Interview (Kari Hokkanen), Backstage 1989 (in Swedish)
Interview (Henke), Metal Forces 1992
Interview (Henke), Thrash 'n Burn 1992
Necrospirituals, Metal Forces 1989
The Permanent Solution, Slitz 1991 (in Swedish)
The Permanent Solution, Metal Hammer 1991
The Permanent Solution, Music & Media 1991
State Of Disconnection, Rock Power 1992
INTERVIEW WITH KARI HOKKANEN, Backstage 1989
Göteborgsbandet
STILLBORN har fram tills idag inte gjort så mycket väsen av
sig, förutom i replokalen. För den breda rockpubliken är de i
alla fall relativt okända. I och med debutLp'n Necro Spiritual
som släpptes nyligen hoppas de att det ska bli ändringar på
den fronten.
.....Plattan bjuder inte på någon
lättsmält musik. Nej det är extremt tung och ödesmättad rock
med väldigt speciell sång. Bandmedlemmarna som är i åldern
23-25 är INGEMAR HENNING-Sologitarr, ERIK SANDQUIST-Kompgitarr,
KARI HOKKANEN-Sång,Bas och PETER ASP-Trummor. För att få reda
på lite mer om bandet tog jag kontakt med KARI.
När startade STILLBORN?
Vi började hösten 84. Ingen av oss hade direkt känt varandra innan. I princip träffades vi när vi började spela. Vi höll på ett tag och spelade ute ganska mycket. Vi hade en annan trummis förut, Peter har varit med i ungefär två år. Detta är första plattan vi gör. Vi har inte gjort någon singel eller sånt tidigare. Vi gjorde väl någon kassett men ingenting i någon större skala. Berätta lite om debutLp'n Necro Spirituals! Plattan släpptes förra veckan. Vi spelade in fyra låtar sommaren 87 men då hade vi inget kontrakt eller så. Vi gjorde det själva för att se om någon nappade. Vi är lite sega av oss så det hann gå en tid innan vi fick ut det. Vi pratade med RADIUM och de var intresserade. De ville att vi skulle göra en Lp. Sagt och gjort så spelade vi in lite nya låtar hösten 88, Skivan släpps i Sverige och Danmark.
Hur vill du beskriva er Musik?
Det är svårt att göra det själv. Det är svårt att säga vad vi är intresserade av för alla lyssnar på så mycket olika musik. Jag lyssnar mycket på filmmusik och så gillar jag Country. LEE HAZELWOOD tycker jag är bra. Vi har aldrig snackat om vad vi ska spela för något. Det blir på något sätt bara så när vi går och repar. Alla gillar i och för sig den sortens musik även om vi inte köper så mycket sånt. Det är tung musik. Det är mycket av filmmusikstämning över det hela. Den är väldigt kraftig, lite pampig. Det skiljer sig i och för sig från låt till låt. Det som vi själva känner är STILLBORN är låtar som "Flesh for Iesus" och "Angelynx".
Det är ju en väldigt mörk stämning över det hela. Är det medvetet?
Nej. Man kan säga att vi alla har svart lite morbid humor. Mycket kommer ifrån det. Man får ta det med en nypa salt. Vi tar inte oss själva så allvarligt.
Din sång är väldigt speciell. Hur vill du beskriva den?
Jag har kanske sjungit lite mer vanligt förut. Jag åkte på en stämbandsinflammation. Jag fick vara tyst i en och en halv månad men det gick, inte över. Jag började prata för jag trodde att det hade läkt. När jag började sjunga igen hade jag blivit lite rädd så jag vågade kanske inte att ta i ordentligt. Jag var tvungen att skära bort de höga frekvenserna. Det har väl gjort att jag har sänkt mig. Jag har väl i och för sig alltid sjungit rätt lågt men nu har jag sänkt mitt register ännu mer. Mitt röstläge passar bra att sjunga så här. Det passar överhuvudtaget.
Har ni något budskap med er musik och era texter?
