Before their first headlining show in Finland, we chatted with vocalist/guitarist Niklas Karlsson of ORBIT CULTURE about the band’s first European headlining tour, their EP, “The Forgotten,” and much more. Watch the interview here or read the complete transcript below…
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview!
Niklas: Of course, any time!
How are you doing?
Niklas: Very good, very good. I think the last time we spoke, we were really hungover [laughter], but not today.
That’s great to hear. Although you did mention last time that when you’re hungover, your shows are usually better. What are you doing this time to make it even better?
Niklas: I think we rehearse more being sober now [laughs], so it will be better sober, definitely.
Yeah, I guess with the tours you have been having, partying a lot is a bit out of the question.
Niklas: Yeah, I mean, we haven’t done this for so long, so everything is new and exciting, but we’re starting to get tired of the partying part already, I can promise you that [laughs].
So, I don’t know when you arrived here, but there was a bit of a break between now and your last show. Did you have any time for sightseeing in Helsinki?
Niklas: Yeah, actually, we were lucky enough to fly into Helsinki this time, instead of taking the ferry, which is so long. But some of the crew guys did. Me and the rest of the band had some time today to go to the Neural DSP office, which does these plug-ins, amazing all around. So, some small sightseeing, but music-related.
Yeah, there’s a lot of that in here, I guess. I did notice, and I think you mentioned that when we talked last as well, that you put in your stories that you really love Finland.
Niklas: Yeah, I really love Finland.
Is there a reason for that?
Niklas: We came here the first time in 2022, playing John Smith Rock, had a great time, great fans. I’m very picky about the countries that we visit. In my OCD brain, I can have difficulty with street signs that don’t look Swedish [laughs], but I love Finland; it’s great all around, very calm city too.
I guess street signs also being in Swedish must be really nice for you.
Niklas: I mean, it feels like our second home for sure.
I guess today from what I’ve read is the biggest show on your tour.
Niklas: It is.
And there were 1100 tickets sold?
Niklas: Yeah, something like that, and it’s sold out. That’s also the great part about Finland; they really show up and they are loud here, so that’s awesome.
Well, I do have to say that’s not for every band, but I think it is for you guys.
Niklas: Well, thank you, Finland! [laughs] Is it rare?
It is quite rare. We are quite a shy audience, but from what I’ve seen with you guys, people really seem to like you.
Niklas: We love you guys, so it’s a perfect match! [laughter]
The last time we talked, you were the support for IN FLAMES, and you’ve been busy afterward with many support tours featuring some of the biggest bands in metal. Now, you’re finally on your headlining tour. How has the tour been in general?
Niklas: It’s been amazing. As much as we love supporting bands like AVATAR, MACHINE HEAD, or IN FLAMES, it really laid down the groundwork for this tour. That’s what a support slot is, right? You warm up the crowd for the headlining band, but you also try to steal some fans, and I think we succeeded in that, in some parts.
I guess it also means that you were able to do a lot more production-wise. What has it been like to prepare for the production of this tour?
Niklas: It’s been very stressful, to say the least, because we’ve been juggling all this stuff during tours and in between tours. But we’ve kept it kind of minimal. We have our hazers, a pre-programmed light show—not too fancy, but it’s something at least. You know, as a headliner, you have to step up your game a bit, but we didn’t want to overdo it either. In the end, it’s the music that needs to be appreciated.
Some bands like IRON MAIDEN bring in airplanes and other props to their set. Is that something you don’t want?
Niklas: I mean, it would be cool, but the scary thing is that, let’s say the more you grow, the more the production gets, and then if you play smaller venues, how do you fit that into a smaller venue too? We try to keep it very simple.
So you also want to consider if you play in a smaller venue, then you cannot give those fans the same kind of experience. Is that important?
Niklas: I think so. Hopefully, people are there for the music, but let’s say you play at a big festival with pyros everywhere, then people might expect that in smaller settings too… which might become a problem [laughter].
You mentioned that you had to prepare for the pre-production of this tour during and in between other tours, and then you released the two previous albums, “Descent” and “The Forgotten,” also during your tours. Are you never scared of burning out in that sense?
Niklas: I’ve never really thought about that [laughs]. It’s a good point to consider because we want to be in it for the long run, but at the same time, there’s some kind of momentum building, especially with a sold-out tour and everything, so we just have to utilize everything, be as productive as possible because you only have one tiny opening in this business, from what we’ve learned.
