Sweden's Amon Amarth have been one of the most rapidly rising names in metal during the past few years and their momentum has only continued following the release of their latest album, last year's Twilight Of The Thunder God. With the band heading Down Under for the second time this month, PyroMusic chatted with guitarist Olavi Mikkonen about their recent success, the Aussie tour and whether there are any Amon Amarth copycats out there.
Spiritech: Hey Olavi, what's the latest in the Amon Amarth camp?
Olavi Mikkonen: We are home actually. We just got home yesterday, we played Sunday night in London and that was the end of the UK tour. So now we're going to be home for ten days and then we're going to some south European shows before we head to Australia.
Spiritech: Great stuff. Now, the band have been on a huge roll for the past studio albums, but things have really taken off for you with Twilight Of The Thunder God, which has had some of your best reviews and strongest sales yet. Why do you think this has been the album that's taken you to the next level of popularity?Olavi Mikkonen: I guess it's because it's a strong album, or at least I hope that's why we got good reviews! (laughs) I would say it's a strong album; it's a great production and great songs. So together it makes (for) a good album.
Spiritech: The album even debuted in the Top 50 on the US Billboard Charts, which seems to be happening a little more often for heavier bands these days. Is this a surreal feeling for the band?
Olavi Mikkonen: Yeah, we were kind of amazed ourselves. But I mean, we've been working hard in the US, we've been touring a lot (there) the last four years, so finally it paid off I guess.
Spiritech: A lot of bands outside America find it difficult to break over there. How hard does a band such as yourselves have to work to crack the US market?
Olavi Mikkonen: You know, just America is such a big country and you have to just keep on touring. 'Cause the music we do, we don't really get that much help from radio or other media, so the only way to actually reach out is touring. And basically that's what we've been doing. I think we have in total like 11 tours in the US. We've been lucky, we've been getting great support tours to reach out to new audience(s) and it's just more or less touring. Touring, touring, touring! That's the key. We were opening for Children of Bodom, we did Sounds of the Underground, stuff like that.
Spiritech: Are the band working on any new material at the moment?
Olavi Mikkonen: No, we're still touring on this album. So we haven't really started anything yet but we what we have done is that we made a plan when we're going to start writing (laughs), so that's pretty much where we are right now.
Spiritech: So the band doesn't write on the road at all?
Olavi Mikkonen: Not right now. Like I said, we've been touring for a month now and we all got home yesterday and we're gonna stay home for ten days and then we're gonna continue, then we're gonna do two weeks in Europe and then we do Australia. Then after that we're going to do some other Far East shows.
Spiritech: Fair enough. Now, the band has been criticized for some for not progressing enough and even "making the same album every time". What is your response to that kind of criticism?
Olavi Mikkonen: I mean, of course for me they don't sound the same (laughs). For me, everything is kind of new. But I totally understand that, 'cause you know, we have found our way to write songs and we can't really pretend to do anything else, you know? But I wouldn't say we repeat ourselves, but that's what I think. But what can I say, I mean, we don't even try to sound that much different. We have the style we like... I mean, would you like to listen to AC/DC if they started to sound like Slayer? No. That's the way it is and I think it's even more challenging to sort of keep your own sound and still making it interesting and for me, that's what we've been doing. But hey, those who think that all our albums we('re) just repeating the same songs, then they probably should listen to some other band.
Spiritech: Do you think too many metal bands do get in a comfort zone and don't want to take enough creative risks though? Are too many bands playing it safe?
Olavi Mikkonen: No, I don't... not if you have... not if you're one of the original ones. I mean it's kind of boring if like a hundred bands sound the same, but for instance, like original bands, if they stay within their style and sound I think it's kind of cool. But you know, (the) music industry works like if there's something new that sounds new and fresh... Let's say one band comes up and sounds really new and fresh. Then the music industry wants to find hundreds of copies. And I think that's the problem, you know?
Spiritech: Agreed. Have you encountered any bands who you think are Amon Amarth copycats, or at least bands who have taken a great deal of inspiration from your music?
Olavi Mikkonen: I hear a few things here and there, but nothing like totally (like them). I have not heard any (bands) that are completely trying to sound like us. I mean, if you have a band like Hatebreed, which I think is excellent, there are thousands of other bands sounding exactly the same. But I can't say that I have heard any bands sounding exactly like Amon Amarth, except for us. Maybe I don't know if that's a good or bad side! (laughs)
Spiritech: (laughs) Moving on now, the band are coming back to Australia this month. What are your memories of last year's tour?
Olavi Mikkonen: I remember that we had a lot of fun. I think Australia is a very beautiful country. It's a great country to spend time in. I know we will not have any time to hang out too much, which is kind of a pity. But I hope that we can in the future come over and have more spare time to explore the country. But we had a lot of fun. Great weather and easy-going people, so it's going to be good.
Spiritech: What can Aussie fans expect from an Amon Amarth show in 2009?
Olavi Mikkonen: We will of course concentrate on the new album. I think we'll probably play five songs from the new album and then we're going to try and mix in the other, the older stuff that we didn't play last time. But of course, we have to play like 'Death in Fire' and stuff like that, but besides that I think we're going to try and mix in songs we didn't do last time. Production wise, we can't really carry on that much stuff, because we have to fly over with everything. But we're gonna definitely have a bigger production that we had last time, which is going to be really cool.
Spiritech: I look forward to it! On a different topic, Metal Blade has been a long time label home for the band. What's kept that relationship going so strongly?
Olavi Mikkonen: I think it's because we kind of have like a friendship relationship. It's not only business and we feel quite comfortable with it. And of course it helps (that) in Europe we are their biggest selling band and to be number one band in the label is definitely better than you know, being top ten of top 20 or something like that. We're kinda happy, we have a decent deal and they've been treating us very good. They believe in the band, they always believed in the band. When we were young, when we were a small band they supported us and it's kind of payback time now (for them), now that we're selling albums.
Spiritech: So the band wouldn't consider a leap to a major label at some point in the future?
Olavi Mikkonen: No, because I don't think the major labels, they don't really know metal. They have business guys in their suits and they don't know anything... they don't know metal, so why even bother? I mean, it's better to work with people that know what metal is all about.
Spiritech: Well said. Now, the band has been dubbed, somewhat humourously perhaps, as "Viking Metal" because your lyrics are rooted in Viking and Norse mythology. How does that tag sit with the band - do you find it a bit ridiculous?
Olavi Mikkonen: No, I wouldn't say it's ridiculous, but you know, when we started out it was kinda cool, this Viking Metal, because they were no other bands except for Bathory, but Bathory... when we started he didn't really do this kind of music anymore. I thought it was kinda cool, but then the last three years, you have all these Pagan metal (bands) and there's like thousands of bands and they all sound... they include folk music stuff into metal and that's really not what we do. But if people still want to label us as Viking Metal, sure, I don't really care. Because we still have the lyric and visual thing is still Viking and will always be Viking. But I don't consider... we don't really sound like the other guys, because we are still music-wise, we are like metal or death metal or whatever. And the new Pagan Viking scene, they all have like violins stuff like that, Folk music stuff included to their music. So that aspect we don't really fit in. We don't really do death metal anymore (either). Of course we have growling vocals and we have down-tuned guitars, but it's not like... if somebody says death metal to me, the first thing I think about is like Cannibal Corpse and we are miles away from Cannibal Corpse. So I would say we are like metal with growling vocals, or like Iron Maiden but with growling vocals and down-tuned guitars.
Spiritech: Final question - do you have any last words for PyroMusic.net readers?
Olavi Mikkonen: See you in a couple of weeks!
- Spiritech
