DARKANE – Interview with Klas Ideberg (guitarist) at The Tivoli, Helsingborg, Sweden.

I had a nice chat with an old acquaintance of mine the other day (well… night) and he happens to be Klas Ideberg, one of the riff-machines in the well-known Swedish band DARKANE. The guys have been around since the beginning of '98 when the band arose from the ashes of AGRETATOR – another great metal band from Helsingborg. It seems that Helsingborg, that also happens to be my hometown, is one of Sweden's leading metal cities.

45 minutes left to the gig. DARKANE will perform 22:30 and it's a little hectic. I catch up with Klas backstage and he greets me wearing a black KILL SWITCH ENGAGE t-shirt and his characteristic smile. Klas says that it'll be a good idea to go to another room, namely ”Vinylbaren” – a cozy bar in the same complex. He is very calm and relaxed and the interview starts off right away. Klas puts in a ”snus” (tobacco) under his lip in a true Swedish fashion and sips on his beer. ”Expanding Senses” is DARKANE's 3rd album, released not that long ago, and we talk a little about the whole concept behind it.

So how does it differ from the previous albums?

Klas enlightens me that it is more in the same vein as the first album: more simple song structures, more groove and even more melody than the 2nd album. Peter (drums) had to tone down his drumming adventures a bit in order to play more in-your-face. It is something more of a return to the first album, but in no way a copy.

How should we label the metal DARKANE play?

Klas agrees with the record label and distributors. Futuristic thrash-metal is a good description. It's kind of Bay Area with a modern sound and a lot more finesse, I add.

The lyrics caught my attention, should they be taken seriously?

Klas feels that the lyrics are pretty serious, as always. Instead of singing about Satan or politics the guys focus on the inner life of the human being. This time the whole album is one concept: the expanding of senses in extreme situations. Some sort of developing a 6th sense when you are blind or a victim of torture, rape or incest. Even mental illness is a way to expand the senses. Some people create an alternative reality in their own mind. The 6th sense, you've developed, is mostly a bad thing that makes you wall in and be dead to the world. Negativity all the way… in a true metal fashion. He agrees laughing. Although you have this info on the lyrics they are still hard to interpret, because the message is hidden behind a concrete wall of metaphors and strange words. This time all the lyrics were written before the band entered the studio. Because of this they are more thought through. On the previous albums half the lyrics were written in the studio. Klas has written ”Innocence Gone” and it is influenced by a Danish book by the same name.

What does music mean to you?

Music is a way of living for Klas and he does everything to be occupied with it as much as possible. He is no millionaire so he does everything to make ends meet. He studies to become a teacher so he is a fellow craftsman in two regards (I'm a musician and teacher, as well). Klas is also a well-known engineer and producer and he has recorded several demos and MCDs with more or less unknown bands such as WATERSHED (www.watershed.rocks.it) (my band!) and he says that he will be delighted to produce the next MCD.

He is involved in two other bands: TERROR 2000 and THE DEFACED (www.thedefaced.com). TERROR 2000 was a project on the side and mostly a fun thing to do but paradoxically his greatest incomes from the music industry are the royalties from this band! People from SOILWORK are involved in this project and I can't help telling Klas that I sense an influence from SOILWORK on ”Expanding Senses”. Klas assures me that it has to be a subconscious thing. SOILWORK and DARKANE are buddies so they certainly influence each other but they do ”their things”, of course.

THE DEFACED is Klas' ”child” and he feels this band to be ”his thing” but DARKANE is as important as DARKANE. What he puts more work into depends on the deal. If the deal is (touring) better for either of them he chooses the better offer. THE DEFACED have recently recorded a new album and it will be out in the beginning of 2003.

How come you play this kind of music? How did the whole thing start then?

Klas tells me that he doesn't know how to play pop-music or any other style. Metal is in his blood. Metal is also a greater musical challenge for him than pop music would be. As a 7-year old he stole his sister's ”Destroyer”-album (KISS) and when nobody was at home he put it in the stereo and played it on 10! When he heard ”Number of the Beast” the first time he was sold on metal. He is no true metal-head though. He combined listening to the ”Destroyer”-album with DEPECHE MODE's ”Speak and Spell”. He still likes DM and especially the later albums. He got his first dose of music from his sister's collection, what a sissy! ; ).

What rocks nowadays, then?

Klas gets his inspiration from bands such as RADIOHEAD, MUSE and TEA PARTY.

What about metal, then?

