R13: Are you up for this interview, not too tired ?
MM: Oh no, no, no it's fine. You know I slept half an hour on the plane. It's a new country, a new city every day. I took a week of vacation from my work to do this. It's just an opportunity of a lifetime to do this, to fly.
R13: A bit of a return to the past. In may 2004 the band split up.. what happened?
MM: Back in 2004.. We had to promote our "Re-mastered" album. We got an offer to play in a Rockfest back in 2002 and it was great! And we said let's just get a professional manager, so we did and it was Ola Bang from King Diamonds, cause we toured with them in the past and he's a great guy. So he started working with us and he continued to book festivals throughout the summer. We called it the Summer of Doom. It was great to go out and play the old songs. The first gig was in a basket ball hall in Athens, which sold out 2,000 people and we hadn't released a new album with the original line-up in like years so it was great to be able to do that. But we never said we would do a new album.
We started e-mailing each other but it's not like the best start. But it's a new age and we starting e-mailing. We never did that before as there was no e-mail.
It's not a good idea to e-mail and when you have different opinions about stuff and like me and Leif (bass) always have different opinions about everything so sometimes it turns ugly.
You just can't agree on stuff and try to discuss it through e-mail was a really bad idea. You can't see the expression on the faces, you can't hear the tone of the voice.
R13: So it was just a question of misunderstanding each other
MM: Yeah! It was a really big misunderstanding. The reason why I left the band in the first place (before the first split) was actually a big misunderstanding. But it would have split up anyway because there was such a bad vibe in the band and we've been doing so much touring, support tours. We were never getting any money from the records because everything was going on the tour support and it was just pretty miserable back then so it would have split up anyway.
The misunderstanding was the reason why I quit because I heard from the manager that they wanted to change my vocals, actually the guys wanted me just to sing more like I do live. He told me he wanted me to start screaming. I said no way I’m a singer. But when we started talking at the end of the reunion shows about doing a new album, mailing each other we couldn’t agree on anything: cover, logo and when to record, who to record with, where, etc.
And when we said why not split up the band and keep the good memories with all the festivals, the gigs and the fantastic reaction we had to it. Just for the people to remember us as a great band from the past.
Three months later a friend got married and we all were there cause we're friends. It's not like we don't like each other it's just that we have different opinions and the e-mailing got out of hand. Someone said "shall we go and play some instruments?"
Leif started writing songs, bad times and stuff, money problems. Depression is always the best way to write songs! (laughs)
So he played them in front of Mats and he said these songs are fantastic! They really sound like Candlemass! Then I heard about this and I was like "Oh No, Not again". Made me think about the fans that were waiting so long to hear an album by the original line-up. That made me think that I really have to change my attitude to be able to do this.
So that's what I said to the guys. We sat down, no more e-mails. We agreed on all the issues and it was recorded in 10 days.
R13: And you're on pretty good label as well (Nuclear Blast)
MM: They gave us a great background with top priority on their label. We will do anything we can to put Candlemass to the next level and make the band a bigger one and to make people be able to see us live.
R13: What do you enjoy the most: being on tour or festivals?
MM: Erm both. Gigs are more intimate and you have your fans there, they sing along, it's just great. During festivals your fans are there but there are also people who never heard about you before. My main concern is to have the audience interacting with the band. Just want to make people have worth their money.
R13: How did you record your new album?
MM: We recorded it in a special way... It was something new. We all got together in the same room and recorded it. It has a special energy, it's played from the heart. Its doom but it's also a very metal album, very heavy. There are up-tempo songs, the tempo is changing IN the songs.
R13: What are your worst memories so far on tour?
MM: It was in America during our Reunion Tour. We spent weeks in the tour bus. WE never got a hotel room. Our manager was really kind and let us use his bathroom. He offered us to take a shower. The odours etc... It was pretty bad.
R13: and the best?
MM: Just touring and seeing the fans. That's the best part of it.
R13: Any forthcoming festivals or tour?
MM : Erm no festivals unfortunately but a tour this autumn.
R13: Thanks a lot for this interview!
MM: Thank you. It's been a pleasure.