GA HOOD> Before I ask the questions for the interview, please allow me to thank you for taking the time to do this for us. Thank You! KRISTIAN ANDREN> Hi Geoffrey hope youīre allright and that youīll be satisfied with my answers, also that you understand my english/spelling. GA> Let the interview begin. . . GA> How is it that you decided to become a vocalist/singer? Have you been singing since you were a child, or is it something that you took up later in life? KA> Well I started with playing some instruments when I was about 10 years old and I began with some guitar lessons, but I just couldnīt stand it so after maybe a half a year I quit. I started to teach myself instead. I thought that teaching myself was more fun, because I could play whatever I wanted. After a couple of years I started to play with some bands in my hometown. I tried to play some other instruments as well, but somewhere inside I thought that singing was the thing I wanted to do, so here I am 15 years later. GA> Do you have any influences as a singer, and/or is there anyone (or band) that inspires you to achieve more with your music? KA> I think that you got to have some inspiration sources when you make music , and that you listen to a lot of different kinds of bands and diffrent kinds of music styles as well, so of course I have influences. My favorite vocalists are names like Tony Martin ,Ronny James Dio, Ozzy, Rob Hallford, Bruce Dickinson, and many many more. So when I listen to a band that I like, I think that the music and vocal lines are put in my unconscious, and when I later sing or write music I think that riffs or whatever is coming out in my own music or vocals if you know what I mean. GA> How is it that you became a metal vocalist, with a voice like yours, you could choose just about any type of music and sound great? KA> When I first started to listen to heavy metal I said to myself -this is what I want to do, but after a few years I thought that it would be nice to try something else , so I have done some other projects with different kinds of music. One project is a band called Street Talk, thatīs a band from Bollnas who does AOR, or something. They use 3 different vocalists and 2 drummers , one of the vocalists is Goran Edman (x-Yngvie Malmsteen) and I think that he sounds great on this album (check it out itīs called ”Collaboration”). I have also done some Swedish pop music, but thatīs more for fun. GA> Were you part of a band before Tad Morose? If so, who were they and do they have any albums? KA> Iīve been in so many bands through the years, but they where not so serious back then. One band I was in was called Wet Napkins, and they still exist actually, but under a different name (THANK GOD). I donīt know their new name , but I think that they are very close to a record deal. GA> Concerning Tad Morose, how did you become a part of them? KA> It was sometime in -93 , I met Danne (the former drummer) through some friends of mine. Danne knew that I was a singer so he asked me if I wanted to try to sing with T.M. OK I said, after that nothing happend. Then one day I met Danne in a café and he said that T.M. was in the studio to do a demo, without vocals though. He asked me if i wanted to go with him to the studio and listen to some songs, so we went there the same day. When I came through the door, the guys asked me- would you like to try some vocal lines right now or what. I said ok lets do it. And thatīs how it started. GA> What pulled you away from Tad Morose, you had three awesome albums with them? KA> I got this offer I couldnīt resist. That was when Mr. Wead asked me if I wanted to join M.M. I liked M.Mīs music and they where like heavy metal heroes for me, so the choice was not so hard. Yes, I also think that the T.M. albums are great but ”Paradigma” is the best one I think. GA> I know that Mike Wead had produced the mini album "Paradigma," was it then that you decided to leave Tad Morose and join Memento Mori? KA> It was right after ”Paradigma” was finnished when Mike called me up and asked me if I wanted to join M.M. GA> I have to ask this question, what does paradigma mean? Is it a play off of the word paradigm? KA> Paradigma is the Swedish word for Paradigm , but we thought that Paradigma sounded better to say, so we used that instead. GA> With regards to Memento Mori, this is the only band where you did not contribute any writing. Were the music and lyrics already set when you joined? KA> Yes , all the music and lyrics were all ready finished when I joined M.M so it was wery nice to do a recording when I just had to go in and sing. I also like Mikeīs vocal lines and lyrics very much so it was an enjoyment to do that record. GA> How involved were you with the actual recording of the album La Danse Macabre? KA> Like I said in the question before, the only thing I had to do was sing, and I loved every minute of it. GA> Did you and Memento Mori