Untitled Document

In 2002 Joachim Nordlund and Johan Lindstedt decided to write some metal songs in the spirit of Dio, Rainbow and Black Sabbath. Patrick Johansson was chosen as a lead singer. Together they released their first album called “Of The Son And The Father” and it turned out to be a true hard rock/metal album, especially for lovers of Dio and Black Sabbath. I had a talk with Joachim about the album and the future of Astral Doors.

Martien: “How did you come up with the name of the band, and what does it mean?”

Joachim: “One of the first songs we wrote is called “Far Beyond The Astral Doors”. It can be found on the Japanese release (pic left) as a bonus track. The wheels have been moving fast for us and we needed a name pretty fast and Patrick suggested Astral Doors from that song. We liked it and that’s it.”

Martien: “How did you guys end up with top engineer Peter Tatgren and how was it to work with him?”

Joachim: “Peter is a very good friend of Martin and Johan, so he was a natural choice for us. He is very professional and he knows how to get the right sound for a band like us; even though he’s usually into much harder music.”

Martien: “What exactly can Intrometal Management do for you, what are their plans with the band?”

Joachim: “I think Intrometal are important for us. Without them we had not come this far; that’s for sure. We can concentrate on our music and Intrometal are focusing on things around, like the contact with the labels, media and so on.”

Martien: “Who comes up with the ideas for the songs?”

Joachim: “I can only speak for myself here, but it’s not that complicated. I just grab my guitar and start riffing. If I come up with something I like, I record it and then I introduce it to Johan. If he likes it, we complete it together. Then Patrick gets it (usually over the internet) and he does the vocal lines/melodies and the lyrics.”

Martien: “Who is actually responsible for the compositions?”

Joachim: “That would be me, Johan and Patrick.

Martien: “Do you not think that some listeners will see you as a Dio or Black Sabbath rip-off?”

Joachim: “No, not really. I think it is an honour to be compared with such bands.”

Martien: “But, “Night Of The Witch” has a “Heaven And Hell” guitar riff and the riff in “Burn Down The Wheel” is an “exact” copy of the guitar riff in “Kill The King”; is that a coincidence then?”

Joachim: “Do you mean to say that they are rip offs of those songs? In that case I cannot agree. We would never steal anything on purpose!!!”

Martien: “Okay, what are the lyrics about?”

Joachim: “Now, I am not the right man to answer that question, because it’s Patrick who writes all the lyrics….. But I think it’s from his daily life and from old fairy tales and stuff like that. “The Trojan Horse” is a good example of that and “Cloudbreaker” is about 11 September 2001.”

Martien: “Is Patrick still involved in other projects/bands?”

Joachim: “He did the vocals on Richard Andersson’s “Space Odyssey” and on Wuthering Heights forthcoming release. I do not know if it’s going to be anything more like that. Like Patrick says: “Astral Doors is home for me!!””

Martien: “What sort of music do you listen to in your spare time?”

Joachim: “I listen to all kinds of music. One of my favs right now is Freak Kitchen and Soilwork. Tomorrow it may be Saga or Dream Theater. It depends on what mood I am in. Black Sabbath (with Tony Martin) is an all time favourite and Jorn Lande is my favourite singer.”

Martien: “Will you be going on a tour?”

Joachim: “Yes, our label is looking into it this very minute. Hopefully they can get us out on the road early next year. In that case, Europe is highly prioritised.”

Martien: “Will there be a second album, or is Astral Doors just a one album project?”

Joachim: “We already have a couple of songs finished for the second album, so if our label wants us, you can expect another Astral Doors release.”

Interview: Martien Koolen