Interview with Killhelm fom Plector

Hi Killhelm, thanx for finding some time for a little talk. First of all I would like to know more about your band Plector, cause your website does not give us a lot of informations. When did you found Plector?

Killhelm: Hey Kerbinator! Me and Eryk started to jam and after we graduated school, we tried to find band members who wanted to play heavy shit, but we have changed band members a few times before we found Grizzly Beer who Eryk had played with before. Then we started Plector. It was about late 2006 / early 2007. We had our first gig at Åsele (somewhere in north sweden) on summer 2007.

 So for that your new album „Dark & Spiteful“ sounds very professional. If we think about that you're not that old and the album is self-produced ! Did you get some professionell help?

Killhelm: Thanks. I'm glad you like it! We have been practicing a lot and we keep getting better. Just wait til you will hear the our new shit we're working on. It will blow your mind away, haha. We had some professionell help, yeah. A guy named Ronnie Björnström, who has been working with probably every good band in our town, helped us with the drum recording. Then he mixed and mastered it!

In my review I described your sound as a mix of Thrash and Death metal, would you agree with that?

Killhelm: Fuck yeah ! But we prefer to call it "Flannel-Metal", haha.

The growls of Eryk are near to Chris Barnes, so what were your influences?

Killhelm: You think so? Never thought of that. I think he sounds more like a mix between the Entombed vocalist and Max Cavalera, haha. We got different influences. Cannibal Corpse, Sepultura, Pantera, Morbid Angel, Death and a lot of beer-drinking.

Beer drinking? If I look at your band picture I would say you are a band that has a lot of fun most time.

Killhelm: Ha ha, well, at least we try. We don't give a fuck about being stereo type and try to look dark and evil on every picture. We just want to have a good time, and we hope our fans get inspired by us. I mean, have you seen our latest video? That's the shit I'm talking about. How many bands do that kind of videos? It's ridiculous to act tough as a band and then you're just a nerd in private life, haha.

Yes, I have seen it. Great video. But if I listen to your song I find out that they are full of hate. Is that right?

Killhelm: Eryk has been written all the lyrics so far. And he likes to write about people and things he doesn't like, haha. I think it's funny.

"Embrace our shit" is a real smasher. It is the live song that causes the most reactions?

Killhelm: We thought it would be, but of some reason it didn't, so we don't play that song anymore. But I like the song, but perhaps it's not the strongest one, like „Spiteful love“ and „Alcoholic refuge“.

In your sound you are very variable. Mainly thrash and death, but there are also some heavy metal and even doom elements integrated? Are you open for different styles in metal?

Killhelm: Yeah I like to be variable. That's because we all three got different influences even though we almost listen to the same music. We are just trying to make our music better. As long as it's heavy all the time, but you don't have to play blast beats all the time to make it heavy. As long as we don't end sounding like all commercial bands like In Flames and Volbeat. we want to do music for beer drinking men, not cute girls, haha.
...skip the last thing I said, haha. Of course we want cute girls to listen to our music and become our groupies . But you know what I mean...

Ha, ha..ok not the commercial way. So you told you are writing new stuff ? Can you tell us more about that?

Killhelm: Well, we have too many songs to work on at the moment. I think it's more Death Metal than the older songs but we still got the groove and the variation. We try to make a hit every time we write a song, you know. It's more technical stuff now. Everybody wants to get better. If you are satisfied with yourself and what you have done and don't have the energy to develop your skill as a musician you should quit immediately

That's true. Sweden is very popular in the last years for melodic and power metal bands. Is it difficult for you as a more extreme band to find a place in between? Does your fanbase in Sweden have a chance to grow?

Killhelm: Yeah I know, and that sucks. But I think Plector and other more extreme bands will start growing in the future. We get new fans every show we do. 2010 will be the best year of Plector so far. And you have to work hard. Even if you play for 10 people one night you always have to do your fucking best. you always have to think "it will be better, not now, maybe not for a long time, but sooner or later".

So you have plans touring outside of sweden?

Killhelm: Yeah sure. In April we will go on tour in UK. We will have more informations of that later on myspace. And this summer we will try to get some shows booked in germany and the netherlands.

Do you like german beer?

Killhelm: Well if it taste beer I guess? Ha ha, don't know if I've ever tasted german beer. I drink almost english and swedish beer.

How did it come to your pseudonyms Killhelm, Beardmuff and Grizzly Beer?

Killhelm: Well, my name is Vilhelm, and I thought Killhelm would be funny, haha. I don't have any good answer on the other guys. Nothing serious, we just felt to have fake names, ha ha.

That reflects your positive lifestyle...

Killhelm: Yeah, exactly.

Are there any requests of labels to sign a contract with you meanwhile?

Killhelm: We have some few interested, but they all sucked in my opinion. If we will sign anything we need a label who wants to work as hard as we do. Many bands think that a record deal is the solution. Just because you get signed with a major doesn't mean that they do anything for you more than the distrubition deal or whatever. You can do pretty much by yourself. Maybe it's harder but it's good for us to learn how this shitty buissness works.

That's a great statement to finish this interview. There is nothing more then to wish you the best for the future and to grow your fanbase. Any last words here you want to tell us?

Killhelm: I want to tell to our fans to keep supporting Plector and buy some more flannell!

Thanx to Killhelm from Plector.

(interview for The Metal Fields by Kerbinator)