Vi har ingen direkt paroll. Det är mer att skapa stämningar och känslor. När det gäller texterna är det olika från låt till låt. Vissa är uppbyggda på stämningar medan andra som t.ex. "Flesh for Iesus" handlar om att i fall Jesus kommer tillbaks skulle han vara på vår sida. Det vill säga att något som är farligt är att statskyrkan och religionen stelnar. Det är i så fall den totala ondskan. Det är lite olika från låt till låt. Vissa tar vi inte alls så allvarligt på.
Vem skriver text och musik?
Jag skriver alla texter. Det blir väl jag som skriver det mesta av musiken också. Vissa låtar kommer jag på i replokalen men de flesta skriver jag för mig själv.
Har ni varit ute och spelat någonting?
Vi har spelat en del i Danmark. Vi har nog spelat mer i Danmark än vad vi har spelat här. Nu det sista innan plattan kom har vi spelat ute lite. Vi hade en spelning i Göteborg, före det var det ett glapp på två-tre år. Vi har inte spelat ute mycket men haft lite spelningar här och där. Vi har spelat på Ritz i Stockholm, i Kalmar och i Jönköping. I Danmark har vi nog spelat åtta-nio gånger.
Hur kommer det sig an ni har spelat så mycket i Danmark?
Det var en kille som var över här som vi lärde känna. Han frågade om vi ville spela i Aalborg. När vi gjorde det träffade vi ett annat danskt band. De fixade en spelning i Köpenhamn. Sen fick vi kontakter med klubbar och sånt i Köpenhamn på det sättet. Sen har de ringt lite då och då. Det är alltid kul dit. Det är roligare att spela i Danmark, folk släpper loss på ett annat sätt. De försöker inte att vara coola.
Framtidsplaner, har ni några sådana?
Vi ska väl försöka att fixa lite spelningar nu. Vi har eventuellt något på gång i Moskva men ingenting är säkert. Det vore väldigt skoj att åka dit och spela. Vår gitarrist har träffat två stycken som ordnar utbytesspelningar, så att ryska band kommer hit och spelar. Vi hoppas på att vi kan komma över den vägen. Det är ju en lite speciell grej.
L.L. - Backstage nr 2, 1989
INTERVIEW WITH HENKE, Metal Forces, 1992
I think many of us have pretty
much tired of the dog tag used to sum up bands as varied as
MINISTRY and SLAYER. Thrash, Death, Doom - all have their uses.
But our frustration with them are all the greater when
they’re taken out of context to try and shift a band out of
one field of music and into an area where a convenient
advertising slogan might sell a few records. STILLBORN, a
charismatic Rock outfit from Sweden who plug the depressive feel
of bands like THE SISTERS OF MERCY and DANZIG with an element of
old Punk and the ‘70s are, to my mind, as far from Doom as
one can get, but still carry that label as they embark on a
career as part of the Roadrunner roster, licensed from their
Swedish label Radium.
.....They’re a little taken
aback by all the interest in them, but really that’s their
own doing because the band’s latest album, "Permanent
Solution" (their second), is a really interesting blend of
unusual Rock elements, which despite the band’s name and
some of its history, shies away from some of Sweden’s more
obvious musical formats. No Thomas Skogsberg production or
CANDLEMASS Doom Dancing for them! New vocalist Henke takes a
great delight in telling me more about the band’s
background. And it certainly doesn’t seem to have been easy
for them at the start...
."We found it difficult to get started, Radium was pretty keen to do .things for us and they had a good reputation in Sweden, but money was very tight and it was hard to market ourselves to any extent. Other bands, like UNION CARBIDE PRODUCTIONS, were also in the same fix with the label. The company then got bought up, but without us. We’d wanted to do a second album (the first being "Necrospirituals"), but couldn’t get the backing for it and didn’t want to be with Radium. Anyway, they got bought up by much larger company and we re-signed with the new organisation. However, Radium sti11 had our music publishing and it was they who arranged the licensing deal with Roadrunner, so finally I guess they came through!"
Tell us about the band’s debut album, "Necrospirituals", released in 1989.
"There’s not much to tell. It was
basically some very early songs put together with the old singer
Kari. It had pretty poor distribution, although Public Propaganda
handled it in Germany and it sold maybe 4,000 or so copies. It
had a few good ideas, but I feel that the band was pulling in
different directions and breaking up what few good ideas they
had.
