Memory Garden – בחזרה אל זכרונות הדום

Sweden's Memory Garden are one of Europe's best melodic doom metal bands, on-par with such doom greats as Candlemass. With 3 full albums in their arsenal, the band has been on hiatus for the last 6 years, but are now ready to release a new album – Carnage Carnival upon the world. To find out more, We spoke with the band's guitarist, Simon Johansson.

Hey Simon, I'd like to start with current events, is the band still active?

Hey Alon, yes, Memory Garden is still active. As we speak we are finishing of our new fullenght album “Carnage Carnival”. I actually did the last lead guitar things for the album yesterday and now it is time to mix it all. We are once again working with my close friend Mike Wead (King Diamond, Mercyful Fate etc.) and me and he will start the mix of the album today. There is no exact release date set yet but it will be released sometime during the fall of 2006 as it looks right now.

Why was there no new release since the making of the 2004 single?

One of the reasons is that we haven’t been signed to a label for a couple of years and we don’t want to do a release by our own. We feel that we need the support of a label with a good distribution to be able to get our stuff out too the right places. We have been looking for a label that we feel we can work closely with and have finally managed to establish such a contact with the resurrected label Vic Records. They will release the new album “Carnage Carnival” as well as do re-issues of our sold out albums “Forever” and “Tides”. We will add some extra material such as rehearsal recordings, old demo recordings etc. on those 2 releases so that the ones buying them will get something more for their money. The artwork will also be updated compared to the original releases. A real must have for the true Memory Garden fan.

Why did you guys release a single, and not a full length?

It was actually our old label Heathendoom Music that asked us if we were interested in releasing a single through them which we thought was a fun idea, was also a way for us to show that we still exist as a band. We also played the Sweden Rock Festival that summer and felt that it would be nice to have something new released. The single was a really limited thing only released in 500 copies. We will have a new recorded version on one of the songs called “Nameless” on the upcoming album.

About the new material the band seems to have written, how would you describe it?

I think I would say that it is sometimes a bit darker than anything we have done before. This time we have tuned some of the songs down to B. We felt that it would be fun to experiment with the sound by doing this but we didn’t want to do this on every song though because then we think there is no use doing it at all. All the songs would sound the same then and what is the purpose too that? I think that everyone that has heared Memory Garden in the past will for sure still hear that it is still the same band.

Your last studio album, Mirage, was released through Metal Blade, are you still under contract with them?

No, we split up with Metal Blade in 2002. There are no hard feelings between them and us but I guess that the combination and time was not right. We probably didn’t sell as much albums as they wanted us to do either. As I mentioned earlier we have now signed a deal with the resurrected label Vic Records. It’s a smaller label then Metal Blade and I think that is better for Memory Garden. We don’t have to fight with all the bigger bands to get attention and so on and we will always have a high priority on the label. I’m really looking forward on getting this new deal rolling and to see what Vic can do for us. We are getting along really well with the label and that is great.

Some history, how did you join the band?

I joined Memory Garden in October 1996. We first met at a party on Heathendoom Music. I had my own band Fifth Reason on that label at the same time as Memory Garden was signed to them. They knew me from playing in Abstrakt Algebra and they needed a guitarist at the time and that is pretty much it. I attended the release party for “Tides” to check them out and also have a talk with all of them. This off course went really well and I was from that day a member of Memory Garden.

What were you doing as a musician before that?

Before I joined Memory Garden I had my own band Fifth Reason. There were a couple of different line-ups in that band. On the first demo we used Thomas Lundin (Hexenhaus) on vocals for an example but the ”real” line-up consisted of me, Marco Nicosia (Hexenhaus), Marty Marteen (Hexenhaus, Memento Mori), Kristian Andrén (Tad Morose, Memento Mori) and a drummer called Martin Larsson. We recorded 2 fullenght albums and played a great deal of shows around Scandinavia and in Europe. I was also a member in Leif Edling´s band Abstrakt Algebra, we released one album in 1995 and did some shows and festival during that summer. Was a great thing to be a part of since I have been a huge Candlemass fan since their first album and to be asked to join Leif´s new band was really an honor. Was a extremely great line-up in that band, besides me and Leif there were Mike Wead (Memento Mori, King Diamond, Mercyful Fate etc.) on the other guitar, Mats Levén (Yngwie Malmsteen, Therion etc.) on vocals, Jejo Perkovic (Candlemass, Infinite Mass) on drums and Carl Westholm on keyboards. An album I can really recommend for people into doom.

You also played in Abstrakt Algebra, what makes you play mainly in doom metal bands?

I don’t know, I really like that type of music and it comes natural to me. I do play other forms of music as well but as you say, there have been pretty much doom for me. Beside Memory Garden I have a new thing together with Mike Wead called Firegod. We have been working on material for a long time and the new album will hopefully see the light of day in the beginning of 2007. With us in this thing we also have King Diamond bass player Hal Patino and drummer extraordinaire Snowy Shaw. Will be something too look out for I promise.

For the moment I’m also working on a new Death Metal project together with drummer Patrick Johansson (Yngwie Malmsteen, Without Grief), Jonas Granvik (Without Grief) & Rogga Johansson (Paganizer, Ribspreader). My old friend Kristian Andrén did some clean vocals as well. Will be really cool I think. This thing is called Dead End World. I don’t know when we will release anything but as soon as everyone can find time to finish this off it will probably result in an album. So as you can see, a lot of things too do but so little time…

You have been compared to such bands as Candlemass and Memento Mori; do you see a resemblance between the bands?

Absolutely, Memory Garden has always been very much influenced by those bands and we are happy if we get compared to them. As I see it you can hear that we like what those bands do but you can also always hear when it is Memory Garden you listen too. We have been inspired by them but done our own thing out of it as I see it.

Sweden has had quite a few strong doom metal bands, what is it about being Swedish that creates such a fertile ground for doom metal to grow?

Well, Sweden is a really good place for all kind of music actually. We have a strong music scene in general. I guess that one of the reasons is that we are offered to take music lessons when we go to school. When I was growing up I started to play guitar in 3:rd grade and that has of course helped me in my playing. It is also pretty easy to get hold of rehearsal rooms. Some places even offer rehearsal rooms equipped with instruments so that young kids that can’t afford a drum kit or a guitar for an example can be able to play together. That is really great. Might also be our long dark and cold winters that force us into playing music I guess and in particular doom metal.

Do you think that current musical climate in Europe and Sweden in particular is ready for another Memory Garden album?

I think that metal is getting stronger all the time but for the moment it’s probably better to play more brutal music if you want to sell a lot of albums. That has never been the prime goal for Memory Garden though. We play and write the kind of music we like and that feels great for us. If we don’t sell a huge amount of albums then that’s fine for us, we have at least done what we feel is right.

By saying this I don’t say that we don’t want to sell a lot of albums, of course that would be extremely cool. On the subject if people are ready for a new Memory Garden album, yep I think so. It’s been really long since we released Mirage and everyone that are into Memory Garden is probably wondering what is happening and have been ready for a new album for a long time. It’s time too feed the masses…

Your albums seem to have left a lasting impression on quite a few metal fans, including myself, why do you think that is?

I don’t know really but I guess we have managed to do something that can appeal too people into both doom metal as well as the power metal side of the scene. I also think that Stefan voice is a big part of our sound and something that people either loves or don’t like at all. He has his own sound and I think that is a really big asset for Memory Garden and our sound. I also think our combination of melodies and harder stuff as well as our sometimes very melancholic and doomy sound is something that people remember.

That's it, thanks for doing this interview!

Thank you too, I hope you all will like our new album and that we will be able to play somewhere near you on this album. Take Care…