“MUSIC is everything to me. I’ve been through two divorces and a whole world of shit because of music but still it is the most important thing in the world to me. I’d rather have music than anything else.” 

- Peter Tägtgren -

We´re bringing to you a very special interview with Hypocrisy/Pain mastermind Peter Tägtgren who has become one of the most important person in the world of extreme music. Peter revealed to us many details concerning Pain´s brand new record entitled You Only Live Twice as well as many interesting information about his life. And since this interview was held during Ice Hockey World Championship in Slovakia, I wanted to know whether Peter has time to watch it.

You Only Live Twice, new album of Pain, is your 7th album. Can we expect something that is completely new? Some brand new elements, sound or something like that?

Yeah, for sure. I mean, when I talked to the other people, the new album is much more heavier and darker. So, I think so, too. There´s a lot of different vocal style on the album as well.   

So, you mean your way of singing?

Yes, that´s what I meant. There are different vocal styles in different parts of the songs. I really tried to adapt the song itself. I put my vocals up there. Sometimes it´s raw or high, something it´s clean. Different styles in different parts.

What does the title of the album, You Only Live Twice, represent?

When I heard the title for the firts time, I was like hhhh? What? I thought it´s really weird and then I started to think about it for a while and actually I started to write lyrics for it and it ended up like, you know, about people that have more money or bigger success and, you know, maybe your life will turn up in the way you wanted to and you redo your life, so to say.

And what about the cover of the album? Who has designed it?

It was the guy called Heile from Germany. It was recommended by a record company. I just asked him to really do something with our sign, the “Pain head“, you know. To do something cool with that and put it together. And yeah, he definitely did. 

Is there any deeper meaning in the cover? Social problems perhaps?

No, not really. It´s just a weird cover.

Definitely!

(Laugh.)

Who is actually the Dirty Woman from your song and video? Is it related to the title of the album?

No, it´s more about us, men. We´re kind of stupid. When there´s a nice woman, good-looking woman, the blood from our head goes down to the “small head“ between our legs, you know. 

Since, we´re talking about Dirty Woman. Are you planning also the second video?

Yeah, the video is almost done and it is for the song called The Great Pretender. That should come out by the end of the this month.

You are the only person who records all instruments. How does it feel when you´re in the studio? What´s the atmosphere there? 

Very stressy. I don´t know. It´s really hard when you need to do so many things at the same time. But this time, there were David, our drummer. He put out all the drums for the album. It was a little bit different. I think it´s really good. 

Is it a big difference to sing with Pain and with Hypocrisy, I mean to be on stage with Pain and with Hypocrisy?

Yeah, it´s very different. I mean with Pain, it´s a bigger challenge for me to think. I´ve been with Hypocrisy for so long, so it feels very comfortable to do it. With Pain, it´s still learning. 

That´s biggest difference?

Yeah, I think so. To sing clean, it really kills my voice a lot, compare to when I growl or scream. It doesn´t destroy my voice that much like when I´m singing normal. That sounds weird, I know. That should be opposite. But it´s not. 

What do these two bands mean to you personally?

I think, it means two sides from my taste of music. 

Could you say that Pain is more important to you than Hypocrisy or on the contrary, Hypocrisy is more important to me?

No, not really but right now, Pain is more imporatnt because that´s what I´m working on right now. And I´m going to promote it. Then I´ll be hungry again to do another Hypocrisy album. I don´t know whether it takes one or two years or three years. But you know, we need to be motivated to do another album. We work very hard to get up where we are right now. We don´t wanna destroy that. 

So do you have already some plans also with Hypocrisy?

No. Nothing.

You´re producer, musician, vocalist...but what is the most important thing for you, the most important activity you´ve been doing?

I think all of them are very important because it motivates me and it´s really inspiring to go on with other things. When I do a lot of producing, it motivates me to write music. And when I write music it motivates to record and so on. It goes around me in circle. 

You´re in touch with many many bands. What´s your opinion on current metal scene?

I don´t know. I don´t follow it so much. I´m so busy with my own stuff and I don´t really follow what´s going on. 

I´ve read one thing and I really don´t know whether it´s true or not. I´ve read that during the recording of your album "Dancing with the Dead", your heart stopped beating for several seconds. Is it true?

Yeah.

Really?

Yeah. It was in 2004 or something like that.

But what actually happened?

I don´t know. Maybe it was something wrong with my body. 

Are you preparing something special for your live shows this year? Of course, I mean with Pain. 

Yeah. Right now, we´re designing something really cool for the stage. Lot of special lights and many more. And we will play almost two hours, every concert. 

When we´re talking about live shows. You have many fans here. Do you think you could come to play to Slovakia?

Yeah, I´m really hoping for it. We haven´t really been in Slovakia. We´ve played in Slovenia. We hope to do more stuff outside central Europe. We´d like to go to different places. 

And do you know Slovakia actually?

I don´t know it so well, to be honest. I would really like to go there because we´ve always been in Germany, thousand times, in Holland or in England ow whatever. It´s really nice to go to the other places. But the main thing is actually the promters. Promoters should invite us to your country. 

I know, I know...there´s a problem.

Yeah. You have to kick your promoters ass. 

We´ve been trying for several times but it´s really hard. There have always been heavy metal bands but we need also something heavier.

That´s not good. We gotta change that somehow.

That would be amazing! But since you don´t know Slovakia that much, you could know one thing. Do you like ice hockey?

Yeah, of course.

Are you watching the World Championship that takes place here in Slovakia?

Not really. On Monday, I was in Finland, on Tuesday I was in France and today, I´m in Germany. I don´t even had time to see it but I would like to start watching this weekend. I hope so. How is it going so far?

It´s great but unfortunately not for Slovakian team. 

Oh, and what about Czech Republic?

That´s better. Yesterday, they won over Finland. And Slovakia lost to Russia. Well, but you have many fans here. Is there anything you´d like to tell to your Slovakian fans?

Yeah. We´d be very happy if we could finally come to play to your country. You need to kick your promoters. And of course, check out new album.

Thank you very much for your time and for this interview. It was my pleasure to talk to you really. 

Oh, thank you very much and good luck to you guys, too.

Have a nice day and good luck with your new album.

Thank you very much. Hope to see you soon!