With: Henrik Båth [Vocals, guitars]
Conducted by: Dream Taster (e-mail)
Published: 04.08.2007

Band profile:

Darkwater


Hi guys, first and foremost let me congratulate you on your album 'Calling the Earth to Witness', which has already been collecting great reviews before its European release date.

Hey, thank you very much! And I must say that we are very happy about that!

- Ok, people need to know about Darkwater. How do you define your musical style in a few words? Also, how Darkwater came to be?

Well the music we play I guess we can call progressive metal; a heavy and sometimes complex kind of music with melodic vocals on top of it. It all started in 2003 when I, Magnus Holmberg and Markus Sigfridsson finally made reality of starting Darkwater, which we had talked about for quite some time really. We all had some song ideas ready and started to look for the rest of the band. Tobias Enbert we all knew from earlier (Harmony), and we found our bass player Karl Wassholm through a music internet site. We started writing and rehearsing and in 2006 we recorded our debut album and hooked up with Ulterium Records.



Calling the Earth to Witness


- What are your main influences? You have been compared to Evergrey, Vanden Plas, Adromeda, Symphony X and Dream Theater already. I guess it's a good sign!

Yeah it definitely is! Of course we all have listened to those bands and they all have been a big influence for us as a band. But as individuals we listen to very different kind of music. I know Magnus listens to very hard stuff like Soilwork and In Flames and also a lot of rock from the 70s, Tobias is more of a power metal dude, Markus listens to bands like Yngwie Malmsteen, Giant and Anouk. I think Karl is the one with the widest range in music, all from metal to country and folk music. Myself, I mostly listen to progressive metal but now and then a CD of various styles gets into my player as well.



Henrik Båth


- You had big names working on the mixing, producing aspects of the album, notably Göran Finnberg. How do you feel about starting your career with such a great staff by your side?

Well we have been very lucky ending up with great guys like Göran! I know how important a debut album is and the sound is a big deal in music today. So we were very careful when we chose which people to work with.

- While we're at it, the artwork is absolutely gorgeous. If I am not mistaken, it was designed by your own guitarist Markus Sigfridsson. Is he a professional designer or something?

Thank you! Well the artwork concept for the album, me and Markus have worked out together but the design is all Markus He works with designing websites and also has made quite a lot of cover artworks, mostly for bands in the heavy metal scene.



Markus Sigfridsson


- Let me tell you, your album is going to be BIG in Europe. It's lots better than what Dream Theater and Evergrey has been putting out lately. Do you have any insights on the whole songwriting process that took place to record this album?

Well thank you very much! We certainly hope it will Mainly it was me, Magnus and Markus who did most of the songwriting. Most of the times someone had a song idea or almost a whole song that we then went through and both developed parts but also threw parts away that we felt was unnecessary. Almost every song was made this way that the music was done first and then I wrote the vocal melodies.
I think it´s only one song we all have done together and that is mainly written in the rehearsing room, and that is 'Habit', the longest song on the album. But I think there will be more of that on the next album because I feel it´s easier to catch the soul of Darkwater that way.



Magnus Holmberg


- Which song from the album is closer to your heart and why?

The song closest to my heart is 'The Play', I guess, because it´s about something I have had in my near surroundings and which definitely has made a big impression on me.

- What's the story behind 'The Play'?

It´s a really sad story that mirrors the feelings and actions of a man who has always been alone and has to deal with his mental problems on his own, and that has a quite shocking end. I have taken a lot of inspiration for this one from when I worked with people with these kind of disorders. Back then I met a lot of this kind of people. This song is very close to me, and I feel very happy with the outcome of the lyrics.



Tobias Enbert


- Ulterium Records, your label, is rather new on the scene but they seem to be doing things right from the sound of your album. How is your working relationship with those guys?

It´s just great! They are absolutely fantastic to work with! When we first sent our album around trying to get a deal we got responses from several labels, but no one felt as serious as Ulterium. And it feels very good to have a Swedish label because it makes it so much easier to keep contact.

- How do you envision the future of the band? Looking forward to touring on a large scale I guess?

Yeah of course, that would be great! But we´ll just have to wait and see how things go. But hopefully we will get out there and meet everyone. And if things keep going in this direction we certainly will get out and do some touring soon. Cause right now, everything seems bright as day!

Thanks for your time! I wish you all the best for the release of 'Calling the Earth to Witness'. You have the last word.

Thank you for your interest in us! All I wanna say is: keep listening, keep buying our albums and hopefully we´ll see you on tour! Take care everyone!





Posted on 04.08.2007 by Bringing you reviews of quality music and interesting questions such as:

"A picture is worth a thousand words. How many words is a song worth?"

I have only got so much patience and skills, you do the math.


Comments

Comments: 4   Visited by: 19 users
06.08.2007 - 11:48
BloodTears
ANA-thema
thank you for this. I love them!
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29

Like you could kiss my ass.


My Instagram
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06.08.2007 - 13:33
Sheol

I listened to some samples on their website. Really good I must say. I'll keep an eye on them
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26.09.2007 - 07:05
AprilEthereal

It's awesome to see these guys getting their names out a little - I think that they have put together some real great music and have amazing potential.
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21.11.2008 - 14:07
Escapist
Victim Of Deceit
These guys are amazing... Harmony and Darkwater, two very promising bands!
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On wings of time we have been flying
For too long it seems to me that I've crossed the final fence...


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