For sure, it has been paying off with the new record deal and everything that’s been going on. In that sense, I’ve noticed that who you surround yourself with, like photographers or crew members, or even the media you talk to, they don’t need to be the biggest webzine. Do you want to support the underdog because… you were the underdog yourself for 10 years?
Niklas: Exactly. I’m happy to talk with anybody who’s willing to talk about us [laughs]. That’s how it works for me at least.
Do you feel like that’s an important thing for you, though, to support the people who also deserve it [but might not get it straight away]?
Niklas: Yes, of course. Because we have been a band for 10 years. It’s been 10 years now, in March or April, 11 years. For us, nothing really started to happen until 3-4 years ago. We really know the struggle of not getting heard and stuff like that, but it always has to be consistent. That’s one of the reasons why we brought BITE DOWN today. I believe it’s their eighth show in their career, but they are amazing, and we just asked the guys if we can support them in any way, whether it’s bringing them on this tour, whatever they need.
Well, that was also going to be where I was leading. In that sense, where did you guys learn about BITE DOWN? Are you friends? Did you already know each other?
Niklas: I lived in a town, one of the larger ones in Sweden called Jönköping. There were some local bands, not metal, mainly rock. But it wasn’t until Richard and I, along with our merch guy, Fredrik, went to a show. Where we originally come from, Oak Lake or Eksjö [laughs].
[laughs] … What?
Niklas: The English translation of that, I guess, is Oak Lake, Eksjö. [laughs] We have a festival there every year in this city or town. These guys were tearing down a stage, they just destroyed it, and we were like, “What the heck?” It turns out they are 30 minutes from us. So, we were like, “Yup, if we need a support band for a headline,”—this was like 2 years ago— “they are the guys who are going to join.”
Yeah, it’s quite funny that you already knew them years ago. Considering it’s only their eighth show, I’m really looking forward to seeing what they’ve got going. It’s going to be interesting.
Niklas: They are killer live, like wow!
Well, you also released the EP a couple of months ago. After that, you announced you’d be parting ways with Seek & Strike, and now you’re signed to Century Media. Congrats about that. How did everything sort of go down?
Niklas: It was a lot of factors. We had just released the “Descent” album, and we felt that we had these two songs that didn’t really fit when we were about to turn “Descent” into Seek & Strike, so we saved them. We were going back and forth on what our next move should be, right? Then we came home from the AVATAR tour, the second one we did, and I was like, “We need one more song to glue those two songs together.” Then we were like, “Yeah, let’s give the people a 3-track EP, even though it’s small, it sounds pretty cool.”
Which was the one you added last?
Niklas: “While We Serve.”
Okay, yeah, I guess you mentioned somewhere that you didn’t want to add those songs to “Descent” because they were a little bit too experimental for you. How important is it for you to experiment with your sound and take it further?
Niklas: It’s very important, but also, I don’t want to branch out too much. Because I write for myself first and I like how we sound now… [laughs] but obviously, I’m also one of those guys who just buys plug-ins and sound packs everywhere like yeah, that sounds cool. But in the end, you just use 1 out of 10 elements anyway, but we will see in the future if it branches out more. But the formula we have is a very simple formula, it’s intro – verse – chorus, that kind of pop formula. I like it, that’s songs for me, and not playing like [mimics guitar playing] not a million notes a second. [laughter]
I guess for you specifically because you also have to sing it, it must be really difficult.
Niklas: Exactly, and there are some songs that I can’t sing at all and play at the same time, but that’s another topic. [laughs]
Out of curiosity, what is the hardest song for you to play?
Niklas: I think from the “Nija” album, it’s “Day of the Cloud,” it’s the third track or something and it’s a bitch to play and to sing at the same time. But we still struggle with a song from the “Shaman” EP, which is called “Mast of the World.” I’ve learned to sing it and play it at the same time, but you just have to stand there, very… you just have to be so focused. And then there’s the other thing that Christopher on the drums has to be completely on time or else, it’s stamina, and you just really have to keep it up. If it’s not glued together with the other guys, it just falls flat.
How much time do you guys usually take to practice for tours?
Niklas: That’s also the problem because we practice now when we play. [laughter] Of course, we play more than we rehearse. But I think as Björn from IN FLAMES said, “The real rehearsal begins when you play live.”
So it’s a good thing that this show is at the end of your tour. [laughs]
Niklas: Yeah, yeah. Exactly. [laughs]
“Descent” and “The Forgotten” EP were pretty much written on the road. Is that something you enjoyed or would you like to take a designated break now for writing?
