Civil War may be a newcomer but its members ain’t so new in the scene. After their departure from Sabaton they formed a new band and they plan to go all the way. But I think it’s better to read below what the keyboardist, Daniel Mÿhr, told Grande Rock with every detail about the old days and the new era that has been rising with Civil War…
Hi Daniel… Civil War is a reality now. Your debut release is out finally & it’s a great one as well. How do you feel about it?
D: Thanks! We feel very happy about it, and the response from people and media has been way beyond our expectations.
Do tell us… why did you first record “Carolus Rex” and then you decided to walk away? What happened in the very end? I’m sure the fans would like to hear both sides and since here on Grande Rock we have presented Pär’s point of view, it’d be good to hear your perspective as well…
D: We left for different reasons. I can’t really speak on the behalf of the others. But I was the last one to leave the band, and it was because I didn’t find the motivation to go on without the others. I felt like that Sabaton wasn’t the same band or could ever become that again.
I bet it was a stressful year for all of you in the band right? Please tell us …how did the idea of forming Civil War come out?
D: It was quite stressful indeed. But it was mostly because we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to make the EP and the album in such a short time. The idea to form Civil War came only a few days after we had left Sabaton. We just sat down and talked about what to do now. We had no idea at the time that we were starting a new band, but it had crossed our minds. But when the rumor came out that we had left the band Patrik got the news from a common friend that we were planning on starting something new, so he hinted that it would be fun to maybe do something together. We had already got an offer from Pizza to play with us if we came up with something. So suddenly we had a complete line-up for the band. So all we had to do was to come up with a name and start writing songs.
With which criteria did you choose the vocalist and the bassist that you wanted to work with? How did Nils Patrik Johansson (voice) & Stefan “Pizza” Eriksson (bass) become part of the band?
D: We had no thoughts or criteria at all. It just became like this. We had of course mentioned Patrik in our discussions but we thought he was too busy with his other stuff. But then we got in contact with him and it was no question about it. We wanted what we got. Pizza came in a bit earlier after a small meeting at the local food store with Rikard, where he just said that he could play some bass if we needed it.
What influenced you in order to call the band Civil War and what kind of music did you have in mind to play since day one?
D: It was Patrick’s that came up with the name. He just thought it was weird that no one had taken it before. And there’s a bit of meaning behind it since we’re half the band from Falun and the other half from Borlänge which has a bit of a rivalry story behind them. So it’s a bit of a civil war going on in the band... but it’s a very friendly one. It was never a question of what we wanted to play. It was metal all the way. Why do something different really… it’s something we all love to play and listen to.
Weren’t you afraid at any point that the fans might start compare you with Sabaton as you were going on?
D: We knew it was more or less impossible to avoid being compared with Sabaton, so we didn’t really care about it. We write stuff that we like. If it sounds like Sabaton it’s fine with us, and if it doesn’t... who cares?
Thus let’s leave the past behind. What do Civil War have to offer musically to the epic heavy/power metal scene?
D: We offer epic heavy/power metal! Nothing more, nothing less. I can’t say that we bring something new or spectacular to the scene. But apparently we have done it good, according to the reactions we’ve gotten.
What does the album’s title “The Killer Angels” declare?
D: It’s from the book with the same name that’s written by Michael Shaara. The working title of the album was “Gettysburg” but we didn’t feel like just singing about one certain theme. But we felt like sticking to the “original” in a way so we found out about this book.
Do give us a hint about each one of the songs…
D: “King of the Sun”: It’s about the Inca/Maya-natives. A bit of a rise and fall song embedded in some typical DIO-like metal.
“First to Fight”: It’s about the polish G.R.O.M elite force. They’re quite famous to doing a lot of dangerous operations that others don’t really want to perform. A bit more thrashy in a way, without being too thrashy.
“Saint Patrick’s Day”: It’s a short story of St. Patrick. Don’'t think I need to say that much about it. A song with some traditional Irish folk-influences.
“Rome is Falling”: A love letter from a roman soldier that is going out to what he knows will be his last battle. Also the first song that we finished as Civil War.
“Sons of Avalon”: Traditional power-metal lyrics mixed with quite traditional power-metal music. Fast song that requires quite some effort from Mullback behind the drums.
“I Will Rule the Universe”: The first song we had finished for the album. Heavy metal about Napoleon Bonaparte... with some small Sabaton-ish hints...
