EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: AIR RAID (SWEDEN)

These guys need no introduction! Swedish hurricanes Air Raid are back and ready to rip you apart with their amazing new album ‘Fatal Encounter’ (9/10 ThenNwothm score)! Fired up and ready to go, these guys are ready to bring the heat in 2023! Guitarist Andy stopped by to give us an insight as to what has been happening in the band, the new album and more! Get ready to have Thunder injected into your blood!

THE NWOTHM: Hey Air Raid thanks for agreeing to this interview! Can you start by telling our readers where you are from and can you introduce us to the band?

AIR RAID: Hello there, we are a Heavy Metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. Formed in 2009 and since then recorded a couple of albums and played a lot in Europe, as well as Japan and Brazil.

THE NWOTHM: How did the band form and is there any insightful story surrounding its formation?

AIR RAID: It all started back in 2008 when I contacted Johan Karlsson (Guitar). I already knew him a bit from Senior high school some years earlier, and now he was also looking for a band. We went through several singers, drummers and bass players until we finally had a competent line up. There were some very odd characters appearing during this search haha.

THE NWOTHM: Where did the band name Air Raid come from?

AIR RAID: I was thinking for a very long time about the bands name. One day I was reading a WWII book and it was mentioning about the use of Air Raid sirens. I thought it looked cool and memorable. Then I got very surprised to find out that there were only few very small or non-active bands with this name, so I didn’t hesitate at all to use it!

THE NWOTHM: Since the bands formation what moments in your career would you say you are most proud of?

AIR RAID: One memory that stands out for me is the show we did at Rock Hard Festival. It’s a cool festival with a couple of thousand visitors, located in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. The venue is an outdoor amphi theatre right beside a river. It was one of those gigs where I felt I just can’t play the wrong notes, whatever I do. The fresh air blowing, sun is shining, huge stage, everyone in band is in great mood. I felt really proud in that moment and thought about the band’s journey from zero to playing on such a big stage.

THE NWOTHM: The guitar sound and style is very prominent in your music! Who would you say are the most influential guitarists to you?

AIR RAID: The absolute first inspiration I got was from my dad. He played some blues licks that sounded so cool for my young ears, so I started mess around on a cheap acoustic guitar. Later while looking through his vinyl collection, I came across the “Rainbow Rising” album by Rainbow. Of course Ritchie Blackmore is deeply rooted in my heart since then. I have all Rainbow albums on both CD and Vinyl. Then in my young teens around 1999, I listened through my older sisters “Mixed Hard Rock” tapes from late 80s, and stumble upon the craziest shit I had ever heard, Yngwie Malmsteen haha. Then when I went down that rabbit hole, I discovered Vinnie Moore, Tony MacAlpine, Paul Gilbert etc. So those guys together with Blues guitarists like Johnny Winter and Joe Bonamassa Influenced my guitar playing a lot. I never really practiced other guitarists stuff note for note though, it was more like general inspiration.

THE NWOTHM: Fredrik Werner joined Air Raid around the time of ‘Across the Line’ if I am not mistaken. He has been an amazing addition to the band and that shines through on the new record! How would you say he has helped develop the bands sound?

AIR RAID: My original vision for the band was to have a soulful Hard Rock singer. I feel this has been fulfilled immensely with Fredrik. We connect a lot musically, since we both grew up with very melodic music. His voice blended with our heavy riffs creates the kind of Heavy Metal I love the most. So I definitely think we sound better than ever before!

THE NWOTHM: If you could play with any band or musician, dead or alive who would it be and why?

AIR RAID: I would have to say Ritchie Blackmore. He is my childhood hero, along with MacGyver haha.

THE NWOTHM: Touring is a massive part of life for any band or artist! Do you have any interesting stories from being on the road?

AIR RAID: Oh so many odd, hilarious and straight up dangerous things has happened. Everything from having our show stopped by police in Netherlands to lights going out mid show in Brazil. I threw a drunk guy off stage in Czech Republic, because he was about to put the wooden drum podium on fire, no joke. A more funny memory is from Munich, when Fredrik (Vocals) couldn’t open the door to the stage so he was singing half of the first song from the other side of wall, it was very confusing haha.

