Hails to you - the ones living in the mist of dark waters… Everything has a beginning, so would you like to tell me how it all began, why did you decide to dedicate your lives to music and why?  What got you together playing the kind of music that you play?  Who inspired you to create the INFERNAL GATES’ stuff and what age were you then?

Jan-Ake: INFERNAL GATES was formed 1992 by Jonas Gustafsson (drums), Stefan Sundholm (vocals, keyboards) and Anders Hagerborn (bass). Our line-up was completed later that same year when the two guitarists Johan Hedman and Jan-Ake Osterberg joined the band. During 1993 we started to perform at local gigs and in December '93 we released our debut demo "In Sadness..." which contained three songs (“The Veiled Sky”, “In Sadness We`re Born” and “My Kingdom Of Beauty”). The debut demo gave us great attention in the underground scene and made way for their second demo "The Gathering Of Tears" that was released in May '94. "The Gathering Of Tears" contained three new songs (“Remembrance Of Things To Come”, “A Void Unsealed” and the title track “The Gathering Of Tears”). The demo got great response and reviews all over the world. After a while we signed a contract for a full-length CD with X-treme Records. The CD "From The Mist Of Dark Waters" is released and it contains eight songs (“Greet The Storm”, “In Times Of Sculptured Shadows”, “Under My Wings”, “Ember Of Illusions”, “The Gathering Of Tears”, “A Void Unsealed”, “The Son Of Ancient Gloom” and “Remembrance Of Things To Come”). Why does a person decide to play music? Well, for me it was the shear pleasure when I play and all the anger and other feelings gets real in the form of music, I think better when I listen to music and I really feel the music and pick up the sences from it. It's great to feel music. We don't have any specific inspiration source. We listen to different kinds of music and when we make our songs, all that somehow gets mixed. We were about 16-18 years old when we started. (Johan Hedman was 16, the rest between 17-18 )

Jonas: Greetings! Well, we started playing together in ‘91 and started of as more of a thrash band. But after listening more and more to groups like DEICIDE, MORBID ANGEL, ENTOMBED, OBITUARY..... we realized that this was the kind of music we wanted to play. So we (Stefan Sundholm, Anders Hagerborn and myself) started INFERNAL GATES in '92. Later that same year the line-up was completed when our present guitarists, Johan Hedman and Jan-Ake Osterberg joined the band. Our style has developed from a form of aggressive and brutal kind of death metal to a more expressive and emotional black / death style.

Where did the name ‘Infernal Gates’ come from? I am sure the name should reflect the mood that you are trying to get across with your music. What exactly is the mood and what are you trying to get across if anything at all?

Jan-Ake: I think that Stefan and Jonas came up with the name and we try to express feelings and moods that  I think some people don't like to have, this dark depressing moods that can destroy a week mind.

Jonas: I’m not really sure how we came up with the name, but as you said we chose it because it reflects the context of our music and lyrics. We create music that should inspire people to search with in them self and explore the darker, unspoken side of life and death. If you start at the infernal gates of your deepest thoughts and dreams your more luckily to succeed.

Jonas Gustafson is the main author of the songs on "From The Mist Of Dark Waters" album and drummers have a special way to look at music. How does it reflect on your creation, as there are a lot of great guitar parts on the album? Do any of the guitar players participate in the song writing?

Jan-Ake: Jonas writes most of the lyrics but Stefan writes too. About the songwriting, we make our riffs at home and when we rehears we put it together thus making the songs, that is not so easy that it may sound but when everybody is more or less satisfied and likes the way it sounds we have a song.

Jonas: We all participate in the creating of each song. Nothing is done single-handed and everybody in the band has to agree whether or not a new composition feels right. As for me writhing most of the lyrics, that is done after we’ve made a song complete. I sit down and get a certain mood of a song and try to capture that with words and emotions.

What are your musical plans for the future?  Is your music going to change in any way, and if it is, than how will it change?

Jan-Ake: We plan to make more songs and get some gigs and hopefully a tour. Our music don't really change, we just make the music we like and it tends to be somewhat typical INFERNAL GATES music so it's hard to say if it's going to change.

Jonas: I think that we have found our own way of playing and the kind of music that we want to play. But of course as we grow our music grow with us, if that means changes in the future, we just let it happen.

As the representatives of Nordic black metal would you like to give you opinion on Scandinavian metal scene and black metal in general? Which bands have good perspectives and which ones do you consider to be a failure?

Jan-Ake: It's always hard to say who fails and who prevails in the music business, it's up to the person that listen, personally I like bands like DIMMU BORGIR (Akhenaten of JUDAS ISCARIOT once called them “Dimmu BorGAY”, and I believe that he was right somehow… - ED), DISSECTION (hail! – ED). Everyone listens to different kinds of music and they have different thougts of how it should sound so it's up to them.

Jonas: A lot of black metal I feel is just a way of being extreme and many bands lack the ability to write music that is morbid in a beautiful way, which I like. Just to mention a few of the bands I like; DIMMU BORGIR, OLD MAN’S CHILD and EMPEROR. I don’t feel the need to mention the band that I dislike because every metal band has the right to do there own thing and if I don’t like it that’s just up to me. I don’t want to discredit anyone. People should get there own point of view of these bands. Don’t listen to anyone else, but your self.

