As we promised! Here’s an interview with our Manager – Eric Hallbäck!
So Eric, are you ready?
- Yes!
Tell us about your background and history in music?
- I grew up with my father in Jönköping, Sweden, and he is and has allways been a huge fan of metal and hard-rock music. So it became naturally for me to listen to it.
When I was about 3-4 years old, I searched through his collection of old vinyl-discs and found Alice Cooper’s ”Constrictor”. I still remember the fear I felt. The dude had a SNAKE IN HIS MOUTH. I couldn’t even touch the cover. (When I was older I finally did put it on, and I loved it. Still do.)
Anyway! I moved on and I found the coolest and most awesome cover I’ve ever seen. Iron Maiden’s ”Piece of Mind”. Looks kind of scary too if you show it to a 3-4 year-old, but I loved it. So I screamed loud until my father put it on. And that was it. That disc wasn’t removed from the vinyl player for 2 years. I’m not kidding.
Iron Maiden led me to Black Sabbath, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, DIO, Gun’s n’ Roses and so on.
Long story short; Maiden is the reason I started listening to hard-rock and metal-music.
In school we had something called ”Happy hour”, where we could team up with a friend or two, and give the rest of the class a show, set up a play, or anything else that you wanted to share with your classmates. This was in 3rd class (I was about 8 years old). Most of my friends took their pets to school and talked about them, or lip synced to a shitty Backstreet Boys-song. Not me. I stood for 5 and a half minutes and played air guitar, screaming ”..if you’re gonna die, die with your boots on if you gonna die..!”
Everybody loved it.. at least my friends did.. My teacher and principal didn’t..
After 30 min of bullshit at my principal’s office, with my father and teacher attending, my father and I got in the car, he gave me the highest of fives and we laughed our asses off the whole way home.
When did you first hear about The Embodied?
- My brother introduced me to The Embodied on a party he had a couple of years ago. His father is a guitarist and knew the guys. So he put on some songs and I’m glad he did. Thank’s Tom.
Later, about 6 months ago I met Marcus. We play in the same hockey-team in the ”Swedish Raven-series”, and I asked them if they wanted some help feeding the world with the sick tunes of The Embodied. And that’s where we started!
What is your favourite track from the album?
- I really think the whole album is awesome. But if I have to choose? Wow.
That’s impossible… Oka… No, I can’t… If I… No… Yah, what the hell. If I really had to choose I’d go with ”Born from shadows”, ”Heaven Burns Tonight” and ”Deception”.
How will you help the band, any special plans?
- My plan at the moment is to help the guys to come out and play everywhere! I’ll give them feedback if they want me to give it. I’m gonna help them as much as I can, with everything so that they can focus on the music and their creativity.
And of course, slap their faces and kick their asses if they drink too much liquor.
Give a short description of the guys.
- F**ki’n he… Where should I start?
Marcus? Our half-finnish viking. A clever guy with a voice that I’d cut off a leg to have myself.
Chris is the calm guy. He’s not the one that usually stands up and scream at the other guys, but when he do, some serious shit comes out of his mouth!
Axel is our hungarian warrior. Gives 110% in everything he does, and if it’s not perfection, it’s not Axel’s work. Gotta love him.
Agust… slaps the bass like he hasn’t done anything else before in his life. He doesn’t care if the merch is black, yellow or pink, as long as he gets to play.
Jonathan. Denmark’s finest. If he hadn’t married his guitar, he could be a comedian.. A slightly disturbed one. But I think he made the right choice. When he plays that electric guitar, it’s like watching Guitar Hero live.
5 FAST ONES
- Usain Bolt, Speedy Gonz.. What? This wasn’t the question?
Beer or beer
- Beer of course.. Who answers ”beer” on this one?
Man boobs or Man beard
- Man beard. I read that bra’s can give you cancer.
Dickinson or Hetfield
- Bruce Allmighty
Ozzy or Lemmy
- Lemmy. ..or Ozzy.. no Lemmy
Do or Don’t
- Do! If you don’t, you ain’t never gonna find out.
Thank you Eric!
