I N T E R V I E W (Tommy Karevik Singer)

First of all, many thanks for giving us the opportunity to make this interview. I'm Hervé Baile, writing for "AuxPortesDuMetal.com".
I discover your music with "Waiting in the wings" and I am completely under your spell since...

Let's go now for the questions !
1/ First of all, as you are a young band and not so known in France, could you please introduce yourself...
a) Where are you coming from ?

Hello!! We are Seventh Wonder and we are hailing from Stockholm (the capitol of Sweden).

b) Your past as musicians

Andreas B (Bass), Johan Liefvendahl (Guitar) and Johnny Sandin (Drums) played in a rockband called "Mankind" for a couple of years. Later on Andreas "Kyrrt" Soderin joined in on keyboard and that's when "Seventh Wonder" was finally formed. Due to some troubles in the band they found themselves without a singer ... until Kyrrt remembered playing with me on a project and phoned me up... I had recently recorded with metalband "Vindictiv" but was at that time available and decided to try out for the spot... As for today we stand here with our own copy of "Waiting in the wings"... the rest is history I guess... great history that is!

c) Short history of Seventh Wonder : the formation, how long have you been playing together...

As mentioned earlier the band in its present formation have only been playing together for about 1 and a half years... So I guess this new face of SW is kind of new to the world!

d) Are you all living from your music ?

No we are most certainly not living on the profits of our music... YET.. ha ha No seriously we all have to have regular jobs in order to live the hard rock dream! If we for some reason were into music for the money, (I think I can speak for all of us when I say -) I most definetly think that we have chosen the wrong genre!! But do not get me wrong... Some bigger paychecks wouldn`t make me cry!!

2/ "Waiting in the wings" is your second album, and released only 1 year after your first one.
a) Are you constantly in the process of writing ?

Yes I would say that we are! Inspiration and the urge and will to create music in this case, aint nothing we can turn on and off like pushing a button... So if we are not in the process of rehersing for a gig or something like that we are always on the go for writing better songs and "bigger" melodies!

b) How would you qualify the main differences (if any) between your previous album and "Waiting in the wings" ?

Personally I think there are quite a few differences between the albums... I mean just listen to the sound on "Waiting in the wings"... Its god damn crystal clear, heavy and "in your face" at the same time. There is also a big difference in terms of writing the albums. "WITW" was written in a very short period of time, which makes it a far more homogenous album than our debut! Another thing is that I am now a member of the band... (I `m so glad we sorted that out..!):-)

3/ Listening to "Waiting in the wings" I was surprised by the number of different influences that crossed my mind...
And as I tried to describe what's Seventh Wonders's music is made of, I said a deep & beautiful mix of some Sonata Arctica, Silent Force, Heavenly, Symphony-X, Kamelot and Dream Theater.
a) Do you agree with that ?

I do! Thanks by the way.. It is an honour to be compared with those bands! When asked to describe the sound of SW I use to say that its like a travel back in time... to the melodic hard rock choruses of the eighties topped with the killer proggressive elements of the new millenium, performed in a flawles yet organic way! And even though there is a lot of complex things going on in the music, SW will always be about the catchy songs and memorable melodies!

b) Do you like any of the previous mentionned band ?

Bands like Symphony X and Dream Theater are the "parents" of progressive metal so it is hard not to be influenced by them! The band that got me into Metal in the first place was Sonata Arctica and a have been a huge fan of them since then, so for us to be compared to them is really something great if you ask me!!

4/ When I first had an ear on WITW, I couldn't believe it was only your second recording : creative song writing, marvelous technique, beautiful melodies... A good balance of all without any excess.
a) What's your secret ? ;)

The "secret" of the SW-sound I guess would have to be that everyone in the band are very gifted musicians! With that said it is very important to let everyone play his own part and contribute with his personal feel to it...

b) Is this something you keep in mind when writing : privilege the melody over the technique ?

Yupp... Always!!!! :-)

5/ Rare are the bands that give the opportunity to listen something else than classic song structures. It is also rare to use all instruments as you're doing in WITW. I especially think to the bass which participate not only in the rythm sections but also in different solos.
a) Are you all participating in the process of writing so that everyone manage his own "territorry" ?

