Fresh out of high school in 2002, I was all about finding new bands and taking musical risks by purchasing CDs for the very simple reason that they had great covers. I was entering a period in my life where I was expanding my musical tastes left and right, and it turned out that Europe was the birthplace of many bands that I came to find, know, and love. And so it was that in 2004, I picked up a copy of Soilwork‘s Figure Number Five and my already burgeoning love of metal would grow to new heights.

Now, over a decade later, the band is gearing up for the release of their 10th studio album The Ride Majestic, which also comes out just in time to celebrate the band’s 20th anniversary. As one of the major names in the Swedish Melodic Death Metal genre, their mark on the music world is indelible, their music immediate and powerful.

To celebrate this album, we caught up with vocalist Björn “Speed” Strid for an exclusive interview. Below you’ll read about the long journey that the band has gone through, the highs and lows they’ve encountered, what Björn’s personal Soilwork: Greatest Hits album would look like, and what’s next in store for this mighty band, as well as much more.

Pre-order your copy of The Ride Majestic via Nuclear Blast.

1.) This year marks the 20th anniversary of the band’s existence. How does ‘The Ride Majestic’ celebrate this landmark?

It is kinda hard to grasp. I think both The Living Infinite and our new album sums up our career very well, both musically and lyrically. There’s a certain existential feel running through those albums and especially ”The Ride Majestic”, brings up the darker existential aspects. As pretentious as it may sound, I also feel that we’ve left certain things behind and have entered a new era, where we let us be driven by spontaneity and emotion.

2.) With the glut of bands that are available to listen to on the internet these days, why do you think it is that Soilwork has had such staying power?

We’ve managed to develop our music in a natural way for each and every album and we are still able to surprise our listeners AND ourselves. We have become somewhat of a ”metal collective”, since we all have different backgrounds within the metal/rock genre. We somehow managed to find a way to express ourselves with a mutual musical vision, that we never really speak about. Thankfully our listeners have developed with our music and have embraced the evolvement and the element of surprise.

3.) As the sole original member of the band, what has this journey been like for you? What were some of the highest highs and some of the lowest lows?

Our lowest of lows has probably been our poor business decisions with managements, etc. Then again, I didn’t start a band because I wanted to become a businessman, I wanted the adrenaline rush of metal and everything that comes with it. Unfortunately business DOES come with it in the end. There’ve been a lot of highs for sure. Coming to Japan at a very early stage of our career was magical. When Rob Halford started praising the band in the beginning of 2000’s, having Devin Townsend produce Natural Born Chaos, being the first Swedish rock or metal band to play Malaysia, pull through a 9 week North American Tour with only 2 days off etc etc. That list is way longer than the low list, I’m happy to say.

4.) With all the band member changes over the years, what kept the fire going to ensure that the band stayed alive?

I think we’ve been lucky enough to have members coming into the band, who has brought something new to the table. Sylvain for example, brought a slightly complex riff tornado and David brought a lot of Scandinavian melancholic melodies. They both challenged me and made me step outside my comfort zone as a singer, I think that’s one of the keys to us remaining interesting. Also Dirk brought a lot of extreme drumming with a groove, it has also made us develop.

5.) Looking back at the massive catalog of music that you have achieved over the years, are there any tracks that stand out to you as being deeply important on a personal level?

I think they all gradually become more important with age. However, some of the early more primal teenage angst oriented lyrics are harder to relate to today. One of the best lyrics I’ve ever written comes from the new album: ”Death In General” that captures the feeling of the very last moments with somebody close, who’s on their death bed. Father and son, watching the world go down” is from a very realistic dream that I had about the last moments on earth with my dad and the realization of the end.

6.) If you had to pick two tracks from each Soilwork album, including ‘The Ride Majestic’, to create a “Best Of Soilwork” album, what would you compilation look like?

1. Wings of Domain
2. Aardvark Trail
3. Chainheart Machine
4. Bulletbeast
5. Needlefeast
6. The Analyst
7. The Bringer
8. The Flameout
9. The Strangler
10. Overload
11. The Crestfallen
12. If Possible
13. Your beloved Scapegoat
14. Sick Heart River
15. Let this river flow
16. Epitome
17. The Living Infinite II
18. Vesta
19. Death In General
20. Alight In the Aftermath

7.) Several of the album covers over the year had a very dark theme, to the point that it wouldn’t have been a stretch to say there was a strong horror influence. Was horror ever something that was used as influential material for the band?

Not really actually. We always wanted to have covers that could be interpreted in many different ways. I gotta say my favorites are the covers for ”Natural Born Chaos” and ”The Ride Majestic”. For example the new one was all hand-drawn from scratch by an artist named Robert Borbas. I told him about my vision and he kept me updated every hour, as the cover took shape. It was a very interesting process and he managed to capture my vision completely and created almost a biblical feel to it, something I love. I really love Gustave Dore’s art for example.

8.) You’re known for writing the vast majority of the lyrics for Soilwork’s songs. What do you draw from to get inspiration for your lyrics?

Sometimes it’s just a matter of painting up pictures to the music that you hear. I always write lyrics last. You find an interesting combination of words and sentences that paints up the perfect matching picture or you have a clear message or story in your head that is less abstract – it varies! Latest 3 albums have been very existential in general, dealing with a lot of questions that will never be answered and the frustration it generates.

9.) A new album means a new touring cycle. Having done this for so many years, how do you keep yourself excited about the prospect of going out on the road again for months at a time?

The roadtrip. I’ve always loved roadtrips. I consider every member of this band a close friend and what better things in life are there than to be on a roadtrip with your friends?? Being in motion and playing a rock n roll show – it’s very simple in the end. Then again, there are definitely times of frustration and boredom. Traveling is getting harder, especially when you do flying shows instead of tour bus, it drives me crazy sometimes, not getting any sleep. Sleep is becoming more and more important, the older you get.

10.) What do you envision will happen with the next 20 years of Soilwork?

Wow.. well really hard to say.. We’ve definitely rediscovered ourselves as songwriters on the latest 2 albums so Im really excited about that. Who knows how long it will last..? Regardless, Im very proud of us not slowing down and still developing our music. I also think we’ve becoming a fantastic live band with age..I don’t see us turning into dad-rock yet.. I already have another band for that with David: The Night Flight Orchestra

Soilwork online:
Official Website
Facebook
Soilwork

Banner photo credit: Hannah Verbeuren