EMQ’s with EVERMORE
Hi everyone! Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Swedish based Melodic Power Metal band Evermore. Huge thanks to guitarist, Johan Karlsson, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
My name is Johan Karlsson and I play lead guitar in Evermore.
Evermore are Johan Karlsson and Andreas Viklands (music and words) and Johan Haraldsson lead vocals.
Me (Johan K) and Andreas started playing music together in the late nineties. We played together in a band called Euphoria. After the band disrupted, we had a break from music for quite a while. But since we still wrote music, every now and then on our own, we decided, around 2016, to record an album. So, some of the songs are made out of really old ideas that have taken different shapes along the way and eventually turned out as they are today. ‘Call Of The Wild’, the opening track on the album is actually made out of the very first song we ever wrote.
How did you come up with your band name?
We wanted to have a name that was easy to remember and that gave association to metal. We thought that Evermore was a perfect name.
What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
We are based in the southern part of Sweden. Right now, the metal scene here is quite small.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
Our latest release is “Court Of The Tyrant King”. It´s an eight track album that is built around the hero´s journey concept.
‘Court Of The Tyrant King’ (Lyric Video)
‘By Death Reborn’ (Audio)
Who have been your greatest influences?
Me and Andreas are very much influenced by Avantasia, Edguy, Helloween, Stratovarius and many more melodic power metal bands. But bands like Iron Maiden and Metallica have been a great influence as well. Johan Haraldsson comes from a more traditional background with bands like Saxon and Judas Priest
What first got you into music?
I have always been listening to music since I was a kid but never played it myself. When I started to play myself in my mid-teens, I quickly realised that I wanted to deliver that special feeling that some bands brought to me while listening to their songs. Today when you get THAT positive feedback I can feel like “ yes, we did it”.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician, who would it be?
Avantasia/Tobias Sammet definitely. He has such a great creativity and he´s a great musician/songwriter. He also seems like a very humble person with a great sense of humour.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Rock in Rio. Awesome festival with so many people that love metal.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Haha it wasn’t a gift, more like a request. If I could play accordion on a very very big birthday party. And do you know something…I did!
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Thank you for all your support. We will keep doing awesome melodic metal just for you.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Dimebag Darrell.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
I enjoy almost everything. It´s just so ridiculously fun to play and write songs.
I hate those time when I lack out of ideas when I´m writing songs.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
It would be great if the streaming era hadn’t come with that impact as it did. Even if I use it myself, I can feel that it is very hard for bands, especially new ones to make a fair profit of their work, by selling CD´s, Vinyls etc.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Just one, that’s like impossible. But then I have to say Avantasia – “Ghostlights”.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
I´m not that picky with different kind of sounds. I listen exclusively on the stream format. The main reason is that it´s always available for me.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Don´t really know. But one gig that I remember and that was awesome was at Head Bangers Ballroom in Hamburg.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Food reviewer. I love to eat.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Tobias Sammet, Dimebag Darrell, Jack Black, Will Ferrell and Ola Englund
What’s next for the band?
Right now, it´s like a full time job promoting the album. But we are writing songs for the next album. And I tell you, it will be awesome.
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
www.facebook.com/evermoremetal
www.instagram.com/evermore_metal/
www.open.spotify.com/artist/4t1wkI6J9caWGtnlIxW5Zk
www.youtube.com/channel/UCOZfHmq9GH9RuU_wRgS5vOw
Jaffa Cakes! Are they a cake or a biscuit?
It’s a biscake.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thanks a lot for having me and a very special thanks to every fan of Evermore.
Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.