....."It
possessed a very strong Rock bias, sick lyrics and stuff like
that and for its time it was pretty humorous. Kari had a very low
voice, totally different to mine and despite the fact that we
still play one or two of those songs live I’d say that
it’s not really our style anymore. I’ve totally changed
the vocal range and we pull together a lot better now. Our
ambitions are much stronger today."
Did it give you a label you now have to suffer under, namely the Gothic Doom’ thing?
"I guess so, but it’s really only because of the "Dark Passages" compilation LP put out earlier this year by Rise Above. This featured two of our songs ("Father Of Lies" and "Permanent Solution") and from this we acquired the ‘Doom’ tag. To me, our influences lie much more in the music of the ‘70s and the Punk era. We keep it fairly slow and it’s depressing certainly, but the music’s more in the vein of Hard Rock. We’re five musical schizophrenics (the line-up being Henke, guitarists Ingemar Henning/Kim, bassist Sami Miari and drummer Peter Asp) who grew up with Hard Rock. But I don’t want to be accused of copying anyone, I like to try and pull together influences from fields as far apart as Arabian music and MADONNA. There are so many interesting ideas to convert into our musical sphere."
How long did "Permanent Solution" take to put together?
"Basically, about a year or so, but that
was because Radium rejected the first batch of songs we’d
written and asked for a second lot. We work carefully on
material, but by the time whole albums are ready you tend to be
looking forward not back, right? We are writing a third album
already.
....."The
album was recorded fairly quickly, but we’re not going to be
touring straight away. So we have to keep working, it’s the
only way to keep sane."
Sweden is a menagerie of the extremely evil and heavily depressive music of, say CANDLEMASS on the one hand and Death Metal on the other. How do you fit in?
"Pretty well, actually, CANDLEMASS are having some problems at the moment, with Messiah Marcolin leaving and the band maybe breaking up - although that’s only a rumour. And I don’t feel we have to compete with Death Metal, so hopefully we’ll be able to create our own space. The press we’ve had so far has been very encouraging and that gives us a big boost. It’ll probably take us a while to reach the Death Metal crowd, but I think we can make it because our music can have an overall appeal. We’ve worked hard on our sound. We spent ages discussing the ideas and hopefully we’ll benefit in the end,"
Is the album as dynamic as maybe it could have been?
"I think so. When we’ve done the next
album we might disagree, but at the moment I think it’s
pretty dynamic. It’s like a good life. You can relax in
places, but you can also have a lot of energy and feeling in
others. I don’t think it’s too commercial, either. It
has a lot of strong radical stuff, and after all there’s
beauty in life, too!
....."There’s
also lyrical depression. Writing the lyrics is one of the most
painful things I have to do in the band because I try to be hard
on myself. People think I’m permanently depressed, but
it’s never that one-dimensional on record. Our music is like
the Blues - not too happy, but there’s beauty in sadness. I
can’t really write about light-headed subjects when Ingemar
and Kim are playing super-heavy riffs, or Peter and Sami are
producing some dynamic rhythms. I also use religious metaphors,
but I’m trying to be potent not stupid with it. We ruled out
a lot of stuff which is just crap."
I recommend you grab a copy of "Permanent Solution" because it’s not in the conventional Doom Metal mould. They hope to tour Europe soon, and I suggest you catch them.
Mike Exley - Metal Forces, January 1992
INTERVIEW WITH HENKE, Thrash 'n Burn, 1992
The voice at the other end of the phone has a
lazy drawl - kinda like John Wayne dragged through a Swedish
massage parlour at 2am in slow motion, whilst munching on a loaf
of wholemeal. Henke has only just roused himself from s1umber. It
might be mid-day in Gothenburg, but the STILLBORN singer has a
night job, he
nce his
tousled and muffled tones.
"I work with the dead and dying at a local hospital. It means that I spend a lot of time hanging around, doing very little. But it also means that l tend to sleep in late during the daylight hours."
The concept of working with corpses might well seem to be almost euphoric for any band with the Doom style of musical outlook, but for Henke it seem to be just a way of earning enough money to keep him alive as he concentrates on the music that STILLBORN hope will take them beyond the confines of Sweden and into bigger spheres of influence and power. Besides, they do not regard themselves as a Doom band per se.
