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Interviews : “Listening to it in the car is probably a very good way of getting a nice introduction to our music.”- An interview with Björn ‘Speed’ Strid (The Night Flight Orchestra)

By on June 9, 2018

The Night Flight Orchestra- Björn ‘Speed’ Strid

For many fans of heavy metal, the name Björn ‘Speed’ Strid is associated with post-millennial game changers Soilwork. Strid, however, has also found the time, energy and inclination to create The Night Flight Orchestra, an outfit that mixes 80’s style pop/ rock flair and lite-metal.

Alluding to the hectic schedule at hand, Strid explains that commitments to both bands mean he has his hands full.

“It’s been pretty intense. Very busy, a lot of press, meanwhile just finished up the new Soilwork album as well. It’s good times indeed.”

Sometimes The World Aint Enough is The Night Flight Orchestra’s brand new album. It’s an album that could very well have been the in-vehicle soundtrack to the Ferrari Testarossa Spider gamers steered around Devil’s Canyon scenery, in the immortal Out Run arcade game released by Sega in 1986. Forward motion, driving and the sense of having the wind in your hair appeal to Strid’s vision for the band.

“That was one of the reasons we started the band to create sort of a soundtrack of being in motion, so it definitely makes sense. Listening to it in the car is probably a very good way of getting a nice introduction to our music.”

Does Strid ever feel a sense of conflict, about which bands musical narrative will best suit his evidently fertile creative muse? Are there moments when deep in creative prose he is conflicted over which band to allocate a riff or lyric?

“No, I can’t say that I’ve had that happen. Maybe a melody here and there, but it’s usually very separated. It’s like an easy switch, and I always know what’s destined for Soilwork or The Night Flight Orchestra. I think Soilwork is very much a band where we decide should we approach the song writing for a new album. We sort of make a decision there, and with Night Flight it’s more of a constant thing, we just keep writing songs and we never really leave the studio. I think that’s the difference there, and I guess it makes it easier to sort of separate things as well.”

Having two bands with a vastly different appeal makes sense to Strid, and likely to many fans. But what about the label (Nuclear Blast)? Celtic Frost famously had all sorts of label issues creating their era defining avant-garde metal, then there are endless stories of hard rock musicians encouraged to ‘go grunge’ by record companies when Nirvana broke large. Has Strid felt the cold hand of opportunistic commercialism creep into his relationship with Nuclear Blast?

“There’s no pressure really, thank God. The label is still backing up Soilwork, and they also think The Night Flight Orchestra is really exciting, so there seems to be a balance. For us we have the same booking agents as well for Soilwork and The Night Flight Orchestra, otherwise it probably would have turned into a disaster, so that definitely helps. It’s a great vibe coming from the label.”

Listen to the full conversation here

Sometimes The World Aint Enough is released 29/6/18 via Nuclear Blast

About

Andrew is a musician who has spent many years performing on the stages of the pubs and clubs of Queensland. A devotee of the broad church that is rock, punk, funk, jazz and of course all genres of metal... he now shares his enthusiasm via a burgeoning pursuit of music journalism. Follow him on twitter @andymckaysmith