Heart of Steel: Interviews

Dimension Zero - Interview with lead singer, Jocke Göthberg

Interview by Anders Sandvall

 

What got you to start again and is this a project or a real band?

This is a real band, that’s important to mention because a lot of people think that it isn’t. We should have done this album earlier, but there wasn’t enough time before. We didn’t want to rush together an album just for the sake of it, if that was the issue then we would have done it earlier but as I said before, this is a real band and we really wanted to do something good. In 2000 there finally was enough time to focus on creating songs and in the fall of 2001 we recorded.

 

About the record Silent Night Fever. What do you think of your vocal contribution and what do you think about the record in general?

I’m totally satisfied with my performance because this time I could actually sing the lyrics with total power because I’ve written the lyrics myself and I really can stand for what I’m singing, so I really got it all out of my system. The record overall turned out like we wanted. The sound is the sound that we were searching for, the dry and hard production, it really fits our music I think.

 

Who has written the song lyrics and composed the music for the record?

The lyrics are all mine. The music is mostly Glenn and Jesper except for “Until You Die” which Hans also have written.

 

Why is there a short time (one second) between the songs?

We wanted to create an intense and energetic feeling so therefore there its only one second between the songs. We wanted to hit the audience in the face with this record.

 

Why are there so few songs on the record (only nine)?

We wanted to keep the intensity intact and by putting more songs on the album it would get lost. I think that 9 songs are enough before it starts to get boring.

 

Are you going to tour on this record and in that case where? Are you going to play in Sweden?

No Swedish gigs planned yet, we’ll see. The only thing decided now is that we are going to play 3 gigs in Japan supporting SODOM at the end of May and maybe Korea directly after Japan.

 

Has the record gotten a positive reception from the press and the fans?

Yes absolutely! I’ve only read 1 bad review this far, the others has only been great (almost too great). Some people think that we made a mistake by taking out all the guitar solos but that was the first thing we said that we were going to do with the new material so if people liked the EP then they will perhaps be disappointed but there’s only one guy this far that has reacted on that. We don’t think that guitar solos have any place in our music because if you listen to the EP the solos are completely out of place, I mean when the solo hits the song, the feeling gets lost, at least on those songs.

 

You were only in the studio for sixteen days. How could you work so fast?

If you have the vision and material done before you enter the studio it shouldn’t be a problem recording it fast. If you know what you’re doing and know what you want then it’s easier. Also Anders was a perfect companion to work with, really comfortable.

 

Do you have any favorite songs on this record?

I like them all but if I must chose one I will go for “Your Darkest Hour” because that song contains the best lyrics on the album.

 

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

As I said we are going to Japan and maybe Korea at the end of May to perform for the first time ever! Also we are working on some new stuff so we will probably record another album before this year is over. We feel that we have a lot more to give.

 

I have reviewed the record Silent Night Fever on Metal-Rules.com and I gave the record 5 max-points. How does that feel?

I must say that that feels great if you’re serious. I’m very glad that our album is getting so many great reviews, I hadn’t really expected that as a matter of fact. I know that we have done a great album but I didn’t think any further than that so its surprising.

 

Do you play in any more bands?

Yes, I have a couple of bands on my conscious. ABSOLUTE BASTARDS, MR WALKER & THE HITMAN and KARMANJAKA to mention a few.

 

How long did you wok with writing and composing and rehearsal before you entered the studio?

About 6 months or something. A couple of the songs are re-recordings.

 

What do you think about working with a small record company?

I must say that it is perfect but on the other hand I have never been on a mega-label so I don’t know what that is like. REGAIN is perfect for us because we know Per well and we know that he does a good job, also I believe its best to have a label which is in your own country because you can have daily contact if you want to.

 

Do you see any future during the 21st century for metal and hard rock?

Yeah, of course. Metal is hard to kill off! There’s new bands coming up all the time and always new people getting into metal so there is definitively a future for it.

 

Is it something you want to say to the fans out there? The word is yours.

Thanx for listening! Hopefully we will play in a town near you in the future. Thank you Anders for your interest in DZO!

Thanks Jocke for answering my questions and thanks to Regain-records for the pictures.

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