He is also a MACHINE HEAD fan.

Nu-metal?

He thinks it tends to become as boring as R'n'B, the only musical style he truly hates, because everything seems to be cast by the same mold. His latest disappointment was DEFTONE's ”White Pony” that was a dull experience in comparison with one of his favorite albums ”Around The Fur”. The latest band he's fallen in love with is KILL SWITCH ENGAGE. And he thinks that they play a little in the same vein as Swedish metal bands from Gothenburg although they are nu-metal. Pretty impressive that Roadrunner signed them, is his comment.

Soon DARKANE will support BEHEMOTH in The Netherlands, The UK, Japan and Poland. Playing gigs in Sweden in comparison with abroad then?

According to Klas the Swedes are more reserved and less enthusiastic than people in, for example, The Netherlands (the best audience). Helsingborg (the hometown) is good though because the fan-base is a dedicated one.

Later this evening Klas speaks with friends and fans. As always he is very talkative and you don't sense any I'm-a-rock-star-get-lost attitude at any time.

Crazy things you've done while touring?

None while touring, actually. Klas tells me about one memorable moment though. He got loaded when Studio Underground (metal studio in Västeras, Sweden) had their opening party and almost the whole band participated. He stumbled and injured his head severely on a door and was brought to the city hospital. After the fact that he got several stitches at the back of his metal head (my sense of humor) he went out of the hospital and didn't remember a thing and couldn't find his way back… do I have to mention that he is the booze drinker of the band?

Drugs?

Well no one in the band is into it but booze and beer is a favorite. Klas loves beer and recommends Gambrinius (Czech beer) and Diebels Alt (German). All American beers suck! The guys had to build their own beer-bong to get the crap down when they were in the States. I have to admit that Klas has grown a little beer-belly since last I saw him and I point that out. He laughs.

It's finally time for the gig. The guys do a last sound check of the instruments and Klas asks the audience: Alles gut?

and gets: – Jaaaaaaaa! as an answer.

The men in black set it off with a heavy riff. The material is very diverse: heavy, groovy, fast, symphonic, samples… they combine aggression with beautiful solos (mostly Chris) and twin-guitar passages. Never a dull moment. I'm really impressed. Especially the vocals are great. Andreas sings in a hard fashion but there's a sense of melody all the way. Some of the choruses are just killer, especially when Klas joins in singing the backing vocals. The audience is excited although not strong in numbers. Only 150 people came.

Afterwards I get the chance to finish the review and I start with a typical Swedish sports question:

How does it feel?

Klas is enthusiastic and pretty content. Everything was great but people are a little tired on a Tuesday night and don't give a 100%. The metal heads in the front row made the whole thing a memorable experience though. We go outdoors and he lights a cigarette and stretches his neck after serious head banging. To avoid getting a ”concrete neck”, he says. While rehearsing they bang their heads while playing to get the music tight live when doing it. He enlightens me that the stretching is a must. I tell him that the band that came to mind during their performance was TESTAMENT. He doesn't deny the similarities and tells me that TESTAMENT's newer stuff is killer.

How often do they rehearse?

On 1 or 2 occasions a week, there is not more time because all the guys are doing other stuff besides DARKANE.

How do you write material?

Everybody writes a whole song at home and has it altered a little in the rehearsal studio when everyone puts in some effort to make it even better and more structured. Klas thinks that the development will be that the way they write will change. In the future everybody will come up with a part of a song instead of a whole one. It will be more of a mix of different ingredients. Chris is more into writing melodic, technical stuff but Klas is more in-your-face in his writing.

Tell me a little about the other guys…

Peter (drums) is a death metal maniac and TEA PARTY freak. Klas himself doesn't listen to death metal much, as you've noticed, besides DEATH and old ENTOMBED albums. Chris (guitars) is a true death metal fan and listens to classical music also and gets his inspiration from these two sources. Andreas (vocals) is more into 80s metal such as IRON MAIDEN and ACCEPT. Jörgen (bass) isn't interested in the music, he wants to be a rock star, Klas adds with a little irony and laughter.

Is there anything besides music that you would choose instead?

Being an actor could be an alternative, due to the fact that Klas loves performing on stage.

Movies you would recommend?

Snatch and The Exorcist…

The club owner Hasse opens a door and yells a Klas:

– Come on, the other guys are pissed off waiting for you for this long!

Then we have to say good-bye, see ya later…

On behalf of the Metal Centre crew I thank for the interview.