Beast In Black: Conquering The Power Metal World
Perhaps one of the newer bands to have formed over the past few years, BEAST IN BLACK have certainly caught the eye of many people in the power metal scene. Formed back in 2015, the Swedish group were founded by ex-BATTLE BEAST guitarist Anton Kabanen, and have recently been touring in collaboration with the release of their second studio record From Hell With Love.
Anton admits he has been taken aback with just how the band have grown over the previous years, despite the band keeping to their roots throughout. “It’s been good in terms of the band’s growth – if you measure it in numbers, but from the artistic side, album wise, it’s more or less the same stuff that we do and have recorded, but on tours we have also progressed and developed,” he says. “We’re more professional with technical things etc, etc, but it’s been great. The last two years have been unexpected – when the debut album came out, there was no expectations at all. We just thought, ‘okay, it is what it is. Let’s see what happens’, and no one knew that there was going to be like this kind of interest around the band, and we’re very grateful for that! We’ve all had a long journey in our personal musical careers so it feels like finally after all these years, even though the band is quite new and fresh, in our personal musical career it feels like finally the time has come that there’s something!”
From Hell With Love follows on directly from Berserker, and in terms of the structure Anton says that fans can expect very much the same that they were treated to from the debut album. “If you really strip down the songs, like to the acoustic guitars and vocals, you realise that they’re not that different actually. It’s about simple chord progressions and song structures with catchy melodies – that’s what it’s about in every song, basically, so to me, it’s not that different. Production is of course, different, the sounds are different, mixing is different, but the essence, the song itself and the notes are not that different style wise.”
Berserker focused a lot on the anime that surrounds it, and while the new record has got a completely different name, the material in From Hell With Love follows a very similar pattern as Anton explains. “The concept is more or less the same. I think the main difference is that there’s another anime and manga on the second album which is called Beast of the North Star. The opener Cry Out For a Hero, that song is based on that anime, on Beast of the North Star, and that’s about it concept wise. The other songs are about Berserk and about my personal things, thoughts, life experiences and so on. There’s always a lot of songs, it’s never ending – your own imagination sets the boundaries, if you have a vivid imagination and hunger for it then you will never have the problem of what to write the song about.”
Despite being one of the newer bands, there has been a lineup change for BEAST IN BLACK between the production of both albums, with Atte Palokangas joining the ranks as the band’s new drummer. Anton expressed his delight at having Atte on board, believing he is the final piece of the jigsaw. “He’s been with us since the beginning of last year and he’s perfect for the band, 10 out of 10! Everybody thought the same immediately, we talked about it and thought about whether we should take him on as a permanent drummer and it was an immediate yes from everybody, and then when I called him towards the end of 2017 it took half a second to say yes. We’re all happy, it feels like now after he joined like it’s completed the band. Every person fits perfectly into BEAST IN BLACK,” Anton explains. “The people all belong here, no second thoughts. I think it’s very important that for every single person you get along with everyone, but apart from band members, also the crew with the people who work on tour, you have to get along with them as well. and luckily, we have a great crew. We enjoy spending time with them no matter who it is, everyone gets along with everyone, and we’ll like to keep it that way, and also that the BEAST IN BLACK family will always be like friends and like coworkers, and we respect each other and give free space to each other when they need it. That’s how it’s been and I couldn’t ask for more really.”
What were the recording and writing processes like for From Hell With Love?
Anton: Well, I think a lot more difficult because of the schedule. It was a very, very tough schedule. I think it was two or three days before we went on the NIGHTWISH support tour that we got the master of this album ready. It was very stressful like directly from the studio directly to us on the NIGHTWISH tour, so there was not really a break in between. I was having a burnout in the studio when it was ready, but no rest for the wicked! It was like ‘put your boots on and go on the tour’. All hope that people will like the album that you made and by the time it was ready, I was already deaf and blind. I couldn’t be objective about it; I didn’t know if it’s good or not. That’s how it’s always been with every album in my personal career, it’s the fifth album I’ve done and I always take it so seriously. Somehow there’s always the rush with the schedule, but that’s just me and people who know me they have gotten used to that kind of reaction at the end of the album making process, I’m a human wreck! We just leave the album for the people to decide if it’s good or bad. Of course, I stand behind every song, one hundred percent behind every lyric I written. And I like the songs of course, but after spending so much time with them, you don’t get that emotional feeling, that reaction from the songs yourself anymore if you listen to one song, but hundreds of times in a day while mixing it up. I tried to tell myself ‘Hey, remember what I felt myself that day when I wrote that song when it was finished and I listened to?’ I always remember, and I hope that people for the first time will get that same feeling.
There are more and more upcoming bands from the same genre, what’s it like from your perspective seeing more new bands entering the power metal world?
Anton: I don’t really follow the metal scene that much to be honest, I’m kind of desperately old school. My favourite five bands, everyone knows it already, all those who have ever met me – JUDAS PRIEST, BLACK SABBATH, MANOWAR, ACCEPT and WASP. I see the new band names and maybe check out one or two songs that a new band release, but I don’t really get nearly those same emotions that I got from those bands I mentioned now.
You’ve been touring with GLORYHAMMER recently – what’s it been like touring alongside them?
Anton: It’s been great package, I think all the bands are very visual when they perform in different ways, like GLORYHAMMER have their strong themes like costumes, but we have a more traditional metal look and we are very active on stage. What I felt on this tour is that the audience really loves everybody, they really do, and everyone enjoys when they come see the whole event. They leave that place with a smile on their face. That’s the best thing and it’s been great to be part of this, because we actually continue our headline tour that’s connected to this support tour. We didn’t know how it would happen, but it doesn’t matter if it’s a headline show or support show – on stage, it feels the same when you see the people enjoying themselves when they come to see that whole event, and to be honest, the audience gave more than we could ever imagine beforehand. First day, for example, in Bristol, they were shouting our band’s name basically in between every song, they were shouting ‘BEAST IN BLACK, BEAST IN BLACK’, it’s nuts between every song and we didn’t expect that! It’s been a great package!
You’ve also been announced for ProgPower USA, how different is playing your own show compared to a festival?
Anton: Well, festivals feel like festivals, I don’t know what else to say really! There’s just this festival feeling always, but on stage it’s not that different. It’s all about how you enjoy that energy that is always there when we hit the stage. It’s more or less the same energy and same feeling on stage and usually the festivals, of course, have great weather. Last summer was better playing festivals than playing with club headline shows weather related, not related to the audience. Usually the club tours are in spring or autumn and winter, it’s cold and I always get sick. I hate doing live gigs when I’m sick, but in festivals, I usually don’t get sick so from that perspective festivals are nicer, but on stages it’s the same to me.
What future plans have you got in store?
Anton: Working on the third album, slowly. We plan to keep ourselves busy, and the following years, busier and busier year after year. It means touring and making albums without really having big breaks, even in between album making and touring, I always like to think of new songs and stuff to do for the band. There’s not really any stopping, no resting, just hopefully a little bit more time!
From Hell With Love is out now via Nuclear Blast Records.
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