Interview with Patrik Hultin
Q>>
Hey ! Before I start questioning you hard, I'd like you to know that I truly
enjoyed the green disc you guys just released. I remember the first thing that
came into my mind when I first heard the disc was "wow, how intense is
this?". Have you had such sort of reaction from other people yet?
A>> Well the word goes around about "Prey On Life". And what
can I say more than that it feels good to get those reactions? When you make
music and record it you don't know if people are gonna like it. First of all
you make the music that you like and hopefully it will get appreciated. So thank
you for the kind words about our record.
Q>> Another
thing I immediately noticed in your sound is the very personal approach you
guys develop harmonically speaking. Burst's riffs don't sound like any other...
Where do you find inspiration?
A>> It's hard to say. We are 5 totally different individuals in this band
and I think that is what creates the music in the end. Of course we have influences
but every person in this band has his own musical background. Take me for example;
I have a Punk and Metal background while Robert listens to many Progressive
bands. And all members in Burst compile the music. You could say that a compilation
of so many different voices brings forward our sound.
Q>> How did
you work on the new songs? If you tell me they've been created while jamming,
I won't believe you...
A>> Not totally by jamming… We mostly start off with a riff that
someone has and just like you said it, we start jamming. You've got to get a
feeling for the music before you start to arrange it. This is very important.
So often when we are stuck we just jam it for a while and suddenly an idea pops
up. But we have two very good guitarists in the band and that helps a lot.
Q>> You're
part of the mighty Relapse roster now. Do you feel comfortable among all those
Death/Grind freaks?
A>> It feels good to be on a label known to have put out so many good
bands. And Jesper said some very good things about Relapse (in relationship
to in Nasum), so hopefully he's telling the truth. It's hard to talk about the
future but I think that Relapse is a good record label to be on and that the
main thing for Matt and the others is the music. And I'd rather spend my life
with freaks than with ordinary people.
Q>> Is the
fact that Jesper also plays in Nasum a problem in any way or - on the contrary
- did you benefit from his good contacts?
A>> Well, he did play in Nasum but he has quit now to be able to put all
his energy into Burst. But when he played in Nasum we never thought of it as
a problem. Like you say, I think that we have benefited from it. We have always
been very underground and when Jesper started to play in Nasum we got a little
bit more exposure. But there's of course a downside to it: we were always considered
a side project to Nasum. Which isn't true at all. Jesper played in this band
long before he played in Nasum and I think that we have been going on for an
equal period of time. But in the end I think that it has mostly been a good
thing for the band that he played in Nasum.
Q>> This
one is probably gonna sound like "what the fuck did this guy stick in his
ears?", but when I listen to Burst, I automatically think of Voivod...
Maybe just because of the guitar riffing with lots of open chords that widen
and enrich the sonic spectrum a lot. Does anyone in the band know or listen
to Voivod?
A>> Of course have we heard of Voivod but I have a hard time to agree
that I can hear that in our music. But that doesn't really matter. If you think
of Voivod when you listen to it, that is what you hear. It's always fun to be
compared to different bands. By the way, talking about Voivod … I play
drums in a Voivod-influenced band called The Kolony... But we have a little
bit more Grind in it than they have. And a little bit more Punk.
Q>> Do you
guys feel green as Type O Negative?Or are you drowned in a different green?
;-)
A>> Well, I'm more of a grey person but I really like the layout of our
record (Except the label print). So I maybe will turn into a green person after
the success of this record *S*
Q>> Mixing
Metal, Punk and Hardcore isn't that common after all. At least not the way you
mix it... I read you started 10 years ago as a Punk Rock band... How come you've
changed your style through the years?
A>> Mostly you start playing the kind of music that you are able to play.
And that is what we did. To be precise, we played Crust Punk, not Punk Rock.
But when you start to learn your instruments more you also start to develop
the music you create. And we have always listened to all kinds of music, so
it was a simple step we took. I don't even think we thought about it. But we
will always progress with this band. You could say stagnation is our enemy.
Q>> What
will Burst become in the future?
A>> Who knows? I for sure don't, but I hope that we will continue to have
fun while constructing our music. And hopefully we will do many tours in the
future. That is at least what I hope for in my future.
Q>> Something
somber (or not) to add?...
A>> Thank you for the interview. I especially liked the question about
Voivod. We will do a tour this fall/winter so keep your eyes open for it. That's
it, I think. Cheers!!!
RNO