Interview with Priest

«Sometimes people think we're Daft Punk»

The enigmatic Swedish band Priest describes themselves as "a synth band making music rooted in the vastness of electronic dreams". The goal of their multifaceted prophecy is to safely guide humanity to the next evolutionary step - merging with machines. Their eye-catching but eerie visuals, complete with leather masks and costumes, are part of the band's mystique. But despite all their mystique and ambiguity, we managed to interview the band and get entertaining answers to tricky questions.

How much is your stage character similar to yours? Or maybe it's a completely different personality from your antagonist? 

It’s of course a bit of acting involved, but that ’s better with the mask because it is easier to immerse yourself in the character. It's a bit of me, of course, but also a bit of Mercury, who is a made up bionic character. The main purpose is to give the audience a great experience.

Your style of music looks like you have one foot in the past and the other in the future. How did your musical and visual style take shape?  

I grew up in the 80s and 90s but started to execute the music in Priest in the 2010s. So it's a mix of what I grew up with and, of course, the modern technology that's available now. The next album is probably going to sound more like the 90s, but with a drizzle of the 2020’s..

How much has your musical background hindered or helped you in building your career? 

It helped us because we could sidetrack three years in Priest and start playing bigger shows pretty much directly because of the connection with Ghost. But the same connection has turned out to hinder us in getting signed on major labels and also in not getting airplay on radio stations and tabloid-space in Swedish mainstream media. All this is because people in the business do not want to jeopardize their relationship with Ghost. And why is that? Because of the emotional reasons we’ve heard.. We wrote a song called ’Blacklisted’ about it, and now we own our own label, which turned out to be a lucrative endeavor.

How often do you listen to your songs yourself in the car or in the kitchen, or in the shower? 

I listen to them when I rehearse. Sometimes I can listen to an album when I'm drunk, but I rarely do so. I listen to it a lot during the mixing and recording process. But when it's finished, it's basically only when I rehearse the songs.

Is it feeling weird seeing magazine covers with your photo, listening to your music from something on your phone, or when people come up to you for an autograph? 

Sometimes, but it’s part of the job. It’s a good feeling, though, because you are doing something that maybe touches other people. Connecting with them. It will be a sad feeling if all that stops, which means nobody cares anymore.

Do your fans and the people who come to your concerts influence you? Maybe you find inspiration in their personal style or in their stories? 

Sometimes, yes. And sometimes no. It depends on who it is! Front row bangers often make the most elaborate fashion choices.

How does working on your creative concept generally go? Do you have some kind of notebook in which you constantly jot down spontaneous ideas, or do you have three days a week when you literally glue yourself to a chair and work full-time? 

Yeah, I have several notebooks and use notes and voice memos on my phone. But I also try to glue myself to the office chair as well. Or the studio chair, for that matter. I also have to do bookkeeping, emails, and a bunch of other stuff that comes with the rockstar day job. It’s a lot, and it never ends, since we run the label, management, and webshop ourselves.

Do you have any idea what your band will look like when you are 60 or 70 years old?

I think so. Probably something similar. I have some more ideas for some other eras in the future. So maybe when I'm 70, I can sit down on an Egyptian throne. I think this concept is / as long as the silhouette stays, we can be more elaborate with color and material.

Do you read what the press says about you?  

Yes. But I don't read too much social media. It seems like there’s too many unhappy adolescents just spewing shit around, to be honest...

What is the strangest thing about modern music to you? 

I don't know if I feel it's strange, but I can feel a bit alienated towards some of the newer genres that seem to be created for gaming playlists or something. It seems like there's not too much effort or storytelling going into that; I'm more of an album guy. and I think the album is like a masterpiece / a piece of art, not a 1 minute song with smurf rap.

Name one person you'd like to invite to record your album? 

I would say Flood.

Can you name the most important song for you to date? 

Impossible question but “Stripped” by Depeche Mode is a candidate for sure.

What would you say in response to the statement, "Without all those theatrical effects, music has never been anything special"? 

I think the theatrics are a way to actually focus more on the music and less on the artists. Nowadays, we follow an artist and we see what kind of brunch they eat every day, and there is no mystery left. You can chit chat with your favorite artist on social media, and I think it's less and less focused on the music. While if you keep the mystery, which is a creative endeavor, you give more time to the actual music and let holistic concept visuals and music dance together.

A question that begs to be asked: have you ever been in any strange situations that had to do with your title or your stage image/outfits?  

Since we don't wear them outside the stage and dressing rooms often, it very seldom happens, but sometimes when we have wandered outside of a venue, people always want to stop us and take photos. Maybe they think we’re Daft Punk?

How do you compose your song set for each concert? Are there certain songs that you just have no right not to perform? 

Yeah, I think we should always perform “The Cross”, “Vaudeville” and maybe “The Pit” and “History in Black." Otherwise we choose what we feel what's gonna work on the crowd that very night.

When creating albums with your characters, do you come up with the next character before writing the actual lyrics, or does the character develop as you write the lyrics?

It can be both. Sometimes I change the personal pronouns in order to get the right feel for the song. Sometimes a we-perspective is better than an I-perspective, and vice versa. The character/narrator can shift from song to song. The words are often written generically in order to connect with the listener.

What's one thing your fans shouldn't give you after a concert? 

Ketamine