In this week’s Meet The Band spotlight are Swedish rockers Seventh Crystal. Their debut album is Delirium. Drummer Anton Roos introduces us to his band.
Chad Bowar: Give us a brief history of Seventh Crystal.
Anton Roos: It all started with Kristian (Fyhr) wanting to pursue a solo project. He then met Johan (Alvsang) and Olof (Gadd) and they had that great chemistry amongst them from the get go. Kristian then looked for a drummer and found me and I knew a kick ass guitarist (Emil Dornerus) which we contacted. Me and Emil were supposed to be session artists when it all started but both of us had too much fun to let it just be that. And here we are.
Describe the songwriting process for Delirium.
Kristian is the main writer of Delirium. Since the process started before we were a full band it was best that way. But everyone was involved with adding their own flavor and touch to the songs. And the lyrics were written by all of us.
What will be your strongest memory of the recording of the album?
I might be biased as I’m the drummer, but the drum recording at Nordic Sound Lab here in Sweden was fantastic. Not just because it’s the best studio there is, but it was also our first real hang together. Five guys locked inside a top notch studio for a weekend together with some 140 beers and a bunch of rock songs to record, what could go wrong, huh?
How would you characterize its style/sound?
It’s modern but with roots from all our favorite ’70s, ’80s, ’90s rock acts. It’s catchy yet melancholic, heavy but very very melodic too. We want to make songs that people can sing along to.
What lyrical subjects do you cover?
A lot of personal conflicts, hope, despair, physical and mental abuse.
How did you come to sign with Frontiers?
We uploaded an acoustic take on “So Beautiful” (a track that’s on the album) on YouTube. The kind folks at Frontiers saw it and contacted us, that’s it basically!
What are your goals and expectations for the album?
Our goal was to make the best album of our lives, so far. And I think we managed to do just that. As it is our debut album, it’s hard to have any expectations. But we hope to reach out as much as we can with our music and then come out and play for our fans. So far, it’s going pretty well and we’re super grateful for all the positive responses that we’ve received.
When do you anticipate you’ll be able to play live shows?
Who knows, really. It’s a really tricky situation and the information seems to change from time to time. But we hope we get to book some shows later this year. That would be awesome.
How has the pandemic affected the band, and you personally?
Well since we didn’t really exist before the pandemic it hasn’t been so bad for us. We would have been locked in recording the album anyway. On a personal level it’s a whole different thing of course. We miss hanging out in a normal way. You can’t even give your folks a hug which feels super strange. But it’s pretty normalized now, which is scary. I think you can manage a situation like this for some time. But now peoples’ patience and mental state are beginning to suffer.
How did you get started in music?
We all got hooked on music when we were kids basically. It’s an addictive thing and we love it as much as we did when we were young…er.
Who were your early influences and inspirations?
All the major rock acts of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s: Iron Maiden, TOTO, Journey, Queen, Rainbow, Purple. etc.
What was the first rock/metal concert you attended?
I attended a KoRn gig in Gothenburg in 2003. I was 13 years old and it was a terrible experience. I was in the frontline and got caught in a moshpit. I had to get carried over the front barrier and then got pushed way back. (laughs)
What’s currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Right now, besides revisiting the Iron Maiden discography, I enjoy the latest Gojira tracks, especially “Into The Storm” which is fantastic. But also the new track from Imminence called “Temptation” – bloody heavy stuff!
Anything else you’d like to mention or promote?
Check out our new video and song “DÉJÀ VU”. Other than that, I hope that we can get to hang out sometime soon! We really want to come over to your side of the pond and play! Take care and hope to see you soon!
(interview published May 15, 2021)
