The day was cold with snapping frostbitten winds as we arrived at the venue where Soilwork would be performing that night to interview vocalist Björn “Speed” Strid. Still, before entering we suffered the cold a bit longer to finish our smokes. Upon entering the venue, hours before doors would open, we were greeted to the smell of stale beer, sticky floors, and the typical motley team of busy roadies setting up for the night of metal. Yes, there was also the odd hot chick here and there doing something or other. I couldn’t tell you if they were girlfriends, groupies, or merch girls, but they were there.
Our arrival was unexpected. I tried calling the tour manager (TM), but he didn’t answer his phone. So, while we stood there watching the venue come together, and seeing “Speed” relaxing near the merch tables, I asked the first person to pass by if he knew who the TM was. Of course he did. Shortly thereafter, we were greeted by a bewildered TM who wasn’t expecting us. All went down well though. The TM went over to Speed and less than a minute we were all heading backstage to a quieter room.
The quieter room was not much more than a closet, being about 6 feet wide and 20-30 feet long. Needless to say, it was crammed, but it did provide for a pretty intimate interview. Speed, seemed a bit road weary, but still super friendly and happy to do the interview. Given the intensity of his performance, it was a surprise how calm and open he was to our questions.
Soilwork has just started their current tour in support of their just-released The Living Infinite, which you should really check out if you’re into Gothenburg metal – or just good metal in general. Check out our previous article for a list of Soilwork tour dates.
Soilwork performed to a small, but packed crowd of rabid fans – sweaty and smelly fans due to the body heat and lack of ventilation in the venue. The sound was impeccable and Soilwork performed as though they were playing at an open-air festival, that is they played at 100%. Definitely, they are giving you value for your buck.
Enjoy the exclusive video interview and…
Rock Hard \m/
