"I wanted to make "Psalms of Extinction" like a rollercoaster, with ups and downs and surprises all the time."

Hypocrisy's mastermind Peter Tagtgren returns with "Psalms of Extinction" - the fifth full-length studio offering by his electro-metal one-man project Pain...

Vassil Varbanov: Hello Peter, how are you?

Peter Tagtgren: Good, how are you?

V. V.: Fine, thanks. Let's start our conversation with a question about Nuclear Blast Records, as right now we're having a week dedicated to that label on Tangra Mega Rock. Everybody says they're the best metal label around, but noone said anything bad. Is there anything these guys should improve?

P. T.: No, not really. I've been with them for a very long time with Hypocrisy. I still stay there - it's my family, you know - and I don't wanna leave, because it's always been good for sure. For me it's the perfect label for Hypocrisy.

V. V.: Let's talk about the new Pain album then. I can tell you that on the front cover you look very much like Johnny Depp. Was it on purpose?

P. T.: No, ha-ha! I just look like this, I can't do anything about it.

V. V.: What was the big challenge of making this fifth Pain studio release?

P. T.: It's always a big challenge to make an album, especially when you do it all by yourself - produce, write and also record. It's really a big challenge for me, and I think that's why I'm doing it - because it's not easy to make the album happen. It can be very frustrating a lot of times.

V. V.: What was the difference within this challenge now compared to your previous records?

P. T.: I don't know... To make a little bit more air in the album maybe... "Dancing with the Dead" (2005) is a really good record, but it's a little bit too much metal for being Pain, I think. It kind of has the same vibe all through the album, while the new CD I really wanted to make like a rollercoaster, with ups and downs. With "Dancing with the Dead" you know exactly what you'll get after two songs, but with "Psalms of Extinction" it feels like there are surpsises all the time -В different kinds of music styles, different kinds of sounds, different ways of doing things.

V. V.: There's a cover version of Bjork's "Play Dead" on the CD. Why exactly Bjork - because she's from the North, like yourself, or because she's doing a very experimental kind of music?

P. T.: The melodies she makes are really unique. Noone else sounds like her. When I had some plans to do a cover versions album, this song was one of the first I had in mind. I have a few more songs that I did covers on, but this one was so different, so it just felt like it should be on this album, as it makes it a little bit different as well, you know.

V. V.: Besides Pain and Hypocrisy, you're one of Europe's most famous producers. What are you working on now in your Abyss Studio?

P. T.: I haven't done too much stuff for a long time, to be honest, because I had no time - it takes so long to do the Hypo and Pain stuff, you know... Then you've gotta go on tour, so there's not much time left for me to do other bands. I'd really like to do one or two albums every year in order to keep up the producing aspect for me. Besides, when I do the Pain stuff I learn so many new tricks, so for me it's very important to develop all the time. Unfortunately, lately I haven't produced other bands, as I had too much work to do - I've been doing promotion, something like 400 interviews for Pain, plus touring with Hypocrisy...

V. V.: Last question then: What's the song of the 12 new ones on "Psalms of Extinction" that you're the most proud of and... Do you find this question stupid?

P. T.: No, it's not stupid, it's a hard one... I really like the title track, because it says a lot about the world, and it took me a long time to get the violins and shit together. Besides, it was the hardest song to mix, so I'd say "Psalms of Extinction" - I don't know if it's the best song, but it represents the hard work for me.

Copyright: Tangra Mega Rock