"Arch Enemy has been growing and growing and it has become a really big thing for us."

Swedish extreme metal guitar virtuoso Michael Amott, known for being the main figure in the melodic deathsters Arch Enemy and the stoner rockers Spiritual Beggars, as well as a former member of Carnage and the mighty Carcass, talks to Tangra Mega Rock about the brand-new Arch Enemy DVD "Live Apocalypse"...

Vassil Varbanov: Mr. Amott, how are you doing?

Michael Amott: I'm doing great! I'm happy that I can spend some time at home this summer, because we're doing festivals, which are only during the weekends. We're having a very short summer here in Sweden, so it's nice to be home to enjoy it during the week. Last summer we were at the Ozzfest in America with Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden, so I couldn't experience the Swedish summer, but now I'm pretty happy to enjoy it.

V. V.: The main reason to talk with you today is Arch Enemy's "Live Apocalypse" DVD that's coming out next week. What's in it?

M. A.: It's a double DVD with lots of material on it. The main concert footage is a 2004 show in London shot with a lot of cameras and presented in surround sound and everything, so we're pleased with it. There's also other stuff, like songs from the recent album, multiangle footage... As for the second disc, it's got our promo videos, interviews, us talking about the equipment we use...

V. V.: Less than a year ago we were focused on the Spiritual Beggars DVD "Live Fire". Are we talking about different types of content then and now, with this release of your other band, Arch Enemy?

M. A.: Absolutely! The Arch Enemy DVD is much more in depth, with a lot more material on it... and it's a different band, after all.

V. V.: Yeah, but you're the same person.

M. A.: Ha-ha, there's two Michael Amotts, you know!

V. V.: In what terms?

M. A.: I don't know, he-he... I grew up listening to very extreme music, like Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth, and that has reflected in Arch Enemy. Later on I developed an appreciation for 70's rock and the roots of heavy metal, and that's when I started Spiritual Beggars. I'm a musician and I enjoy playing both styles.

V. V.: Back to Arch Enemy now. There's a very important question ever since Angela Gossow joined you as a vocalist in 2001: What's it like to have an extremely good looking chick in the band who's singing like a man on stage?

M. A.: Ha-ha, who said she's behaving like a man on stage!? I know it's kind of unusual, but I think we are a unique band in that sense. Besides, she looks amazing!

V. V.: So what's going to be the next big thing for you guys?

M. A.: We're gonna keep on touring until the rest of the year for our most recent album, "Doomsday Machine" (2005) - we're going back to America in September, then to Japan and Australia again... We want to do a tour in South America as well... And then, in 2007, we'll enter studio to record the new Arch Enemy album. The machine keeps on rolling, you know. We're having a great time and we feel very creative, so it's just natural to keep on working.

V. V.: Being so busy with Arch Enemy, does it mean that Spiritual Beggars are on some sort of a standby at the moment, or you keep the other side of your personality still active?

M. A.: That's a good question. It is very difficult to maintain... I mean, Arch Enemy has been growing and growing and it has become a really big thing for us, so it takes up basically all of our time. Besides, the other members of Spiritual Beggars are very busy, too - the keyboard player (Per Wiberg) is a member of Opeth... You see, planning the schedule of Spiritual Beggars has become increasingly hard. However, I've managed to write a few songs and made demos, but I've put them aside for now. Hopefully we can make a new record when the time is right, but now we're very, very busy with Arch Enemy.

Copyright: Tangra Mega Rock