Really gone this time around, and it was slipping away on their former release, is the metal influence on the album. This time around it is strictly about emotion -- an emotion created through mood and atmosphere. While the guitars haven't left the music, they are by no means the low distorted stringed instrument one is used to in extreme metal. Instead they aren't tuned down and offer very simple slow or slightly faster leads. Don't worry that the rest of the music isn't heavy, the double bass pounds away and the bass keeps the darkened atmosphere alive. I suppose really this album is more "dark" than it is "heavy." The slow lumbering melody or the low synth flowing in the background, and Johan's somewhat eerie, yet clean, vocals contribute to the dark and almost haunting feeling in this album.

A heavy presence of keyboards may turn many away, but it truly does offer a very nice touch to the music. It's not always certain what sound the various synths are providing, as it blends together with the other instruments to create one very solid sound. Those other instruments this time around include a violin, cello, flute, citar, and oboe. The end result is a very electronic sound, but one that doesn't sound sequenced; a sound which is very alive with diversity and rich with experimentation.

It isn't metal and that is a good thing. The music has been pushed to a different level where the flowing ambience of layered sound forms a relaxing atmosphere yet still manages to involve you in the message of the music -- which is nonetheless quite depressing. A progression for Tiamat that is both new to this scene and impressive. While the style of music isn't necessarily unique, it does stand as an excellent recording. If you like atmosphere then you won't be disappointed with this album. If you're unsure if you like atmosphere then this will certainly settle your mind on the issue, and if you simply don't like this kind of music, then you should give it another try with "A Deeper Kind Of Slumber".

Tiamat is:

• Johan Edlund - Vocals / Guitar /Keyboards
• Thomas Petersson - Electronic And Acoustic Guitars
• Anders Iwers - Bass
• Lars Sköld - Drums

August 1997

Q: In your words describe the theme of the [new] album?

A: [...] I will leave that to the journalists. I feel quite comfortable just playing [the songs].

Q: Can you comment on the musical direction of the album?

A: I don't know, I think on this album we tried quite a lot of different stuff, and I don't really know what will be... I think we will go in one of those directions, I don't know which one yet. [...]

Q: What changes in influence did you have since previous recordings?

A: The main thing was that this time I had my own studio, like a project home studio. And I wrote the songs there, and I was quite much depending on the equipment [...] it was a big difference from earlier records, where we mostly jammed the song in the rehearsal place.

Q: Do you find it gave you [a better ability] to do different things than before?

A: Yes, it has a lot of advantages, maybe sometimes I could miss the rehearsing, but it was fun to try this. I'm not sure this is going to be the way I will work forever in the future, but it seemed to be a good idea.

Q: I noticed now you [added more permanently] the two other members to the band, where before they were just session musicians. They are actually members now, that'd be Iwers, Skold and Petersson.

A: To be honest when we had this older bass player, we had a few years ago. I think he was more the one who did not want to let them be full members. So when he [left] the band I thought I'd offer, because I didn't have a problem with them being full time members.

Q: I sort of noticed you almost made a trade with Cemetary for Iwers with Hagel (NOTE: Hagel's now in Lodmalm's new band Sundown). What's you relation to that band (or former band)?

A: Yeah, we know them very well. I talked to Mathias of Sundown two days after I kicked out [Johnny Hagel] and then he just told me about his problem and he got to know that Johnny was free so he just called him up.

Q: How did you get to know Dirk Draeger, and how did he end up producing this new album?

A: He did a Morgoth Album, one of the guitar players from Morgoth is our manager, okay, so we asked him to check it out, I met him some months before the recording as to see if we could work together, and everything seemed to be really cool. We have the same musical tastes.

Q: What type of music are you listening to lately?

A: Mostly electronic stuff, since I got into working with this kind of equipment, I got really into bands like Chemical Brothers and stuff.

Q: Do you think the music will hold more a direction into the electronic area as I noticed "Deeper Kind Of Slumber" does have a lot of that kind of feel to is as is?

A: I will for sure work more with this stuff in the future, but I think what I do with the equipment might be totally different [than what some techno bands do]. Which is totally cool that you can use all that computer hardware without sounding the same as another band.

Q: So do you find that many of the eletronic bands do start sounding the same after a while?

A: I don't know, I just want to do it a little bit different.

Q: Do you find you are still trying to distinguish [Tiamat] from other bands of similiar genres, or do you find the music has gone far enough to make a distinct style at this point?

A: I think so, I'm not sure what other people think.

Q: When you're sitting down and writing the lyrics for these [songs] where do the ideas come from?