"When Lee Dorrian contacted us earlier
this year to have a couple of tracks included on his Doom Metal
compilation "Dark Passages" (released earlier this
year), we actually thought that we probably did fit into this
category. And the band had already been described as such in a
German magazine. However, when we got hold of a copy of
"Dark Passages" and listened to what else was on there,
it became obvious that we had little in common with the rest. I'm
not knocking what those bands were doing - far from it - but we
just seemed different to the rest
....."I
am not fan of categorisation in Metal, which seems to be all the
rage these days. Thrash, Speed, Grindcore, Death, Doom - it's all
so confusing. When I was growing up it was all called Hard Rock
and you knew where you stood. Now there is this rush to place you
in your own box. So, we have been messing around with calling
ourselves Techno-Doom, or else Adult-Orientated Death Metal. It's
really just a joke. We'd rather not put up boundaries to define
what we do."
The origins of this band actually go way back
to 198S5, when guitarist Ingemar was instrumental in putting
together the first line-up of the band. Within a couple of years
they'd inked a contract with Gothenburg label Radium, a small
record company who have now been swallowed up by the much larger
MNW organisation. "They are rather big in Sweden, but are
probably not well-known outside of our country," admits
Henke.
.....With
a line-up boasting drummer Peter bassist/vocalist Kari (a Finnish
musician) and guitarist Eric, the band recorded their debut LP
"Necrospirituals", attracting local interest, but
stopping of achieving an international breakthrough due to poor
distribution and a lack of touring activity. The title itself was
a humorous nod in the direction of the Negro Spiritual style of
Gospel music. The album was released in 1989, yet it wasn't long
before Kari had departed to be replaced by Henke.
"At the time I had been playing in a number of local bands performing in varying styles; no-one well-known, though. Perhaps the most Metallic band I'd been associated with was HAMMERHEAD, but you wouldn't have heard of them unless you lived in Gothenburg. When I was approached to join STILLBORN, they were anxious to keep the line-up to a four-piece and asked if I could play bass as well as sing. Well, I wasn't too keen on the idea, but agreed to give it a try. However, I play the bass with my thumb rather than a pick, and during the first rehearsal I did with STILLBORN it produced a rather funky style that clearly didn't fit in with what the band was all about so, they quickly decided to get a bassist, namely Sami."
And with Eric being replaced by Kim, the new-look STILLBORN began to seek out a future. The problem was that they had no confidence in Radium and were determined not to record for the label. However, the advent of the deal with MNW changed the situation.
"They heard the two tracks we'd recorded for Lee Dorrian (paid for by the CATHEDRAL vocalist's own label, Rise Above) and liked them so much that they offered us a new contract. Given the change in the situation, we were happy to renew our relationship with Radium."
The first fruits of the liaison is the excellent " Permanent Solution" album a solid mixture of styles, balanced on the precipice of a Doom underbelly. Hearing the record provides the essential musical evidence to augment Henke's claim that the band do proffer something different and more wide-ranging. There is certainly sufficient Doom-esque activity to keep fans of the genre delirious, yet there are also nods in the direction of Goth. Psychedelia and Punk, all carried forth with an Industrial momentum. Co-produced by the band with engineer Rune Johansson (who also worked with them on "Necrospirituals"), this is indeed a fresh, richly rewarding offering,
"I think the album reflects the fact that,
aside from Kim who is younger than the rest of us, we all grew up
in the ’7Os with bands such as ALICE COOPER, BLACK SABBATH,
LED ZEPPELIN and HAWKWIND. These are our roots and whilst we may
not actually still listen to those sort of bands, there is no
denying their influence in what we do.
....."I
think it's become a cliché, but we listen to everything from
BACH to MADONNA and even Indian Folk music. You cannot cut
yourself off from the whole spectrum of music and just catch a
small part of it. I think if you listen carefully to our new
record, then for instance you'll hear harmonies which owe
something to Arab music - that's how diverse we are!
....."As
far as modem Metal and Rock is concerned, various members of the
band are fans of GUNS n'ROSES and METALLICA, and I think that on
the guitarside, Kim brings what I would call a post-Eddie Van
Halen input, whilst Ingemar is pre-Eddie Van Halen. Whatever, it
works."