What are your beliefs and political views? Are you afraid to die? Do you believe in life after death?

Jan-Ake: Politics sucks bigtime, they get paid alot of money to lie their dicks off. Am I afraid to die, no but I don't want to die right now, is there a life after death, I really don't know but I think that there is. He who dies will know.

Jonas: My belief is expressed in my lyrics I think and it would take me forever to tell you about it now. As far as my political involvement it’s practically non. I choose to see the world more spiritual then rational. I’m not afraid to die. I don’t believe in LIFE after death, but an existence.

Do you have a dream that you would like to come true? What is it and why? What is your worst fear and why?

Jan-Ake: My dreams are, to get to play lots and lots of gigs, making enough money to stay on my feet, perhaps win a couple of millions. I don't have a whole lot of money right now but I hope that it will change, I really would like to buy my one house and start a studio in my basement. Now that is a dream that I hope will come true. My worst fear is to loose my fingers or my hands / arms cause then I would not want to live, if I can't play guitar then I would not enjoy life as much as I do now.

Jonas: My dream is to be able to live on my music and to come across to as many peoples as possible. I want the world to suffer, love, hate and endure life with me. My worst fear is to be forgotten. I want to make difference in this world, we all do, I think that is why we are here.

The riffs at the end of "The Son of the Ancient Gloom" sound very “Iron Maidenish".  Were you inspired by any NWOBHM bands?  Have you heard "The Tribute To IRON MAIDEN" (out on Toy’s Factory) - a lot of black metal bands performed IRON MAIDEN’s songs there - what do you think of this compilation?

Jan-Ake: The riffs we make may sound like we were inspired by someone but they are not, not on purpose anyways. It may sneak up on you without you knowing but as I said before, we listen toalot of music and it would be inpossible not to get inspired in some way but we don't do it on purpose. I don't think that I have heard that compilation but I like compilations and tributes to other "old" bands that we all grew up with. They rock.

Jonas: IRON MAIDEN is one of the bands I started to listen to when I was young so naturally they have inspired and influenced me a lot. Also JUDAS PRIEST is one of the bands from that era which created timeless music. I have not heard the tribute CD. But it sounds interesting and I’ll look for it, be sure.

Are you happy with X-treme Records as a record company and with the way it promotes you?  Did you ever get any proposals from other record companies and did they mean anything to you?

Jan-Ake: We are happy with X-treme so far. We were contacted by a Polish record company prior to X-treme but for reasons that I wont go in to now, it fell through.

Jonas: At the moment X-treme is doing a great job and spends more and more money on promoting us so we are pleased with them. Right now we have nothing to complain about. But of course a bigger label with more finances could do more for us... well, we’ll see what happens in the future. Before our contract with X-treme two labels were interested, Heathendoom Music (which released MEMORY GARDEN’s first CD) and Carrion Records (which released stuff with VADER). But for different reasons we signed for X-treme.

What kind of music do you listen to when you come home? What are you favourite groups and classical composers?

Jan-Ake: I like to listen to IN FLAMES, DISSECTION, DIMMU BORGIR, IRON MAIDEN, METALLICA, HELLOWEEN, RHAPSODY and I visited a homepage with a promising band called BLOOD OF CHRIST and I like their music. I like Paganini cause I haven't heard anyone that could write classical music with violin that great before, he is awsome.

Jonas: I listen to a lot of different stuff depending on my state of mind at the time. But if I want to release and ease my aggressions there is no greater album then the first one with DEICIDE! Favourite groups at the moment are: DIMMU BORGIR, ANATHEMA, IN FLAMES, KYUSS, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY and Bruce Dickinson. But it’s different every week so I could mention a lot more.
 
What band did you play together with (warm up bands or headliners) or were on tour with? Who made the best impression on you and why?

Jan-Ake: We have played with THERION among others but I liked to play with THERION cause I really like their music alot.

Jonas: We’ve played with THERION, INVERTED, MEMORY GARDEN, LEUKEMIA and on festivals with bands like ENTOMBED. Usually we don’t see the show after we’ve played ourselves, we’re too busy getting drunk! But we had a great time with the crazy bastards in MEMORY GARDEN.

What are the things which happened and left an unforgettable impression on you or thoroughly changed you life?

Jan-Ake: Growing up and meeting the really great guys that I play with. They rule.

Jonas: When I bought my first drumset and met my friends in INFERNAL GATES of course. If I hadn’t done that... where and what would I be now?

Would you like to tell us or anyone reading this interview anything else? Please do so.

Jan-Ake: Well, thanx for the interview and lets keep metal living eternal.

Jonas: Just that INFERNAL GATES at the moment is writing new songs and soon will be back with a vengeance. Stay update and don’t miss it!!!! Thanx for the interest and support.
 

INFERNAL GATES contact –
Email: janake1@telia.com