Metal band Civil War is ready to conquer the rest of Europe!

Civil War is a Swedish heavy / power metal band that mainly began with four ex-Sabaton band members. Daniel Mullback, Rikard Sundén, Daniel Myhr and Oskar Montelius left Sabaton in 2012, but didn’t want their musical careers to stop yet and formed a new band together with Nils Patrik Johansson, singer of Astral Doors and Lion's Share, and Stefan "Pizza "Eriksson. Civil War soon released their first EP in 2012 and in 2013 released their first full album. "The Killer Angels" quickly became a success in Sweden, where it received a Gold Status, an award for more than 20,000 copies sold. What in this download times certainly isn’t a bad score.

But Civil War wants more. They are busy with their new album that they will release via Napalm Records this time and they have added an extra band member with Petrus Granar. Front View Magazine saw singer Nils Patrik Johansson and guitarist Rikard Sundén at Graspop Metal Meeting and asked them about their plans.

FVM: Most people know that pretty much half of you were members of Sabaton who were headlining at GMM on Friday. You are now starting on the mainstage, the openers on Saturday. Is that a straight line to the headliner?

Rikard Sundén: Well, we have to start somewhere and to start at the mainstage that is pretty good.

FVM: You could have started in de Marquee or the Dome...

Rikard: Yeah, but actually it doesn’t matter... I mean, The Marquee or whatever. You can put on a good show there. You would have a lot of fun and that’s what it is all about, to have fun, really. To be here today is fantastic .

FVM: We read that you were really doing good. You won an award in Sweden already for your album “ The Killer Angels”. That must have been a great experience to have a golden record again?

Rikard: That’s fantastic, these day when people don’t buy records anymore. It’s easier to download or stream it. So we are really happy about that, but it is in Sweden that we’ve done that. We’ve just recently changed record label and we are hoping for a better approach in the rest of Europe and the rest of the world.

Nils Patrik Johansson: Our new album will be out on Napalm Records and they are going to do a great job for us, we are sure.

FVM: You are still working on the new album?

Nils Patrik: No, it’s completed. Peter Tägtgren (from Hypocrisy, Pain) is mixing it right this very moment.

FVM: Do you know already when it will be released?

Rikard: No, unfortunately not.

Nils Patrick: Sometime during the autumn.

FVM: Can you tell a bit more about what’s on the album?

Nils Patrick: It’s insane. I don’t know how to describe it, but the songs we came up with for this album, they are so strong. I’m really happy to be a part of it. “The Killer Angels” is a great album, but this is album is much better. The metal world will be shocked, I can tell you that, it’s not only hits, it’s also musicianship in the highest possible level you can think of.

FVM: Do you have a favourite song on the record. One we really should listen to?

Rikard: We don’t know yet because we haven’t heard the final mix of it.

Nils Patrick: We don’t want to reveal any song titles either. We will do that when the label says it’s ok. Then we will give away the track list and stuff like that. But we know that we’re sitting here on something special.

FVM: I’m very curious now!

Rikard: So are we! I think we are going to hear it like next week or so, that final mix. And yes, we are quite excited about it. It is great.

FVM: I’ve read on your Facebook that you have a seventh member Petrus Granar in your band now. So seven, what is better with seven then six?

Rikard: Well, it is not about the number; It is about that he has been a part of it since we started. He has been working with Patrick, with his songs and so he has been a part of this since the very beginning , working with us. And last February when we were on tour, he was working as a roadie, unfortunately, and we just realised, he should be... he has always been the seventh member, we’ve said it from the start. Patrick was saying “couldn’t he be the seventh member?” and yeah, why not!? Off course, it would be so much easier. This is going to be so much fun...

Nils Patrick: It is good to have some young blood in the band. He is only 24 years old.

Rikard: ...and talented as hell!

Nils Patrick: One of Sweden’s best guitar players, maybe the best. You are going to be shocked when you hear the new album...

Nils Patrick: ... the second best, Rikard is the best! That’s what he wants to hear... (grin)

Rikard: ...Or the opposite! (laughing)

FVM: I saw you baptising him with champagne, that must have been fun.

Rikard: Yes, it is really from the heart. It is truly great to have him in the band. It is about having fun and the opportunity the have three guitarist in a band, you can do so much more. I mean to be able to play it live. Many times you have a twin guitar solo, you have to skip the rhythm part, but now you can do that or we can do a triple solo, that’s no problem. We have so much more opportunities to do something spectacular.

FVM: You guys were the opener today, will you be checking some other band?

Nils Patrick: We don’t like other bands, we just love to drink beer... (laughing out loud)

Rikard: The line-up from Saturday is the weakest one, not that good as Friday and Sunday, but I probably will be checking out Mastodon. I haven’t listen to them that much, don’t know if it is good or not, but that’s what good about festivals, you can see other bands and most of the times when you see them live it is much better than on the record.

Nils Patrick: Festivals ain’t so much about the music, more about the feeling, to feel good.

FVM: So you said you like to drink beer. You are here in Belgium, famous for it’s beer. Do you have a favourite? Is the Jupiler ok?

Nils Patrick: Yes it’s great. Belgium is good, I mean... You probably don’t know this, but most Swedish people have Belgian blood in them. Because when Sweden was a super power back in the 16th century, we brought a lot of Belgians to Sweden to teach us how to do guns and weapons. So many Belgians came to Sweden and many Swedes have Belgian blood.

FVM: I didn’t know that.

Nils Patrick: I’ts the truth.

Rikard: My recommendation is not to drink Leffe. I hate it. You have a lot of great beers. I love the ‘kriek’. I like the “Belle Vue” Kriek. In Sweden we have the ‘Lindemans’, but I think that’s to sweet.

FVM: I like ‘Lindemans better. I think in Belle Vue Kriek you still have a beer flavour, normal beer with kriek and in Lindemans it is just kriek.

Rikard: I understand that, but I have so great memories from that Belle Vue brand from another time here at Graspop. (smiles)

FVM: So thank you for this interview. We are looking forward to your new album. Hopefully it will became what you want it to be.

Nils Patrick and Rikard: Thank You.

Civil War is ready to conquer the rest of Europe (and the world) with their new album and they have the help of their new label Napalm Records. Later this year they will release that album in more countries than just Sweden.