EVERGREY - Tom Englund

Given the chance by the upcoming release of EVERGREY Metalzone.gr had the chance to interview the band’s mainman and vocalist Tom Englund. Tom talked all about the Glorious Collision but also the changes in EVERGREY ever since the new line up came together. You can download and listen to the interview at this location.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: On the other end of our line is Tom of Evergrey welcome back in Metalzone.
\r\nTom: Nice to be back.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: It’s been almost 2 years since TORN your last release and we’re about to receive your new album tell us a few things about it.
\r\nTom: Yeah I would have to say it’s one of the more melodic albums EVERGREY have done. It’s an album that’s extremely diverse when it comes to the songwriting and letting new influences in. Being a really airy and nice sounding album. It’s one of the albums I can say right now has gathered the most attention ever. So it’s anew start it feels great, it feels fresh, it feels exciting for the first time in a couple of years.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Can you describe to a listener who hasn’t had a taste of the new album yet what do you mean by the blending of the new influences? I don’t know how you could describe us.
\r\nTom: It’s music! I rather play music than talk about it! But if I would say anything, I would say that the influences come from all kinds of cores. Where we had been restricted before. Especially when it comes to more hard rock influences. Things we grew up with. And this is going to sound weird but we’re more guitars oriented and more hard rock like. It’s a metal production but with hard rock guitars, and I don’t mean all songs but some songs.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Do you think that in this way you’re opening up to a new audience?
\r\nTom: I can’t really say that but I know that I have had more interest than I had done ever. And so far all of them except one guy think it’s the best album we’ve ever done. So in that way yes we’re opening up to a new audience but at the same time I don’t know. For me it’s just EVERGREY and it’s just music and if more people like it I’ll be very happy.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: EVERGREY are always very exciting story tellers when it comes to lyrics. Tell us a few things about the lyrics in the GLORIOUS COLLISION.
\r\nTom: Most of them are influenced by the fact that three members left the band And ofcourse I am dealing a lot with the issues that led up to the decision. The issues that made me question some of the decisions that I made. Where I was wrong now, which I can see in high sight, it deals most with the human psychic and the way we act as people to certain challenges and “Collisions” we are forced to face on a daily basis. But then it tends to become a little sort of poetic and romantic and beautiful and dark when you write it in a more poetic way.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: In a more EVERGREY way I would say…Tell me about the new line up. How is it coming together?
\r\nTom: Great! We have done a few tours and have a great album coming out and now is where the real work starts. When we will see the real persons behind the nice masks we have had up until now. Honey moon is over sort of speak and now we begin touring for real. We’re really excited on what the future will bring. It’s nice going out on tour and feeling happy and willing to do this instead of the other way around.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: In my opinion in this album your role is enhanced and more spotlighted. Would you say that something like that is true?
\r\nTom: Apparently since you think so, but for me it’s so hard to define all these feelings that other people feel when they get, or the definitions of the music they get. First of all it’s an album that I wrote, and lived with for quite some time and at the same time for me it’s just EVERGREY. So for me it’s hard to connect with the ideas people had when they listen to the album, because for me it’s exactly like it was when I wrote the first album.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Remembering how it was writing your first album and how it was writing your new album in what ways is it different now?
\r\nTom: Of course I have a greater knowledge of what I do, on a more theoretical basis. I think that the biggest lesson that I have learned in my music is that it becomes best when I don’t compromise. Everyone thinks that it becomes better when I don’t compromise. Music is not made to be compromised with. If making music means that you lose your friends then your friends should do something else, which is the fact with EVERGREY now. I have my friends now outside the band without compromising with my music.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: That’s very professional but has it been painful emotionally?