THE NWOTHM: The pandemic had a massive affect on the music industry! How did that affect you as a band?

TAIR RAID: he pandemic had a very negative impact on my creativity. It was like the world was put on hold, and so was my mental state. I wrote very little during 2020 because of this, so the album got delayed. Luckily things started to look brighter the following year. At least in Sweden, since we didn’t really have any lockdown.

THE NWOTHM: You managed to release two great songs ‘Demons Eye’ and ‘Midnight Burner’ between ‘Across the Line and ‘Fatal Encounter’ albums! Can you tell us more about those songs?

AIR RAID: The “Demon’s Eye” single was released in early 2019, one year before the pandemic. At the time I didn’t really have the energy to make a full album, so instead we decided to record a single. The title song is quite different style from what I usually write, a bit more dark and heavy. “Midnight Burner” is a re-recording of an old song I wrote back in 2010. I think it’s a cool single release and we got a lot of positive response for it!

THE NWOTHM: I love your bands sound! It is huge and full of epic guitars and vocal work! Your last big release was ‘Across the Line’ and now we are approaching the release of ‘Fatal Encounter.’ What can fans old and new expect from the album and how would you say the Air raid sound has developed since ‘Across the Line?’

AIR RAID: First off, there are two new members in the band since “Across The Line”. Jan Ekberg on bass and William Seidl on drums. This change of rhythm section might have changed the sound a bit. The main difference though, I think, is that “Across The Line” was produced quite fast, which possibly made it more raw and straight ahead sounding than “Fatal Encounter”. Also Fredrik was completely new in the band so we were still getting to know each other. “Fatal Encounter” had a meticulous process and the songs are written specifically with Fredrik’s voice in mind, as opposed to “Across The Line”, which had several songs written before his arrival. Also the music has a bit more variations regarding tempo and melody, but still with a heavy undertone.

THE NWOTHM: I had the privilege to review the new album ‘Fatal Encounter’ and in my opinion fans will not be disappointed! My favourite tracks being ‘Thunder Blood’ and ‘In Solitude.’ What are your favourite tracks from the new album and can you tell us a little about their background?

AIR RAID: It’s very hard to pick any favourite tracks, since I’m so heavily involved in all songs. But I can mention a few I think are cool. “THUNDERBLOOD” – This is a real powerhouse of a tune. I wanted to write a song about how we need to stand up for ourselves, to overcome fears and problems in life. There will be people that want to bring you down, but the inner strength of a genuine person will always win. I had the basic lyrical idea, then as always, Fredrik brought the lyrics to another level. “IN SOLITUDE” – The lyrics simply tells about relationship problems and breaking up. Cheesy concept but everyone can relate to it. I like the solos and overall feel of this song, written by me and Magnus (Guitar). “SINFONIA” – This little instrumental piece is the black sheep of the album haha. Originally composed by Swedish 1700s composer Johann Helmich Roman, also called “The father of Swedish music”. I love Baroque music so I wanted to make an arrangement of one of his pieces. It was fun and I think it came out cool!

THE NWOTHM: Where did the idea for the ‘Fatal Encounter’ artwork come from and who created it?

AIR RAID: I always loved airbrush artworks, so after some research I found Jarred Hageman (Chrome & Lightning). He is a very skilled artist from USA, heavily inspired by the 80s airbrush style. Together we came up with the idea of a crazy flying Air Raid guitar with cannons and stuff. I call it a “Stratoblaster” haha. On a more serious level, “Fatal Encounter” represents the clash of mind and heart.

THE NWOTHM: What shows have you got coming up for 2023? Will we see any big touring plans for this year?

AIR RAID: There are no plans of touring or playing gigs in near future. We have decided to take it easy this year, for a couple of reasons. But we will surely return to play live at one point, just don’t know when at the moment.

THE NWOTHM: Where can people check you out on social media and buy your music/merch?

Facebook: facebook.com/airraidofficial

Instagram: air_raid_official

We are looking to make some new merch in 2023, stay tuned!

THE NWOTHM: is there anything else you would like to mention?

AIR RAID: I want to send a big thank you to all old and new fans that continue to support Air Raid. You got thunder in your blood!

#Airraidofficial #airraid #highrollerrecords #thenwothm @airraidofficial