Nonetheless, being based in Sweden, there's no doubt that STILLBORN are competing in a Metal marketplace dominated by Death, Speed and Doom bands. And their own eclectic style could easily become a millstone rather than a milestone. It's a situation that Henke is only too well aware of, and one he hopes won't suffocate the band before they have a chance the breathe in an atmosphere of musical tolerance,
"It's certainly true that Death, Thrash and Grind-core are very big in Sweden. There is an enormous Underground following for these types of music. Yet they seemed to be played by younger kids than us, and the audience they attract is also very young, We don't tend to hang out at the sort of clubs who play that music. Still, I believe there is enough in our music to offer something to certain younger elements. But on the whole I'd say we appeal to an older audience. Some Thrash fans have told us that our music is too slow for their liking, which is why I don't feel that is where our future lies. In general, those people who appreciate our roots and listen to the likes of SABBATH, ZEPPELIN and HAWKWIND will find much to intrigue them."
Touring-wise the band hope to get on the road early next year, although plans at the moment seem rather nebulous and confined.
"We are aiming to tour Sweden in January or February, and also to take our show across to Europe. It's a lot easier to do dates in Sweden because local councils will always subsidise the cost of a show, whereas in Europe you have to satisfy promoters who are looking to put on bands who can attract large crowds and are good commercial prospects. I have heard through the Roadrunner office in Germany (the band are licensed to Roadrunner outside of Sweden) that there are rumours about a tour involving ourselves, CATHEDRAL and SOLITUDE AETURNUS, which would be great because we are all different to one another and could offer a lot as a package. Fans must get fed up with hearing bands of the same type playing together, However, I've heard no more on this front so I'm not sure if this tour will actually happen."
Updated information suggests that such an alliance is rather remote, with CATEHDRAL likely to link up with fellow Earache signees ENTOMBED, CARCASS and CONFESSOR for a UK trek. But Roadrunner in the UK do seem determined to give this fine band a major push next year, so hopefully we can expect an appearance on these shores within a few months. Certainly at this distance, I'd nominate STILLBORN as one of the Metal bands to watch next year. Maybe Roadrunner should seriously consider putting SOLITUDE AETURNUS, STILLBORN and PESTILENCE together for a Doomfest tour that will certainly pack out venues across Europe. And given the manner in which Doom Metal is opening up and being accepted by an increasing number of contemporary Metal fans the future for bands such as STILLBORN is potentially an impressive one. And with the seeming demise of Swedish Doom gods CANDLEMASS (vocalist Messiah Marcolin has apparently left the fold), the stage is set fair for Henke and his cohorts to take up the mantle and lead the Scandinavians on another foray across the world of Metal. They certainly have my support.
Malcome Dome - Thrash 'n Burn, Jan 1992
NECROSPIRITUALS, review in Metal Forces 1989
Although this LP is almost constantly glued to my turntable at
present I cannot really recommend it to all you out there in
METAL FORCES land.
.....If I started by suggesting
STILLBORN sound like a mixture of BLACK SABBATH, HAWKWIND and THE
SISTERS OF MERCY (mainly due to the incredibly strange
(awful?)vocals which sound very akin to Andrew Eldritch or some
other Gothic-doom joker), then many of you will know to stop
reading now.
....."Necrospirituals" is
incredibly heavy though throughout, pounding super-heavy and
super-repetitive riffs abound. Totally awesome sounding guitars
are the main feature of the production which is so
"dark" it makes the LP even less accessible to the
average metal thrasher.
.....There are duff tracks,
"Nuke ´em All" sounds like a bad "Love" era
CULT out-take and "Streetsatan" is near rock and roll
garbage, but the rest is, to my ears at least, totally amazing.
"Flesh For Jesus" is so heavy it´s unreal, whilst
" Albino Flogged In Black" (a tale of sado-masochism)
is the best(or worst) depressing song this year. The lyrics are
totally sick and warped and the main riff so simple, but this
track really is something.
