Tomas Elofsson has made a name for himself as the guitarist of HYPOCRISY. Together with Alwin Zuur from Asphyx, however, he also leads BERZERKER LEGION. We took the release of the new album „Chaos Will Reign“ as an opportunity to talk to Elofsson about the new music, working in an all-star band and the consequences of his heart attack.
Hello Tomas, thank you for taking the time for this interview. I hope you are doing well! In this particular case, that’s no empty phrase after you survived a heart attack in June. Are you feeling 100% again, or is that still affecting you?
Hello! Im doing great. Feeling strong and happy! (laughs) Sure, i feel tired some days, but nothing that affects my daily rutines. I just got to listen to what my body tells me in the future. I would say im about 95% and thats good enough.
Great to hear! When you come through such an unexpected but serious medical incident so lightly – to what extent does that affect you, personally, but perhaps also in terms of your music?
What is has done to me is mostly mentaly. It makes you think and appreciate how easy life can be taken away from you. Be gratefull for what you have, it can be gone in a jiff.
Have you tried to pick up where you left off, if possible, or has this incident possibly led you in a different direction, shifted your focus, put other goals at the center?
I was actually back doing shows with HYPOCRISY just four weeks after my heart attack. I stayed in Germany at the hospital for four days, then I went home and met with my doctor, and he said that I need at least four weeks of rest, then I’m good to go again if I feel okay. So we finished the summer festivals, with seven shows, and then I did another full exam of the heart in September. And it looks good. New goal is to get better at everything! (laughs)
I assume „Chaos Will Reign“ was already finished at the time. The album is the second work of your project BERZERKER LEGION, which you founded in 2016. Since most of our readers know you primarily as the guitarist of HYPOCRISY, could you briefly explain to us what your idea behind BERZERKER LEGION was, what your vision for the band is?
I met Alwin on a boat back in 2012 and we became friends right away, and why not form a band and play with friends that think alike? (laughs) So we just keept chatting and meeting here and there and one day we said: „Lets do this, lets form a band and have some fun!“ The idea was to have some fun and make the music, that we like to listen to ourselfs. So we did.
Some musicians form solo projects to do something completely different from their main band – but you are all from the death metal scene, and BERZERKER LEGION is a true death metal band. What was the attraction for you to have „another death metal band“, to put it bluntly?
Well, like I said erlier, it was for fun. And to play with some awesome musicians that we both look up to alot and are good friends with. A good combo.
The rest of the lineup is definitely also made up of well-known musicians – can you briefly explain how this international line-up came together?
I remember that Alwin asked me who i wanted to play with and I said James Stewart right away. I’ve known him for many years and he is a killer drummer and a great dude! And then I said that i know two other guys that have been around for years … and thats Fredrik from Dark Funeral and Jonny from at least a thousend other bands. (laughs) An awesome constellation, I must say! They all said yes and the writing started right away.
Apart from the fact that they are all very capable men, they are of course also very busy men. I imagine that’s why it’s difficult to find times when everyone has time to work on an album. In the case of „Chaos Will Reign“, how did that actually work out in terms of the creation of the songs and the recordings?
Yes, it’s a bit tricky, but everyone records his stuff at home and then the files are sent to the studio for mixing. We never meet up for the recording or the mixing. As a fact, the first time the whole band was in the same room together was in September 2023, during the video shoot of the song ”Chaos Will Reign”! (laughs). Wierd, but that’s how it works.
You’ve also only played one show so far. Are there more to follow, or was this a one-off event?
There are more shows coming! They are being booked as we speak. The first and only show so far was in Sweden at House Of Metal festival and we had to ask my friend Dominator, alias Nils Fjellström, to drum for us as James was on tour – but it worked out great! Then the fucking virus shit happend and we where closed down – so that was it. But now we have big plans so keep your eyes open!
Musically, the new album reminds me of a mix of Evocation, Amon Amarth and Hypocrisy, with a lot of pathos and epicness, as you can see from the cover. Do you find BERZERKER LEGION in this description?
Hmm … I don’t actually, but hey – if people think so, alright! Its in the eye of the beholder, I guess. I have always written in a certain way, long before I was in HYPOCRISY and I have never been inspired by Amon Amarth (nothing against them!) but I think its easy to put us in that category as we have a big Berzerker on the front and maybe that ”scandinavian sound”. Maybe it falls into that naturally, i dont know. It’s not by intention … and it’s not bad.
Thank you very much for your answers. I would like to end the interview with a brainstorming session. What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the following terms?
Aliens: They exist.
Battle axe: I want one.
Lord of the Rings: Christmas.
Being on Tour: My life.
Gaza: I hate religion.
Black Metal: Marduk!
BERZERKER LEGION in 10 years: Everywhere.
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3. Januar 2024 Moritz Grütz
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