Almost 3 years ago these Swedes (and one German) debuted with the album
“Rise of the Beast”. To be honest, it was Herbie Langhans, who caught my
attention. I am his fan since Seventh Avenue’s “Tales of Tales” (1996), and I
decided to give “Rise of the Beast” a spin… and was hooked immediately! So I
was looking forward to the “New World Order” album. The band has strengthened
its line-up with the new guitarist Carsten Stepanowicz and taken its music to
the new level. To me “New World Order” is already one of the best albums of
2023! Lars Eng, the main driving force of the band, speaks about the making of
the “New World Order”.
Hello Lars! Congrats with the new album! It’s getting more and more positive reviews. Have you seen some negative feedback?
Hello and thank you doing this interview with me. The feedback has been overwhelming for me, and there is not much negative at all.
Is it important for you to get positive feedback? Would you continue releasing albums just for your own satisfaction, if you didn’t have so many listeners?
it’ always fun to get positive feedback, but that’s not the main reason I write music. I write music because of the passion and for the creative valve that would explode if I can’t express myself with the music. I have gotten in touch with so many amazing people during this past 2,5 half years, fans and business partners. And that’s amazing as well. But for the songwriting, I would still write music and put it out in the same way if there were just 10 people listening. This is a part of me, and I will never let it go.
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| Carsten Stepanowicz |
Why did Johan Bergquist and Jonas Andersson leave
the band in 2021? Was it easy for you to find new members? And was this the
reason why the album came 2 years later after the release of the first singles?
I don’t know why people think Johan quit the band in 2021, he is with us today and we have no intention to go separate ways. The only change we did was to invite Ulf Nilsson for the song “Farewell”. He played the original bass on the first release of that song with an older band “Teaser”, a country/rock band I was involved with some years ago. So, Ulf was just a guest on the single. Jonas was never fired or something like that, the band was not a real band until 2021 just a project from my side. And we also had Niklas Dahlin from Insania Stockholm on solo guitar on the last 3 songs of the first album. Carsten was a recommendation from Herbie when we were talking about making the project more into a band for the upcoming band, with a solid line-up through the whole album. And I’m so happy he joined, he is the most down to earth person I have ever met, an amazing guitarist and totally a prestige-less person. So, almost 3 years between the releases has been a money issue rather than people and lack of material.
There is an opinion that second albums are hardest to make due to so called “second album syndrome”. Did you feel some pressure because of that?
I didn’t think that much on what to write or something like that. When I write I just write. The hardest part was to try not to think about the success of the first album. No pressure in the writing.
How long did it take to write “The New World Order”? Did you use some ideas which didn’t make it to the first album?
The writing process wasn’t that long. I have most of the story left from the first album, so it was a smooth progress. The only struggle I had was “Where the Eagles Fly”, the clean part would never end up good enough, I was really close to discard this song from the record, but now I’m glad I didn’t.
What is your approach to songwriting? Do you need inspiration for that? Would you say that you write spontaneously, or do you build up your songs step by step?
The story of the records has always been done beforehand, so I usually start with some riffs and play along with them for a while, and try out different structures around the riff. When I have the foundation for the song, I take a part from the story and turn into workable lyrics around the music. When that’s sorted out, I leave the songs as they are, and put them into a playlist on my phone and listen to them in my car or at work, and try to hear where and what could be added to make it lift. Sometimes the songs take so much time that Herbie record his voice, and when I hear his vocals, I get some ideas too. So I don’t have any special recipe or one way to go, it’s a process and most of the songs come together when I get right feeling or inspiration.
Since both albums are concept, how much the concept and the lyrics influence your songwriting? Do you think like, “Oh, well, the hero goes through this and this, therefore there should be a sorrowful song on the album and a bombastic one…”?
Kind a like that, the story is there, and I take the lyrics and fit them into what I think is a great fit.
One of my favorite songs off the album is “Lucifer”. Do you remember how this idea came to you?
I don’t remember when, but it was the guitar part that is before and after Carstens solo that was the base of song. I wrote that part and I know I had to make it fit with a song for the new album, so everything in the song is based and builds around that part.
Don’t you think that the opening tune of “Lucifer” sounds a bit like Helloween’s “Future Word”? It’s just for a few seconds, but anyway… Is it a problem for you when you realize that some of your ideas sound close to the others’ songs?
Not really, it was put there by accident, but it grew and it had to be there. So I kept it and I more see it as a tribute to Helloween and Kai Hansen who are my heroes. So, after 25 years listening to and playing Helloween stuff, it would be hard to keep the influences away.
“The Caveman” shows the mellower, a bit AOR-ish side of The Lightbringer. What inspired you to write it?
