– Hello, thanks for answering to our questions. What are you currently up to?

Hi! With Uncanny not so much at the moment actually. i´m recording with OT now so i´m busy enough

– Before getting into your comeback and new EP I would like to start from the beginning. The band started in a good place during a great moment for Death Metal. What prompted you forming UNCANNY?

Yeah the end of the 80s, beginning of 90s was a great time for metal and as many other restless teenager with a huge music interest we decided to start a band.

 

– And why did you pick the name of “Uncanny”? Does it depict the band’s personality?

When we started the band in 88/89 we were called «Cicatrization», i don´t remember why we changed it but we changed name in 90. I think it was our bass player who came up with the name, he was into uncanny and spooky stuff;)

 

– Some years later (during mid 90’s) the band split-up, but before that happened two demos, a split with ANCIENT RITES and your debut album were released. How do you now feel, when looking back, about those albums?

I´m really not happy about anything we did exept for the full lengh «Splenium….». We were young and couldn´t handle the instruments really well

 

– If I’m not mistaken you had some trouble with your label back then had a lot to do with the band’s dissolution. Would you mind to elaborate a bit on this?

Even if Unisound was a ripoff label they weren´t responsible for our dissolution. In the end of 93 some of us in the band lost interest and soon after «Splenium…» was released we called it quits. I tried to find new members but i joined another great band so i finally gave up Uncanny.

 

– As I said, the band started during a really good moment for Death Metal, lots of bands that are now the biggest on the genre were formed back then or shortly before. Considering the quality shown on “Splenium for Nyktophobia”, if you would have kept on rolling with UNCANNY, do you think you would ever became as big a ENTOMBED or DISMEMBER? Or was the competence too huge during that time?

Quite difficult to say but we would most definitely had to change label, we were also a bit late compared to the bigger names and the competence was huge. So no i don´t think we would have become as big as Entombed

 

– A few years ago the band reformed; what prompted this?

It was when Daniel Ekeroth asked us to play on his one year anniversary party of his book «Swedish death metal», It was damn fun and we also got some offers to re-release «Splenium…» which we also did

 

– Beside the three founding members we can find some new guys (but not new at all into the scene) as Mattias Norrman and Johan Jansson. Why and how did you choose them?

I actually asked johan to join me already back in 94 when everything looked very dark for Uncanny, so he was already onboard so to speak. Mattias had to jump in when we rehearsed for Daniels E party because our old bassplayer hadn´t played anything since we quit in 94

 

– In 2010 you released a compilation album entitled “MCMXCI – MCMXCIV”, which contained all your recordings. Could you say that album helped you getting more recognition from younger generations? As one of the things that have changed a lot since the 90s is technology.

I hope so since it´s alot easier to get info these days compared to the old days when you actually had to buy a magazine to find out about new bands and read reviews. But it was a good time as well with all the tapetrading and underground magz.

 

– And you have now finally unleashed new material, the “The Path of Flesh” EP. After 18 years, how was like working on this new recording?

It was damn fun, i havn´t written a deathmetal song since 94 so it was kind of a rebirth. also felt good to see i could still do it. And also to play with the guys again is excellent

 

– I’ve always thought you have some details that make you stand out among other bands in the style as, despite being honest, your compositions seem to be really well-cared. After so many years and having new members in the band, how was this process like? As I personally think the writing still stands out.

It´s basiclly me who comes up with some riffs and then we arrange and rehearse everything together. SInce Frille who used to write the lyrics isn´t in the band today we got help with the lyrics from a friend.

 

– Another positive thing is the variety between both songs and also between different parts on those songs, you manage to add a different feeling to each tune and different elements as well. Is this something planned? As it really provides a more enjoyable result.

Yes this is something i find very important. It would be so easy to repeat myself but what´s the point in writing songs that sounds all the same. I look at it as each song is it´s own individual

 

– Both tracks on the EP are surrounded by a great dark atmosphere and feeling, which I think is something made so unique 90’s DM albums but a lot of new bands have forgotten about. Where do you take inspiration from to create such haunting ambients?

I´m not that inspired by other bands, rather than moods and feelings. I use to walk alot and often i get the best ideas when i´m out walking

 

– Your lyrics used to be quite “different” to the usual lyrics on this genre. What do these two songs deal with?

I have no idea;) Back then it was our bass player Frille who wrote the lyrics but now it wsa a guy from the Us who plays in a band called OV Terminus.

 

– This being said, it seems like UNCANNY hasn’t aged at all. Is it easy to keep alive the good old spirit?

Yes i guess, i almost don´t listen to any new metal. It´s to 90% old metal i listen to and i almost get new ideas for songs when i´m doing other things than listening to music.

 

– After having in the 90’s some trouble with record labels, how is everything going so far with Dark Descent, the company that has released your EP?

So far so good, he seems to be a good guy and i hope it will stay that way

 

– There are nowadays a lot of bands coming out from Sweden trying to “revive” old school DM, which shows there’s a huge interest for this kind of music. Since your reunion, have you noticed this in any way?

I know there´s a wave of old bands getting back together but i havn´t really got into this new wave. I wasn´t first really interested in doing the re-release with the demos, but i´m glad i changed my mind.

 

– In the 80’s/0’s there were a lot of great bands as well, but a lot of them have always remained into the underground and are now almost forgotten so, what have been (on your opinion) some of the most underrated Swedish Death Metal bands?

Avestas Interment ofcourse, i don´t know if they were really underrated but Merciless should have got bigger then they were

 

– And finally, what the near-future plans are for UNCANNY? Is this a steady comeback? Do you plan releasing a full-length album anytime soon?

My nearest plan is to sit down and try to write some new riffs, what it will turn out to be in the end really cant´say today. A full-lenght or another 7″, i don´t know but time will tell

 

– That has been everything from my side, thanks you once more and good luck with this new beginning for the band. If you want to add some final words; last lines are all yours.

Thanx for your time and interest. If anyone is interested in the 3 lp box or the new 7″,don´t hesitate to contact me at fred@katatonia.com

 

Tania Giménez

tania@queensofsteel.com

 

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