Interview with Olof of Enforcer 2008

By Bradley Smith

Your debut album on Heavy Artillery has been released.  Into the Night How close did it come to sounding like what was in your head and what do you envision this album as representing?  How is it a growth from what you felt when you first formed Enforcer?

When we formed Enforcer we had a pretty clear vision about what we should sound like.  But when we started to look at it as an album we soon realized that we had to put at least a little breadth to it and therefore had to extend our song writing.  Of course without leaving the original thought.  We wanted to concentrate on the style we had since earlier and broaden it with a few songs. “Scream of the Savage” can stand out as a faster song more towards American speed metal while “On the Loose” gets to represent our passion for British heavy rock, but the concentration still lies in our exclusive mix of the music.

Enforcer is one of a hand full of bands out there that is keeping the true spirit of metal alive.  What do you do in order to try and capture that old flame and keep it burning bright in this modern era? 

What we do that other bands forget is that we have a thought with everything. Image and attitude is just as important as the music is when speaking of the band as a whole.  We’re all striving for the same goal and have the enthusiasm that many bands of today lack.  Scene decorations, instruments, clothing and motion patterns on stage make us stand out from the rest as a whole instead of individuals.  That is what we take from the old frame into modern day.  One of our goals is to take the traditions of genuine metal into the new millennium.

There seems to be a resurgence, not just of thrash but of even older style metal.  What do you think caused this renewed interest?  I notice people going back and discovering old bands and their records as well as new bands with the old spirit putting out music.  Why do you think this traditional metal has such longevity?

I think people who have been into metal for a very long time just get tired of the modern style and seek their way back to the roots.  As for now this new era of heavy metal seems to be reserved for die hard fans but we’re working on getting it up into the daylight again.  There’s always a need for traditional metal, just look at Iron Maiden, they are still the greatest band in the world.  And if so many people can like them, I bet at least some of them would also like us.

Speaking of that like most old-schoolers, are you a record/music collector?  What are the best of your recent metal acquisitions and why?  What rare albums out there are you currently looking for? 

I’m just a poor student so I can’t really afford to be on the top when it comes to record collecting.  But I used to buy as many records I could when I was working.  Don’t know what my rarest record is, maybe the Gotham City single or the Traitors Gate EP.

When approaching your vocal lines, how do you determine how to set them against the structure of the song?  Do you want to contrast with the music or flow with it?  DO you think that a vocalist’s and a guitarist’s approach to songwriting are significantly different?  How and why?

I’m always trying to make the lines work together as a whole.  Since I’m writing almost all music I use to figure out both the guitar riffs and the vocal lines in my head before trying them on a guitar.

I read an interesting interview the other day and it discussed dualism within the metal scene.  It stated that awhile back one could only be a metal person but these days it was loosening up and a metal personality could also be something outside of metal, a professional fisherman for instance.  Do you agree and do you have any outside hobbies or jobs that you feel are just as important to you as metal is?

Metal is the most important for me in my life, besides my family and girlfriend of course.  But unfortunately that’s nothing that can pay my expenses.  I’ve been studying at the university for four years now, and I’m actually getting my degree in electrical and audio engineering this spring.  That was my plan B while plan A still is to make a living from the music.

I hear music goes in 20 years cycles or so.  Do you think that is the reason for this renewed excitement and interest in traditional metal?  Do you think Music is cyclical and if so why?

I think the reason to why we and obviously other bands in our generation take the traditional legacy into the present is that it is the music we’ve grown up with. And now we’re starting to get older and more professional with the music we’ve played since we were kids. The traditional way has always been the only way for me and I have never felt the need of experimenting with modern sounds.

Since Sweden is mostly known for its death and black metal scene do you feel there is support from Enforcer from the rest of the Swedish scene?  Or do they look upon you guys as sort of an oddity?  What are some of your favourite artists from Sweden from both the past and amongst the current bands?

Is has actually risen a pretty good scene in classic heavy metal and our kind of metal seems popular than ever over here.  We’ve done many shows with bands like Portrait and In Solitude.  We’re also doing occasional shows with more extreme bands and our music seems to me appreciated from people usually listening to that kind of stuff too.  I listen to lots of Swedish music and my personal favourites from the past are Bathory, Gotham City and Neptune.  If we’re speaking present bands I’d go with Watain and Nifelheim. 

Is the fact that the Nobel Prize is of Swedish origin and gets so much world-wide attention a source of national pride?  Do you ever feel any national pride?  If you could choose one band or individual who would win the Nobel prize for metal?  Why?

I’m not especially proud over the Nobel Prize even though I’m actually far related to Alfred Nobel.  A shame I’m not invited to the banquet anyway.  Why should I be proud of something just because I come from the same country?  I’m proud over my friends and myself.  Nobel Prize of metal 2008 would definitely go to Watain for their total dedication to genuine metal and for thinking of the band as such a whole.  They really impress me.

As I have gotten older I have truly come to believe that not only is metal a way of expression musically but it is also a mindset and a way of life full of its own codes and aesthetics.  Do you agree?  If, so how do you definite the boundaries of the metal lifestyle and what does living METAL mean to you?  

I definitely agree with you that metal is a lifestyle and as much as it is music.  It is absolutely my biggest interest and almost never listen to anything else.  I listen to records all day and I feel naked if I would go out with anything else than tight jeans and leather jackets.

To be trustworthy with your music you have to live for it completely.

Enforcer is a pretty militant name for a band.  What exactly are you enforcing and who are you enforcing it on?  Why do they needs someone to enforce them?

We’re enforcing heavy metal on everyone.

What do the words “Power Speed Death” mean to you?  What is important about each of these words individually and how do they fit together?  I mean as a concept when put together what is their overall impact?

It describes our music and the band.  We play fast, powerful music with a deadly message in our lyrics.

I’ll leave you the last words as we fly into the night.

Heavy metal is alive.  Spread our word.