By Jim Barber
Mad Invasion is what occurs when a gaggle of long-time musician friends, every one with a formidable pedigree and intensive musical background, with reputations for excellence and kicking proverbial ass in each the studio and onstage determine to affix forces.
Based mostly within the Swedish metropolis of Malmo, the quartet of vocalist Pete Sandberg, bassist Mats Jeppsson, lead guitarist Bjorn Dahlberg and guitarist/keyboardist Hal Marabel launched their debut album Fringe of the World again in 2021, simply as the worldwide COVID 19 pandemic was beginning to slowly subside.
With pent up demand for extra new music from the group grew to become louder and louder, they re-entered the studio final 12 months, finishing what can finest be described as a bad-ass, classic sounding arduous rock album, which contains a trendy sonic panorama and a real, epic story to inform.
Crack within the Sky was launched on April 25 by way of Border Music, after anticipation and curiosity was stoked by way of the discharge of 5 movies all through late 2024 and into 2025 for the songs ‘Welcome to my Present,’, the incendiary ‘Voodoo Queen,’ the powerhouse “Warmth Of the Evening,’ ‘Flesh & Blood,’ and the exceptionally cinematic title observe.
The listing of musical influences of every band member reads like who’s who of rock music, which is smart, since all 4 of them have been taking part in music in numerous unique and canopy bands for many years. With Mad Invasion, there are particular parts of the whole lot from Deep Purple to Queen to AC/DC. UFO, Rush and Unhealthy Firm.
Marabel talked in regards to the significance of the numerous influences, experiences and inventive factors of view dropped at the band by every member, but additionally how they’re united and in full lockstep with each other relating to the ability, efficiency and originality of their interpretation of the classic arduous rock milieu.
“We’ve all recognized one another because the late Eighties. Even when we weren’t taking part in collectively, we every had our totally different gangs method again when there have been a bunch of bands out on the circuit, you understand, assembly up and partying with each other. And we’d have interaction with each other at sure closing dates and all the time thought that perhaps we should always do one thing collectively someday,” he stated, including that the embryo of an concept for what would turn out to be Mad Invasion started when he and Sandberg first began speaking a bit extra critically about collaborating within the early 2010s.
“Pete has been in a great deal of bands. However on the time, he was in a band known as Alien. And I used to be in a Swedish band, which I nonetheless have a bit on the facet, known as Unhealthy Behavior and we had been each signed to the Virgin label on the time. We met by way of that and we determined to try to do one thing collectively. Nevertheless it took some time. Pete and a few of the different guys truly did get collectively round 2012 and launched a single, and did a gig simply to check the waters, and the response was actually nice, however their different tasks, and life normally, occurred. A number of years later they began speaking about writing for a brand new album and that’s once I received concerned, in 2016. However, as I stated, all of us knew one another so it was fairly a pure coming collectively.”
Sandberg is unique from Gothenburg, on the west coast of the nation, 270 or so kilometres north of Malmo, which is on the southern tip, virtually straight throughout from Copenhagen, Denmark. Marabel stated he has been an admired singer for a lot of many years, taking part in in Swedish bands in addition to different European acts.
“It was actually nice to have him on board as a result of, one, he’s an amazing singer. However what we needed to do on this collaboration was to make the most of a unique facet of his vocal expertise. Should you’ve heard any of his earlier stuff, you’ll discover the vary is so much decrease now, the pitch is so much decrease, and there’s extra of a deal with the blues influences right here. And that matches for him as a result of he’s like David Coverdale [Whitesnake, Deep Purple] and Paul Rodgers [Free, Bad Company] and we needed to have that come by way of in our songs,” he stated, laughing about the truth that not solely is Sandberg an old style vocal stylist, however is slightly old-fashioned in his every day life.
“He’s attention-grabbing at the moment. He’s non-digital. He has a mobile phone, a cell phone, nevertheless it’s not the smartphone model, it’s the easy model the place all you are able to do is name and textual content. He has no pc, no social media, no nothing. So we’re those that maintain that kind of factor and attempt to present him stuff. He nonetheless listens solely to CDs and vinyl. Nevertheless it’s attention-grabbing to have him round as a result of we will get the totally different perspective from somebody who isn’t in to all of that.”
