Soilwork is a cool band from Sweden combining death metal with a more progressive feel. Playing the type of intense music that has made Gothenburg famous, Soilwork is beginning to get itself well known. We recently had a chance to speak with one of the Soilworker guys, so read on for more on this up and coming band.

Highwire Daze: Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Soilwork, and how long the band has been together.

Peter: I’m Peter, the lead guitarist from Soilwork with the others because we have three guitarists. Soilwork has been around since ’96.

HD: Where did you get the name Soilwork from?

Peter: We like to play with words. I know how it sounds when it comes to American or English people – because people think that we’re gardeners or we’re into agriculture – but that’s not it! Actually we played with those two words because we think that Soilwork represents the people who work very hard and always get something in return after a long time.

HD: If you had to describe the music to your grandmother, what would you say to her?

Peter: I would say keep your earplugs in. We play as loud as possible and she wouldn’t understand. It’s nothing my grandmother would like. She’s been to one concert and she was like "Do they have to scream like that?" She’s a big opera fan, so it’s rough when you have to explain that kind of music to her. Anyway, all my friends like it, so that’s enough for me.

HD: So you guys originally from the Gothenburg area?

Peter: We’re from the lower part of Sweden called Helingburg – which is like 20 kilometers away from Gothenburg. But we know the guys from In Flames and we recorded our album in Gothenburg. You have to drive two hours to get to Gothenburg. We have us and Darkane – it’s mainly us that rule the city of Helingburg.

HD: What exactly is a Chainheart Machine?

Peter: The Chainheart Machine is like a future slave machine – it’s like the machine that controls the entire system – it’s growing and growing and we get so dependent on it. In the future, The Chainheart Machine controls the entire society and we’re like soilworker’s underneath it, chained to the ground. It’s a very trendy topic among metal bands, but we see the future in that vein.

HD: What do you think sets Soilwork apart from other metal bands?

Peter: I think we’ve got something special. We definitely want to call us a melodic band, but we still have more thrashy sounds. I think we’re not very death metal – it’s more of a thrash sound. And we mix in some progressive stuff into the solo parts which I think makes us unique – we get some kind of personal sound from this and we don’t get caught in the ocean of bands.

HD: Describe a live Soilwork show to those of us who have not seen you yet.

Peter: It’s very intense and fast. It’s worth paying the money to come to one of our shows. Almost all of us have short hair, but that doesn’t keep us back from the live performance. We still kick ass on stage.

HD: Any chance of Soilwork making it here to the States?

Peter: Hopefully. That would be great to come to America to play. That’s something we’ve all been dreaming about, so hopefully we’ll come to America sometime.

HD: How does this new album compare to your first release Steel Bath Suicide?

Peter: Our first debut – we had a lot of old songs on the album from our demo period. On our new album, we did all new songs and that helped us maintain a straight line all through the album which is very good for us. The new album is a lot more technical than the first one, and everything is a lot more arranged with the keyboards and the guitar solos and everything.

HD: What album or CD do you own right now that someone would be very surprised to find in your collection?

Peter: I don’t know. I have a lot of odd albums. I have everything from Europe to Motley Crue. And I have some pop. I also have a lot of old stuff like Rainbow, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath – I listen a lot to those old bands to get a lot of influences – like Dio and Yngwie Malmsteen and Dream Theater. I don’t listen to death metal in general – I only listen to progressive stuff and things I can get influenced by. But I do like In Flames and Arch Enemy and Morbid Angel as well. But to create something original, you need to listen to several types of music.

HD: If there was one thing you’d like someone to remember after hearing Soilwork, what would it be?

Peter: I would like them not to judge us for playing a replica of In Flames or Arch Enemy. To listen to Soilwork, we have something that is very special for us and makes us very original. We have a more progressive style if you compare it to In Flames and Arch Enemy, which I think is very important. But still remember that we come from Sweden.

HD: What are the future plans for Soilwork?

Peter: To make great music. Just to keep on rocking. We have two new songs. Maybe we’ll do something different with the next album, maybe with the vocals. And try to bring the music more into the new millennium. Make it a little bit more futuristic but still with guitar solos and very fast music.

The Chainheart Machine by Soilwork is available in the States on the Century Media label.