Interview by Kris Peters
Known for their fiery fusion of anthemic modern metal and powerful melodic rock, Sweden's SELF DECEPTION have shared stages with the likes of Electric Callboy, Danko Jones, and Adept since their 2009 debut, while racking up millions of streams and video views – including their viral 2022 hit, Fight Fire With Gasoline, with tens of millions of streams.
Written on the road during the heaviest touring of SELF DECEPTION’s career so far, their upcoming album One Of Us is a cohesive record full of character, made for the stage – and the pit!
From massive pit churners to creative storylines and choruses full of hit potential, the energy on One Of Us is unmatched. The band has a busy festival summer following the album’s release, so fans will get the first chance to experience these new tracks live at several major European rock and metal festivals.
With One Of Us, SELF DECEPTION is ready to push contemporary rock to the next level, but to find out more HEAVY sat down with vocalist Andreas Clark, asking him to describe One Of Us musically.
"We never have a plan beforehand," he began. "It kind of becomes what it is. When we started on our own feet, we just decided one day that we wanted to try some new stuff. And every new idea that we can throw into the songs, however crazy it sounds, we've got to try it first. Ever since then, it's been a motto for us to do that. And so this album is written a lot on tour.
We've been touring extensively and we've realized during touring and during writing this album that's what we wanted to capture. We wanted to capture so it feels like it's live and has actual musicians behind it. We used to think that perfecting everything was the way to go, but now every imperfection can add quality to it so it's a more organic album than we've ever done."
In the full interview, Andreas explained that signing with Napalm Records eased the burden the band had carried while crowdfunding and self-managing, providing reduced pressure and additional collaborative support. He described the album as largely written on the road with the aim of capturing a live, organic feel, deliberately accepting imperfections rather than chasing studio polish.
He said the band avoided strict pre-planning, experimenting with many ideas during songwriting and that despite that variety and diversity within their music, the record remains cohesive through consistent vocals and signature drum fills. Specific elements discussed included the song title Ketamine Cowboy, which grew from tour conversations, and the monkey-mask album artwork, chosen to symbolize the mosh-pit persona and the communal energy of live metal shows.
We spoke about the recently postponed Australian tour and when they might be rescheduled, the genesis of the band name and more.
Get your copy of One Of Us: lnk.to/SelfDeception-ONEOFUS/napalmrecords
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