Since the genre’s inception, Heavy Metal has always been a glorified, respected artform in the European region. With the New Wave of Heavy Metal out of England during the late ’70s into the ’80s with the likes of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Saxon, and more, Sweden would in the decades to follow become a leading importer of Heavy Metal. Among the array of talented Swedes to emerge in the ’90s, Tad Morose arouse to popularity upon the release of their 1993 debut Leaving the Past Behind. A combination of all Metal’s purist elements, melodic guitars, introspective lyrics, and experimentation, Tad Morose has morphed through the years as they continue to sustain a respected name. Coming across bumps in the road over the course of the years, Tad Morose are back once again in 2015 with a brand new album entitled St. Demonius, and look to keep their legacy going for years to come. Recently we sat down with founding lead guitarist Christer “Krunt” Andersson for a closer look at the history of the band, their progression, the possibility of touring the USA, and more.
CrypticRock.com – Tad Morose has been a well established band in the Heavy Metal community for nearly twenty-five years ago. Tell us, what has the journey been like for you?
Christer “Krunt” Andersson – Well, it has been a long and bumpy road with lots of detours, frustration, and tons of hard work, but also with lots of laughter and fun memories!
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- Black Mark Production
CrypticRock.com – Of course, and what is a journey without bumps in the road. Now, through the years the band has had their share of lineup change with yourself and Peter Morén being the longest standing members. Has it been difficult to sustain all the lineup changes, and do you feel Tad Morose is strongest now with the lineup kept in recent years?
Christer “Krunt” Andersson – Yes, of course it is hard when a member leaves the band. You are put on hold a bit until you find a new member, and you lose momentum, but things changes in everybody’s lives, which can affect the ability to be in a band. Sometimes you just lose faith in what you are doing, or just get fed up with the whole thing. I think we got a strong lineup today, more focused and determined. Perhaps that also has to do with that we are all older now and perhaps at least a little bit wiser (laughs).
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- Century Media
CrypticRock.com – Right, well one can imagine you learn as you go, as with anything in life. The band recently released your eighth full-length studio record in August, entitled St. Demonius. What was the writing and recording process like this time around?
Christer “Krunt” Andersson – It was pretty much the same as on Revenant. The writing process is the same as always, we put in all our ideas and change things, rewrite, argue about every little bit, change it again, and so on, until we are satisfied. In the old days, we did most of this work at our rehearsal studio and then recorded the entire albums in the same studio. Everything has changed over the last ten years or so, so nowadays, on both Revenant and St. Demonius, we recorded much of the stuff in our own studios and sent files to each other. Then we meet up in Ronny’s studio and make some changes perhaps, and then go to mix and master. Not the ideal way of doing it if you ask me, but since the budgets have gone down, or more like disappeared, and since we do not live in the same city, this is what works for us.
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- Despotz Records
CrypticRock.com – Great to hear the band has a system that works so well. Obviously fans are aware of the ten year gap between Tad Morose records, between 2003’s Modus Vinvendi and 2013’s Revenant. Now you return relatively quickly with St. Demonius. Did you find working on this record a little easier considering you had Revenant, which sort of broke the ice for the band again?
Christer “Krunt” Andersson – Yes, it was way more smooth this time around. You learn things for every album you make, which makes it easier, and having the same lineup really helps so that you can focus on writing and recording instead of trying out new members. To get an album out and be able to play live really ignites the spirit of a band and makes everything a lot more easy and fun. We still go through a hard time every time we record an album though. We know before we start the actual recording what we will go through, and that scares me a bit, but you also know the feeling when it is done.
CrypticRock.com – Right, and the end result is the most redeeming part of it all. St. Demonius is certainly filled with its share of strong Heavy Metal songs. That is something Tad Morose has always been very strong at providing. With the genre becoming so cloudy at times, does the band pride themselves on providing fans with traditionally driven, quality Heavy Metal?
Christer “Krunt” Andersson – Oh, thank you! Well, I do not know, but we always write songs to please ourselves in the first place. It has to pass our own “filter” before it is done. Perhaps that is our own “quality control” (laughs). Of course we are proud of what we are doing, but we also always think that we can improve ourselves and we are never really satisfied.
- Despotz Records
CrypticRock.com – That is human nature, to want to always do better, otherwise what is the motivation. Tad Morose has always had their share of success in the European market, but North American fans often wonder when will they get a chance to see the band. Has it been difficult for Tad Morose to find the right support in the USA, and do you see chance of a North American tour in the future?
Christer “Krunt” Andersson – It is hard for any Swedish band, much due to the Visa regulations and all the paperwork that needs to be done. That costs a lot of money and takes a long time to take care of. Then you got the flights and so on, so it is very expensive. If we can get the needed support and solve the financial things, we would love to tour over there! There is always a chance, but I cannot see that happen in the near future though. If we get a serious offer that would work out, we would be there as fast as the paperwork allows.
CrypticRock.com – Let us all hope something happens to change this so North American fans can finally see Tad Morose perform live. The band’s 1995 album, Sender of Thoughts, is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2015. Do you have fond memories of that period of time in the band’s history?
Christer “Krunt” Andersson – (laughs) Yeah! We were young and eager and went on our first European Tour. We had a blast and lived our dream! I have got plenty of amazing memories!
CrypticRock.com – That is fantastic to hear. Many fans would agree the band really came into their own with 1997’s A Mended Rhyme. As someone who was part of the creative process, do you share a similar opinion of that record?
Christer “Krunt” Andersson – I do not know really. It was the first one we did with Urban Breed on vocals and he brought in a lot of weird ideas into the songwriting (laughs)! Perhaps that helped it to stand out?
CrypticRock.com – That is very possible. Sometimes an outside influence can really change the direction of something. What are some of your own musical influences?
Christer “Krunt” Andersson – Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, Savatage, Accept, and so on. All the good old bands!
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- EMI
CrypticRock.com – Excellent choice of bands right there; as you say, all the classics. My last question for you is pertaining to movies. CrypticRock.com covers music and Horror films. If you are a fan of Horror films, what are some of your favorite Horror films?
Christer “Krunt” Andersson – Sorry, wrong guy, I am not a fan of Horror films at all (laughs).
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