With:	Stefan [Guitars]
Conducted by:	Bas (e-mail)
Published:	28.08.2006
Band profile:	Falconer

- First of all, could you describe your music for the readers who haven't heard Falconer yet?

A mix of very melodic Heavy Metal and epic folk music.


- What were the reasons for rejoining with previous vocalist Mathias Blad? Was it a hard decision?

It was a very easy decision in mind and thought, a bit harder I reality. We felt that since the music for the new album was back to the epic style and as I wrote it I instantly got Mathias voice in my head and knew that only he could give the material what it needed.


- The reason you parted ways a few years ago was that he had almost no time for concerts with the band, has that situation changed or is his schedule still quite full?

The situation is still the same but since we don't play that much live anyway I'm not worried that we will miss out on too many opportunities. As long as the music get as good as possible I have reached my first priority, playing live is a bonus.


- So won't there be any Falconer concerts at all or will they be very thin on the ground?

There will probably be live shows but not that frequently.


- The recording of Northwind is now finished. Were there any major problems, was the whole recording time very strainful, or did it all go quite smoothly?

No album has gone this smooth to record. Everything felt controlled and professional. With Mathias back in the fold we felt that we had returned home again after some years of experimenting.






- How did the writing procedure go? Was the material written by the whole band or mainly by you and/or another bandmember? How was this done on previous albums?

It was just like before, I do the main part of the material and another member might come in and contribute with some material. Now I've got Jimmy to write some really folky riffs so I imagine he will be more represented on the future albums.


- Having listened to the teaser from the website, I was mostly reminded of your self-titled debut album. Was it your intention to make a "back to the roots" album before you started to write the songs?

Both yes and no. I didn't want to copy those kind of songs but still return to that atmosphere. It went very good with the song writing and it felt quite fun to be back where I belong musically.


- What made you take such a decision?

For "Grime vs grandueur" we took some other paths than usual and after the album was released I started to feel that "Ok, it's a great album but it doesn't sound like Falconer" and the "true" Falconer sound lies closer to my heart so I felt a hunger to return to my most natural way of writing music.


- Did you write some of the songs or had some ideas long in advance or was it all written in a short amount of time?

All material was written between June 2005 and Feb 2006 except "Long gone by" which was intended be recorded for the last album with other lyrics but we didn't have time to do it then so it ended up on this one. It was originally named "Tonight".






- Are you happy with the recorded material, or are there some songs of which you are still doubtful? Or maybe some solos of which you think you could have done better when listening to it now?

The solos are perfect I think, since Jimmy does them all. I wouldn't like to cut any songs from the album at this point maybe just change the running order. I´m still in that heavenly place, but I guess that things will change with time and I start to think that this or that song should have been better.


- Could you try to describe Northwind in your own words?

Take the first 2 albums and add more professionalism and producing to it.


- In Falconers music you mix power metal and folk elements, which of these two music styles do you personally like better?

Power metal, since folk music often is quite crappy played and there is also a huge amount of folk music that is bad.


- Which musician(s) do you see as your biggest influence for playing guitar and writing music?

Maybe I could name Ian Anderson as a song writing influence.






- Do you sometimes listen to previous Falconer albums or do you prefer to look forwards instead of reflecting on your musical path?

I'm always too critical and negative as I'm listening to our old albums. As soon as a new album is recorded I start to look ahead, always towards newer stuff. I know the old material too well to get any satisfaction from it. I just know every detail.


- When looking back on the earlier Falconer CDs do you feel proud or do you think that they could have been much better? Which is your favourite Falconer album?


Of course you find thing in time that you would have done differently now. The best album for me is of course NORTHWIND, but CHAPTERS? is a strong runner up. Proud of the albums, oh yes!!


- Thanks a lot for your time and for letting me conduct this interview, do you have any final words for your fans and readers?

Thank you very much. I hope that we can make it to some festivals next summer, if not enjoy the new album!!! Cheers!!!