Chad Bowar: You’ve had a lineup change recently. What led to bassist Michael Niklasson's departure, and how did you decide on Daniel Antonsson as his replacement?
Mikael Stanne: After ten years in the band, Michael felt that he needed to go on to do different things, and we agreed. It was very much a natural thing where we basically grew apart and it came to an end. Daniel has been a friend of ours pretty much since we started doing gigs in Gothenburg and we´ve hung out over the years. We toured together when he played for Soilwork.
We had started considering replacements when Daniel called and told us he was not in Soilwork anymore, and if we still needed a bass player. We hesitated for half a second and then he was in. We have a history of adding old friends into the DT camp, so this was another case of that. And it has worked out amazingly well. He fits right in and we have all felt energized since he joined. We feel like a complete unit now more than ever.
What was the response to this year’s Yesterworlds compilation release?
Since this release was mainly for the die-hard fans who already have all the other releases, it received great response from the fans. There is stuff on there that no one has heard before, as well as the best sounding versions of the old and rare material. It was interesting to go back and listen to these songs, and I feel I have a new found appreciation for the madness we were up to back then.
Are compilations and re-releases something the label suggests, or do you bring that
suggestion to them?
We have a very close and mutual relationship with the label, and together we decided to put out something special for the 20th anniversary of the band. We all have a love/hate attitude toward things like this. I love the fact that as a record collector there are new and rare songs out there from a band, and I love new and interesting packaging. But I hate when I get disappointed with releases that feature nothing new or that simply do not offer value for the money. So when we plan something like this, we try hard to sidestep all the mistakes I´ve seen in other releases and put something out there that we can be proud of and offer something that I would definitely buy myself.
Your new concert DVD was filmed in Milan in 2008. How did you decide on that show to record?
Ever since we first played Italy in ’95, we have wanted to film a show there. We've had a
special relationship with the Italian fans over the years, and every show we´ve done there has been special to us. So when we started planning this European tour, we decided that we wanted to play our favorite venue in Milan and bring a great film crew to immortalize the whole thing. It turned out to be a crazy night and I love the fact that everything got caught on tape. It was a night we will never forget.
Did you do a typical set, or did you play more or different songs because it was for a live CD/DVD?
We played pretty much the same set we did throughout the tour, only adding some songs
that featured our special guest Nell Sigland from Theatre of Tragedy. But at 21 songs it was a long show for sure. It was without a doubt our most successful tour yet, and this was one of the best nights of them all.
What other extras will fans find on Where Death Is Most Alive?
The embarrassment is endless. We have a documentary that covers the early years of the
band, complete with rehearsal footage from ‘91 to interviews with old members and other
crucial people that were around when the whole thing started. Then there are all of the
promotional videos we´ve done, as well as 21 live songs from the dusty old archives. This live footage we recently found and it features songs never recorded, songs never since played live, and other embarrassing moments of our career. It was a blast finding all this stuff though, and hopefully people will see that there has been some kind of improvement over the years. So the DVD pretty much brings you the best of our last tour and the worst of our early years.
How was your recent 20th anniversary party?
An absolute blast. We started early with a listening party at the studio of our new album,
which we finished the one day prior to the preview. Then we moved on to screen the DVD at one of our most legendary movie theaters in the city. It was jam packed with fans and friends drinking and enjoying the show. Beer was flowing and the party then moved rather unsteadily to an afterparty overlooking the city, and ended in a haze early in the morning. All in all an amazing night that for us was more a celebration of the new album and the coming 20 years than anything else.
Can you give us a sneak preview of the upcoming studio album?
As I said, the recording and mix is done and now we are working on all the things around it. The album is called We Are The Void and the release will be in late February 2010. I am still not able to listen to it objectively, but we all are extremely satisfied with it. It has everything that I love about this band, and it kicks off the next 20 years in a great way. There is more drama, more anger, more sorrow and less filler.