I was trying to capture the feeling of a gate keeper who is all alone and guards the gate to Hell. It started with the clean riff you hear in the intro an the verse, the intro solo I wrote by playing around with a Jackson PC-1 (Phil Collen of Def Leppard Signature guitar for you who don’t know), and I was doing some Def Leppard stuff and the style suite the intro part so well, and there is definitely a lot of Whitesnake and Def Leppard in that intro.
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| Lars Eng |
You are the main songwriter in the band, and I
guess you have certain vision when you write songs. Do you require from others
to record everything exactly like on demos, or do you let them change their
parts?
I write all the lyrics and all the riffs and melodies, but I have never told any one to make it exactly like on the demo or as I want it, because I want everyone to have their own touch in the playing and singing. Herbie has contributed a lot to the vocal arrangement. When I send him songs I just mumble the lyrics and he make his own thing around that melody, if that is what you can call my bad singing. Haha. And for the solos I think Carsten has got the same rock/blues solo 1000 times from me, I just shred something to pinpoint where I want a solo. And in songs like “Back from the Dead” he added a lot of solo guitars that I even didn’t think of. So, there is a lot of room for the others to do what they feel like to do. The melody in the end of “The Caveman” was Herbie’s idea.
As I said, your albums are concept works. Could you tell us about the plot of the new album? I understand it’s a continuation of the story from the previous album, but what is basically going on here?
The album starts up where Lucifer has passed the gates of Рell and snuck out to the world, so the humans need help from the angels to put the demon down and they need to set them free. And the rest of the album is the battle between the angels and demons. It all ends up with the angels winning the fight. The last song “Fly Away” is about angels flying back to Heaven.
The beast is the word for Lucifer, the Devil. And the story is about him. He came back to Earth and was sent back by the angels, The first album, “Rise of the Beast” is darker in terms of lyrics. And “The New World Order” is about when he just has come to Earth and is trying to take over but fails big time.
I understand that recording albums for experienced musicians is routine, but anyway, was this process smooth this time, or did you face something odd, strange or unexpected?
No it was way smoother. This time we were a unit and the same people were involved, so this was a much smoother album to record, especially with one album behind our belts. Now I know how Tobbe plays drums and what Herbie is capable of with the vocals. So it was more fun than with the first album.
In my opinion, the lead guitar work on this album is incredible! Did you play more solos this time? Or was it Carsten Stepanowicz who played the majority of solos?
Yeah, I play a lot more solo stuff on this album, like the parts in “Lucifer”. And also the twin guitars in “The Beast is Rising” and that is the solo I’m most proud of. I’m not a lead guitar player, just a steady riff guy, but Carsten inspired me so much and pushed me to do more stuff. But he plays most of the “real solos”. I do most of the melody stuff and we made a lot of harmonies, like in the intro of “The Caveman”.
By the way, why don’t you play more guitar solos? A lot of guitarists are very ambitious, a bit egocentric and love to show off. It seems you are a bit different…
I like heavy riffs, and I’m not a fast-playing-nuclear-plant-on-steroids as Carsten. I feel very comfortable by playing riffs and put some harmonies here and there. I think I’m good in filling empty spots in the music and the songwriting. I like standing in the back and supporting people who are good front figures. And I think that’s a good thing and something that keeps the group together – we complement each other. No group or band sounds good if everyone is fighting for being in the front all the time. You have to see everything as a unit, and it you have a good looking and amazing guitarist as Carsten is, why not let him be in front looking good and make amazing solos when I don’t have the ability to do them.
Fredrik Nordstrom mixed and mastered the album once again. I know he is a true professional and all that, but what was your personal motivation to work with him? What kind of sound did you want to achieve when you approached him in 2020?
He is a good friend and the best producer in Europe, so the choice was easy. I didn’t say anything I already know what he was capable of doing so I just hand it over and let him do his magic.
I know that the third album is in the works now. Any ideas when can we expect it?
I can’t answer to that yet, because it in really early stage now, but the storyline is done, and some riffs are there. But I can’t speculate in what direction it will take from here. You have to wait a bit for that.
Now, when The Lightbringer has a lot of fans worldwide, don’t you want to embark on a tour, to get a deal with an established label and do it full-time?
For sure the thoughts are there, but there is a lot to think of. We have a gig in the USA planned for this fall, so there are plans for some more gigs there. We are five people who need to be ready for that, some of us already has busy touring schedule for this year, some of us has their own businesses and some of us have both a business and a daytime work aside of the music. Right now there is nothing confirmed, but a lot is on the table to work with.
If you want to add anything to round up the interview, the space below is all yours!
I want to take the opportunity to thank all of you people who have taken the time to listen to our music and read this interview, for me it means a lot when you spend your time on our music and the people behind it.
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