Niklas: Luckily for me, or unluckily… Depends on how you look at it. I have a great big problem with writing on the road because there’s so much else going on, so it’s hard to just focus on that studio, so you’re just so much in the live mode all the time. But luckily for me, I had some riffs lying around, speaking of the song, “While We Serve,” that song was done in a day from scratch, that never happens because I usually take a year to finish one song. But that took a day and I was like, “Fuck yeah.”
That is absolutely insane because one of the YouTube comments in there is that based on that song, you deserve a Grammy or something.
Niklas: I mean, if it works, it works. Because that was also a challenge because I knew I had a deadline, but I didn’t expect to be done with it in a day.
So how did you get started on that specific song then?
Niklas: That’s the funny thing because I think it was 2 days after we came home from Los Angeles, I had my mom move my stuff into a new apartment because I moved to Oak Lake… Eksjö. I had moving boxes everywhere, up to the ceiling, but I was like I have to plug in the computer first and start to write. I was surrounded by moving boxes and yeah, I poured it out… [laughs]
Moving is the absolute worst thing on earth, so I can see why that song sounds specifically “frustrated.”
Niklas: Yeah, luckily, I didn’t have to do so much because my mom is an angel, so she fixed all that, but I still had to unpack.
What is the world without moms?
Niklas: Exactly. [laughs]
I heard you mention in a couple of interviews that you are also a fan of AVICII, but how does that come into play in your music? Is there an element of AVICII there somewhere?
Niklas: I mean, his music was brilliant, but I think it’s just the ability to write hooks that interests me the most. Even though it’s poppy, happy tunes, it can really pull on the heartstrings too, and that’s what interests me—music that makes you feel something, whether it’s the darkest metal or the poppiest dance music.
Well, you know, “Levels” is one of those…
Niklas: Exactly!
I think everybody likes that song.
Niklas: Exactly. It does something to you, right?
I’ve seen you mention a couple of times that Dune was a very big inspiration to “Descent.” Dune II is out now in the cinemas…
Niklas: Incredible!
Have you seen it?
Niklas: Yes, I’ve seen it twice now. Once just before this tour, and during this time, I couldn’t get enough of it. The sound design by Hans Zimmer was brilliant, incredible. So there will be more Dune in the next album too, I think.
Did that inspire you storywise, or is the soundtrack a big influence?
Niklas: I would say the sound design because it’s not so much about melody but more about the grand sounds. It’s the vastness of it all that fits the images so well. It’s a massive movie, both of them.
Do you draw inspiration from other movies, composers, or even games, or is it just this one?
Niklas: I think this one stands out. In the past, it was obviously Lord of the Rings, and it still is, for the scale of the whole thing, and Interstellar. But this felt like a fresh, new thing. Because in the last 10 years of movies… You know, I hate Marvel, I can’t stand that stuff.
It’s always the same, you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.
Niklas: Exactly. No, but this movie felt really original to me at least. I can’t speak for everyone else, but it felt like a real cinema experience again.
Yeah, I guess the era of big blockbusters like Lord of the Rings has moved on a bit, so it’s good to see that there’s still something in the movie world that inspires you.
Niklas: Absolutely. I just want to see practical effects again; that always makes my day.
The tour is coming to an end soon. What are the plans for ORBIT CULTURE in the next few months?
Niklas: It’s going to be a week of rest for sure since we barely had any rest between the MACHINE HEAD tour. So, we’ve sort of been on the road since January 15th. After that, it will be a week off, then fire up the computer again, restring the guitar, plug it in, and just write the whole summer, the rest of the spring, and the entire summer. Then we’ll see where we are in the fall.
So, I’m guessing that’s going to be the next album, but probably not until 2025?
Niklas: Yeah, it will be a year focused on writing and recording.
That means 2025 is going to be insanely busy.
Niklas: Incredibly busy. From what we’ve heard from management or the booking agency, it’s going to be mental.
Okay, well, looking forward to it. I hope that you will still include Finland in your itinerary.
Niklas: I hope so too, yeah! We’d love to play 5 shows in Finland if that’s possible.
I mean, at some point, I guess we have to make ORBIT CULTURE a Finnish band somehow, that would be the goal…
Niklas: Yeah, exactly! [laughter]
Well, I think that’s it for my questions. Do you have any thoughts you want to share with your fans?
Niklas: I’m all good. Thank you for having me, as always.
Interview by Laureline Tilkin
