Interview with Sundown

Swedish gothicoid band Sundown was born out of the bones of metalband Cemetary. They came to Barcelona supporting Paradise Lost, and after the show we could catch up leader Matthias Loldmalm for a few questions. His answers weren’t certainly long, but neither was my questionnaire as I had to improvisize the interview (I was waiting for Paradise Lost’s drummer, with whom I had arranged to meet).

It’s your first time playing in Barcelona. How have you felt like playing here? 
It was ok, we had fun.

It is said that the NorthEuropean audience is colder than the SouthEuropean. Is it true? 
Yeah, definetely.

You started as a Death Metal band (referring to Cemetary), but now you’ve gone more into Doom Metal and all this stuff, half gothic half doom… 
No I think we’re more industrial.

This is the way you would describe your music? 
Yes, I don’t like to describe music but maybe that’s more contemporary goth.

Coming from Sweden, there are a lot of black metal bands up there. How do you feel that scene? Are they as extreme as they’d like to be? 
No, they’re a bunch of kids. They don’t really scare me nor impress me.

Paradise Lost had a few problems with the so-called “Norwegian blackmetallers”…
Yeah, one time I heard… Not much. I mean, I used to know most of those people when I was in Cemetary, so…

Before with Cemetary, Matthias Loldmalm, you were the leader and composed nearly all songs, something like what Greg Macintosh does in Paradise Lost, huh? 
No, Johnny and me compose half the material, fifty-fifty.

What about the new LP? 
The next one? I don’t know, probably fifty-fifty as well. But we do everything together. I don’t really know.
[Andreas notes that the question referred to the new CD itself (already composed songs, style, time to be released… ) not on how would it be composed]

About your label, is it ok? 
Yeah, good people.

They promote you? 
Definetely, very nice people, very very nice.

Well, that was all. After my mate Xavier asked him for introducing his radioshow, we had to leave him. As you may expect from a Swedish, he was sympa though short.

Concert review: Paradise Lost, Sundown, Uncle Meat

Paradise Lost, Sundown, Uncle Meat

Venue: Zeleste, Barcelona
Date: 18 Nov 1997

English band Paradise Lost came to promote their last CD “One Second” and brought with them their clone band Sundown and the nearly unknown band Uncle Meat. Unfortunately, the Barcelona’s heavy traffic made me come late to the venue and thus I missed Sundown, whose show i was very looking for as it was their first time in Barcelona. Therefore I can only report Paradise Lost’s gig
At five minutes past22’00 a bizarre tune began and introduced the band. The gothicmetallers played as a perfect engine, with no mistakes. Their new look shocked a bit in the beginning, but their brilliant show made us forgive their new look; Greg looked like a woman with his new haircut. Besides I definetely missed Aaron’s famous helix hair when he bangs hos hair like a total freak (as he used to do). The set-list was mainly centered in their last CD’s songs, but also included classics like “Pity The Sadness”, “Remembrance”, “True Belief” or a magnificent “Embers Fire”. Out from their last CD they played “One Second”, “Blood Of Another”, “Say Just Words”, “This Cold Life”… The concert lasted 1h 20m and, after a short break, they kicked our asses with a killer “As I Die”, which finally was the last song. In a few words, a great concert that proved why PL have become so popular. You may like or not their last CD, but no one can deny that they play like a fucking Hi-Fi!!!
One last thing: Strangely enough Nick warned us that smoking causes cancer. OK, Nick, thanx, I’ll tell the world cos it seems to me that no one knows that, huh?


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Entrevista con Sundown

Los goticoides suecos Sundown nacieron de las cenizas de la banda Death Metal Cemetary y Tiamat. Vinieron a Barcelona para abrir para Paradise Lost y después del show pudimos atrapar al líder Matthias Loldmalm, quién respondió a algunas preguntas “a la sueca”, ya sabéis: amablemente pero brevemente.

Es la primera vez que tocáis en Barcelona. ¿Cómo os habéis sentido?

Estuvo bien, nos divertimos.

Se dice que la audiéncia norteeuropea es más fria que la sureuropea. Lo crees así? 

Sí, definitivamente.

Empezásteis como una banda de Death Metal (refiriéndome a Cemetary), pero ahora os habéis metido un poco en el Doom y todo eso, medio doom medio gótico…

No, creo que somos más industriales.

Esta es la manera en que describirias vuestra música? 

Mmh, no me gusta describir la música pero creo que somos gótico contemporáneo.

Viniendo desde Suécia, hay un montón de bandas Black Metal ahí arriba. Cómo ves esa escena? Son tan extremos como pretenden ser? 

No, son un de chavales. Realmente ni me asustan ni me impresionan.

Paradise Lost tuvo algunos problemas con los blackmetaleros noruegos…

Sí, una vez según oí… No mucho. Quiero decir, yo solía conocer a la mayoría de esa gente cuando tocaba en los Cemetary, así que…

Antes con Cemetary, tú (Mathias Loldmalm) eras el líder y componías cai todas las canciones, algo parecido a lo que hace Greg en Paradise Lost…

No, Johnny y yo componemos la mitad del material, mitad y mitad.

Qué hay del nuevo CD?

El próximo? No lo sé, probablemente también mitad y mitad. Pero lo hacemos todo juntos… Realmente no lo sé.

[Metallykon hace saber que la pregunta se referia al nuevo LP (canciones ya compuestas, momento de ir a grabar, etc…) no a cómo se compondría

Sobre vuestro sello, va todo bien?

Sí, buena gente.

Os promocionan?

Sí, defiitivamente. Gente muy, muy maja.

Bueno, eso es todo lo que pude conseguir de Matthias. Después de unas pocas palabras como presentación del programa de radio de mi colega Xavier, acabó la conversación. Sus preguntas no fueron demasiado largas, pero tampoco mis preguntas. De hecho tuve que improvisar la entrevista porque en realidad estaba esperando al bataca de los Paradise Lost con quién me había de encontrar.