Interview with ERADIKATED

Hej! How has the band’s sound evolved from “Eradikated” EP to your upcoming debut album “Descendants”?
Hi!
Well, it’s been many years since we wrote the songs on the EP, and music-wise Descendants is faster and more original. The riffs and songs are more creative and playful, yet harder and with “darker” lyrics. The album has a conceptual storyline that makes it more of a story than the EP which is basically just old songs that we re-recorded to get a fast release out on the internet as Eradikated.
– Ragnar

Can you tell us more about the conceptual storyline that ties together the lyrics of “Descendants”?
– Elvin
Descendants take place in a not so distant future where the climate, ecological and social crises of today have gone unchecked, resulting in a world of extreme weather, social unrest, and death. The first part of Descendants gives an overview of the state of the world. The second part of the album tells a story of a rebel group finally overthrowing the rich and powerful, only to realize that it’s too late. The plot, subplots, character developments, and references found throughout Descendants is something I’ll leave to the listeners to explore if they want to take a dive.

How did the band’s meeting with Indie Recordings at by:Larm 2022 come about?
The meeting at By:Larm was a pretty fast one over a few beers. Just checking out the vibes, feeling the chemistry and talking about future plans and visions. The real meeting took place a few weeks later. When we announced the tour with Anvil, where we would have our first stop in Oslo with a day off following the gig, Indie asked if we were interested in coming to visit their office. Of course we accepted the invite since we had a great time at By:Larm and got a really good impression. When we arrived at the office the whole Indie-team were gathered and we stayed for hours talking about everything from the recording-process to how to conquer the world. Three days later a first contract arrived in our mail-inbox and the negotiations started. We are really happy with the collaboration and are looking forward to everything that lies ahead of us as a team!
– Ragnar

What inspired the song “Flames” and its accompanying music video?
– Elvin
‘Flames’ is inspired by the many forest fires that were reported around the world in 2018 and 2019, not least in our home country Sweden. But ‘Flames’ doesn’t just represent a forest fire, it also represents rebellion – the spark that ignites the flame.
For the music video, we wanted a rough and chaotic scene, to go along with the fast riffs and intensity of the song. The video shows the energy you can expect at our shows, as well as the riots that ‘Flames’ refers to.

How did you approach producing and recording your upcoming debut album in Ragnar Östberg’s studio?
Since we basically live in our rehearsal space/my studio the recording process was very comfortable. Me and Elvin wrote most of the music/lyrics and made demos. When all demos were done we started with some live pre-prod recordings. During the pre-prod recording we made some slight changes and final touches, then we rigged the studio for real. When it was time for the final recording we were prepared and loaded with energy, so when we pressed the red button everything went by pretty fast. We recorded the drums live with one trash-guitar and then tracked the rest to the drums. No metronome was used and the drums are all one-takes.
When everything was recorded we sent the tracks to Gustav Brunn at GG All In Audio where the magic happened for real.
– Ragnar

Can you share some details about the three singles that will be released before the full-length album?
Holy shit, we’re so damned proud of the release of our first single “Flames”. Technically and musically, “Flames” was a milestone, something we wanted to release for a very long time. But with that said, things will be even more intense.
– Calle

How does it feel to be representing the Swedish hard rock and metal scene on the international stage?
Just getting the chance to be one of extremely many competent bands from Sweden is an honor in itself! To be honest, we are beyond excited to hit the road and see what locations other than the north have to offer. As you all know, Sweden’s way too cold, you can’t live here.
– Calle

What can fans expect from Eradikated‘s live shows, and how do you prepare for them?
Energy. Lots and lots of ferocious, neck breaking, mosh inducing energy. Non-stop headbanging, sweat spewing everywhere and a general sense of thrash. No click, no backing tracks, no bullshit. Just raw, fast, hard thrash, as it’s supposed to be.
Preparing is simple: Pack shit, get in car, drive car, arrive, unload shit, soundcheck, eat, do some pushups, scream each other in the face, get on stage, rock the shit out of people, done.
– Erland

Can you tell us more about the milestones that the band has achieved since rebranding as Eradikated in September 2021?
Rebranding was a part of the signing process with our manager Martin Gustafsson and Republic 66. At the same time we founded our company Eradikated AB. Both these changes sent the band towards a more serious approach to the music industry. The old name felt like a mismatch with our sound and general presence of the band. Now people actually know what to expect when they see the logo. With Gustaffson came lots of contacts and great opportunities.
Not long after, we got in touch with our next Martin, Martin Karlsson formerly at TADC, now at Concerts Alive as a booking agent. He helped us score an opening slot at Anvil’s scandinavian tour, and a great slot at Sweden Rock Festival just to name a few.
At the tail end of 2022 we also got signed to the Norwegian label; Indie Recordings, who will manage the release of our first album this fall. In general you could say that the band has grown immensely as a team. Now the work begins to grow the brand too.
– Erland

What are the band’s plans for the future beyond the release of “Descendants”?
Well, it’s kind of simple. We are going to take over the world. Hahah!
Jokes aside, we have some great bookings for the summer, including Sweden Rock Festival and Gefle Metal, and we hope to get many more great shows beyond the album release. We have also started writing some new music, so there will be more to come! At the moment everything is happening really fast, and we try to take everything as it comes and not overthink too much in advance, even though we still have our main visions and goals. Right now we look forward to the upcoming shows we have booked, and to finally release our masterpiece “Descendants”.
– Ragnar

Tack så mycket. Hej då!
Thanks for having us! CheerZ!