With the imminent release of the doom maestros third album, "Wolf's Return", JB of Grand Magus spoke to Metal Chaos about recording, writing and the impending end of the world!

We’re all good, thanks. Getting ready for a gig later this week.

The new Grand Magus album is shortly to be released. What can you tell us about the new album?

Well, first of all the album is called “WOLF’S RETURN”. There was an error in Terrorizer magazine that has made everyone confused…. It’s a faster, darker effort than our previous album, Monument. All our albums differ from each other, but this one is more different, he-he….

When can we expect the album to be in the stores?

As far as I know, it will be released in Europe on the 23rd of May. In Japan I think it’s around the 20th of April.

Where and when was the album recorded?

Wolf’s Return was recorded during midwinter at Resync Studio in Midsommarkransen in Stockholm, Sweden. The same studio where we recorded Monument and the same producer / mixer / masterer.

Did the writing process for the new album differ in any way from the process used for your first two albums?

Not really, but it’s always a bit different. We don’t really have a strict régime anyway. This time the vocal melodies came last, after all the riffs and structures had been written really. We didn’t do it like that on the previous two, but there were differences between those two as well. I’m not sure if the actual writing process necessarily affects the end result, I think it has more to with what you want to achieve. We wanted this album to be faster and more ferocious and I think the songs came out that way because of that.

How do the band approach writing for a new album and is the writing process within Grand Magus a collective or individual experience?

A combination of both I would say. Mostly it is a collective thing, but the lyrics and melodies are quite an individual thing for me. The music is something we all are involved in. Since we’re a trio, we more or less need to agree that we’ve made the correct choices all the way. There is no room for silent discontent.

“Wolf's Return” will be your third album via Rise Above Records, how have you found working with Lee and Will? Has being signed to a traditionally “doom” label had any limitations?

I have nothing but respect and love for Lee and Will. There are always things that could be improved, but nothing I would complain about in an interview. There are of course financial limitations, but on the other hand Rise Above respect you as an artist and give you “the time of day”. This album is not a traditional doom album in any way, so it’ll be a bit of challenge for Rise Above. I think this is really a “true” heavy metal album that could appeal to Death Metal fans and “traditional” Heavy Metal fans as well as Doom-people. Let’s just hope it reaches them as well, you know?

The previous two Grand Magus albums have had as much Blues as rock influences. Does the new record follow in the same formula?

No. There is very little that can be considered blues-based on this album. You can definitely hear our quirks and personal approach and it still sounds like Grand Magus, but we’ve opened a whole new can of worms this time….

Extremely varied I would say. We want to do a combination of everything that is good. From Purple, Sabbath, Priest and Rainbow to Bathory and Immortal, you know?

I would not call what we deal with “mythology”. I would call it history, reality and every day life, you know? Yes, Wolf’s Return deals with the same topics I’ve always written about in Grand Magus.

Nowadays, I think “Black Magick Metal” is a better banner… It’s just a description of our sound and our identity. We deal with the deeper aspects of human life and the things that lie beyond what politicians, religion and dogma tell us. Magick is the essence of the power of the human mind, in symbiosis with nature. I also have a firm belief in individuality and quite a lot of disgust for a lot of the things that are taken for granted in our society, hence “Black”… Since “white” and “good” somehow equal the silliest religions imaginable… Everyone in the western world (I don’t know enough about Asia or Africa to lump them in the same category) are hypocrites, including myself, but it has reached levels previously unheard of and it’s poisoning the western civilization. The belief that shunning our biological instincts and needs is somehow “striving towards goodness” is laughable. There is also the ecological catastrophe looming. Can you honestly defend a culture that focuses its attention on the sexual exploits of people in charge of world decisions, when the whole fucking planet is being raped? We are being fed (and loving it) the most ridiculous lies, propaganda and bullshit through mass media and I’m disgusted with it. Not much music in that answer, ha-ha!

Not really. I understand the need for people to categorize stuff, I do it myself. At the same time, I think we are quite diverse and Wolf’s Return will prove that. It’s certainly something else….

Plans are being made as we speak, I don’t have anything definite just now, I’ll have to get back to you on that later on. We’ll probably tour in Europe.

I think that music education in schools is one explanation. Also that we live quite well in Sweden, we don’t really have to worry about food, war or things like that and we haven’t for a long time, which gives you more opportunity to focus on “art”. We are also quite good at taking outside influences and make something fresh out of them.

A lot of great music is being made at the moment. I don’t think metal has been as strong or big since the early eighties really. I remember growing up and hanging around with my friends around 85, listening to Accept, Manowar, Dio, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Venom, Saxon, Judas Priest etc etc and having a great time. I think kids now feel the same way about the bands today, you know? You need to grow up with metal! I’m certainly glad that I did.

OK, my top five albums at the moment (can’t list all-time favorites, too difficult!) 1. Immortal – Sons of Northern Darkness 2. Unleashed – Sworn Allegiance 3. Dismember – Where Ironcrosses Grow 4. Manowar – Hail to England 5. Mayhem - Chimera