With:	Fredrik [Guitars]
Conducted by:	Malcolm
Published:	28.10.2003
Band profile:	The Storyteller

The Swedish Power Metal act "The Storyteller" is going to release their third album, "Tales of a Holy Quest", on the 24 November through Black Lodge.
So I took a small chat with the guitarist Fredrik Groth about the new album and about "The Storyteller".

01. And then it's time fore you to release your third record, "Tales of a Holy Quest" and it's a concept album, again. What can you tell us about the new album?

Fredrik: This time it's about witch burning in Sweden in late 15th century.
We have tried to be as historical correct as possible and I have read a lot of court records and similar as research before we started to write the material to the new album.
In concise, the lyric is about the struggle between the people and the church under this period.


02. You guys got a lot of shit, above all L-G (the singer) because he wasn't good enough, could you explain that better?

Fredrik: Well, "Lot of shit" is to exaggerate. The guys on Noise in Germany were looking for a band with a falsetto singer a'la Kai Hansen and we didn't fit in their pattern. But young and fresh as we were we tried to adapt to their wishes, but we couldn't find any singer that was good enough. So L-G did fall back to the microphone again and we continued fighting.
And with the key in our hand that was the right thing to do.


03. What was your source of inspiration when you wrote the material? Something you read or seen on television?

Fredrik: I read a lot of book about the subject and found a lot of interesting things on the Internet, besides the already mention court records.
But it is L-G that has wrote all the lyrics but all of us have together come up with the theme.


04. How was the recording of the album? Something funny to tell us about?

Fredrik: The recording took a lot of time. We began in Studio Fredman for 3 weeks; we were recording at the same time as Dimmu Borgir, which resulted in that Jacob (Drums) and I spent some time with Galder and Vortex. We went out on some real fucking adventures, one time we ended up on some metal evening on a really suspicious boat, ha ha! The recordings continued home in Gävle. L-G recorded the vocal part in a studio here in Gävle and I recorded all the guitar solos in my own studio. We started the recording in April and we were ready in July.
The first album took 2 weeks to record and mix, a little difference.


05. How do it look before the release of the album? Are there any gigs planed? Or a tour?

Fredrik: Actually I'm not allowed to talk about this, but there is a tour coming up with a famous band and at least one round through Europe is settled.
And of course then we going to play around Sweden to but nothing are definite yet.


06. Is there something else planed about around the band? Any solo project or something?

Fredrik: Our bass player Johan and I is right now writing songs to a little solo project named "Greystone". We are going to borrow some musician from other bands to the recording and going to release an album within a year. But it's nothing that going to take ant focus from "The Storyteller" which of course comes in first hand.


07. How is the competition for you on the Swedish and the international market today? Is there some country where you albums are selling better?

Fredrik: Both in Sweden, and in all the other Nordic countries, does we don't sell to many albums, unfortunately. There are so many bands that compete about the attention.
Those Countries where it seems like they have discovered "The Storyteller" is Japan, Brazil and Germany.


08. Do you and the rest of the band have any influences? One or more specific bands/artists?

Fredrik: And again can I only answer for myself, and to be honest, hardly that.
I've got this question lot of times and I still don't have a good answer? My musical contribution to "The Storyteller" comes from myself; those are not based upon any influences.


09. We all have dreams about one thing and another, but what is your most wanted dream?

Fredrik: That I can live on doing music.


10. Something you want to say to all your fans out there? Or maybe to your coming fans?

Fredrik: Thanks for existing. It because of you we can continue to do our music and continue as a band.


11. Is there anything you want to add? Something I may have forgotten?

Fredrik: Yes, you haven't asked when the album is going to be released. Maybe you already knew that.
November the 24:th is the magic date and the following Saturday, the 29:th there is a big release party in "Musikhuset" in Gävle.
And visit our website, http://www.storyteller.nu to get yourself updated about what's happen to the band in general.