– Hello and, first of all, thank you so much for taking part of your time. How is everything doing right now into the CRASHDIET’s camp? I guess it’s a busy time for the band…

Hi and thanks for having me!! Well CRASHDIET right now is in a pre-phase of touring. We are gathering our troops and choosing our wepons. At the same time we are designing new merch for the website, promoting our new album etc… So yeah you could say that we have allot on our plates right now – But we love it!!

– In fact you will soon start touring; how are you feeling about it? You will even be back in Spain after some years with your countrymates SISTER. Any nice memories from any of your visits to our country?

We are looking forward to this tour like you wouldn’t believe. Actually touring is one of the main reasons why we do this! To meet the fans, to play the songs, to travel the world, what is there not to like about that? And as a bonus we get to do it with our good friends in SISTER, and not to forget TOXIC ROSE wich are opening on many of the dates back here in Scandinavia. I remember Spain very clearly. Great people and fans, great food, beautiful country. We will return with great pleasure!!

 

– You have recently released your new album, «The Savage Playground», which I personally think is your best album to date but, what are your thoughts on it? Now that it’s done, is there anything you would like to change on it or anything you would like to have done differently?

Thank you for the kind words! Well I must say I agree on that. This album really is the language we have been speaking for the last couple of years. Its true, honest, raw, organic and PACKED with energy. Its also very simply recorded to capture the pure essence that CRASHDIET is. Therefore you will enjoy these songs live since what you hear is what you get! I wouldn’t change a thing!

 

– It’s a really versastile and refreshing album. You have added new elements, as for example oriental instruments. Could you please elaborate a little bit on this?

Well, we wanted to do something different this time. To reveal a wider range of inspiration. We come from a wide set of backgrounds, upbringings and life-experience’s. So we basically wanted to encorporate that essence in to this album. We experimented with Xylophone, oriental sound effects in the form of strange plate-looking objects that produced really strange sounds, Hammond etc.. Whatever could enhance the feeling we were out to set on the track, we tried it! And I think we succeeded quite well!!

 

– This is the second album you release with one vocalist, has this make things easier? When it comes to compose with the vocal lines in mind and that kind of stuff.

Its definitely been easier to write material, and understand each other this time around since we had spent over 2 years of extensive touring together one could say that we were like an old married couple after that haha! Simon has, since the first day we heard him sing to our tunes, allways been a pleasure to work with and our collaboration is really sweet!

 

– And, this being said; has the songwriting process changed? Because, as I said, there are plenty new elements, or even influences, as some touches of Heavy Metal or even Southern Rock I could say.

Yes it has. We write music as a much tighter group nowdays. It could have to do with the fact that we are ten years older aswell so we are allot more focused haha. Back in the days allot of beer was involved in pretty much every activity we had with the band so we had difficulties to get things done haha!

 

– In fact you are a band that is constantly touring, you’ve spent a lot of time on the road during the last 3 years so, do you need a special environment to compose or can you do it while you are on the road?

We mainly write music at home. We never tried to write on the road, and I guess it could work if we had a long stretch of touring in one go but we like to keep the periods of touring to perform live and enjoy the life on tour!

 

– I personally think with the following albums to your debut, «Rest in Sleaze», you didn’t get again the feeling that album had, though you improved your songwriting and musical skills, but with «The Savage Playground», beside showing that evolution as songwriters and musicians is for you a constant process, you have also managed to get back that feeling your first album had. What are your thoughts on this? Did you strive to get something with special hook?

WOW! That is the best compliment ive heard about this album! Thanks! We were mostly striving to make an album that came from the heart. To show and invite the fans to the inside of our heads, and take a closer view than ever before!

 

– This is also your longest album, and it also has a lot of different dynamics on the songs. Was tis something you were aiming for or did you just let things flow naturally? I mean, before writing an album, do you know how you want it to sound like?

Well, we kind of knew what we wanted to do with this album. But I guess, that we never imagined that it could have turned out this way! We even went further that we had planned to go. Sounding more raw and naked that we´d expect that we could. Regarding the length of the album that was simply because we couldn’t decide on wich of the songs to put on our 10-song album we wanted to do, so we just put all of them on it. Well, not all of them since we wrote about 40 songs for this album….

 

– «The Savage Playground» is also your most forceful opus I could say, heavy and with a modern flavour, but also really catchy and melodic. In fact you have always had that rough and sharpening sound that you have mixed with your usual melody, but this time you have also added that really thick sound, which creates a nice contrast so, how important asre contrasts on your new effort?

I dont think we have deliberatly had in mind to create these contrasts you talk about. I guess that it is something we are fortunate to have naturally in our process of writing and recording material! Although we put allot of effort not to repeat ourselves between track, and records for that matter. Its important to incorporate diffrent levels elements in music, atleast our music. Since we are trying to speak to a wide range of listeners we need to broaden our way of communicating!!

 

– There are also more instrumental parts, it seems you have given them a bigger role, there are also several intros and interludes so, is there any main reason behind this?

We love intros. They set a great mood on the album and also helps create a unique atmosphere live!

 

– This record also features what I think is one of your best tunes ever, «Garden of Babylon», being really diverse and ejoyable, containing all the different elements you have brought to the CD. In fact it seems you always try to write a song really representative of the whole album. Is it actually like this or is it just my perception?

Glad you like it! This song is one of the ones we were thinking: “Man, is this to dark to put on a Crashdiet-album?” But, we fortunately decided to go for it since we felt it added an extra layer of sweetness to the album. Containing melodies and elements we never showed before!

 

– This being said, with each new album you have managed to refresh your sound still keeping your own essence and recognizable sound, is it easy to get it? I mean to keep the classic CRASHDIET’s basis still adding new elements or getting new approaches.

Our music will always sound like CRASHDIET. Our roots will never change, therefore since our music comes from our roots it will also stay true atleast to the core. We will always try to change our way of expressing ourselves, but the message is allways sound – Stay true to yourself and dont let ANYBODY else run your life for u.

 

– On the other hand, it also caught my attention the overall album’s sound, really rough and live-sounding so, could you mind to tell us how were the recording sessions like?

The recording was done in a very “traditional” way. Every one playing together, recording it all in the same time. But ofcourse this sometimes takes allot longer to do since everyone has to nail their part, at the same time haha! But it also creates a very unique and raw sounding take alltogether.

 

– Lyrics seem to be, as always, quite real, even with a certain Punk attitude. What do some of them deal with? Are they inspired by real experiences?

I guess this is a Q for Simon. But the lyrical topics on this album are mainly based on real-life-expreriences. We tell tales about stuff that has happened either realier in our lives, or what we have been through on the road!

 

– All this about «The Savage Playground» being said; how could you describe it in just 3 words?

Raw, Honest and Emotional.

 

– And finally, what are some of your near-future plans?

Right now its touring touring touring! As previously mentioned we have our schedule set up to June visiting Europe, Southamerica, North America, Asia… Then we will head back to sweden to start the festival summer!

 

– That has been everything from my side, thank you once more for answering our questions. If you now want to add some final words; last lines are all yours.

Thanks for having me!! It has been a pleasure opeing my brain and heart for u guys! Come see our show and have a beer with us. Thats what makes this holy circle go round!!

Cheers!

 

Tania Giménez

tania@queensofsteel.com

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