Bjorn is the initiator and the riff grasp of Mad Invasion, in accordance with Marabel.
“He used to have a studio in Malmo the place all of us used to document, so he received to know everybody. So, he’s coming from being extra of a studio man, a producer and engineer. However he’s all the time been an amazing guitarist however was concentrating extra on his studio work till we switched him to being extra of a guitar participant and songwriter. I come into it because the co-producer and arranger, however he is excellent at riffs. He’s actually influenced by outdated Deep Purple and Black Sabbath and we needed to ensure that affect is coming by way of, as a result of we’re actually happy with it. It’s not that we’re copying it, it’s only a robust affect that we need to pay homage to however put it into extra of a contemporary context and a contemporary framing,” he stated.
“Bjorn is the one that prefers to be within the background and orchestrate issues, which I’m too, however I’m a bit extra of a folks particular person as a result of my daytime job, I’ve to be extra of an extrovert [he works in I.T for IKEA … doesn’t get much more Swedish than that!] however I feel we complement one another rather well, each from the attitude of guitarists but additionally as people. We work very properly along with the arranging of songs and manufacturing. After which Mats is the joker within the band. He brings a whole lot of humour and is kind of the extrovert. He’s the excited one once we get collectively. You might want to have somebody like that in a band or in any state of affairs the place you’re working intently with folks. He’s an amazing complement to the remainder of the personalities within the band.”
It’s this group of proficient and pushed artistic personalities which put collectively a conceptual assortment of music that weaves a compelling, fantasy-based story accompanied by hovering melodies, crunching riffs and masterful musicianship.
The narrative thread woven between the songs on Crack within the Sky pertains to the battle between a Fallen Angel and her nemesis the Darkish Lord – the stuff of fantasy-oriented fiction writing and video video games, however with an utility for the on a regular basis struggles all of us should combat off the demons inside and with out.
“It was initially Bjorn’s concept to have this character of the Fallen Angel as a part of all of the movies and all of the visible storytelling for the album. However there wasn’t actually a story round it. We had the picture of the angel wearing white, and we’ve got the angel wearing black they usually’re kind of in opposition to one another however nonetheless supporting each other as a result of they’re the 2 sides of the identical factor,” Marabel stated.
“For this new album we determined to take the story additional and actually create that framework of a story round it with all of the background of how the white angel was as soon as sitting by God’s facet after which she received lured a bit bit to the darker facet. After which we developed it additional by truly recording introduction segments to eight of the 11 songs that basically tie the story collectively. However we’re saving that for the subsequent model of the album, which we hope can even be vinyl.
“We determined to go all in with the story as a result of we favored the concept of an idea album and there aren’t that many anymore. We need to deliver it again to the sort of [Queensryche’s] Operation: Mindcrime kind of tasks the place there’s a narrative and the place you’re attempting to lure the listener in to concentrate to extra than simply the songs. You need them to look a couple of layers deeper.”
In a way, it’s a examined and true story that goes again millennia – the long-lasting wrestle between good and evil which, if reinterpreted barely as intimated above, can apply to how all of us have an inner wrestle between the nice and evil of our personal nature.
“You possibly can take the songs and the story as it’s, nevertheless it’s significantly better should you can personalize it. We wish folks to learn into it what they need to – that’s what making music is all about. In the event that they really feel one thing’s connecting them to the music, there’s no proper or mistaken interpretation. So, sure, it’s the general theme of excellent versus evil within the sense that one wants the opposite. You may also have a look at it as a mirrored image of how issues are in society now,” Marabel stated.
“It’s changing into very polarized and it’s all the time these two sides digging in stronger and stronger in opposition to one another. However, even when it may be fairly excessive on the most polarizing factors of it, these two views want one another. Now, you’ll be able to argue that it’s too excessive and it may’t simply be black and white, however it’s okay to have totally different sides of the identical story, totally different sides of the identical coin, as a result of that’s the place the compelling half comes into the story, that’s the place the curiosity and the joy and the way you get folks extra engaged in what you’re attempting to say.
“I feel it’s attention-grabbing, as a result of there may be that borderline the place you say this facet of it’s good, this facet is evil. However that borderline isn’t all the time a straight, skinny line. It’s truly fairly a broad line. There’s a crossover space inside which you begin drifting to at least one facet or one other and it makes you actually take into consideration the dilemma of now being on this grey zone. In order that’s a bit a part of the neighbourhood.”
