Q&A with Peter Tagtgren

Pain
Home base: Sweden
Line up: Peter Tagtgren
Album: Pain
Label: Nuclear Blast America
website: http://www.nuclearblast-us.com

Sheila Rene': Hello Sweden! You sound as clear as a bell.

Peter Tagtgren: We've got a good line.

SR: You're not a workaholic are you? You've got three projects going at once. Hypocrisy, Abyss and Pain.

PT: Yes (laughter) I am. I just have so many ideas and they don't all fit into one project.

SR: Hypocrisy came first, then The Abyss and now Pain.

PT: Yeah, but The Abyss came about at the same time as Hyprocisy.

SR: Both Hyprocisy and The Abyss have the same personnel. Pain is all yours --recording all instruments and voice.

PT: I sang on the first Hyprocisy project and Michael sang on the second album.

SR: Are you the same person in all three bands...same person, same temperament?

PT: Yeah. I have different mood swings, that's all.

SR: How young were you when you started writing song?

PT: I think around nine years old. I got my first drum set then.

SR: How many other instruments can you play?

PT: I try to play bass, guitar and some keyboards.

SR: What was your first guitar?

PT: I think it was a Hoffner or something like that. It was a low-budget guitar.

SR: Any new guitars out there that have caught your eye?

PT: I have five or six already. On Pain I used a Gibson Explorer.

SR: Are any of these songs left over from other projects?

PT: No, usually what happens is that when a song comes up in the same direction it makes it on one of the projects.

SR: What are the best conditions for your writing?

PT: Being in a shitty mood and when I'm not happy. It makes me more creative.

SR: "On Your Knees Again" has a powerful opening and great lyrics. "Rope Around My Neck" ...trapped in a nightmare called
life with no sign of exit...I'm gonna die.

PT: Glad you like it.

SR: You use the word "greed" a lot on this album...Execution is the only justice, you write.

PT: The "Greed" song is more about politics, people in high positions that can do whatever they want and get away with it. I
say line 'em up against the wall and fuckin' shoot 'em down.

SR: Okay, Peter! "Choke On Your Lies" says ...Burn in paradise...I'm my own God...I live my life on my own terms. These are
great words to live by. This policy should work for everyone.

PT: Everybody tries to break you down in their shit. Stand tall and be yourself and you'll survive.

SR: "Breathe" is a little industrial and a little death-metal sounding. ...The death of our dying race... Is there any hope?

PT: No, not really. It's just a matter of time.

SR: Do you keep a personal, daily journal of your moods and moves?

PT: Actually, the Pain album is a self-biography. A diary from the time when I was really down. The whole album is about that
time in my life.

SR: How long does it take you to record all the instruments.

PT: It took me a month to put the whole album together. When I went into Abyss Studios I had four songs. I had to write four
more songs plus record it all.

SR: I understand that you're going to go back in the studio with Abyss before you tour.

PT: No, a Hyprocisy album. That will be my final album in that band.

SR: Will you stay in The Abyss?

PT: No, I'm going to only write and record as Pain.

SR: Will it be just you or will you put together a band?

PT: As long as there are no tours coming around. I want to get on the road with it.

SR: Are there traits that your fans might not expect?

PT: I don't know. Personally, I'm a very calm person. I like to sit and observe instead of shooting my mouth off. I'm easy to get
along with. I just say what I need to say. I'm social.

SR: Did you work on computers on this album?

PT: I really didn't do anything but keyboards on computers. I was playing drums through a click track. I wanted to sound more
industrial. A few other songs I used an acoustic drum set.

SR: What bands do you like out there today?

PT: I listen to older stuff because today I don't see a lot of creative stuff coming out any more. I'd rather put on a Led Zeppelin
or Black Sabbath. I like Black Sabbath when Ronnie James Dio was with them. He's much better than Ozzy. I think he's
probably the best singer for hardcore and heavy metal. Dio is my favorite singer plus his lyrics are dynamite.

SR: I'm a huge fan of him myself. He's a terrific person.

PT: He sings like a God. I'd really love to work with him some capacity. I guess I could kiss that dream good-bye.

SR: Why?

PT: I probably wouldn't stand a chance, but I want to work with him.

SR: It's easy for me to support Ozzy and Dio because they're both very talented.

PT: That's great.

SR: What do you think about the Internet? I went into a couple of Abyss sites but couldn't pull up anything on Hyprocisy or
Pain.

PT: Really? I think there are some out there on Hyprocisy. I don't have the Internet myself. I surf when I visit my Dad. I know
they're out there. There was a site that was put up at some college and Nuclear Blast are in the throws of putting up one.

SR: How is the response on these three projects that have all been released in '96 and '97.

PT: The Abyss has gotten tremendous response in American radio.

SR: Any chance we'll be able to see you in the U.S. this year?

PT: Yeah, we'll be playing the Milwaukee Metal Festival in July. I just got the word yesterday.

SR: Where do you see yourself in ten years?

PT: Doing the Pain project and getting into producing other bands such as Edge Of Fantasy.

SR: You record in your own studio, Abyss Studios.

PT: I opened it in 1994. I have so many ideas.

SR: Maybe DIO will be playing around Milwaukee while you're in the States.

PT: That would be great. I just missed him in Europe.

SR: Any wise words for the fans of Hyprocisy, The Abyss and Pain?

PT: Just show up in Milwaukee as it will be the first and last time Hyprocisy will play in the U.S. with me on vocals. There might
be one gig in New York and Tampa around the July date.

SR: Thanks Peter for your time all the way from Sweden. Good luck!

PT: Tell DIO if he needs a bass player, guitarist or drummer I'm available. I'm also a writer as you know.