XT - Extending God's Empire

OK, folks! Here we go again. Hoist the sail and join us on a trip across the Atlantic waves and hook up with another interesting Swedish band. Yes, it’s time for another outrageous and revealing report from Staffan Gustafsson on the Christian music scene over seas. With their third album, Extended Empire, being released worldwide in February, I think it’s time for XT to get some well-deserved attention in HM. When I reached guitarist Björn Stigsson on the phone, the album was just being finished in his home studio. Forty-three year old Björn is a well-experienced musician with several albums under his belt -- four with Leviticus, and a solo album. Leviticus started in 1981, and did their last show in Fort Lauderdale in March, 1990. "After that, I felt we had completed God’s plan for the band," explains the goldhaired guitarist. "I came to the point where I was tired of the music and wanted to spend full time with God. We felt it was time to lay down the music for a while, get our priorires right, and just concentrate on God. I think it’s very important for every Christian to ask themselves, ´What place has God in my life? Is he number one?` If He’s not, you better do something about it! So, we decided to take a year off, and me and Sonny went to Bible school for one year. "We actually did a reunion gig with Leviticus last spring, with the three original members : Me, Hä Andersson, and Kjell Andersson. It was great fun. We really enjoyed it." But Björn states clearly that there no plans for his old band to come to life again. A couple of months ago, Leviticus released a ´Best Of´ album as a closing chapter to the band’s nine-year career. It was released worldwide through Viva Records. "Now we concentrate on XT and we’re very fortunate to have a distribution contract with Viva Records that will enable us to reach worldvide. It feels great. Our first album was a little bit thin in terms of production, but it still opened up a lot for us, especially in Japan. We have actually sold more copies of our previous albums in Japan than anywhere else. Whithout doubt, people know us better over there than here in Sweden," Björn tells me. The band has deliberately held a low profile, but now with their third album coming out, they are really hungry to come out and play live. Björn says that it hasn’t felt this fresh and inspiring for a long time. "We feel that we’ve matured a lot and still have a lot to give. The quality of the new material is just what we wanted and now we’ve found a sound that we are very happy with. First, we will do a small tour in the major cities her in Sweden in connection with the release of the album. We will, for instance, play at the Hard Rock Cafe in Stockholm. That will be very interesting. Then, of course, we hope to play Europe, Japan, and America -- if anybody wants us." The name, XT, was Björn’s wife’s idea. It means Christ. The band started at the end of 1991, when Björn and Sonny got together and started working on some demos for the band’s first album. Björn and Sonny have been friends since 1987, when Sonny did some of the background vocals on Björn’s solo album. XT has more or less permanent members now: Sonny on vocals, Kjell Andersson(original Leviticus member) on drums, Nicklas Jonsson on keyboards, and new bass player, Johan Stark, from Gothenburg. The new album was digitally recorded at Björn’s home studio, clocking in at about one hour. "It’s definately much heavier than the two prewious recordings, with less keyboards and more guitar. Sonny’s vocals cover a more varied register. "Like I said, we feel we have found our sound and we’re very comfortable with the line-up and the band. We’re still happy with the previous two albums; but, on this one, we have progressed into a heavier direction. It’s not something we did deliberately, it just came out very naturally. I don’t listen to a lot of music. I just don’t seem to get any time. I like Dream Theater, though. But we’re not really inspired by other bands. We try to write what comes out of our hearts and, hopefully, people will like it. There’s more of a musical unity throughout the whole album, with a very guitar-oriented sound," Björn says "with a couple of songs tuned down to C, making it extra heavy." "Lyrically, the album deals with everyday life. We want to write lyrics ordinary people can relate to and understand -- both Christians and non-Christans. I don’t believe in shoving a Bible down somebody’s throat. We have always had the best and most positive contact with the kids after our shows when we talk to them one on one. "The new songs on the album include ´Not Alone,´ which is a slow and heavy track about a guy in a mental care institute. He feels alone and is going through a hard time mentally. At the end of the song he finds that he is not alone and he is set free by Jesus. ´I Can’t Live Without You´ is about being totally dependent on God. Another track is ´Billy The Raver,´ which is about a guy struggling with his guitar to become a guitar hero(something like ´Johnny B. Goode´). ´XT-Land is a fast, boogie-woogie track, which is a little lighter and happy-sounding. There’s also a re-recording of the old Leviticus track, ´Deborah and Barak` -- as a bonus track on the CD verision. ´I Want Love` is a fast love song with double-bass drums. `The Battle` is about the fight between good and evil -- a very heavy track with some opera singers in the chorus. "´Five Minutes To Midnight` is one of my personal favourites," Björn says. "It’s about a guy sitting, switching channels with his remote control, and seeing all the war and violence on TV. The song has a very strong chorus and is very heavy and raw. `Castles In The Sky` deals with TV preachers and hypocrisy among Christians. It’s a little different musically, with a touch of Beatles and some heavy guitars. ´Kids On The Hill´ starts with some acustic guitars, only to emerge into yet some more heavy distortion. The lyrics tell about Sonny growing up in his old childhood neighborhood. "´On The Run´ is about the forgotten children of Brazil, where they can be shot by the police for just being on the street, and are outside the protection of the law. It’s basically a cry for help. We feel very strong for the children in this world. They are our future. Hopefully, we can help to make people aware of what’s going on, and that we need to do something about it. Both me and Sonny feel a very strong commitment toward the children in the third world, and we’re both involved in children sponsorship programs. By sharing love, you can make an eternal difference in the life of another individual -- providing them food, clothing, medicine, and education." Björn is a busy man. He also works as a high school music teacher and is very interested in music production. He will produce a Gospel album for a Swedish artist. The album will be recorded in Björn’s home studio. "It will be very exiting. I’m not that used to working with Gospel music, but it’s going to be a great challenge." "Finally, I would like to encourage all the readers of HM to keep an intimate and faithful relationship with Jesus -- both in prayer and reading Bible. Always try to reach out to the people outside the church. God bless you all!" There we went, and here we are. That was everything you wanted to know about XT, but were afraid to ask. And remember that Jesus and salvation, which are the best things in life, are free. Taxfree...

"Reprinted by permission of HM Magazine"