Interviews : Grand Magus – “We’ve never really had any proper offers to go to Australia” (An interview with Janne “JB” Christoffersson)

Swedish heavy metaller’s, Grand Magus, return with their new upcoming January-released album, Triumph and Power. A respected band in the metal world, Grand Magus have been delivering their unique blend of metal styles since 1996, and 2014 seems set to be another great chapter in the bands career.

Metal Obsession had the pleasure to speak with band frontman and guitarist, Janne “JB” Christoffersson. A hospitable and gracious fellow, we discussed the new album, how the band has matured over the years, yet still remained true to themselves, and his recent collaboration with Arjen Lucassen for the latest Ayreon release, The Theory of Everything.

Metal Obsession: Hey JB, I hope you’re well.

Janne “JB” Christoffersson: I’m good. The day before the big Christian jubileum, or whatever you care to call it [laughs], but yeah, it’s good.

MO: How are you feeling about your upcoming release, Triumph and Power?

JB: Good. Normally at this stage, pretty soon after you’ve finished an album, you’re usually pretty confused and you don’t really know what you’ve done. But this time, I feel extremely confident. It’s a good feeling.

MO: From the sneak-peek we received a couple weeks back, it sounds like Triumph and Power will possess a combination of traditional heavy metal as well as subtle undertones of classic rock and hints of doom. Do you feel this album expands upon the signature Grand Magus sound?

JB: Yes… maybe. But then again, I think all the albums that we make are different – extremely different – to one another, but we always concentrate on the songs or the sound. We just try to write the best songs we can, which might sound silly [laughs], but many people don’t really focus on that. So I think the goal with Triumph and Power was to make a really heavy, heavy metal album.

MO: What are some of the themes of the album you’re exploring that you feel may be a bit different from past releases?

JB: I think that one of the strongest feelings or themes that Triumph and Power has is also what most of our albums have, and most of our songs actually, and it’s about the power of nature. It’s also about the relationship between man and nature, or the lack thereof on mankind’s side. That’s really one of the strong elements, I would say.

MO: You guys have been around since 1996, and being your seventh album to date, what are you most excited about with this album in particular; with this new release?

JB: Yeah, that’s a good question. I think for this album, I’m really excited because, like I said, I’m very confident, and I feel that for the first time, everything just came together really well – the song writing, the sound, the whole feel of the album. We’ve done many albums in the past, but perhaps only two or three of these things combined, but this time I feel it just all came together really well.

Triumph and Power

MO: Do you guys plan to tour down here in Australia anytime soon?

JB: Well, we’ve never really had any proper offers to go to Australia.

MO: Would be it bad to strike an offer now? [laughs]

JB: Yeah, I mean, we’re just waiting. We would love to come to Australia because all the people I know who’ve done that – the bands – they’ve always been like, “You need to go there because it’s so great. The people are fantastic, and there’s a real metal crowd over there.” Give us an offer we can’t refuse and we’d be down there in a second, or 18 hours, or whatever it takes to go there. [laughs]

MO: How do you feel the band has grown over the years, and do you feel this album to be further progression in your career?

JB: I think we’re one of those bands where we’ve never really been a ‘hyped band’, never had a ‘big breakthrough’, but we have constantly grown. Everything we’ve done since has been a bit better and a bit stronger than what we did in the past, both when it comes to the business side of things and to a degree the attention side, but absolutely music-wise. When we started out, as most bands do, we worked hard, and we hadn’t really developed yet to where we are now. The musicianship has grown much better, and the song writing has evolved. I don’t really see anywhere else for us to go from here but onwards and upwards.

MO: You guys have become much respected in the metal world over the years. What do you think it is about Grand Magus that people love?

JB: I think it boils down to one thing: apart from the music, it’s that we’re an honest band. We’ve always done the music we feel in our hearts, and I think that really translates. We’ve never been surrounded by any bullshit or any kind of ‘trend’ or ‘hype’ thing; and even though we’ve been associated with big record labels, people have always felt that we haven’t changed because of that. We followed our own path.

MO: You recently collaborated with Arjen Lucassen for his Ayreon project on his latest release, The Theory of Everything. How did you find that experience to be?

JB: It was great. It was a long time coming [laughs]. We’d been talking about this for quite a while, but due to practical and logistical reasons, it never happened before. And also, I was very hesitant about it as it’s such a huge leap into something different from anything I’ve ever done. But, this time it happened and it was a great experience for me. We had a lot of fun together. He’s an amazing musician and songwriter, but he’s also a great motivator and producer. We just had a great time, and I was very happy with the whole thing when I heard the end result, and very proud.

MO: Do you think if you were again offered the chance you’d work with Arjen once more?

JB: Absolutely. Yes, I would. But, I’d also like to point out that this is not something I’d do often. I mean, doing things with other people and other bands is for me something that’s really more of a one off. I mean, because of who he is, and the whole thing connected to this, I don’t really approve of the way that metal has become with this side of things. There are so many people involved in 6 or 7 bands now, on something like 15 album releases a year. I don’t want to be one of those people if I can help it. I’d be very picky about the things I get involved with, but with Arjen, absolutely.

MO: What would you say you’ve loved or even loathed most about being in Grand Magus over the years?

JB: The greatest feeling is when you’ve done something that you feel is really good, and something that you’ve put your heart and soul into, and other people get off on it. That’s the best thing.

MO: What’s next for the band?

JB: At the moment, we’re doing a lot of promotion for the album which out in January. Then we’re going to prepare for a European tour in March, and it’s going to be a full month of touring. So that’s the nearest goal.

MO: Any famous last words or salutations before we sign off for the interview?

JB: [laughs] Well, I guess it’s summer in Australia now, right?

MO: Yeah, it is. Pretty hot down here at the moment. [laughs]

JB: Well, from Sweden then, words of wisdom when it comes to winter, that is: “never to eat the yellow snow.”

Triumph and Power will be made available from January 31st from Nuclear Blast Records. Click here to pre-order your copy today!

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