A Chat with We Are To Blame (22.11.23)
Capturing the beauty of the Northern Lights with a whimsical flush of melodic metal, We Are To Blame swarms our senses with its eclectic melodies. Influenced by various slicks of metal, a fusion of progressive metal, power metal and death metal fuse in a symphonic harmony of vocals, guitars and electronic elements. We speak with band member Johan Karlsson (guitars and vocals) about We Are To Blame’s EP Duality II, favourite smells, future plans and much more!
OSR: How did We Are To Blame form? What drew each of you to music, and then what drew you to become this band?
Karlsson: We have all started playing music in our youth, and one of the driving forces behind the creation of the band is probably a curiosity and a wish to discover new musical paths. It’s what led me to create the band, and it’s what led Alice to join even though she hadn’t listened to metal prior to joining the band. The driving force behind the inception of the band was always to try a new angle on what was already great, be it from the pop or metal world.
OSR: What inspires you to make music?
Karlsson: Music, life and a will to express something. And at the end of the day, to write stuff that I would want to hear myself.
OSR: What can you tell us about your EP Duality II?
Karlsson: It’s obviously a continuation of what we did on our first EP Duality I, we enjoyed the process of creating music together so it kinda came naturally to us. The music still revolves around a mix of power metal, progressive metal and melodeath, spiced up with pop vocals as well as symphonic and electronic elements.
OSR: Duality II is the next EP after Duality I. Are these EPs linked at all and is there a particular theme behind them?
Karlsson: For sure, they follow suit both musically and in lyrical themes. We have gravitated towards writing a lot about mental health issues in various shapes and forms, and unfortunately, there is no shortage of things to write about. As a completely new band, we figured it would make sense to release a few EPs and see how people reacted. Fortunately, a lot of people seem to like it and we have gotten great feedback on both releases!
OSR: Do you feel Duality II is a good representation of We Are To Blame at the moment?
Karlsson: Yes, we feel as if both EPs paint a pretty good picture of what we are about. That said, I am sure that the sound will keep evolving going forward. The core of the band has been established, but where we go from there is still unwritten.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Karlsson: I can safely speak for the whole band when I say that music is a huge part of our lives, and we would not be the people we are today if it wasn’t for music. How can you put words on something that has been so fundamental in shaping who you are?
OSR: What makes We Are To Blame unique?
Karlsson: Our collective take on music. In its foundation there is nothing new about our music; distorted power chords and double kicks have been done before. But between us, the combination of what we bring to the table brings out something new, a different take on what has already been done. What we do resonates with us, and hopefully with others as well.
OSR: Random questions: what is one of your favourite smells?
Karlsson: New strings.
OSR: If you were a vegetable, what vegetable would you be?
Karlsson: Since we are based north of the Arctic Circle, it would probably be something like a potato. Resilient and diverse!
OSR: What can we expect from We Are To Blame in the future?
Karlsson: We are in the process of writing and recording new music, so a new release is already in the pipeline. We would love to get out and play more live shows as well!
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Karlsson: Thank you for supporting us and other independent artists!
Many thanks to Johan Karlsson for speaking with us. For more from We Are To Blame, check out their official website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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