“Lucifer’s Court”: The track that kinda sticks out on the album somehow. A synth intro that brings the thoughts back to 90s Edguy. The story is based around Otto Rahn, a German officer whose main task was to search for treasures and artifacts like The Holy Grail and the Lost Arch. A real life version of Indiana Jones. Also said to be the inspiration for that very character. But not confirmed.
“Brother Judas”: Heavy and atmospherical. One of the earlier songs that was written for the album.
“My Own Worst Enemy”: The last song to be finished. It was written in more or less one evening, then we just arranged it and sent the song to Patrik so he could put some vocals on it. Power-metal in your face.
“Gettysburg”: The finishing song, and also supposed to be the title-track in a way. Has some progressive elements.
How did you come up with the idea to cover Sabbath’s “Children of the Grave” and offer it as a bonus track?
D: We had the deal to release the album together with the Sweden Rock Magazine here in Sweden. And we were asked to make a cover of Black Sabbath since they were releasing the new album at the same time. So we sat down and had a quite long discussion about which song we should make, but we finally decided for “COTG” since that was a song we all love. And we couldn’t make a Sabbath Reunion-tribute with a song from the Dio-era. That would be kinda weird.
Where did the recordings of the album take place and who took care of the production? Is there anything you’d like to change at long last?
D: The majority of the instruments are recorded in my apartment actually. It’s only the drums that I can’t do here. Mainly because I don’t wanna piss off my neighbours. So the drums were recorded in Studio Abyss by Jonas Kjellgren (Scar Symmetry,Raubtier). Then he took care of the mixing of the album. We did not interfere anything in the mixing at all almost, just asked for small changes when we had gotten the first raw mix. I think the list of changes was not even a written page of points. It feels kinda safe to let Jonas handle the stuff, he’s just awesome. Now afterwards I don’t think there is anything I would really wanna change... at least nothing that would be very noticeable.
Are there any plans of releasing any official video anytime soon? If yes, for which one of the songs?
D: There are plans for it, and we have recorded some material already but it’s not enough to make an interesting video. But it will come for sure... later.
How did the cooperation with Despotz records occur? Are you happy so far by the label’s support? You’re probably used to a different way of doing things since you were part of a big metal label in the past, isn’t it so? Or things are the same no matter what?
D: We were recommended to them by a friend. It’s a small scaled company, but they work along with bigger ones at the side. The whole cooperation was indeed a whole lot different than working with a major label, but it has been really easy to do it. I don’t know exactly how it is to work directly towards a record-company since this has always been handled by others before, but I must say that it has been a nice experience so far.
What do you wish to achieve with Civil War in the future? Is “The Killer Angels” just the beginning?
D: We don’t have any set goals for world domination or something like that. We just want to do something that we love. “The Killer Angels” was definitely only the start of it, so there will be more for sure.
What do you think about that digital/downloading trend of our time? What’s there for a band when most people are downloading their albums and do not even care to listen to them most of the times? What shall change so as to make it through?
D: Downloading has both good and bad sides. In many cases people download an album to determine if it’s good or bad. But mostly they don’t bother to actually buy it. But the chance that they go to a concert and buy a shirt increases instead. Nowadays music can reach people for free and in a matter of minutes, which was impossible before. So today’s bands are in much more need of touring and selling shirts than it was before. You can’t just live out of record sales. On the other hand, it makes touring harder also since you have no statistics in the countries. It’s hard to talk a promoter into making a gig in a country where you have only sold 500 albums for example. But today 500 albums doesn’t mean that you have 500 fans only... there can be 50000 fans there, but they “don't exist” somehow in statistics.
It’s time for the Weird Questions now!!! Which is the music style you can’t stand listening to at all and why?
D: I can listen to all kinds of music. But when it comes to Reggae and Blues I’m getting a hard time. I can enjoy maybe one or two songs at most... but then my brain shuts down totally and I can’t stand it anymore.
How do you see that new incidents across Europe and in Sweden concerning the immigrants and the crimes we have on both sides? What must change? Can music re-unite the population in Europe or we need something else?
D: Music is a great way to unite people, but I don’t think you can do it with only that. I think it’s almost impossible to make the world perfect in this way. There will always be misunderstandings and conflicts between people... at least for as long as mankind exists.
Which is the record you wish you had written and why??
D: Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon”. Because then I would be filthy stinking rich, and have a good reason to be proud of that!
