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Soilwork have come a long way since their humble beginnings but their ominous new release Sworn To A Great Divide is destined to take them further.  Bjorn Strid, their eclectic singer, donated some of his time to fill us in on their new disc and what it is like to carry on without Peter.

Bjorn Strid interviewed by Jeffrey Easton.

Metal Exiles: How did the tour with Lamb Of God go for Soilwork?

Bjorn "Speed" Strid: It went great, lots of people every day in big arenas.  We also have been given a great response from the people who were showing up early to check us out. 

 Metal Exiles:  Have you picked up a lot of new fans and moving more discs as a result?

Bjorn:  I guess you can judge it from MySpace.  We have had three times as many listenings than before and a lot of great comments to the affect which is cool because we wanted to reach new people who had not heard of us.

Metal Exiles:  You did OZZFest a few years ago.  Do you think this tour has done Soilwork better justice with more like bands?

Bjorn:  I think so.  OZZFest had so many bands with the rotating bill it was just to much for the kids to really get into one band and it was so early in the morning. 

Metal Exiles:  How did you get hooked into the tour?

Bjorn:  LOG and Killswitch already had plans to do this tour and I am sure a lot of bands that wanted the slot but I think it was our manager who showed the interest to their managers.

Metal Exiles:  I see you guys are going back out with Throwdown in the U.S. in March.

Bjorn:  They showed interest in us and contacted us for a direct support slot for their upcoming tour.

Metal Exiles: You guys have a song on Guitar Hero 3, how did that come about?

Bjorn:  I think that was through the label.  I do not know if Guitar Hero showed interest but I think they did and I understand they are big fans of ours.  I have tried to play  it myself but I sucked at it.   I have seen people play the expert version and they just nail it.   

Metal Exiles:  Sworn To A Great Divide is the new record.  What do you think the biggest jump from Stabbing the Drama to this one is?

Bjorn:  I would say it is more diverse, the heavier parts are heavier and the softer parts are softer.  It doesn’t sound forced, we struck a balance in our sound. We also brought back the thrashier influences as well. 

Metal Exiles:  What is the biggest differences between Peter’s playing and Daniel’s?

Bjorn:  Peter had his way with writing songs but now it is a band effort, everybody has been involved.  Daniel came in during the writing process for this album but he did not have to adjust to write Soilwork music, it came pretty natural for him.  He co-wrote the title track with Ola and he has a thrashier guitar player.

Metal Exiles:  You guys came from a dark background.  What do you think is the biggest difference from then to now is?

Bjorn:  I guess there is more groove to it and the melodies come out in a different shape.  The vocals have taken over more of the guitar melodies, it is hard to say.  In the beginning it seems like we are adapting a style, sounding like many of the bands in the Gothenburg scene. 

Metal Exiles:  How have you adapt your vocal style to that?

Bjorn:  I just wanted to further develop my voice like the guys developing on their instruments.  It was a natural step for me to actually try out something new.  Devon Townsend actually inspired me to do something like that.  He made me do melodic vocals but something would come across confident nad extreme.

Metal Exiles: What was it like working with Devin considering he is such an eccentric guy?

Bjorn:  He made me feel relaxed in the studio and I have wanted to work with him for a long time but he was always to busy.  I went to Vancouver to his studio and locked my self in with him to work on my vocals.  It was a great experience, just like two buddies recording vocals in the basement together. 

Metal Exiles:  What did you take away from doing that?

Bjorn:  That I will continue to record my vocals with him producing them.

Metal Exiles:  What was your inspiration in writing this record?

Bjorn:  With Peter leaving we wanted to prove a point and turn this into something good.  It was a healthy record for the band in that everybody was involved in the song writing.  We still have it when it comes to making music.

Metal Exiles:  Where were your lyrics coming from this time?

Bjorn:  I looked into myself this time, summing up ten years in Soilwork.  I have grown up on the road with all of our touring and now I want to sit down and go through what actually happened and how I have grown up as a person. 

Metal Exiles:  How do you think you have grown in Soilwork?  What would your life be like otherwise?

Bjorn:  That is hard to say because people ask me what would I do if I did not have Soilwork and I do not know.  I would have done music but maybe as a hobby.  I think I have grown a lot as a person, it has made me more self confident.  To be able to pull off a show in front of a lot of people, I am really grateful to be able to do that now.

Metal Exiles: As far as the CD, a few of the songs really stick out lyrically. Where did I Vermin come from?

Bjorn:  People are getting more and more brutal toward each other and it gets me to thinking, “Am I the same way?”.  It is just a question mark, you are scared of becoming the same way.  There is not a question mark in the song but maybe there should be. 

Metal Exiles:  As The Sleeper Awakes?

Bjorn:  That is a tribute to myself.  I feel that I have really grown as a person and I am able to present myself to people now, like I Have woken up.

Metal Exiles:  Why do you think you went deeper into yourself for this album?

Bjorn:  There has been a lot of things happening in my life.  With stabbing the drama we did more touring than ever and that affects the personal life but I managed to get through it. 

Metal Exiles:  Where did the album cover artwork come from, is very unique.

Bjorn:  I had this picture in my mind when I had the title of the record of people being dragged back to the ocean where everything started, to reconnect and that is what we need as human beings.  I wanted some rich colors, nothing to clean or minimalist.  Something that really catches your eye. The artist was really patient with us and it really stands out. 

Metal Exiles:  How is your new guitar player, Daniel Antonsson, fitting in with the band after Peter was there for so many years?

Bjorn:  Daniel came into the band and reconnected us after everything that happened.  He came in with some fresh blood and added to the chemistry of the band. He is a great guy, doing his own thing. I feel recharged, maybe not like a new band but very much recharged.

Sworn To A Great Divide is a phenomenally dark release from the cover to the content encased inside, truly a watermark release for them.   

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