Writing an album with a comparatively tight narrative, the place the lyrics and music and general sonic nature must be extra constant and related to at least one one other is unquestionably extra of a problem then simply concocting 10 or 12 songs which might be kind of impartial of each other. Nevertheless it was a problem Marabel, and his bandmates had been up for.
“There are extra issues to consider within the lyrics and the way in which that the songs are put collectively. Additionally, the order of the songs on the album turns into much more vital. However that was the compelling concept that goes together with having a conceptual theme. Not solely does the listener want to interact a bit extra to get the complete image however we because the writers want to do this in creating it, in fact, and to maintain our heads straight on, you understand. We stored saying to ourselves, ‘how will we maintain the connection? And the way we ensure to come back again to the correct level within the timeline.’ So, yeah, it was fairly attention-grabbing,” he defined.
“We weren’t as targeted on the music facet so far as the riffs of the songs all being sort of related just like the story is. We felt a bit freer and extra versatile there as a result of it was extra in regards to the story, the lyrics and the general kind of storytelling and ensuring that each one slot in with the precise narration that is happening. However we had extra flexibility on the musical facet, for positive.”
As for the songwriting course of, which is far the identical as for the band’s 2021 debut document Fringe of the World, it often begins with Dahlberg, who Marabel refers to as “the captain of the ship” creative-wise, though he himself acts as a co-producer as soon as the artistic ball will get rolling.
“He’s the one which comes up with the principle guitar riff, and the songs are guitar riff based mostly. After which properly construct off that. So, he’ll begin with the riff, and we are going to then meet simply to debate the format and issues a bit extra casually. After that he goes again and begins to really document the guitar rifts correctly with a click on observe. Which I feel it’s a bit traditional, as a result of there’s no different manufacturing or any again tracks – it’s simply the guitar and a click on observe,” he stated, including that a lot of the 5 band members stay in Malmo, whereas visitor drummer Mikkey Dee (extra about him in a second) lives in Gothenburg.
“What occurs subsequent is him and Pete, our singer, get collectively they usually begin engaged on the lyrics and the vocal melodies to the guitar riffs and click on observe. So, there’s nothing else guiding the singer; Pete by no means has any again tracks for the refrain, which he likes. Her prefers it that method as a result of we need to be completely bare, and it additionally permits him to listen to the whole lot good.
“So, I’ve my studio, which is sort of a mixture of a pre-production and parallel full manufacturing studio and my very own gear. So, I deliver my laptop computer into the studio at Bjorn’s home, and I document over these tracks that they recorded onto my laptop computer, and I’m going dwelling and proceed to construct the observe from there. That’s the place I draft the preliminary drum elements, percussion, the keyboards and in addition begin fascinated about the background vocal preparations and add in my guitars.”
One the demos are full, the complete band circles again and has pay attention by way of, which is commonly the primary time all band members hear the close to association, which ends up in extra honing, and filtering and changes till everybody’s comfortable.”
Understanding the world the way in which it’s right now, with a lot ‘content material’ being ‘consumed’ on so many alternative platforms and types of media, even probably the most proficient and proficient of artistic acts has to place further effort into the non-artistic facet of what they do – in any other case know because the ‘enterprise’ facet of the music enterprise.
Mad Invasion have doubled down on advertising and marketing and promotional materials, issuing a stream of singles and accompanying movies for songs from each of their albums to this point.
“There’s a lot noise and a lot happening on this planet that folks, you understand, their consideration span is kind of restricted. And you need to have one thing particular to stay out. We needed to ensure that we had a whole lot of visible representations, like within the movies. And we needed to ensure that the whole lot is at , skilled stage as a result of we’re all properly seasoned, older guys. We’ve been round for some time and we needed to have that have and professionalism mirrored within the materials and the way in which we do issues to advertise the music,” stated Marabel of the group’s consideration to element.
