Were you ever sceptical about how your audience would receive the shift in the direction of your music? How did it pan out eventually?
Well, you ' re always sceptical about how people will react to your new material and with a completely new sound, sure, there was, even more doubt in play. But we knew that the songs were great and we still had the melodic part of the music there. And the response was far better than expected. Some people even said that the new sound was easier to take in than the earlier sound even though we had incorporated growl vocals. Maybe because the melodic parts were even more melodic while the heavier parts became heavier. Also, with both Mao and Fabz in the band, the arrangements within the songs have gotten better and more thought out than before. And that ' s a really important part that keeps the listener interested throughout the whole song.
Mindshift was recently signed by the American label, Eclipse Records. How has it helped the band?
Getting signed to Eclipse Records has really helped to get the band ' s name out there in ways that we wouldn ' t have been able to do it bu ourselves. Since they ' ve been in the business for 20 years, the contacts they have is invaluable. And the passion for the music they work with is amazing; they work so hard for the bands on the roster!
Sweden is home to some of the greatest metal bands in the world. Tell us about the scene back home and how valuable it is to your country ' s culture.
Yeah, we have a lot of amazing bands that come from Sweden and they have contributed to or are contributing to putting Sweden on the map as a musical giant. Also, when you have so many bands to look up to when you grow up, more kids will have the urge to follow their footsteps and take up an instrument and form a band or start writing songs. And that enriches the culture.
How did your first tour of India come about? And how was the experience?
It all started in late 2014 when I saw a post on Facebook that was about the Artist Management firm you used to run( MetamorphiK Productions) having had our friends in Degradead over to India for a tour. So I sent you a mail and asked if you ' d be interested in having another awesome Swedish band over to India, and it worked! We booked a couple of shows including headlining a college fest at IIT Dhanbad and off we went! We didn ' t quite know what to expect, but the outcome was awesome! The crowds at the gigs were crazy, and we were greatly taken care of, the entire experience was beyond all expectations.
Did you find any difference between the two tours of India? What are the positives you take back home?
The main difference was that more fans had heard us before and could sing along to the songs, which was awesome! Other than that, our expectations were exceeded. It was great coming to India the first time, but it was even better this time around.
The most positive thing about the tour was the feedback from the fans and that they went absolutely crazy when we played. And the hospitality from the promoters as well. Also, seeing different parts of the country was also a great experience. And none of us got food poisoning. haha..
How important is the India for metal bands from Scandinavia?
I feel like India had been an underrated market for the Scandinavian bands until recent years. But I think and hope that we will see more tours passing by India and not only the bigger cities. It sure is an important place for Mindshift... That ' s for sure!
How did you find the Indian music scene in general since you judged a couple of competitions and performed alongside some local acts? Any particular favorites thus far?
It has been really cool to see what the underground music scene has had to offer on the two tours we ' ve been on. Many of the bands that we ' ve talked to are at a really young age and are already killing it. So if they just keep at it, the future looks bright!
Personal favourites for myself are Godless from Hyderabad. Great musicians and they manage to combine heavy, brutal death metal a nice groove.
Do you see Indian bands standing toe to toe with bands from nations where metal music has been a part of the culture for long?
Yeah, absolutely! Give it 5-10 years, and you ' ll see plenty of Indian metal bands that are playing bigger shows around the world. Just look at Bollywood... Indians have music and entertainment in their genes! Haha
What ' s next for Mindshift?
We are currently writing new material for the next album. We have about 20 solid ideas that we are working on, and we hope to start recording around June and hopefully a release in November.
When can we expect you guys back in India?
We hope to get out on a promo tour for the new album this fall, and we ' ll make sure that India is included!
Before I let you go... is Sumit Suvarna the hottest tour manager ever?
Juicy biceps and washboard abs, what more can you ask for??( Laughs)
Thanks for taking time out to talk to The Score Magazine. Hope to see you guys back in India sooner than later.
My pleasure. Thank you and look out for the Mindshift bulldozer in the future!
The Score Magazine www. thescoremagazine. com
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