SOURCE – What should the fans expect of this new album Grey Sky Over Black Town and how would you describe it to the fans that have not listened to it yet?
Jakob Batten Hansen (Guitar) – A death metal album packed with brutality, groove and heaviness. Fast songs, slow songs, mid-tempo songs. It has it all. It’s going in the direction of our oldest albums, but with a much better sound.
SOURCE – Every album comes with its own set of challenges. For you, what was the most challenging part of recording Grey Skies Over Black Town?
Jakob Batten Hansen (Guitar) – We were recording with our new drummer Rasmus. It’s always challenging to get new member into the music and into the feeling of the band. Rasmus has a background in brutal death metal but is also a very versatile drummer. We tried to take advantage of that, and create some fast and brutal songs, going into some more cheesy – almost jazzy parts now and then.
SOURCE – Do you have a favorite song or moment on Grey Skies Over Black Town? What is it about that particular song or moment that makes it stand out for you?
Jakob Batten Hansen (Guitar) – I really like “The After All”. Maybe because it’s the slowest song on the album – it has a great atmosphere. It’s probably the slowest song we ever made. “I Tried To Live” is my favorite mid-tempo song, and “In Light Of The Moon” is my favorite fast song I guess.
SOURCE – What’s been going on the past several years that have led to the long stretch between albums?
Jakob Batten Hansen (Guitar) – It has just been 2 years since our last album, I don’t think it’s a long time. Sometimes we’re able to release a new album after 18 months. But this time we had a new drummer we needed to get into the songs before we could begin. He is living in Copenhagen, which is quite far away from Aarhus. That makes it more complicated to rehearse.
SOURCE – To produce the new album you worked again with the very talented Tue Madsen. How did he come to be involved in producing this record?
Jakob Batten Hansen (Guitar) – Tue is the best guy for our kind of music at the moment. At least within our budget. We get the sound we want, and we can even be home for dinner, since he’s basically living around the corner. It’s all very convenient. We are busy people with jobs and families to take care of besides the band.
SOURCE – It’s already your 13th album with Illdisposed, is it getting harder to compose the new tunes, without repeating yourself every time? Do you think you found your own formula to compose the tracks or is it always a challenge for you?
Jakob Batten Hansen (Guitar) – Yeah, I guess it is getting harder. I don’t want to repeat myself, so I am thinking a lot about it when I’m writing the songs. After writing a couple of albums, I think most songwriters are developing some kind of formula. So I’m trying to break that formula now and then, by changing the structure of the songs, for instance.
SOURCE – With so many bands currently doing the death/thrash hybrid style, the influence of Illdisposed on the metal scene is undoubtedly vast. What are your thoughts on the current state of metal and the legions of bands that owe their entire careers to you?
Jakob Batten Hansen (Guitar) – I don’t think much about it, we never tried to prove anything with our music. But when bands are telling us that we are their source of inspiration, of course it makes us proud. It means that we must have done something right. Most Danish bands are getting their inspiration from Swedish or American bands, so it’s great that we’re a couple of Danish bands inspiring others as well.
SOURCE – The way the music industry has evolved with album sales declining, playing a lot of live shows has become vital for many metal artists to be able to survive. You’ve been able to play a relatively few amount of concerts and still had a lot of success.
Jakob Batten Hansen (Guitar) – It’s also vital for us to play as many shows as possible. It’s the only way we can earn some money and pay the bills. But getting enough shows has become difficult since that’s what every band wants. Competition is too tough these days. It doesn’t matter that we’re popular if we can’t pay the bills.
SOURCE – When you’re packing to go on tour, what are your van/tour bus essentials?
Jakob Batten Hansen (Guitar) – Vodka, music and movies. Vodka and music for killing time when we need to drive all day. And movies to kill time when we’re hung over.
SOURCE – Anything else that you need to plug or promote?
Jakob Batten Hansen (Guitar) – I hope that some of you will check out our new album when it’s released on May 27th. At least if you’re into death metal. Cheers!
Link:
Illdisposed
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