BLACK TRIP (Eng.)
– Hello Joseph, lots of thanks for answering our interview. What are you currently up to? How is everything going musically?
we’ve finished a long headline tour throughout europe with Enforcer, and now we’re lying kinda low until the summer. so right now Black Trip is taking most of my time, we are playing shows around sweden this whole spring, we’re also going to greece for the first time with this band. Theres a couple of shows with Robert Pehrssons Humbucker that keeps me busy as well. Besides that, both Enforcer and Black Trip are spending as much time as possible in the rehearsal space to create new material.
– In fact last 2013 was a pretty productive year for you; you toured South America with ENFORCER for first time, the debut album by BLACK TRIP came out last fall and you were also featured on the Robert Pehrsson’s solo album. What assessment could you do on 2013?
It was a great year, intense, as i like it. so far 2014 is doing great in that sense to.
– Now if I’m not mistaken you are working, or it will soon be released, a BLACK TRIP split with your countrymates in DEAD LORD. Is there anything you could already tell us about it?
Thats right, I think it’s supposed to be a cover-split. the songs are recorded and all that, so it’ll probably be out there soon. Dead Lord is a great band and I think its a perfect match for a split single.
– BLACK TRIP was at first a Peter’s idea. How did you join him and how did the band evolve later? How did Jonas, Sebastian and Johan joined you two?
I had heard peter speak about this project for quite a while, but he said he had a hard time finding a singer. when nifelheim and enforcer was playing the same festival in germany 2011 he asked me if i wanted to put vocals on one of his demos, so as soon as I was back home I recorded the voodoo queen demo and it turned out pretty good. we decided to make a 7” to begin with, tvar dabla. I think we got our first gig booked at muskel rock festival while the band was still only me and peter, so we had to find more members. Jonas was first to join after peter asked him, we both love his way of playing. Sebastian and Johan are old companions to peter from their time in nifelheim and they were an obvious choice for him. I didn’t know them personally by the time they joined the band, Im very happy they did though. Its always great to meet new talented musicians and good people.
– So by the time you were in BLACK TRIP most songs on this first «Goin’ Under» were already written but, what did the rest of the members add to the compositions?
Peter had the riffs and the basic structures, I wrote the lyrics and the song melodies, and then we all polished the songs in the jam space. The album wouldn’t sound like it does if it wasn’t the five of us, every member contributes in their own unique style, not only musically but personally to. Theres an over all good vibe that makes it work.
– In fact you handled most, if not all, lyrics for the album. Where do you draw inspiration from?
dreams, movies, books, and other lyric writers. I’ve taken some stuff from old songs I had for my own project and it turned out to work just fine despite how differently I used them.
– Anyway I read you are already working on your upcoming album so, is now the creative process a team effort? How is it being like?
yes, for the second album things are going to be a bit different since we’re starting off as a whole band. we’ve already built a platform that we’re working from. in a way i think its going to be easier to produce the next album since we’re through the period of getting to know each other, finding our sound, image and all that. of course its a bit of pressure knowing that we have to make a better album than going under, but thats a good thing. now we have something to relate to, a better idea now of what to do and what we should not do.
– Prior to this first full-length album you released the «Tvar Dabla» 7», with which you already gained some interest and name into the underground. What did that 7» mean to you? Do you consider due to its success has been easier with «Goin’ Under» to not go unnoticed?
It was probably important since we got shows and good reviews from that 7”. To me it feels quite out dated though, its a bit of a different thing. its a cool 7”, but its not really what the band became later.
– You recorded the album at Gutterview Recorders and worked with veteran Fred Estby as producer. You got a quite organic and thick sound I believe, with an analogue feeling but, how did the whole process go? How was working with Fred like? He seems to have a good ear and a good musical taste too.
Fred is great, he knows good music and sound, thats very important. its good to have someone outside the band to workout ideas with.
– Even though you have sung in some other bands, I bet most people may know you because of ENFORCER, where you handle guitar duties. How different is singing in a band compared to play guitar? Do you have any prefered role?
singing is so much easier, at least the way i do it. to me guitar requires more practice and effort. I do love to play the guitar though. when I’m with enforcer i miss singing, and when I’m with black trip i miss the guitar.
– And what are some of your biggest influences both as guitar player as a vocalist?
I don’t really look up to musicians because of their technique, I look for inspiring personalities. now a days my main inspiration is the people i play with, there is so much to learn, and its such a luxury to have so many talented people to play with.
– Most people compare you to Paul DiAnno, I think your range is rougher though so, how do you feel about it? Has it been an inspiration for your singing?
Paul was great and I love what he did for the early Maiden. I think he subconsciously was an inspiration source for me when we first started black trip, I don’t think too much about it now though.
– All the band members have really different backgrounds, specially linked to extreme Metal. How do your other bands, or the bands you were part of in the past, affect what you are doing now with BLACK TRIP?
Of course our past/other bands has affected the sound of Black Trip, just listen to ”No tomorrow”…. However, I think everyone brings their own background into it and it becomes an interesting mix that makes perfect sense. we all have our diverse sidetracks in our musicality, which is great.
– All this about «Goin’ Under» being said; how could you describe it in just 3 words?
A brown sound
– As I said earlier, last 2013 you were part of different musical projects, you even have your own solo project, more American Folk oriented, JOSEPH THOLL & THE ESCAPADES. What prompted you starting this project? Is it some kind of outlet where you can do anything you can’t with your other bands?
I’ve always enjoyed that kind of music, I never comitted myself to a certain genre. I never had any burning ambitions for this project, and thats part of whats good about it. I never have to feel any pressure about it, i just play whenever i want. I do about one or two shows a year, and the once that are able to play with me will come along, and if no one is available i just do it myself.
– And how’s the current state of this project? Will you work on new music?
I have about half an album recorded on my hard drive but I haven’t got the time to finish it, but i have said to myself that 2014 is the right time to take care of that, so we’ll see.
– As I’ve mentioned, you were also part of the Robert Pehrsson’s solo album, where there were several guest artists. How did this cooperation arise?
Robert was recording his album partly in gutter view and partly downstairs in the same building with his own equipment. when black trip recorded in gutter view robert was downstairs recording his songs. sometimes i’d go down to record some backing vocals with him, and sometimes he’d come upstairs to do the same thing for us. robert also asked me and peter to write a song for his album.
– Apart from this there’a also the Thrash Metal band CORRUPT, where you are playing with most of your mates in ENFORCER. Your first album was released back in 2012 so, are there any news regarding this band?
this is my first ”real” band. the record is actually recorded between 2007-2009, but it was delayed and wasn’t put out until 2012. there will be a second album in 2022.
– And finally, what are your near-future musical plans?
touring, writing and recording.
