Interview by Kris Peters
For 15 years now, Swedish metal trailblazers Amaranthe have been pushing the boundaries of music with a unique blending of melodic metal, electronic rock, razor-sharp pop and hard rock that many traditionalists - to their disbelief - have found impossible to resist.
It is a coming together of music and genres that defies the regular status quo of such opposing forces, but time and time again over a growing number of albums Amaranthe have emerged triumphant. And that is only set to reap the spoils of adulation once more with the arrival of their new album, The Catalyst, on February 23.
Already being touted by those with advance listens as the most powerful and complete album of Amaranthe's career, The Catalyst is set to emphatically stamp Amaranthe as rulers of their domain, and with good reason.
HEAVY caught up with drummer Morten Løwe Sørensen to find out more.
"We're very proud of this album," he began. "It's been a lot of work. Not very hard work, (smiles) but a lot of work. It was a rewarding and super creative process for all of us. We're a heavy, heavy band at the moment and it's a great album. People seem to already like it, which is positive."
We ask what this period is like, with the album finished and just waiting for a release date.
"It's been a while," he agreed. "On the date, it's almost one year since I recorded the drums. Of course, there's always something that you could have changed or done in a different way, but that's usually something that happens when we start playing the songs live. Certain things will just happen - at least for me as a drummer - I have a little bit more freedom and maybe change a few things here and there. It might happen organically throughout a tour, and you think 'ah, it should have been like this' and small changes might start happening. It doesn't mean that it should have been like that, but certain things sometimes work better live than on an album. I'm super happy about the production and everybody's playing… I love the album."
In the full interview, Morten talks about the musical side of The Catalyst and what they were going for, the singles released and how they represent the album, blending styles together and how they make it work, new members, resisting the temptation to recycle the successful formula of their previous album Manifest, touring plans and more.