....."Calvaria 1939" is
just as obscure - a total rip-off of the HAWKWIND track
"Time We Left" (anyone remember Lemmy's bass on
overdrive on that one? - No. Thought not). The most repetitive
but haunting riff you can imagine. My other fave is "I, The
Stillborn" which is sort Of an intelligent autobiographical
tale of those children who didn´t quite make it to life! This
too has a riff not a million miles away from, say, something on
SABBATH´s "Master Of Reality" and just sticks in my
brain.
.....As I stated earlier, this is a
definite minority interest ting-of no interest to Goths because
it´s so heavy and of limited interest to metal fans due to the
obscure vocals (When I sent a copy of this to Bernard he was
convinced he was playing it at the wrong speed!). I predict no
great things for STILLBORN, but I think they are truly great!
Dave Constable - Metal Forces, 1989
THE PERMANENT SOLUTION, review in Slitz 1991
Livsfarligt bikers-orienterade göteborgare som enligt
legenden super sina stockholmska bröder i In The Colonnades
under bordet. Bokstavligt talat alltså. Men i ljuset av deras
andra LP de det även bildligt, för om förrförra årets
debut-LP "Necrospirituals" var kraftlöst producerad
röjer uppföljaren i ett helt annat solsystem.
.....Med ena foten i Hawkwinds
flummiga 70-tal och den andra i 90-talets speedade
metallvarianter har Stillborn definitivt en egen inmutning på
området. "Kreativa" gitarrer kröker sig genom
invecklade låtkonstruktioner och landskapen som målas upp
korsar fantasy och "Mad Max" med "Terminator"
och Dirty Dräggels taggtråds inhägnad. Den bästa svenska
hårdrocksplattan jag hört.
Kjell Häglund - Slitz nr. 5, 1991
THE PERMANENT SOLUTION, review in Music & Media 1991
The Scandinavian heavy metal scene has a strong reputation
across Europe. Swedish band STILLBORN redefines the word
"heavy" on their second album Permanent Solution. Just
like Black Sabbath in the early '70s, their music is based on
stainless steel guitar riffs. Now with the worldwide success of
Metallica, they couldn't have timed their release better.
.....New singer Henke shouts like a
young Alice Cooper against a wall of sound as high as a
skyscraper. Headbanging metal programmers should warn their
listeners to wear a helmet while listening to their shows,
because Stillborn will shake the foundation of their homes. On
stage they're even more dangerous.
Music & Media - October 1991
THE PERMANENT SOLUTION, review in Metal Hammer 1991
This is a superb, intense album. The first time I listened, I
thought "Hey, this is good" the second play, I turned
it up to ten and by the third listen, I was enjoying it so much I
missed last orders at the local. Still, luckily enough I had a
couple of cans of Tartan Special in the fridge so I just listened
to it for a fourth time.
.....The band come from Sweden
(behave, somebody has to) and released an album back in 1989
which, despite reasonable reviews, didn't do much. Things could
change with this though, it's Doom Metal with a more accessible
feel. You can hear the lyrics and the production, especially on
the guitar, bass and drums, is excellent.
.....It's the overall feel of the
album that I like most though. The riffs are early Sabbath, the
vocalist Henke (real name?) sounds like Ricky Warwick (well
almost) and the outstanding tracks are "Father Of Lies"
and the epic sounding "Flexible Bullet" where the
musicianship of the band shines with time changes almost as often
as a lady I know change her knickers.
Almost a five.
Tom Russell - Metal Hammer December, 1991
STATE OF DISCONNECTION, review in Rock Power 1992
This is literally heavy stuff, booth musically and lyrically,
with the taint of the unexpected thrown in. Always menacing,
always dark, whether at speed as on the title track and
"Sorry", or at the sliding crawl on "The tension
Grows" and the dreamy slice of anger that is "House Of
Love". At times, Stillborn come over like modern day
thrashers but are far too adventurous to keep within such
straight laced boundaries for long.
.....Their penchant for
bloody-minded slicing material with a thick nightmarish quality
climaxes with their final number "Comfort Of Absence".
A completely off the wall, piano-fixated epigram, reminiscent of
Bowie circa "Ziggy Stardust", it's something only the
Smashing Pumpkins would have the effort to record.
"State Of Disconnection", at best psychotic metal on an
underlay of suffering.
John Duke - Rock Power, Oct/Nov 1992