"Nowadays it seems like everybody's starting a MySpage page before they can tune their guitar in."

Exactly a year after our previous conversation, we caught Arch Enemy guitarist Michael Amott on the phone for a chat about "Rise of the Tyrant" - the seventh full-length studio album by Sweden's extreme metal masters, due to be released on September 25, 2007 via Century Media...

Vassil Varbanov: Hello, Michael! How are you?

Michael Amott: I'm very good! I'm actually in Dortmund, Germany doing promotion from the record label's office.

V. V.: "Rise of the Tyrant" is going to be released in more than a month, so what's the reason for starting the promo campaign so early?

M. A.: Well, next week we'll be shooting a video, and then we're off to America to start touring a couple of weeks before the album comes out, so now is our opportunity to go around Europe to promote the record - last night I was in Paris, two days ago in London... Besides, some of the magazines need a longer time for their deadlines, so...

V. V.: It's been almost two years since the release of your latest studio effort, "Doomsday Machine". Was this time a good period for the band?

M. A.: We were just writing music during the past two years, collecting new ideas since 2005... The writing never stops for us, you know. Besides, we get a lot of experience while on the road, and all of that influences us. Of course, last year we put out a DVD, "Live Apocalypse", but what we were really trying to do was writing new music. To put out a new studio album and go on tour - that's what it's all about for us.

V. V.: I'm sure the music you're trying to constantly put out has not only to be new, but better and better as well, right?

M. A.: Yeah, we're always trying to raise the bar, but the more albums you make, the more difficult it gets, he-he... When you start out, you kind of have the big rock, and going on further you try to sculpture something. Now we're sort of shaping the final details. We don't make these big jumps anymore, so we're just trying to write good songs, be creative and put together cool albums.

V. V.: You're obviously quite busy with Arch Enemy. However, when can we expect something new from your other band, Spiritual Beggars?

M. A.: Oh... Spiritual Beggars consists of five people who all play with different bands - Opeth, Grand Magus, Firebird and Arch Enemy. It seems very difficult during the last couple of years to keep Spiritual Beggars running due to lack of time. It's not that we split up - we'd like to do something new, but it's a timing thing.

V. V.: You mentioned you're gonna shoot a new Arch Enemy video next week. For which song is it going to be?

M. A.: I think we're actually shooting two videos in two days... The songs are "Revolution Begins" and "I Will Live Again".

V. V.: I guess that all the time cameras focus on vocalist Angela Gossow. Is it an advantage to have a girl in the band?

M. A.: It's easier for us -В just being those ugly dudes in the background, ha-ha!

V. V.: You've been around for many years now with your bands - Carcass, Carnage, Arch Enemy, Spiritual Beggars... What, according to you, is different today in being in a band compared to the situation some two decades ago?

M. A.: I definitely think today it's more difficult to be original and have your own identity. Me personally and Arch Enemy have never really cared about trends. Fore example, our first three albums didn't become successful, as back then this mixture of extreme and classic metal wasn't very popular, but we still did it, because we loved it. I think that's what bands have to do today - just play the music you love and hope it will be appreciated by people. And take your time. Nowadays it seems like everybody's starting a MySpage page before they can tune their guitar in. Try tuning the guitar in and then start a MySpage page.

Copyright: Tangra Mega Rock