ARCH ENEMY Guitarist Is 'Looking Forward' To CARCASS Reunion

December 17, 2007

Finland's HardcoreSounds.Net conducted an interview with ARCH ENEMY/CARCASS guitarist Michael Amott prior to ARCH ENEMY's concert in Helsinki last week. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

HardcoreSounds.Net: How has The Black Crusade tour gone so far?

Michael Amott: We are really happy. We have been on tour for four months now without going home and tomorrow it's the last show before heading back home. We started in the end of August from North America so it has been really amazing to tour through the world. "Rise Of The Tyrants" have gotten very good feedback from everywhere so it has been good times. Black Crusade has been really great so far. Five bands on a same stage so it feels like playing on a festival. The venues have been full and it was really nice to play in UK for big audience. I think tomorrow's last show in Helsinki will be pretty good for us as well.

HardcoreSounds.Net: Where you familiar with the other bands before heading out on this tour? What's your opinion about their music?

Michael Amott: Yea. We have toured with TRIVIUM and MACHINE HEAD so they were friends of us before this tour. We have played same stages with SHADOWS FALL as well so we were familiar with them also. DRAGONFORCE is the only band we didn't know before heading out on this tour.

HardcoreSounds.Net: When you started playing guitar, what were your main influences? What metal musicians do you admire nowadays?

Michael Amott: I think I was 12 when I started playing guitar and at that time I was really into extreme metal bands such as METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH. I love fast and heavy music so that's where I got my influences from. I am not that much into "happy" metal like I have noticed that you Finns like. What attracted me into metal was anger and hate.

HardcoreSounds.Net: So what's your opinion about DRAGONFORCE then?

Michael Amott: It's so far away what I would listen to. I won't make any further comments about that.

HardcoreSounds.Net: You were nominated in category "Best Hard Rock" in Swedish Grammy awards. What were your first thoughts when you heard that you were nominated?

Michael Amott: I guess it's cool but I don't really care about it. I just play guitar. For management and record labels it's a good thing because they can get extra boost from it but we don't take it so seriously because we aren't that big in Sweden and most likely we aren't going to win it.

HardcoreSounds.Net: Let's talk a little bit about CARCASS. You are going to do a small reunion tour this summer by playing atleast in Wacken Open Air and Tuska Open Air in Finland. Where did you get the idea to reunite the band once again?

Michael Amott: That has been an idea that has been kicking around for quite awhile. It seemed like something nice to do but it really doesn't fit really well because I am always quite busy with ARCH ENEMY. It's going to be really fun to play shows with them again. Looking forward to it.

HardcoreSounds.Net: So will there be any other festivals than Tuska and Wacken?

Michael Amott: Most likely there will be six different festivals we are going to play but nothing is confirmed yet.

HardcoreSounds.Net: What are your personal expectations towards the reunion shows and sharing the stage again with Jeff Walker and Bill Steer?

Michael Amott: Nothing really, just having a good time. I am anxious to play CARCASS songs again. In ARCH ENEMY I also do a lot of stuff behind the scenes but in CARCASS I'll just play guitar so I guess that reunion tour will be some sort of mental holiday for me.

Read the entire interview at HardcoreSounds.Net.

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