Interview with Carl-Gustav Karlsson (Protector, Sarcastic, ex-Mastema, ex-Author Of Pain, ex-Grief Of Emerald,
ex-Con (live))
Hail Carl-Gustav, you are very welcome to my small weblog, Archangel’s Lantern! How and when did you enjoy the metal community?
Which one(s) was/were your first musical stuff? (cassette/vinyl) What hard rock/metal band did you see live first?
Which one(s) was/were your first musical stuff? (cassette/vinyl) What hard rock/metal band did you see live first?
- Hello Georgius and Archangel’s Lantern, thank you so much for inviting me for this fantastic blog.
Well I started to listen to a copied cassette that my cousin gave me. On the first side it was Bruce Springsteen and the other side it was Twisted Sister the album "Stay Hungry". I was totally sold on the raw sound from Twisted Sister and bought the album directly on vinyl. Afterwards I started to gain interest for metal and tried to buy an album every month. It was everything between W.A.S.P., Judas Priest to Metallica. Metallica was a breakthrough to more extreme music and soon after that I gained to Kreator, Possessed and Morbid Angel. The first band I experienced live was a concert on a local youth center. I think it was Nosferatu, Malicious Decay (Mastema) and some local smaller bands.
When did you start to play the drums? Which drummers/bands were your influences in the beginning? Do you have nowadays some favourite ones? What was your first band? Would you be so kind briefly share some thoughts about Swedish scene those days (especially from your area, Strömstad)?
- I started to play some guitar in primary school I think it was in forth grade. I see very fast that I couldn’t catch up with the other musicians in school so I quit guitar and started to play drums. We had a band at the time that was called Terror Zone after the Kreator song. We were influenced by Dissection that lived in our town and had the opportunity to see them rehearse and hang with them at the youth center where also the rehearsing room was located. Of course I was inspired from Ole Öhman and Tobbe Kjellgren but in my opinion Pete "Commando" Sandoval is the biggest drummer in extreme music.
We had lots of gigs in our area everything from extreme metal to some rock music. Jon Nödtveidt was very driven and arranged very cool gigs in our area. The music community was fantastic between 1989-2004 and you could see bands as Grotesque, Entombed, Mega Slaughter, Carbonized, Dark Tranquillity. We had also lot of contests called Rock of Bohuslän that the youth center arranged. But after that the music really died in Strömstad. I actually moved 8 miles to Uddevalla because the lack of interest ... and after 9 years I have also moved back to Strömstad but the music scene in town is quite dead. We have some active bands in rock music but there is nearly no extreme music at all. I have some old friends of mine, that still are into extreme music and they tried to arrange 2012-2013 Metal legacy with bands like Mayhem, Nifelheim, Marduk, Destruction, Belphegor. But the second time they had really problem with the economy so I don’t know if they are gonna try one more ore not. The scene today in general has grown in Sweden there are a lot of gigs and festivals. The main problem is that there are a lot of bands that just play music and sometimes you wonder, if they really should be on stage. They have no passion and sometimes you really wonder if they really mean and stand for their words.
Tell to the readers more about your previous awesome hordes, as Author of Pain, Mastema, Sarcastic, Grief of Emerald, M Ä B E, Third Stone From The Sun.
- Mäbe Mathias Johansson is an old session guitarist of Dissection. He is one of my best friends and we have always been sharing the passion for music. We have had different projects and bands during the years. We have done a lot of music experiments, like Third Stone From The Sun, that was more punk-rock and Nosferatu that evolved from Death metal to some kind of melodic slow pace metal.
M Ä B E are also a Swedish rock band that I have been active in and we have released two records together. M Ä B E is still active but after I suffered from some shoulder problems and less time, I had to leave the band at that moment.
We have also a Thrash metal band called Sarcastic. I joined the band somewhere between 2004- 2006. We are still active but do not rehearse. We are actually planning to release a record through To the Death Records and there will be a mixture of old stuff and new one.
Author Of Pain was a Death/black metal band that started somewhere in 1993 and where located in Strömstad. We released three demo tapes:
1. 1998/3=666
2. Seven Gates
3.The Christian Doom.
We where very inspired by Dissection and Marduk. The band dispatched 2002 after Erik Beast Electric joined Swordmaster and Deathstars.
Mastema is an old band where you can find all music elements of Death, Thrash, Black metal. The band moved from Strömstad to Uddevalla and I joined the band in 2000. The band has had lot of members from Lord Belial, Grief of Emerald, Soul Reaper, Swordmaster.
Mastema has always been really underground band and has released only four demos. It's really shame that the band has dispatched. I don’t know if the flame is still there or not. But the music is incredible.
Grief of Emerald is a Death black metal band with elements of Morbid Angel and since the band used keyboards it has always been compared to Dimmu Borgir. There are many that not give the band a chance and that is really a shame. I've joined the band for a tour in 2001 and have been in the band to 2014. I have also written some lyrics to the last two records and I think the band is killer. After some serious problems with my shoulder as I told you earlier I had to calm down my drumming after an operation and I am still training and rehabilitate to gain speed again. I am on my way in the right direction. And my shoulder doesn’t hurt so much anymore.