Name 3 top metal releases that influenced the whole genre…
D: Black Sabbath – “Paranoid”. The song “Paranoid” sets a kind of new sound. Could be one of the first metal riffs ever. Feels like it was here that it turned from Heavy Rock into Heavy Metal.
Helloween – “Keeper of the Seven Keys 1&2”. I count this as one album somehow, maybe because it was supposed to be a double-album at fist. But I guess I don’t have to say much about it. The album that formed the foundation of what we call Power Metal.
Iron Maiden – “Number of the Beast”. Probably one of the most influential and classic metal-albums ever. They somehow set a standard for the future generations of heavy metal. Probably one of the few albums that you always rank high whether you’re into Heavy metal or a die-hard Grind Core-fan.
Were you obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that would represent the whole human music evolution, which album would it be and from which band/artist?
D: Strapping Young Lad – “SYL” for sure. With a greeting that we are friendly and peaceful, but we can this pissed off if you mess with us. I guess it wouldn’t represent our musical evolution, more about that we can actually be peaceful and produce such “hatred” for entertainment.
What are those 3 songs that anyone who hates metal music could hear on the radio and won’t even bother to re-tune?
D: “Nothing else Matters” by Metallica (Comment needed?), “Wind of Change” by Scorpions (OK, not very metal but close enough), “You Suffer” by Napalm Death (they wouldn’t even get the chance to change station there)… (i.n.: Hehehe…)
If you had the chance to travel in time… where would you choose to go? To the past or the future and why?
D: I think I would take a look into the future actually to see where mankind is going and how things will turn out. I wouldn’t wanna go back to change things in the past, because that would probably fuck up the present time quite a lot. And if I can go to the future I would be able to see what lotto numbers I’d have to play on to win.
Why is rock/metal (any kind) music better than sex… if it is…
D: Because it’s very OK in the eyes of other people to pay for Rock/Metal music…
Imagine that your wife/girlfriend is selling your whole album-collection just to buy an expensive ring for herself. How would you react?
D: I would be very surprised actually, since she’s the kind of girl that would most probably sell her ring to get an album collection instead.
Thx for the music, Daniel! Take care…
D: Thanks! We feel very happy about it, and the response from people and media has been way beyond our expectations.
Do tell us… why did you first record “Carolus Rex” and then you decided to walk away? What happened in the very end? I’m sure the fans would like to hear both sides and since here on Grande Rock we have presented Pär’s point of view, it’d be good to hear your perspective as well…
D: We left for different reasons. I can’t really speak on the behalf of the others. But I was the last one to leave the band, and it was because I didn’t find the motivation to go on without the others. I felt like that Sabaton wasn’t the same band or could ever become that again.
I bet it was a stressful year for all of you in the band right? Please tell us …how did the idea of forming Civil War come out?
D: It was quite stressful indeed. But it was mostly because we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to make the EP and the album in such a short time. The idea to form Civil War came only a few days after we had left Sabaton. We just sat down and talked about what to do now. We had no idea at the time that we were starting a new band, but it had crossed our minds. But when the rumor came out that we had left the band Patrik got the news from a common friend that we were planning on starting something new, so he hinted that it would be fun to maybe do something together. We had already got an offer from Pizza to play with us if we came up with something. So suddenly we had a complete line-up for the band. So all we had to do was to come up with a name and start writing songs.
With which criteria did you choose the vocalist and the bassist that you wanted to work with? How did Nils Patrik Johansson (voice) & Stefan “Pizza” Eriksson (bass) become part of the band?
D: We had no thoughts or criteria at all. It just became like this. We had of course mentioned Patrik in our discussions but we thought he was too busy with his other stuff. But then we got in contact with him and it was no question about it. We wanted what we got. Pizza came in a bit earlier after a small meeting at the local food store with Rikard, where he just said that he could play some bass if we needed it.
What influenced you in order to call the band Civil War and what kind of music did you have in mind to play since day one?
D: It was Patrick’s that came up with the name. He just thought it was weird that no one had taken it before. And there’s a bit of meaning behind it since we’re half the band from Falun and the other half from Borlänge which has a bit of a rivalry story behind them. So it’s a bit of a civil war going on in the band... but it’s a very friendly one. It was never a question of what we wanted to play. It was metal all the way. Why do something different really… it’s something we all love to play and listen to.
Weren’t you afraid at any point that the fans might start compare you with Sabaton as you were going on?
