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In Words: RAM



- Harry Granroth - June 2009 - Claudia Ehrhardt -


www.ram-metal.com








RAM
© RAM


Harry Granroth - June 22nd 2009 (by email)




Even if RAM are known in the underground more people discover the band these days with their second release Lightbringer. Time to learn a bit more about the Swedish! Thanks to guitarist Harry Granroth for answering my questions.


Please tell us why it took so long between the release of Forced Entry and Lightbringer!

We did quite a lot shows in 2006/2007, so we were busy with that. It's something we really enjoy and it would't feel good to let down the audience. However, in 2008 we realized we had to focus on the recording of the new album. Also we've been without a permanent bass player which was slowing us down a bit, but that is solved now.

In 2006 you released a split-EP with the Belgium band After All. How did this split-EP came to life?

We met Tobi of Metalcoven.de at a gig and I think Oscar already had ordered stuff from his mailorder. So the idea was born there somewhere, let's do a split 7" with RAM.

Have the songs for Lightbringer been written just for the recordings? Or have you collected these songs over the years?

Most of the songs or parts of them are as old or older than 'FE' while some are written after that.

Why the title Lightbringer?

It's a good album title, I think and it was one of the first songs to be finished. Lyrically it's also a good choice as the title of the album.

Who did the cover artwork? It reminds me a bit of the cover of German band Capricorn...

Oscar did the artwork as he did with 'FE' and the 'Sudden Impact EP'.

These days with YouTube video clips become more important again... Do you plan to do a clip? Perhaps a live clip?

It seems like other people take care of that so we aren't in a rush to put out something by ourselves. But who knows, if we have some cool material we might do that.

Talking about live.... Can you play live a lot?

The dates for our European tour was just recently announced and we hope to be able to extend that. In August we'll play some festivals in Germany and Slovenia.

You aren't a typical Gothenburg band... Is it a problem that people expect a different sound when they hear you are from Gothenborg?

Not really. I know people expected a 'Gothenburg sound' years ago, but the word is getting through that we play Heavy Metal.

Your influences are quite audible, it seems. Are there any other bands which influence you? Which can't be heard in your songs?

Our influences range from hard rock to black/speed/old school death to melodic metal, but the outcome is always Heavy Metal. Perhaps it's not audible in our music, but we're all fans of early MSG.

Please tell us, what inspires you! Musically and lyrically!

Well, inspiration has many sources, it could be philosophy, science fiction, injustice or hardships of the individual in today's world. Musically it could be rhythms that inspire, but it could really be anything, for me it's hard to point out where it comes from. It could be blasting out some riffs on high volume and then find something cool, but it could also be when humming when taking a walk or strumming the guitar when watching television.

There are some references to Mercyful Fate / King Diamond. What is fascinating you?

Those are two great bands with unique sound and songwriting, especially early MF.

It isn't easy to find you with a search engine... Have you ever thought about changing the band's name? And what does the name mean to you?

It should be among the top results on some of the search engines...but metal underground is not only an online thing. People travel and go to festivals and you have all these small labels and traders... The word gets around if people are interested. We will not change the name. It means several different things, one is that you will get RAMMED when listening to our music.

What's next on your schedule?

Next on our schedule is to continue the work with the new release, it's a busy time. Then we'll concentrate on the gigs in the summer and the upcoming tour and in October - and of course continue working on new material.


They will hit the European stages later this year, so if you miss them at the festivals, that's your chance! Be prepared to be rammed!



Claudia Ehrhardt

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