“We’re from that technology the place we was once the younger guys who would recognize it when our favorite bands put a whole lot of effort into it; had all of the lyrics with the album and the covers had been all good and the photographs had been properly finished and the whole lot was properly thought by way of so that you just felt that you just had been getting a whole lot of worth in your cash. Even when it’s principally the streams now, some folks nonetheless purchase a CD and those that do, they need to get good worth for the cash, and those that come to go to our YouTube channel ought to get good high quality digital merchandise in order that they’re time is properly spent. And that goes for vinyl too. We haven’t finished a urgent of vinyl but for the brand new album, however we hope to have the ability to try this once we do the subsequent run. When that occurs, we’re going to have all of the particular hyperlinks in between the songs that enable you to comply with the idea. After we did the vinyl for the final album, we made positive that it was a double fold out, so we put a whole lot of time into designing the covers and issues like that.”
Mikkey Dee carried out within the movies, as he does on the whole lot of the Crack within the Sky document. Arduous rock and steel followers know his extremely spectacular and prodigious pedigree, first with Danish steel grasp King Diamond, then for greater than 30 years with the long-lasting Motorhead, and now bashing the skins for German rock legends, The Scorpions. The music neighborhood in Sweden, very similar to Canada, is comparatively small, so even the largest names are nonetheless card-carrying members of that neighborhood, staying in contact with outdated pals and previous bandmates from alongside their musical journeys.
Such is the case of Dee and members of Mad Invasion.
“Pete is from Gothenburg and he’s recognized Mikkey for ages. They had been across the similar hoods, the identical music communities again within the day. They usually additionally know one another by way of sport. I feel they each performed hockey on the similar time. However then they went their separate methods and Pete was in his band and Mikkey was doing his factor and so forth. After we did the primary album, we truly recorded that partly with one other drummer, however we parted methods quickly after ending laying down the tracks. We needed to do some movies however how will we visualize that with no drummer, when Pete stated he knew Mikkey. He stated it wouldn’t damage to only name and ask if he’d be within the movies. And straight away we knew we needed to deliver him in, as a result of he’s fairly well-known and has his personal profile. We didn’t suppose he’d do it, however Pete stated perhaps he’s sport,” Marabel defined.
“And he’s in three of the movies from the earlier album. However that was the staring level with Mikkey. And he liked the songs. He liked the strategy of taking the outdated basic classic rock and placing it into a contemporary format. So once we had been discussing the brand new album, we truly simply requested him straight away. And we mentioned how we needed to proceed to have him concerned within the band as, you understand, clearly a particular visitor nonetheless as a result of he’s a band member of the Scorpions. He stated sure. We organized it in order that he may document the drums up in a studio in Gothenburg after which we transferred he information and built-in them into the manufacturing down right here in Malmo. And it was an amazing addition to the sound as a result of he clearly has his personal fashion of taking part in that basically lifted these very fundamental rock songs onto a unique stage. And naturally, he’s appeared in a bunch of the brand new movies for this document too.”
Marabel additionally stated that there’s a probability, if only a tiny one, that if Mad Invasion had been to play stay reveals in Europe, that Dee would possibly be capable of play with them.
“We’re juggling issues attempting to make the calendars work as a result of clearly there’s a whole lot of work for him through the summer time with all of the festivals and the whole lot. And he even has his personal Motorhead cowl band too, and one other facet undertaking apart from The Scorpions. So we’ll see what alternatives there are on the calendar and the way we will match him into someplace that’s place and time to play,” he stated, including that additionally they have a backup plan to herald one other drummer if issues don’t mesh with Dee.
“Ideally it could be Mikkey as a result of he’s the one on the album. And all of us get alongside so it could be tremendous with him becoming a member of us. So, we’re working to see if we will make it occur.”
A visit to North America to carry out can also be a chance, slim, however not utterly off the desk.
“We have now our promoter that we’re working with and naturally he has a whole lot of connections each to radio and festivals and issues over there. So that’s a part of the discussions we’re having to see if there’s a possibility there. It’s a bit tough now, although, with all of the forms and paperwork. Once you come over from Scandinavia there’s a whole lot of administrative issues to maintain. And it’s additionally not low cost. It’s one thing we have to look into and see how we will make that work virtually. However that’s the ambition to get to America and Canada,” he stated.
For extra data on Mad Invasion, go to their social media channels or
Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and creator based mostly in Napanee, Ontario, Canada, who has been writing about music and musicians for greater than 30 years. Moreover his journalistic endeavors, he works as a communications and advertising and marketing specialist and is an avid volunteer in his neighborhood. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
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