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Frederik Anderson is a busy man, he has laid
down the drums for two of Sweden's most respected death metal outfits: Amon
Amarth and This Ending. However, he was kind enough to take a few minutes out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions
for Metal Mayhem concerning This Ending's latest album "Inside the Machine".
Metal Mayhem: It appears that This Ending is a new band; however, the band's history goes quite a way back
due. Please give our readers a brief history of the band that has become This Ending.
Frederik Anderson: Well, we originally started up already in the early 90's but under the name "A
Canorous Quintet". We released one Mini CD and two full lengths for No
Fashion records before we split up in 1998. However, we've stayed friends
throughout the years and always talked about playing together again, but
someone was always busy with something else. Around new years '05 we finally
said that we were going to do something together though and that's where it
started.
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MM: This Ending is the third name the band has used. Why have you changed your name three times? What was your reason for changing your name from
The Plague to This Ending?
FA: We felt that A Canorous
Quintet was something that was behind us and we wanted this to be something
new. And we also think reunions are kind of lame, especially for a band that has
somewhat of an underground name here in Sweden and parts of Europe - but no
where else. When we got signed to Metal Blade Europe we found out that the US
side of the label had just signed a band called "7:th plague" and
they thought the names would be hard to market so they asked us if we could
change. And after looking around a little we found at least 10
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other bands
called something with plague, so we tried to find a more original name that
still fit with our music and lyrics.
MM: How do you feel about your new album "Inside the Machine"? Did it turn out the way you wanted?
FA: Yes definitely! Of course there are always things you think you could've done differently
afterwards, but with the time and budget we had this was the best we could do
at the moment. And we're completely happy about how the album came out. Linus
did an awesome job in the studio; we were blown away when we heard the final
mix!
MM: If a fan approached you at an Amon Amarth show and asked you what "Inside the Machine"
sounds like, what would you tell them?
FA: I would tell him/her to go to our homepage or myspace and listen to the sample songs; it would be the
easiest way to describe our music. I'd like to think we have our own style,
we've been doing this for so many years now and there are definitely no other
bands we want to sound like. A lot of people seem to think that all
Scandinavian bands simply copy themselves, when fact is that the type of music writing
is something deeply rooted in our history and maybe even genes. Scandinavian
music has always been melodic, harmonic and melancholic. Just listen to any
Scandinavian folk music.
MM: Are there any songs that are your favourites on "Inside the Machine". Are there any songs that you feel will be
really fun or challenging to play live?
FA: I like all the songs on the album but "Pitch Black" is a favourite. All of the songs will be fun to
play live but sure, "Let the World Burn" will be a challenge, at least
for me. But I'm sure it'll sound cool live, probably even more brutal.
MM: Considering how Amon Amarth has taken off with the excellent "With Oden on our Side", how did
you find time to record this album?
FA: No problem at all, we recorded during the time there was nothing going on in the Amon camp. We
usually tries to take some time off after recording an album and this time we
didn't have any tours coming up for a couple of months so there was plenty
time.
MM: Are you planning on doing any tours? How will you divide your time between Amon Amarth and This Ending?
FA: We're really looking forward getting out on the roads presenting our songs live, I personally think
songs are at their best when performed live. We will try to keep the two bands
touring at different times; if it collides I guess we'll take the decision
then.
MM: Would it be possible
for you to pull double duty and play drums for both Amon Amarth and This Ending
on a tour?
FA: Yes no problem, as long as there's at least one band in between.
MM: A Canorous Quintet goes all the way back to 1991. You began playing with Amon Amarth in 1998 as a replacement for Martin
Lopez (Opeth's current drummer). Since then, Amon Amarth has become more epic and
more melodic on each subsequent release. Do you think you brought some of A Canorous Quintet's melodic side to
Amon Amarth?
FA: No not really. I'm not a big part of the song writing process in Amon Amarth. Well I am, but I'm not a
major composer or riff maker. I guess on each album one or two riffs comes from
me, not more.
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MM: I hear similarities between your playing on Amon Amarth and This Ending yet, I can also hear obvious differences. Considering the two bands play similar
styles, do you sit down at your drum kit with a different mind set or with a different
set of drumming techniques in mind before playing a This Ending set?
FA: Yes in a way I do, but not deliberately. But I do play differently with the different bands. It has to
do with the facts that I'm less restricted with my drumming in This Ending and
I've known the guys for so many years.
MM: "Inside the Machine" gives lyric-writing credits to This Ending. Obviously, this means the
lyrics were written by the band as a whole. What was the writing process like for this album? Did you write the lyrics first or the music?
FA: Well the lyrics are written mainly by Mårten and Leo, and then there's one song written by Jesper.
However we were all involved in the arranging of the vocals even if Linus is
the main man behind that. Usually when we start a new song we check if any of
the lyrics we have fits with the music, if not we write something new.
MM: Now that "Inside the Machine" has been out for a couple of months and the metal-buying public
knows of its existence, what is the band’s next move?
FA: We've already started
working on some new songs and we're practising to be ready when the time comes
for us to present our music live.
Darren Cowan
