Interview with Joakim Sterner of Necrophobic : “We Are Nothing Without Our Fans”

Necrophobic, the band known for their blackened death metal sound has just unveiled their tenth studio album titled In the Twilight Grey. This new release adds a captivating touch to their collection of music blending their trademark aggression with atmospheric elements that highlight their growth and adaptability. The album has already garnered acclaim for its songs and powerful vibe solidifying Necrophobic status as giants in the music scene. Read the album review from Music Anvil. Meanwhile we had a chat with drummer Joakim Sterner to explore the journey behind the album and the band’s lasting impact.

Hello Joakim, thank you for taking the time to answer our questions and congratulations on your new album. You’ve been with Necrophobic since its inception in 1989. How do you maintain the freshness and relevance of your music while staying true to your roots?

JS: Hi! Thank you for the great words about our new album. I don’t know the key for us to maintain this high level of producing new songs and keep releasing albums containing so much interesting music, but I think it has to do with that we all are very passionate and devoted to metal music. We are of course fans ourselves, but the difference between us and a regular fan of metal is that we write music and record our music and release it.

What are some lesser-known influences or inspirations that have shaped your drumming style and the overall sound of Necrophobic?

JS: When I started to play drums, I initially liked Clive Burr (Iron Maiden) and Eric Carr (KISS). Both of them had a certain groove and feel to their way of playing drums. I never payed attention to how skillful drummer were at that time, and to be honest I still don’t. It is all about the groove and feel. A drummer should be a rhythmic foundation for the other musicians to play with. The drummer should never overdo a music piece/song, in my opinion. When I git in contact with the more extreme metal, I liked Dave Lombardo (Slayer) and also Iggor Cavalera (Sepultura). From these guys I have developed my own style of playing.

If you could go back in time and give advice to yourself and the band at the start of your career, what would it be?

JS: It is a tricky question, because we are where we are because of what has happened to the band throughout the years of existence. Decisions we made and stuff like that has led us here. We have learned by doing, so to speak. We have taken notice to stuff all the time that we felt that we could develop or get rid off, so I can’t really say that I would give ourselves any other advice, because we, in my opinion, did nothing bad or wrong that caused any large damage to the band.

In the Twilight Grey marks Necrophobic’s tenth studio album. How has your creative process evolved over the years, and what influenced the direction of this latest album?

JS: The big difference from back in the day and present is that we don’t write the music in our rehearsal studio. Everyone writes bits and pices or complete songs at home nowadays and present it more or less as a pre-production demo to the rest of the band.

This album actually started with that Tobias (bass) sent all of us a 12 track demo recording of songs he had written without any specific band in mind. Just songs. He said to us to take a listen to it and see if there was anything that could be used for Necrophobic. Sebastian got a kickstart from those songs and started to write and re-write songs to make them sound more Necrophobic.Song after song was written during that period and that creative flow.

The album artwork for In the Twilight Grey was handled by Jens Rydén. Can you talk about the collaboration process and what you aimed to achieve with this album’s visual presentation?

JS: It started with that we talked about letting Jens take care of all the productions regarding the physical and promotional stuff for the new album.

He has taken the band photos for many years now and Jens has also assisted me with some layout stuff and designs for a couple of albums in the re-issues of our back catalogue in 2021, so we asked him if he was interested in also adding the album cover art on his table and he suggested to look at his already made art on his portfolio website and we found an art piece that we thought would fit the theme of the new album.

However, it needed a lot of adjustments and add ons to look as a cover for a Necrophobic release, so we asked him if it was possible for him to do and he said yes, so we in the band talked about how to adjust it and what to add or take away and in the end it resulted in this very cool album artwork. It stands out among our previous releases and that is very good. We are all very happy in the way it turned out.

The album includes a mix of different styles, from blackened death metal to atmospheric touches. How do you balance these varied influences in your songwriting and recording process?

JS: We have always been a mix of death metal and black metal and the foundation of our music is melodies and dark atmosphere of something grandiose. We don’t think so much of what “mix” it ends up with. The important thing is that it all shall sound Necrophobic, wether the songs are more black metal, more death metal, or heavy metal. As long as it sounds Necrophobic, it is fine for us and we can stand behind it.

You mentioned in a recent interview that the album title In the Twilight Grey comes from a poem. Can you elaborate on the significance of this title and how it ties into the themes explored in the album?

JS: Sebastian came up with the title and it comes from a poem and on the backside of the album, there is a quote from that poem that inspired Sebastian to write the title track. I don’t like to explain lyrics. You should build your own opinion about what it means to you. It’s like looking at a painting. The artist does not stand beside you to tell you what you see. You see for yourself and build your own opinion of what it means to you.

Necrophobic is known for having guest musicians on your albums. Can you share any memorable experiences or collaborations that stood out to you over the years?

JS: As you said, we have had many guests appearances on our albums and everyone is special to us in one way or the other. One that sticks out a bit more than the other is on the previous album, “Sawn of the Damned”, where no ther than an old hero of ours, Schmier from Destruction joined us on vocals for the song “Devil’s Spawn Attack”.

The song “Ascension (Episode Four)” is a continuation of a trilogy from the Darkside album. What prompted you to revisit this concept, and how does it fit within the new album?

JS: Sometimes an album just need a bit of a closure and there was an instrumental piece that we had and Sebastian namned it as a tribute to our old album “Darkside”.

Can you share a memorable or unusual fan interaction that has stuck with you over the years?

JS: If I remember correctly, there has not been a crazy moment from meeting a fan. Some are very drunk, some are very nervous and some are just normal, like evry other fans to other bands. We always make time for our fans and sign their stuff and let them take photos with us. We are nothing without our fans and that’s why I always make time with our fans.

With over three decades of history, what are some of the most significant changes you’ve seen in the metal scene, and how has Necrophobic adapted to these changes?

JS: We haven’t really adapted to anthing, really. We have stayed the same throught all these years, which I think is a really big achievement in itself. Think about it. How many bands have managed to stay the same with such a long going as we have and also not sounding repetitive and boring?

We have been balancing between death metal and black metal all these years and sometimes it have leaned more to the death metal side and sometimes more to the black metal side, but it has never been 100% death metal or 100% black metal, so that balance can be a part of our long career. We never felt part of any of the genres, but we have not cared about it either. We are a metal band that creates dark, eerie, grandiose, atmospheric and melodic metal.

Given the long career of Necrophobic, what future plans do you have for the band, both in terms of new music and live performances?

JS: Right now, we have a small summer break. We have been playing a lot during the first half of 2024, playing shows in Germany, The Netherlands, Lithuania, Slovakia, Spain, Mexico and Colombia and after the summer it starts again with lots of shows and festivals.

Lastly, do you have any messages or thoughts you’d like to share with your fans and the readers of Music Anvil, especially as you release In the Twilight Grey and look towards the future?

JS: I wish to say an honest THANK YOU to all of you that has supported Necrophobic in any way throughout all these years. We are nothing without you!