Graveflowers have featured on these pages a couple of times, a couple of reviews and a special, here is a new one cause of a new tremendous album titled Incarcerated Sorrows, a stunning piece of disc of Gothic cermonial DOOM. Here is a interview with the mainman Matte Andersson.

Interview with Graveflowers

10 years down the line with Graveflowers and here is the first album, is this album a sumup of the past decade that Graveflowers have existed ?

It´s our second album, don´t forget Solace Me. I don´t know if you can call it a sumup, it´s more like a natural progression from where I started once but it becomes a sumup also cause I still have some of the influences from the old Grave Flowers songs with me today also.

For those who are new to Graveflowers, fill them in on the background and the following ?

The first demo saw it´s light in june 95 simply entitled DEMO-95. I played my first liveshow 11/11-95 in my hometown Karlstad (do you remember, you arranged the gig). In march-97 it was time for the second demo "Garmonbozia" and my cooperation with Jason started. September-99 with started to record "Solace Me" it was released in july-2000 by Serenades Records, Germany. May 2003 was our promo-03 finished and we sent it out to labels and we got hooked up with Firebox. Jason also became a permanent member of Grave Flowers.In august -04 we entered Speedball Studio in our hometown and recorded "Incarcerated sorrows". Now the album is released and we are very pleased with it. I took it very brief otherwise it would be too boring to read I guess.

The album is released by Firebox, a label from Finland, fill us in on them and how did you hook up ?

I sent the promo-03 to my friend Tom Wahl who used to work at Serenades but he had started a label of his own so I asked him if he was interested in signing us to his label. At the moment he could not do that so he gave me some adresses to other labels that could be interested. Firebox was in that list so we sent them a promo and they liked what they heard and they offered us a deal that we liked.

Incarcerated Sorrows is the title, what is the mainmessage in that title ?

I think it´s a perfect name cause the lyrics are incarcerated sorrows that has been transformed into music.

I don’t know how many times I have played the album, it’s a great piece of disc. A delicate sound that delivers a epic, atmospheric and moody soundpicture but still very progressive, what is your opinion on the soundpicture of the album and how was the production for you ?

I´m very pleased with the production and everything went smooth in the studio, except for the mix when the computer started to fuck with us, it took us some extra time just because of that. On some places I guess the guitarsound could have been a bit rougher.

I stated in my review that this is the perfect soundtrack for the lonesome and unforgiven, looking at the lyrical standpoint, how pleased are you with the lyrical concept for this album ?

I´m pleased with my lyrics even if some of them is a little bit to personal and clear. I will try to make them more cryptic in the future to increase the atmosphere.

Looking at the partnership with you and guitarist Jason Jansson in your creation, who is coming up with a melodyline, who is coming with riffs etc. fill us in on your composing ?

It mostly me who comes up with the base, verse & chorus and then Jason help me to develop the song with ideas and basslines. So you can say that I create a base and Jason makes a castle out of it. My wife Elena has also helped me a lot with great keyboardmelodies.

Looking at the album artwork that gives the album a dark, scary melancholic feel, where did you find the artwork and how pleased are you with it ?

Firebox sent me a CD with Swallow the sun "The morning never came". I really liked the cover and the music on that CD so I looked in the booklet to see who had done it. It was a artist named Tuomo Lethonen. I asked Firebox if I could use him to, so they gave me his e-mail and asked him if he was interested to do the artwork for Grave Flowers. I got very pleased cause he agreed and he did a tremendous and mighty job. I´m extremely pleased with the cover and it suits the music perfectly.

I haven’t got it on my promocopy so I haven’t heard it, the coverversion of Count Ravens classic Leaving The Warzone, how pleased are you with the version and do you feel it fits the rest of the material on the album ?

It´s a great song that I think suits the album very good and I also think that we did a fair and good version of it. I have had plans for a long time to record this song but it had to be on a album, cause there is no point placing it on a demo. It´s our tribute to Count Raven, they are a mighty band and I´m longing to hear some new material from them.

More on the soundpicture, it is a gothic ceremonial DOOM album that is no question but it is a classic metal album with a great experimental attitude, looking more on the mix of the album of all the different influences and inputs of acoustic and classical arrangements, how pleased are you with the variation of the album ?

I think it´s a great mix on the album and it´s cool that the songs differ from each other but you can always follow the red thread. It´s important for me to bring in influences from other genres, it makes the music more interesting.

I stated in my review that your vocals is your best work to date, compare to Solace Me and your demos, do you feel more established and versitable in your sound compare to previous Graveflowers releases and how did you felt in the studio when you made the vocaltracks ?

I felt good when I recorded the vocals and I was a bit disappointed at myself for some of the vocalperformance on "Solace Me". I worked hard with the vocals and I did not stop until I was satisfied.

Looking back at the release of your minialbum Solace Me, how was the support for that one and was Solace Me a good springboard for Incarcerated Sorrows ?

There was no support from the label at all, but it seems like people have found it anyway and that´s good. I also think people who have bought Solace Me won´t be disappointed at Incarcerated sorrows and maybe people who discover Grave Flowers with Incarcerated sorrows take a look at Solace Me. So I have to sat that Solace Me has spread the word about Grave Flowers and it´s not a minialbum in my opinion.

I am not wrong when I say that you are heavily into My Dying Bride, how much impact have MDB on the Graveflowers sound and whatelse is inspiring for you in the musical and lyrical concept that you have ?

Yes I like My Dying Bride a lot and they influence me but I don´t want to sound like them or copy them. I want people to feel the same way I feel when I listen to My Dying Bride but when they listen to Grave Flowers. I also read much of Lars Norén that inspires me a lot, things on TV and of course life itself.

Elena Andersson, your wife takes care of the keyboards and sessionman Jakob Bäckman takes care of the skins, they do a great job on the album, does you and Jason have plans to have them on when you set up a band or do you have other ideas ?

If we are going on tour or do a liveshow we use Jakob and Elena if they have the will and time of course. Would be such a great feeling to go on tour or play live, we are looking for a bookingagency that can arrange a tour or at least some shows. If some bookingagency reads this and want a mighty band in their roster, contact me and I will provide you with all the necessary stuff.

Back to the label Firebox, how pleased are you with the push of the album so far ?Looking forward, what is the current situation at the moment, what is the plans ? any plans for a EP release, set up livedates, the next album etc etc. Fill us in on the next plans for Graveflowers

Firebox have done a great work and they e-mail all the adresses to websites with a review of my album, very good promotion work and they also fix me interviews, so I´m pleased. We have plans to release a 10 inch vinyl, limited edition and handnumbered. It will be 3 or 4 songs with unreleased material that we will never record again, so you can only find it on this 10 inch. Nothing is 100% sure yet but if we do it it will be our 10 years anniversary release, but like I said nothing is 100 % sure yet, keep your eyes open and see what happens. We will also try to fix some gigs or a tour.

Thank you very much for the interview, all the best wishes with Incarcerated Sorrows and everything else. Take care.

Thanks to you Gabbe for your support and good luck with your e-zine and hope to see you in Bengtsfors in may. For you all readers out there check out Incarcerated sorrows, it´s worth it believe me. Matte GRAVE FLOWERS

www.graveflowers.net

mail matte@graveflowers.net