A: This time it was quite easy, I was writing all the songs in my own living room and I just broke up with a girlfriend I had for quite a few years. When I sit in my living room I might have an argument over the phone, [... then] I have all this stuff in front of me, so it gets very easily transformed from my personal life down to songs. [...]

I worked with all the songs at the same time, opening one song, going back to another. Having everything in the computer. I guess what I'm striving for is to set the mood, and maybe do some kind of soundtrack from a nightmare, I don't know.

Q: Most of your older stuff is a lot more technical in nature. This is more emotional in nature. Is that what you tried to go for?

A: I think it's really fun to play with people's emotions, to use little symbols and things, hide things within the words, or in the music, add things people may hear when they listen [with] headphones, or you know, just fuck with people's minds. That's fun.

Q: How will this affect your stage show then, the newer direction in music?

A: We always work with projectors and stuff, showing pictures and patterns behind the drum kit. This time we're also painting ourselves with glowing phosphoric colors. We all take part in the light show actually.

Q: What are the upcoming touring plans?

A: We're going to do a European headline tour that starts in the end of September. We've been doing festivals the whole summer and that's about it.

Q: Do you plan on coming back to North America for a tour?

A: I don't know, the record is just released there, it might take another half year or so.

Q: Do you find that your older fans, say back from the days of Sumerian Cry or Astral Sleep are accepting the new style as well, or do think a lot of them have left?

A: I know that a lot of our older fans won't accept this new album. I got accused on this album... it seems like some people think we do this to offend people, and that's not really the case.

Q: Do you think that your new fans would listen to the older music as well?

A: I don't know really know, it's really mixed and I can't really see how a typical Tiamat fan would look like.

Q: How do you deal with the older fans' continuous complaints and whining about the music?

A: I try not to care, but this summer was quite hard because we played a lot of those festivals with mainly heavy metal bands, we are still on this label based on this kind of music. And sometimes I have the feeling that even they may not support us when we go further with the music, so it has been quite hard to convince people that this is the right thing.

Q: In the future, looking towards the next album or something, if the situation doesn't change may you have to look for a new label?

A: Well, to be honest that's exactly how I feel at the moment. Before we released the record I was told that they were totally behind us and they knew that this was a bit different but they would do everything to promote it right, now they see that it may be more difficult than they thought and then they start to get it a bit to us and that maybe we should consider to take one step back, and if the label tells me to take one step back I'll seriously think about getting a new label.

Q: What other bands do you know of doing the same style of music?

A: I have no clue at all, I wish I knew.

Q: You said you didn't really know which direction you'd go, but you may choose one style or a couple from this album and push them further in the future?

A: Exactly, but I'm not sure... we tried quite a lot of different things on this album, maybe now, this was recorded January this year, and maybe now I see some things work better than others.

Q: I notice there were a lot of sessional musicians - this time for things such as a flute or violin, do you find they really enhance the music and will you use more instruments in the future?

A: Yes, as a musician this is making dreams come true, in the studio it is fun to be able to bring in extra musicians if you get the idea for it. I guess this was the first time we could actually afford it.

Q: This time around you co-produced the album, is there a chance that next time around you'll be the producer?

A: I would say there is quite a big chance of that. I had the feeling that if I don't let producers make decisions anyways then it's quite meaningless to have another producer. [...]

I believe that if I write the songs then I have a vision in my head about how it shall sound and no one can get really really close to that, even the best producer can never imagine exactly what I'm thinking. So if I can learn more about the equipment and how to technical-wise produce then I will go for it myself.

Q: Will you do as others have done and on the next album leave the rest of the band and basically do the album yourself?

A: I don't think so, the musicians I have now I could use them very well as tools because we know each other so well, so they undrstand what I want, and I've been working with Thomas, the guitar player, for such a long time, I can make him play the stuff I'm thinking of, which is really cool.

Q: Where was Thomas for the last album, I noticed he's come back this album be he wasn't around for a while, what was the situation with that?

A: When he was in the band before, we were more like four guys having to vote about every little decision to be made, then it changed a bit and now he's more back as a musician. We don't argue, we know where we are.

Q: Do you do any work with other bands at the moment?

A: No, I would like to, but nobody ever asks me. I would like to maybe produce another band, for learning, maybe do remixes for bands, but so far nobody asks.

Q: Do you hope to expand your own studio to the point where it can accomodate the recording of other bands as well?

A: Yes, I just recorded a B-side for our next single, which was completely recorded in my own studio. Maybe our next record I might even record everything at home.

Q: Which single did you just do?

A: A: This will be the "Whores Of Babylon". The B-Side for it. [...]