D: We knew it was more or less impossible to avoid being compared with Sabaton, so we didn’t really care about it. We write stuff that we like. If it sounds like Sabaton it’s fine with us, and if it doesn’t... who cares?
Thus let’s leave the past behind. What do Civil War have to offer musically to the epic heavy/power metal scene?
D: We offer epic heavy/power metal! Nothing more, nothing less. I can’t say that we bring something new or spectacular to the scene. But apparently we have done it good, according to the reactions we’ve gotten.
What does the album’s title “The Killer Angels” declare?
D: It’s from the book with the same name that’s written by Michael Shaara. The working title of the album was “Gettysburg” but we didn’t feel like just singing about one certain theme. But we felt like sticking to the “original” in a way so we found out about this book.
Do give us a hint about each one of the songs…
D: “King of the Sun”: It’s about the Inca/Maya-natives. A bit of a rise and fall song embedded in some typical DIO-like metal.
“First to Fight”: It’s about the polish G.R.O.M elite force. They’re quite famous to doing a lot of dangerous operations that others don’t really want to perform. A bit more thrashy in a way, without being too thrashy.
“Saint Patrick’s Day”: It’s a short story of St. Patrick. Don’'t think I need to say that much about it. A song with some traditional Irish folk-influences.
“Rome is Falling”: A love letter from a roman soldier that is going out to what he knows will be his last battle. Also the first song that we finished as Civil War.
“Sons of Avalon”: Traditional power-metal lyrics mixed with quite traditional power-metal music. Fast song that requires quite some effort from Mullback behind the drums.
“I Will Rule the Universe”: The first song we had finished for the album. Heavy metal about Napoleon Bonaparte... with some small Sabaton-ish hints...
“Lucifer’s Court”: The track that kinda sticks out on the album somehow. A synth intro that brings the thoughts back to 90s Edguy. The story is based around Otto Rahn, a German officer whose main task was to search for treasures and artifacts like The Holy Grail and the Lost Arch. A real life version of Indiana Jones. Also said to be the inspiration for that very character. But not confirmed.
“Brother Judas”: Heavy and atmospherical. One of the earlier songs that was written for the album.
“My Own Worst Enemy”: The last song to be finished. It was written in more or less one evening, then we just arranged it and sent the song to Patrik so he could put some vocals on it. Power-metal in your face.
“Gettysburg”: The finishing song, and also supposed to be the title-track in a way. Has some progressive elements.
How did you come up with the idea to cover Sabbath’s “Children of the Grave” and offer it as a bonus track?
D: We had the deal to release the album together with the Sweden Rock Magazine here in Sweden. And we were asked to make a cover of Black Sabbath since they were releasing the new album at the same time. So we sat down and had a quite long discussion about which song we should make, but we finally decided for “COTG” since that was a song we all love. And we couldn’t make a Sabbath Reunion-tribute with a song from the Dio-era. That would be kinda weird.
Where did the recordings of the album take place and who took care of the production? Is there anything you’d like to change at long last?
D: The majority of the instruments are recorded in my apartment actually. It’s only the drums that I can’t do here. Mainly because I don’t wanna piss off my neighbours. So the drums were recorded in Studio Abyss by Jonas Kjellgren (Scar Symmetry,Raubtier). Then he took care of the mixing of the album. We did not interfere anything in the mixing at all almost, just asked for small changes when we had gotten the first raw mix. I think the list of changes was not even a written page of points. It feels kinda safe to let Jonas handle the stuff, he’s just awesome. Now afterwards I don’t think there is anything I would really wanna change... at least nothing that would be very noticeable.
Are there any plans of releasing any official video anytime soon? If yes, for which one of the songs?
D: There are plans for it, and we have recorded some material already but it’s not enough to make an interesting video. But it will come for sure... later.
How did the cooperation with Despotz records occur? Are you happy so far by the label’s support? You’re probably used to a different way of doing things since you were part of a big metal label in the past, isn’t it so? Or things are the same no matter what?
D: We were recommended to them by a friend. It’s a small scaled company, but they work along with bigger ones at the side. The whole cooperation was indeed a whole lot different than working with a major label, but it has been really easy to do it. I don’t know exactly how it is to work directly towards a record-company since this has always been handled by others before, but I must say that it has been a nice experience so far.
What do you wish to achieve with Civil War in the future? Is “The Killer Angels” just the beginning?
