TIAMAT Bassist Discusses Upcoming Album

Catalina Iancu of Romania recently conducted an interview with TIAMAT bassist Anders Iwers. It follows in its entirety:

Q: TIAMAT is preparing a new album. How is it going?

Anders Iwers: We're still working. We recorded a few songs. We didn't decide anything yet, but we have a label, though I can't say which one yet. (There will be) 12-13 songs, but there's nothing decided.

Q: Will it be a "concept album?"

Anders Iwers: I don't like the words "concept album." "Prey" had a red thread. Loosely, I think that we'll be something like a frame, it's not going to be like a story or something like that. (It will be) maybe the opposite of "Prey", perhaps, (while) "Prey" had something running through it.

Q: The TIAMAT family is also working for the sideproject, LUCYFIRE. Johan Edlund is the lyricist and the composer, Lars is going to be the producer… What about you?

Anders Iwers: (Me?) Not in the record, no. If it ever comes to playing live, I'm the guitar player. But… Thomas plays the guitar… If I'm going to do something, it's going to be TIAMAT, you know? LUCYFIRE is not a band, but if LUCYFIRE plays live, I will play guitar.

Q: In time you played both the bass and the guitar. Which of these two attracts more girls?

Anders Iwers: Do I really have to answer that question? (laughs) What instrument do I play? What instrument does my brother play? What do you listen to when you dance? Is it the guitar's riffs or the pulsation of the bass? Every girl knows it. If you buy a new stereo, at home what do you turn up on your equaliser? So you see, this question answer itself.

Q: Many music journalists tend to label the band as "metal," "gothic," "doom," whatever… How would you label it?

Anders Iwers: I'd say that… yes! That's a joke with the journalists. (If I'd be a journalist,) I would never be such a guy. I wouldn't "label" Tiamat at all.

Q: You were in Romania. How did you feel in this country?

Anders Iwers: Is this going to be printed, like in a bigger Romanian magazine? Romania rocks! Romania was f*cking great! We loved it in Romania. (If we're talking about the show,) everything was 100%! It was perfect! The audience was great. We'd go back there any time. Too bad I couldn't see too much of the country. I'd love to come back to Romania, but I don't have time for holidays. I'm in a… full-time band, full-time job and full-time family (reporter's note: Anders has a 2-year-old daughter, Leia Elora).

Q: If Church of Tiamat would be a "true religion," which one would it be?

Anders Iwers: I don't think it would be a religion like the ones today. I think it would be something like a mish-mash… Also in politics, every party has good ideas, but almost every party has even more bad ideas. It's the same thing with religions, maybe. They're all about love and "respect thy neighbor" and… which is all good, but there really are some good ideas in the Islam, in Christianity, and even more good ideas in Buddhism. But, as a whole, they don't work for me. I need the good ideas from all the religions and parties, I'd boil them… If Church of Tiamat would be a religion, it would probably be that religion, taking the good things from everything around. Religion in itself is not a bad idea, but had formed some really bad positions. And a lot of people died — and still die today! — for their god. In a short answer to your question, Church of Tiamat would be the best of everything that's good out there. The basics would be a idea of common sense: don't let anyone to tell you what to think! That would probably be the basis of what we would be.

Q: You play bass in TIAMAT, while your brother Peter plays bass in IN FLAMES. Some say "Anders, Peter Iwers' brother", others say "Peter, Anders Iwers' brother". Who's the real star of the family?

Anders Iwers: You know what was my bassist history? I had a guy, three years younger than me, and he tuned my bass, he took care of my gear, he carried my bass… That guy was my brother! If you ask him about this, he'd say the same thing about me, but… he'd be the star of the family! The real star of our family is our mother.