\r\nTom: No because it came to a point that we went too far and we were tired of each other. And when you’re tired of each other you start noticing small details that are not important, and getting pieced off at things that definitely is not important and before it got too far and we had a dramatic ending to the band I chose to end it prior to an event of such sort. We chose to end it because it was mutual between all four of us. Like I said to a friend of mine today I don’t want you to be in the band any more and I want you to tell me that you want to leave instead of me having to kick you out, right after I said those words and that was out in the open and free. After he agreed and left and I was sitting here by myself thinking what the fuck am I going to do now then yes it was… I wasn’t hurting because I knew that EVERGREY would never be able to continue the way it did. So actually that was the best decision EVERGREY have ever made! Because that led us to this album now and led us to having more music from EVERGREY and right now everybody seems so extremely happy with it so, I guess that decision was a blessing in the end. It really was a Glorious Collision if anything.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Are you already putting together a tour?
\r\nTom: We already have three tours booked. The first one is starting in April when we tour with Kamelot and after that we go on to summer festivals, before that we do a couple of gigs in Scandinavia and then we do America in September – October. And then we come back and we do a headlining tour of Europe, and then I go on vacation and then South America. So I’d say yes it’s quite a lot.
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\r\nMetalzone: Are you planning on coming back to Greece?
\r\nTom: I certainly hope so. We talked with lots of Greek magazines and media and we have been in Greece for every album I think so… I surely do not want to change that, I miss the food and the audience.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Last time you were here – the backline you had with you was huge!
\r\nTom: Well one thing that we must realize is that the sound is on the fingers of the players. But then also we have a very good sound guy – of course! But we must realize that Yngwie Malmsteen can make an amplifier that costs ten euros sound like it costs a million bucks! I am not saying that we are Yngwie Malmsteen but to some degree the truth lies in the players. But yes that was a terrible venue for our sound and a much too small venue for EVERGREY as well.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Coming back to the album – I always consider EVERGREY in my mind as a band that’s emotional, dark, and melancholic, where do you see yourselves going? Do you plan on experimenting?
\r\nTom: I think EVERGREY is diverse as it is. If you would compare Monday Morning Apocalypse with Glorious Collision… talk about experimenting with sounds! It’s two different sounds and if you would compare TORN with IN SEARCH OF TRUTH then you would also listen two totally different sounds. Our progression lies within taking things further, and making the change for ourselves as musicians of course. It’s always been like this for EVERGREY to experiment with sounds and adding new ideas as a spice.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: EVERGREY always brings to mind spices because the music has so many layers, readings you can have as you listen to it, the music grows within you as you listen to the songs again. Let’s say we have a fan and you’re giving him your album. What would you ask him to notice and which songs to listen first? And why?
\r\nTom: There’s a reason why we put the first song first you know! That’s the song we want them to hear first! Because that really sums up what EVERGREY is about with a more modern touch today you know. Leave it behind is a perfect example of what EVERGREY is about it has the choirs, the typical rhythmic guitars, but also these nice melodic choruses and it’s really catchy too I think. Not saying that that’s the best song in the album because I think that there are better songs in the album. If I wanted to impress someone, make a great impact I think that would be the first song.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Which on is your personal favorite?
\r\nTom: I think The Phantom Letters by far is my first choice. \r\n

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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Coming back to my favorite ingredient of EVERGREY, your voice, what do you do to preserve your voice?
\r\nTom: No I never practice and I never exercise, I used to smoke and drink my voice into shape, but now I have quit smoking for three months, because it started to get worse and worse because of the smoking. Now I have to realize that my voice is my instrument that I have to keep with me for a long time. I never practice guitars, I never practice vocals, I just sing and play.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: I would never have guessed that because the color of your voice sounds so fragile sometimes, so I’d say that you do something to preserve it. We’ve seen vocalists doing exercises warming up, before a show etc.
\r\nTom: 5,6,7 years ago I didn’t warm up at all and because of that my voice was fucked up because of that  a few times. But nowadays I do warm up and sing. I sing a couple of songs with my ipod, and I actually sing in the shower, then I dress in my stage clothes, I walk around with the ipod for 2 or 3 songs then I take a shot of whiskey and then I go!
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Inspirations for this album.
\r\nTom: Inspiration is always built in where you are in life. I can look at all the albums that EVERGREY have made and I can say that this was this period of my life, they’re like a map of my emotions you know…I just hope I can bring some more pieces into the puzzle. \r\n

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\r\nInterview : Hellena Mihailidou
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