SOILWORK's BJÖRN 'SPEED' STRID On Creating New Music: 'You Wanna Challenge Yourself Every Time'

In an interview with Tomi Perrakoski of Metal Madness Studios, SOILWORK vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid was asked what still motivates him to create new music. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's always that feeling. Sometimes it might not be come to you directly and say, 'Okay.' It's, like, 'Oh, it's so exciting to make a new album.' Sometimes you just have to sort of force yourself to get the motors running a bit, but once you get there, it's, like, 'Oh, there it is.' It's like an old friend. You pick it up where you left. You might have not talked to them for, like, 10, 15 years — which is not the case with SOILWORK; I mean, we write music quite frequently, but still… Yeah, it's a familiar feeling, but you also wanna challenge yourself every time. You don't wanna recreate things. Like, 'Oh, this sounds like 'Natural Born Chaos'. Okay, fine, let's throw it out there.' We never just dial things in like that. It needs to have some substance, and nowadays maybe sometimes you need to force it a bit to get the motor running. But once you do that, you will get in there and you will explore new things. And as long as I explore new things, about my voice, about my melodies or things that I write, as long as it's there, I'm gonna go for it. And if the day comes and it's not there, then that's it."

Asked how he balances fans' expectations with his desire to make music, Strid said: "That's always an interesting balance, but you need to start with yourself. It needs to start with things that you sort of... I'm a very sort of visual guy. When I write something, I like the pictures in my head that I see when I write something and it makes me happy or makes me feel connected. That's where it needs to start. And then, of course, there are times when it's, like, 'Oh, this is gonna work out really good live,' when you can see people getting into it. You can see their smiles. I mean, the connection with the crowd is a huge thing. It doesn't mean that you're selling out or it doesn't mean that you're doing it for them. But, obviously, that's one of the biggest things. It's the connection. I mean, without that, what's the bloody point?"

This past January, Strid spoke to Metal Anthology about the progress of the songwriting sessions for SOILWORK's follow-up to "Övergivenheten" album, which came out in 2022. Regarding how the writing process has changed since the passing of SOILWORK guitarist David Andersson in September 2022, Strid said: "Yeah, [David] was very much of a driving force. So I think it's a bit more of a group effort now, like a collective thing. And it feels like we're entering a bit of a new era. And I think next album will be slightly different from 'Övergivenheten', but it will have some of those elements — the atmosphere, but maybe more mixed with the sort of old, heavier stuff from the 2000s. But, yeah, it's very much of a group effort and, obviously, [longtime touring guitarist] Simon [Johansson] joining the fold as well has brought some fresh blood, both on a personal level and songwriting-wise and everything. So we're looking forward to create this new album together."

Simon added: "Yeah, it's interesting. We're learning to write together in a way, because we haven't really done it. And [bassist] Rasmus [Ehrnborn] is also new, kind of, so it's kind of like a new constellation having to create music. But it's working well. I mean, [SOILWORK's latest single], 'Spirit [Of No Return]' [which came out in October 2024] turned out well. And we have a lot of really promising songs for the new album. We have a lot written already — more than one album."

Asked if the upcoming SOILWORK release will be a double album, Simon said: "No, that won't happen. We're gonna do a moderate, normal-length album. But it's gonna be a cool one. But it's always nice to have extra songs, for whatever purpose, to choose from, to start with. And then, of course, you can maybe release some singles [ahead of the full-length]."

On the topic of whether the new SOILWORK material will be" a little bit a throwback to the faster" nature of some of the band's earlier efforts, Björn clarified: "No. More like heavier — the heaviness, I would say, that we had on maybe [2001's] 'A Predator's Portrait' and [2002's] 'Natural Born Chaos', maybe a little bit of [2005's] 'Stabbing [The Drama]' too, but I kind of wanted to bring back the heaviness a bit and sort of mix it up with a more recent atmosphere, the epicness. So, that's sort of what I'm picturing, personally. I don't know if [the other] guys picture the same thing, but we have been discussing it a little bit, so it seems like we're on the same page."

Simon chimed in: "And then you never know what happens during an album process. It could take some turn or whatever, but that's also the beauty of it. Because, for me, many times it's been, like, the least favorite song, [when you] start recording an album, it's, like, 'Oh, that one isn't that good.' And then you start to add things and all of a sudden that is the best song. It's super interesting. It's so fun to be in that process."

As for which producer SOILWORK will work with this time around, Björn said: "We've had some producers, but this one we're gonna gonna be pretty much self-produced. We'll record at Simon's studio. So all of us are kind of [involved]; it's like a group effort."

Simon explained: "We also have this engineer, mixing guy that is working with us and has been working with us for a couple of albums. He also has ideas. He contributes whatever good things he can come up with. So we kind do it together, that part, I think."

In November 2024, Björn was asked by Germany's Moshpit Passion if "Spirit Of No Return" was indicative of the musical direction of SOILWORK's next studio album. Strid said: "Well, hard to say. I mean, we decided to just approach things quite slowly this time around because we've been through a lot, as I'm sure you know. Simon joined the fold now and he's a great guy and a fantastic guitar player. He's been playing with us live for a pretty long time, but he contributed with this new song and it has a little bit of a thrashier side to it and kind of like more SOILWORK rootsy kind of feel, but also still blended with the more current elements that we're known for. So it's really hard to say exactly where we're gonna go, but I would say that the sound is gonna be slightly more metallic, whatever that means, but I also feel that we discovered so many amazing things through when we did [the 2020 EP] 'A Whisp Of The Atlantic', with 'Verkligheten' [2019] and with 'Övergivenheten' [2022], and those elements we wanna take with us. But I think there's also maybe old things that we want to revisit and bring back again. And I think this new one, it has more sort of like a metallic vibe over it, but we keep on evolving, and I never wanna fall into some kind of cliché or trying to rehash things. So I'm as curious as you are where we're gonna go. But I think this song is maybe giving you a little bit of a hint where we're going. But we always try to experiment as well."

"Spirit Of No Return" showcased SOILWORK's signature blend of frenzied intensity, soaring melodies, epic arrangements, and a touch of progressive complexity — traits that have cemented their reputation over the last decades. Johansson's contribution to the songwriting channels the band's essence while bringing fresh energy to their unmistakable sound.

Strid previously stated about the song: "'Spirit Of No Return' is a fierce reminder of the past, but also an introduction of the new SOILWORK era, where we've taken the thrashier early days and dressed it in a new heavier suit. Lyrics are dealing with the urge of belonging and fitting in — and how it in the end can be disastrous as you abandon your true self."

SOILWORK's high-class creative consistency, which they have been delivering solidly throughout their career, is the virtue that probably best defines them. Founded at the end of 1995, SOILWORK released their debut album "Steelbath Suicide" in 1998, garnering a great early response. By 2001 SOILWORK had joined Nuclear Blast, and by 2003 they already had five records under their belt.