Yes, We are all partners in crime I guess! Someone comes up with an idea for a song but everyone still puts their own trademark to the overall sound, making us sound like the 5-piece band we are! Most of the musical content originates from Johan (guitar) and Andreas B (bass) though. The lyrics are handled by me and Andreas B and the melodies to support the words usually comes from me.

b) Do you first write the music and then try to make some lyrics to fit on ?

That is usually how things go down when Andreas B or Johan comes up with an idea. When the songstructure is done I take the music home to try to get a feeling of what it should be about. I usually do not get that much inspiration in the rehersalroom you know! On the other hand when I write music I always come up with the vocal melodies first and then me and the rest of the band have to find a way to support the melody in a proper way so to speak.... Music... it is really a form of science!

6/ The production of "Waiting in the winds" is incredible, delivering a powerful but also very clear sound.
a) Are you completely satisfied with it ?

We all think the mix couldn't have turned out better! The whole album was recorded back in the"sound vs sience" studio in Sweden together with producer/drummer Mr Daniel Flores (Mind`s Eye). We where pretty much our own bosses in the studio and that's how we like it to be. When finished back home, the whole band headed of to Jailhouse studios in Denmark for the mixingsession and to meet Tommy... :-) Nothing could be easier than to work with him! I mean the guy is such a pro! He has been producing and mixing famous bands since long before I was even thought of... And on top of that he is a perfect gentleman! Before we went to Mr Hansen we where a little anxious about the whole thing. We didn't want to be just another modern metalband with ramstein guitars and never present bass. But it was really a smooth ride all the way ,him taking out the best in our music, making sure that we sounded as much "SW" as we possibly could! And for that we will be forever grateful!!!

b) How did you manage to get in touch with Tommy Hansen ?

We got the contact thanx to "intromental" management..

7/ How would you qualify yourself WITW ?

I strongly believe we have got something good going on here, and I really think we`ve found that identity that's so important for the longterm survival of a band! I really think the songs turned out most likeable even for those who are not into "prog". From now on Seventh Wonder is a fact you will never be able to neglect!!

8/ Do you have any particular detail on the process of releasing WITW to share with us ?

Yes ... It was during my singing-sessions in the studio. After singing for 12 hours a day for about a week it was time to do the vocalparts for the song called "Devils Inc" (track nr.6 on WITW) I got stuck on one vocal-line that seemed to be impossible to sing the way I wanted to sing it.. I tried over and over again... took some breaks.. walked around.. drank some tea.. cried a little.... Hit some walls... he he I cursed myself for writing such a shitty melody :-) In the end I managed to do it right but I can still recall that feeling of panic not being able to move on with the recordings despite the lack of time.... I learned it can really hurt to record an album... and all pain for you dear friends!

9/ If you had the opportunity, is there something you would have liked to change in WITW ?

I definetly would`ve had much more time in the studio... but then again I am pleased with the end result... There is always things that you feel you could`ve done better but It really sounds good as a whole!

10/ What is your favorite track on Waiting in the wings ?

I guess I have to say the opening track "Star of David". It is a very powerful track and was the first to be written for the album. It's a very aggressive and emotional song with lyrics about the atrocity and injustice of the second world war...

11/ Are you planning to tour in Europe ? And especially in France ?

We are currently planning for a mini-tour around the end of march 2007 starting with a show in copenhagen, but as for now a have got no dates to share with you... Hopfully we can visit France for some hard rock but that remains to be seen!!

12/ What are your future plans ? (a new release in 2007 ? ;) )

We have allready started to work on the new album and I think it is going to be a real killer! It is gonna take us the whole year to get it exactly the way we want it... so no new release in 2007 I am afraid! But you can be sure we are going to be back in 2008 with a new fantastic release for all our fans!

Well, All the best for the future !
Cheers,
Hervé

Thanks for your interest in the band and hope to see you all out there soon!!!!

Tommy Karevik of Seventh Wonder