PERSUADER – Interview with Emil Norberg

Metal Centre had the pleasure to talk to Emil Norberg, Persuader´s guitarist, and he told me that the Swede´s are pretty lazy and that they play heavy metal… Large news!! 😉

There are not many news in the Persuader camp at the moment. But as I discovered your album “Evolution Purgatory” I thought of doing an interview with you!

Sure

It really took me a long time to find out that this album is a blast!

Hahaha… well, that´s good. Albums that grow stay longer in the cd.

Yes, there you might be right! So, tell, me a bit about Persuader´s history… How long has the band been in business?

Well, the band started out in -97 with the first stable line-up. And released the first album ”The Hunter”. After that, the band had some conflicts resulting in the band breaking up. Shortly after to be continued, but with Emil on guitars. We recorded a demo which entered the YMG contest resulting in ”Evolution Purgatory”.

Ok, I see. And how would you describe your music style?

ahhh…. I don´t know. Heavy Metal?

Sounds like heavy metal, yes 😉

We just try to blend in different stuff.

I see that you only have a few concerts, but no tour. How is that?

Well….. I really don´t know, we´ve just been really lazy of course.

I don´t think you are lazy… When I want to talk to you, you are always busy with writing songs… What is the band doing at the moment? Is it planned to record another album in the near future? Do you really write songs for a new album?

Of course there will be a new album… We´ll probably record in mid april. We are writing new songs at the moment. Yes I really write songs for a new album.

What will the new album be about then? Will it be like the last one?

No, I think we will have a developped sound. Some of the songs on EP were kinda old, so this time its just fresh material. The topic for the next album is not yet clear….

Sounds interesting… About the songwriting: How are you working? I mean, do you write the songs all together or is someone the main songwriter?

Well, it´s mainly me and Effe that write the songs… We work pretty much separate, then when we have songs done, Jens and Efraim write vocal melodies and then we record it at my place. If everything sounds good we are done or else we start changing stuff till it´s perfect.

Why should somebody prefer buying your album than any other release of our days?

Well, if they like us they should buy us. That´s a strange question.

Hehehe… There has been not very much promotion for Persuader in former times and there still is not much now. Although you have a crowd of underground fans at least not because you were the winners of the last year´s Young Metal Gods Contest you have mentioned above and you have the brilliant album “Evolution Purgatory”, you haven´t made the big deal yet. How would you explain that? Why is that?

It´s hard to explain….. Of course we haven´t been on tour or been in the spotlight very much. That´s probably the main reason…. Or maybe people just don´t like the album. I dont know.

Cannot imagine that people don´t like your album, although I needed a looong time to get into that stuff…

Well, everybody releases a DVD nowadays, equal, if they have 1, 5 or 10 albums released. Will you release a DVD?

Hahaha….. Well, not this year at least. No plans for a DVD exists.

🙂 Could have been 😉 Maybe some other time…

Persuader had a few live gigs in Sweden. Have you ever thought of recording a live album?

There is no point, if you arent bigger than that.

I see…

bigger than we are.

I understand…

Most live albums aren´t very live anymore either so…. I like making new music more.

But some people (me, too) like live albums very much… Although they aren´t live either…

Well… maybe someday.

So, Emil, what is next due to gigs and/or festivals? Is there already any (bigger) tour planned for 2005 after the new album?

Nope nothing is planned…. we havent set any release dates or stuff yet either so…. we´ll see as the release comes closer.

Keep me informed!! I need to see Persuader live here in Germany!!

I´ll keep you informed.

Thanks… With which bands would you like to go touring then, if you could choose?

I have no idea….. maybe Masterplan.

Nocturnal Rites? What about them??? Hehehe

Well sure, that would be cool also.

🙂 Do you rather play open air shows or hall concerts?

Doesn´t matter…. Both is just as fun……

Ok, and what do you guys do when you are not on tour or in the studio?

Write music and wooork or go out and have some beers and shit…. just regular lifes. Nothing special.

And last question: What wishes do you have for the future?

The best album from persuader and a really nice summer with lots of gigs.

I hope that will really come over us!!!!

Would be real fun.

Yes, it would! Thanks for the interview…

Line-Up:
Emil Norberg – Lead guitars
Efraim Juntunen – Drums
Jens Carlsson – Vocals
Fredrik Hedström – Bass
Discographie:
Evolution Purgatory 2003 (have a look at the CD review)
The hunter (debut)
Vision and Dreams – 1998 (Demo)