MIDNIGHT SUN INTERVIEW
What follows here is an interview with bassplayer and main-man Jonas, from the Swedish hard rock band MIDNIGHT SUN!

Interview by Claus Jensen
I've never heard your first three albums (!!! Damn me !!!), but from reading a bit about the band, I figure that I will have to get a hold of those. Could you please start by describing the musical evolution of the band over those three releases?

"The whole thing started in 1996 with Pete and me. It was kind of an experiment. We wrote the first album very quickly and we tried to fit the Japanese market. I think we got 85 out of 100 in Burrn Magazine. And that's good considering that we recorded the album in 10 days. The record had pretty good sales, so we formed the experiment to a solid group."

What do you consider is the most evident difference between the first releases and the brand new one?

"I think it is the whole thing. The production, the songs, the musicianship, everything is better now, in my opinion anyway."

You've used "famous" guest musicians on the previous albums, such as John Norum, Hempo and now Rickard Andersson … why? What are those guys able to bring to the band?

"It was the Japanese label who came up with the idea of having John Norum as a guest. And since I'm a big fan of the guy it seemed like a good idea to me. Hempo was a permanent member 98-99. I played on one song of the first Majestic album, so it was time for Richard to contribute something on this one."

The title of "Metalmachine" is pretty cliché - is that on purpose? All the songtitles are actually very "true metal" like …

"I like the word metal or steel because it is a synonym for consistency. Like absence of decay. And I think metal music will resist the test of time. Metal is here to stay."

New singer on the album is Jakob Samuel who was previously in Jekyll & Hyde and Treasure Land, and in my opinion a very underrated singer. I totally love his intonation of melodies, and his unusual style is extremely great to my ears. What made you chose to enrol him in the band (as well as getting rid of Pete Sandberg)?

"Jacob and I are friends 10 years back. And after trying a couple of singers I gave my old pal a call and he came down to Malmoe. After the first song we all agreed, he was our man."

I've been discussing the new album with friends of mine - and most of them HATES it J Our discussions have been whether or not the "Metalmachine" album was a serious heavy metal album or not. It do sound sometimes as if you're taking every cliché inside the "true metal" scene and duplicating them 300% and then adding the most cheesy sound and most cheesy sing-along choruses possible. It do sound like you're making a joke of the current metal scene, but in effect of your awesome technical playing abilities you succeed in kicking all Hammerfall/Malmsteen/Rhapsody-copycats right in the face. What's your point on all of this?

"I think this album is my dream album as a metal fan. It has a cool cover, cool guitar riffs, good song titles and lyrics, and a good production. If it's a cliché or not, is up to the listener to judge. It's impossible to be 100% original. If you put it that way, there's cliché in every piece of music that is written right now. We have 12 notes (If you're not into Alban Berg and all that shit). We have distortion on the guitars, and we sing about Metal oriented stuff. Call it a cliché if you want. I don't give a shit because it's a Metal album I would have bought."

The production is cool - as what we're used to from Roastinghouse - It's not a typical heavy metal production, it's more clean and symphonic. Are you satisfied with the sound?

"Yes, cause it is a dry production. We are not hiding from a lot of reverbs and that kind of shit. It's just pure Metal straight from the heart."

All of you have other projects or bands (such as Flower Kings and Last Tribe) - how do you find time for Midnight Sun … and what bands is most important to you?

"Everything I do I do it 100%. And to get enough money out of your music you have to be involved in several projects"

You've changed label this time … why?

"LMP music is a better label for us. I think we will reach more people on this one. LMP has a good distribution and good sales on previous releases. I think LMP is the best label for this kind of music."

As mentioned before, the album is the ultimate melodic TRUE METAL cliché album … where can you take it next? I mean, haven't you now outdone all possible in this genre?

"Oh no, wait and see…"

What are the plans for Midnight Sun now? Are you scheduling a tour? It would be great to see you play in Denmark … J

"We are talking about something in March. Keep your ears and eyes open; we would love to play in Denmark."

Any last comments…?

"Death to false metal…"

Thanks for taking the time to do this interview.