D: We don’t have any set goals for world domination or something like that. We just want to do something that we love. “The Killer Angels” was definitely only the start of it, so there will be more for sure.
Are there any immediate tour plans? How possible is it to see you one day touring along with Sabaton?
D: There are touring planned at this very moment, and we’ll have more festivals and things coming up. Nothing is 100% set yet, but it’s gonna happen in the beginning of 2014. I don’t know if we’ll make a tour with Sabaton or anything... right now we just fell like starting off at our own pace.
D: There are touring planned at this very moment, and we’ll have more festivals and things coming up. Nothing is 100% set yet, but it’s gonna happen in the beginning of 2014. I don’t know if we’ll make a tour with Sabaton or anything... right now we just fell like starting off at our own pace.
What do you think about that digital/downloading trend of our time? What’s there for a band when most people are downloading their albums and do not even care to listen to them most of the times? What shall change so as to make it through?
D: Downloading has both good and bad sides. In many cases people download an album to determine if it’s good or bad. But mostly they don’t bother to actually buy it. But the chance that they go to a concert and buy a shirt increases instead. Nowadays music can reach people for free and in a matter of minutes, which was impossible before. So today’s bands are in much more need of touring and selling shirts than it was before. You can’t just live out of record sales. On the other hand, it makes touring harder also since you have no statistics in the countries. It’s hard to talk a promoter into making a gig in a country where you have only sold 500 albums for example. But today 500 albums doesn’t mean that you have 500 fans only... there can be 50000 fans there, but they “don't exist” somehow in statistics.
It’s time for the Weird Questions now!!! Which is the music style you can’t stand listening to at all and why?
D: I can listen to all kinds of music. But when it comes to Reggae and Blues I’m getting a hard time. I can enjoy maybe one or two songs at most... but then my brain shuts down totally and I can’t stand it anymore.
How do you see that new incidents across Europe and in Sweden concerning the immigrants and the crimes we have on both sides? What must change? Can music re-unite the population in Europe or we need something else?
D: Music is a great way to unite people, but I don’t think you can do it with only that. I think it’s almost impossible to make the world perfect in this way. There will always be misunderstandings and conflicts between people... at least for as long as mankind exists.
Which is the record you wish you had written and why??
D: Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon”. Because then I would be filthy stinking rich, and have a good reason to be proud of that!
Name 3 top metal releases that influenced the whole genre…
D: Black Sabbath – “Paranoid”. The song “Paranoid” sets a kind of new sound. Could be one of the first metal riffs ever. Feels like it was here that it turned from Heavy Rock into Heavy Metal.
Helloween – “Keeper of the Seven Keys 1&2”. I count this as one album somehow, maybe because it was supposed to be a double-album at fist. But I guess I don’t have to say much about it. The album that formed the foundation of what we call Power Metal.
Iron Maiden – “Number of the Beast”. Probably one of the most influential and classic metal-albums ever. They somehow set a standard for the future generations of heavy metal. Probably one of the few albums that you always rank high whether you’re into Heavy metal or a die-hard Grind Core-fan.
Were you obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that would represent the whole human music evolution, which album would it be and from which band/artist?
D: Strapping Young Lad – “SYL” for sure. With a greeting that we are friendly and peaceful, but we can this pissed off if you mess with us. I guess it wouldn’t represent our musical evolution, more about that we can actually be peaceful and produce such “hatred” for entertainment.
What are those 3 songs that anyone who hates metal music could hear on the radio and won’t even bother to re-tune?
D: “Nothing else Matters” by Metallica (Comment needed?), “Wind of Change” by Scorpions (OK, not very metal but close enough), “You Suffer” by Napalm Death (they wouldn’t even get the chance to change station there)… (i.n.: Hehehe…)
If you had the chance to travel in time… where would you choose to go? To the past or the future and why?
D: I think I would take a look into the future actually to see where mankind is going and how things will turn out. I wouldn’t wanna go back to change things in the past, because that would probably fuck up the present time quite a lot. And if I can go to the future I would be able to see what lotto numbers I’d have to play on to win.
Why is rock/metal (any kind) music better than sex… if it is…
D: Because it’s very OK in the eyes of other people to pay for Rock/Metal music…
Imagine that your wife/girlfriend is selling your whole album-collection just to buy an expensive ring for herself. How would you react?
D: I would be very surprised actually, since she’s the kind of girl that would most probably sell her ring to get an album collection instead.
Thx for the music, Daniel! Take care…