I’ve found on Encyclopaedia Metallum, that you played at live with CON. ( I like so much this horde and can’t wait to listen to their debut album). Enlighten us please about this Occult Alliance. How were the live performances with them? It would be amazing a common European tour of Protector/CON in the future.
- Pontus Norman mailed me and asked if I could join the band. It's many years’ since now. And I don’t really know if the band will play some gigs or not in the future, but I really hope so, because as you said we are sharing the Essence of Darkness and have many same thoughts. Lets see what the future brings.
Protector and CON are not in the same chapter music wise and I think CON must be more spiritual and play with such bands.
- Yeahh, it was awesome. I remember we rehearsed five times and after that we went right into the studio. Neither there are nor so many drummers in our region so I love to help out and do what I can to help bands and be supportive.
When and how did you meet Martin Missy? Unfortunately I don’t know too much information about the beginning of Martin Missy and the Protectors. Would you be so kind to speak about it?
- Well, Martin Missy and I have had a common friend called Jonas Svensson, who lived in Uddevalla. After a concert with Nifelheim in Stockholm Martin and Jonas discussed Protector and Jonas told to Martin that he should do a reunion with Protector. Martin said, that it should be difficult but Jonas cracked the idea of a cover band. And told, that he will get members for him... Martin: "yeah, let's see if you find someones..." after that I visited Jonas on an after-party in Uddevalla there was playing some music on his stereo and since I have listened to also Protector in early age and it is one of my top gems in Thrash metal, it turns out, that I recognized the music and we just talked about Protector the whole evening. Jonas called me after 2-3 weeks and told me the idea. Of course I joined directly and after that I called Mike that also has been in Mastema and we started to rehearse. The best thing of all was the first time we rehearsed with Martin and saw his look on his face, he was really impressed. After that we did some small gigs in Sweden to test the songs live and see how it felt. After that we played in Germany, Finland, Norway and around for 6 years. Somewhere between the gigs we discussed making new songs and well suddenly we started to make new material. And after contact the old members and ask for permission, in August 2011 the Protectors recorded a 4-track-rehearsal, which one was released on the 8th of October 2011 under the name Protector. This date marked the rebirth of Protector at Hell Inside festival.
(Tom Angelripper of Sodom/Onkel Tom Angelripper, Jonas Svensson and Carl-Gustav Karlsson)
I’m an old fan of Protector since 1988/89 and for me it’s really great feeling that Martin with you returned under the glorious banner of Protector. Which Protector tracks/albums are your favourites from old releases?
- Misanthropy (the whole mini-album), Apocalyptic Revelations, Protector Of Death, Nothing Has Changed, Urm the Mad.
Unfortunately I couldn’t listen to following releases with You yet, as "The Return of Thrash and Madness" (demo), "In the Vein of Blackened Steel" (Split), "Merciless Metal Onslaught "(Split) but "Reanimated Homunculus" definitely is one of my favourite albums of 2013. Are you satisfied with these works?
- Well we wanted it to sound old school and I think we have accomplished that so I am quit satisfied with all the recordings, all of them has different qualities but they sound ok.
As I’ve written on my review on Hungarian Kronos Mortus webzine, your new release, "Cursed and Coronated" is simply brilliant job. What are your favourite tracks from new stuff? What are your plans for this year? It is possible, as we could see you live near my region, Slovakia/Hungary?
- Well my favourite track are Xenophobia and Selfdestrugtion really pure Thrash stuff. We try to play in Europe and hope that maybe someone will contact us for a show that would be awesome. We travel often by car because Martin is afraid of flights but anything is possible.
Archangel’s Lantern is Eternally dedicated for Jon Andreas Nödtveidt. In our private conversation we talked a little bit about him. Would you be so kind to tell your opinion about Jon, as person/ musician? Please Revive a few remembrances with him!
- Jon Nödtveidt is a fantastic musician both vocals and as guitarist and writer. He was one of a kind. But I also want to make a statement that the Essence of Dissection also lays on the other members especially on The Somberlain and Storm Of The Lights Bane. I mean you could not do such records without Ole, John, Peter and Johan. Every musician has his own style, so I would say that he couldn’t do it with the rest of the members. I think people should give more gratitude to the whole band.
Jon was a really nice person. He and Ole inspired me to start playing music. One time he invited me to play drums at his rehearsing room. I was twelve, I think. You can imagine how it felt to play drums at some riff that he was jamming. I think I practiced 8 hours per day after that session. So he really get me started. He was really supportive. If I don’t remember wrong, I think that I bought a copied cassette from him where some Protector songs were recorded.
Tack så mycket, Carl-Gustav! Wish you all the Best with Protector! Please send your message, to the readers of Archangel’s Lantern.
- Thank you so much for this great interview and the opportunity and everyone who are reading this. Check out my band Protector and the new record, called "Cursed and Coronated" or my other projects new and old. Hails!
Important links:
Mastema: facebook.com/thetruemastema/?fref=ts
Author Of Pain: facebook.com/AUTHOR-OF-PAIN-258859854139311/?fref=ts
Grief Of Emerald: facebook.com/Grief-of-emerald-205899279441696/?fref=ts
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