ever go on tour, or was your relationship with the band limited to the recording of the album? KA> We heard some thing about a tour , but I dont know what happened to that. We did rehearse a little just to be prepared if anything would come up. GA> You have mentioned that the other band members of Memento Mori wanted to get back to the original sound of Memento Mori, where do you think the album "La Danse Macabre" stands in the line up of their albums? KA> I think that ”La Danase Macabre” is a very great record and I love all the songs and arrangements and everything, but I like the other albums a little bit more because I think that they are a little more aggressive and I think that Messiahīs voice fits better in to the music. GA> When you choose to leave Memento Mori, how did you hook up with Fifth Reason? KA> I met Simon through Mike and we became friends very quickly. Simon and I talked about doing something together, Simon said that we could put Fifth Reason together again (Simon plyed with F.R before he played with Abstract Algebra). After a while we started to rehearse a little so we could try some riffs and some vocals. We also recorded a few songs so we could hear how it would turn out. GA> I am aware that you are providing the vocals for a band called Withering Heights, have you become a full time member of that band, or are you just working with some friends? KA> Well, Withering Heights is just a project for me and I have just met them twice. But they are very nice guys and very great musicians, as well, so maybe we can do something more later on. GA> Does the work with Withering Heights threaten your future with Fifth Reason, or is the band going just as strong as ever? KA> You donīt have to worry , Fifth reason is still my real band and they are not going to get rid of me that easy. GA> To change the subject a little bit, you have been involved with three very different kinds of bands, Tad, Memento, and Fifth. You have had to change your vocal style for each of the bands (where Tad Morose was like pretty normal singing, Memento was pretty laid back and Fifth Reason has a very aggressive approach). Is there any one particular band that you enjoy singing with? If so, why? KA>I think that these style differences is very good for me, because I learn so much about singing technieks and stuff. I also think that all these bands have a little bit of the same vocal styles. For example F.R īs ”A Shadow Remains” is kind of a laid back M.Mīs. ”The Beggarīs Waltz” is very agressive. T.Mīs ”Where Dreams Collide” is also kind of aggressive, so I like to sing with all these bands. GA>Are there any other projects that you are involved in, music or otherwise, besides Withering Heights and the next Fifth Reason album? Any future plans, yet? KA> Well , there is a few things going on here, but nothing is ready yet so maybe we can wait with that. GA> I have read that you became a father about a year ago, how has that affected your career, and your life in general? KA> YEA I HAVE A SON!!!!! Itīs very much work with this little guy and I donīt have so much time to anything else, except changing dypers and playing heavy metal. But I donīt think that my career is threathened by that little fellow. GA> Do you have any thoughts on the hard rock/heavy metal scene in Europe, the U.S. or otherwise? Do you think the scene is starting to thrive again, or is it still going down hill? KA>I think that the metal scene had been very very bad the last 10 years or so. But I hope that itīs turning around now with for example Hammerfall with their great 80īs heavy metal. So hopfully we all can sit down soon and just listen to some real music on the radio, or on TV. GA> I know the band Tad Morose is from Solna, Sweden, is that where you are originally from, or did you move there for the band? KA> Tad Morose is actually not from Solna , they are from a town called Bollnas almost in the middle of Sweden. I moved from a very little place called Norrsundet, itīs about 70 kilometers south of Bollnas. I moved there when I was in school and I lived there for 7 or 8 years. Then from Bollnas I moved to Stockholm and I have been living here for about 3 years now. GA> I was also wondering if you have any outside interests besides playing music? KA> I donīt have the time to do anything else. For a while I was very much into fixing cars and such, but now Iīm just a heavy metal guy. GA> Last question, I've noticed that some people affectionately refer to you by the nickname "Krille", could you tell us about the origin of the nickname? KA> My nickname, itīs a kind of a homemade shortening of Kristian. Almost every one in Sweden whose name is Krister or Kristian is called Krille. GA>Mr. Kristian Andren, I thank you once again for taking the time to interview for us. KA> Take care and I hope that maybe some day we can come and play somwhere close to you. Best regards, Kristian Andrén