DISMEMBER Bassist Talks About Upcoming CD, Split With Longtime Drummer

Vassilis Mazaris and Metalzone.gr recently conducted an interview with DISMEMBER bassist Tobias Cristiansson. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Metalzone: Any future plans for the band? Is there a new album or an upcoming DVD?

Tobias: We will enter the studio in October and be there for a month. This time we will use Nico Elgstrand as producer. He has previously produced ENTOMBED, KRUX, MURDER SQUAD etc. He is a real cool guy, very funny and very talented. We will record totally analog, no computers involved, so the sound is gonna come out great. We don't like most of the productions of today, everything sounds the same to me. When you hear new stuff you can't tell if the band is playing power metal or death metal or nu metal by listening to the sound, 'cause they all got the same production."

Metalzone: What about "Feel The Darkness" tour?

Tobias: Well, we were supposed to do 10 dates through Europe together with NECROPHOBIC plus three other bands, but one week before the start it was cancelled by the booking agency. It was of course not our decicion, and we were all very pissed off at this. But there were nothing we could do about it, we tried to reach them by phone and mail but they just refused to answer. I know that we will go back to Europe sooner or later but we feel sorry for the fans who were looking forward for the shows we were supposed to do.

Metalzone: DISMEMBER exists as a band since 1988. All the things in the world has an end. When do you think that it will be the best time for the band to dissolve? You think that you still have the same rage and the same passion for death metal? Maybe you are not the best person to answer this question as you are a new member, but you will know about the other guys!

Tobias: It is hard to say when is the best time to quit. But as long as you can deliver good new songs and that you still want to do it and have fun doing it. You must have the hunger, and like you said the passion for the music. I know that we still have a lot to prove, and now we have 11 new really good songs to record, so for us we have no reason to quit. But when you see bands like KISS doing yet another tour again without new material and new member with the same make-up as the originals it's just boring.

Metalzone: Let's go now to a question concerning Fred [Estby, ex-drummer]. I heard that he is not any more a member of DISMEMBER after 20 years. Which is the reason for that? Have you decide who will be the next person that will take his position?

Tobias: That's true. He left the band in April of 2007. He couldn't continue touring because he's got a familly and he didn't want to be away from his familly as much as the band require. We do a lot of touring you know. We totally respect and understand his decision although we think it's sad that he left, of course. Now we have Thomas Daun who used to be in INSISION and REPUGNANT before. He's a real kick-ass drummer! And a funny guy as well, so it's working out great with him and you will all hear his drum skills on the next DISMEMBER album.

Metalzone: Was it easy for you to learn the songs of DISMEMBER in order to play them live? Have you been in a band before?

Tobias: It was quite difficult because I had to learn 18 songs in four weeks, because then there was a gig comming up. We only rehearsed twice (without vocals) before I did my first show. But it went alright, and then we went to do an Australian tour so it was quite overwhelming start for me! And sometimes it's very difficult to hear what's going on with the guitars because of the messy sound when you try to learn the songs by ear, especially the older ones.

I have been playing bass since I was 15 in a lot of different small bands of different kind, only demo stuff. I have been doing everything from black metal to 80s heavy metal to 70s hard rock and I have been going to a music school as well. But joining DISMEMBER was definitely a big step forward for me, because I have always wanted to do this full-time.

Read the entire interview at Metalzone.gr.

Watch fan-filmed video footage of DISMEMBER performing the song "Casket Garden" at this year's Brutal Assault festival, which took place August 9-11 at the Old Army Fortress Josefov in Jaromer, Czech Republic: