Interview with Scheitan: ‘Age Teaches Us To See The World From Another Perspective’
Originally formed in 1996, Swedish band Scheitan began its journey blending Black-Metal with touches of Gothic-Rock, creating a sound both intense and haunting. They released three notable albums in the late ’90s. This year, Scheitan has returned to the scene, unveiling their first full-length album in 25 years. Titled “Songs For The Gothic People” and released by The Circle Music, the album leans into Post-Punk influences, layered with melodic elements that build to an exhilarating crescendo. I had the chance to speak with Pierre Törnkvist, the sole driving force behind Scheitan, about the band’s resurrection and this impressive new opus. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)
Q: “Songs For The Gothic People” marks Scheitan’s first new album in 25 years. It seems to represent not just a comeback, but a complete metamorphosis in genre and the evolution into a solo project. Could you share more about this revival and the shifts in genre and influences?
Pierre: Scheitan was a musical project that already back in the late 90’s shifted in style, and to be honest, I think what changed most from our 1999 “Nemesis” album and the new are the vocals. The rest was already there in 1999, maybe not in a clear form like this -and it’s certainly also a musical development but to me there was melodies, lyrical darkness, some slow songs, some up-tempo ones already back then.
Our first album in 1997 one could call a ‘Black-Metal’ album, at least musically but we already shifted gears in 1998 with the 4 more Gothic songs that were on “Berzerk 2000”. And for “Nemesis” the furious tempo was all gone. So, a part of the transition was already made. This was just the finishing touch.
Q: When did you begin working on “Songs For Gothic People” and how did the album ultimately take shape?
Pierre: Well, I was experimenting in the studio, tired of doing the usual screaming stuff and decided to try to sing properly. This was not an easy task since I am 75% deaf since the age of 5 so singing in tune is a challenge. But things got better with time, I practiced a lot and at the same time I wrote the song “Lost In Time”. At first I did not know what to do with the song and was thinking of what to name this ‘project’. But the more I thought about it I felt that this would be a natural continuation of Scheitan, this would be the logical next step.
As I said, the music was already there and now the vocals would be in place. I did not have the opportunity to work with my singing like this back in the day so it could not happen then, and instead it happened now. I was always a fan of the Greek underground scene and when The Circle Music released the last Thou Art Lord-EP I sent the label-boss Maria an e-mail together with the song. She liked it a lot and asked if I wanted to do an album, and the rest is history.
Q: The title is quite explicit, suggesting a clear target audience. Is there a deeper meaning behind it? Can you elaborate on the lyrical themes and influences that shaped the album?
Pierre: About the title, it’s not necessarily aimed at ‘Goth’ people. But rather at people who feel that they do not belong to this world and all the madness that is going on. That, to me, is what goth really represents, not how you look but how you feel. To look at all this insanity from the side, feeling and realizing it’s all wrong. Other than that, the lyrics are very dark and existential. I think this comes naturally with age, when you start experiencing the death of your friends and your parents combined with war and misery everywhere. Age teaches us to see the world from another perspective. And also realizing that life is not a clock spinning around and around but rather an hourglass running out of sand sooner than later did have an impact on the lyrics.
Q: Transitioning from a band to a solo project is a significant change. How did this shift impact your process of composing and producing the songs? What were your greatest challenges and opportunities, as well as your most significant sources of satisfaction and pride?
Pierre: Well, Scheitan was never a ‘band’ anyway. Scheitan was me and Oscar, and that meant it basically was me writing songs and Oscar playing drums. He wrote music in many other musical projects, like The Everdawn and Helltrain but with Scheitain he trusted me 100% with the writing. Of course he did a few riffs here and there but he was usually happy with what I wrote and rarely had any wishes to change anything. And I think that if Oscar had been alive today he would have liked the new album a lot. He was the one introducing me to bands like Fields Of The Nephilim and Sisters Of Mercy from which I obviously have drawn inspiration to create this music.
But what really differs now from back in the day is that I have a studio in my own home, I have such better possibilities to create and record music, that is a huge change. The biggest challenge was the vocals, no doubt, but once I gained the self confidence that I could do it, very much coached during the process by Daniel Bergstrand who mixed the album, I think it moved on quite smoothly. The biggest opportunity is definitely the fact that I have infinite amounts of time in the studio as it is my own. And yes, I am really proud of this album, I have said it before, when I listen to it now there are times that I find it hard to believe that I did this all by myself, that I had this album in me.
Regarding the solo project/band definition I would say that the ‘band’ feeling of Scheitan has never been as strong as it is today after me and Axel started playing live shows together. In the beginning I think both of us just tried to do our best to perform the songs but this has developed into a real project where we continuously improve our performance and discuss new ideas for the future. Axel has contributed a lot to both the visual identity as well as the contact with the audience during this short period of time.
Q: How would you describe yourself as a musician, and what was your approach to creating the songs for this album? Were there any key moments or influences that significantly shaped your development as a musician?
Pierre: I think it’s more of a collection of things that made all this happen. Firstly of course the fact that I built the studio a few years ago. Then all the stuff I learned along the way, how to record, how to arrange the songs better, how to use the software, vocal practice… a lot of different things. I spent a lot of time the last few years listening to completely different music, like EDM, Pop stuff -really anything but Metal just to learn from songwriters with a different approach. I think this helped a lot to make me better at writing and arranging songs.
So I would not say there are key moments, rather persistence and the will to constantly keep going, keep evolving, staying curious with a will to learn new things. A lot of people talk about inspiration, they look to be ‘inspired’ to get something going. If there is one thing to pinpoint in all this I think it’s the lie of ‘inspiration’, there is no such thing. Just get in the studio, and start somewhere, after five minutes you will be lost in the flow and come out a few hours later. I think this approach is applicable to any kind of artist, it doesn’t matter if you write books, do paintings or whatever.
Q: What can fans look forward to in the coming months in terms of performances, new music videos, remixes, and other potential projects?
Pierre: Well, Scheitan recently released the new single “Fury Flow” which is a re-recording of a song from the “Nemesis”-album. Really just done out of curiosity and to prove the point that the songs on that album were not very far from what Scheitan is today. By the end of November there will be another single titled “Love n’ Death”, it will probably be released earlier on YouTube. Then by the end of January there will be another single, “Carry Me Home”. We also hope to book some more shows.
And yes, we are looking for a booking agency, so if anyone out there would be interested in working with Scheitan, just get in touch. Also, check out the website at www.scheitan.se
Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Side-Line Magazine than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can - and we refuse to add annoying advertising. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.
Side-Line’s independent journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we want to push the artists we like and who are equally fighting to survive.
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as 5 US$, you can support Side-Line Magazine – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
The donations are safely powered by Paypal.
