In this week’s edition of

Voices of Metal we turn to Simon Johannson who plays alongside Mike Wead in the Swedish band BibleBlack.
You have a pretty long history in the Swedish death metal scene, including playing in Abstrakt Algebra and Memory Garden, how do you believe the metal scene has changed in the last several decades?

“Yeah, as you say I have a long history in the scene and I would say that the biggest change must be internet. It’s both good and bad for the business as I see it. The good things are that it´s easy to find out news and info about the bands you like. It´s also easier to promote your own thing through different channels.”

“The bad thing is the download part of it. It´s really hard for bands, labels, studios etc to get the economy to work and because of this you can see a lot of smaller label struggling to exist. If we talk music wise I think that the more extreme types of metal has reached a wider audience nowadays. For like 15-20 years ago death metal was really underground while it’s pretty much mainstream today.”

What is BibleBlack currently working on?

“We are for the moment writing and recording our second album. Been some time since our first album “The Black Swan Epilogue” was released so it´s about time we get something new out. We also have some shows coming up here in Sweden. Hopefully we will be able to go out on a proper tour when the new album is out.”

What gear do you use to get your tone?

“I use this great guitar brand called Jarrell. It´s a pretty new brand which I totally love. The model I use is called JZS-1. I have one which is loaded with a SH-1 in neck position and a TB-5 in bridge and one that is loaded with chromed Blackouts, really cool!!! Love both configurations and I can´t really say which I prefer, both are great. When it comes to amps I usually play Blackstar Series One, on the last tour I used the 104EL34 and that one is just awesome. I also love the Peavey 5150 amp which I think is great for metal sounds.”

“When it comes to pedals I always use the Ibanez TS-9, a cry baby 95Q wah pedal and the Boss TU-2. I also have a Phase 90 pedal as a must have on my pedal board. Last but not least I connect this to a cab equipped with celestial V-30 elements, when this is fired up it’s metal time.”

Sweden seems to be the de facto capital of brutal metal, why do you think this is? 

“Well, we do have a long dark winter and there´s not much to do besides playing music…hahaha!! To be serious I think it has a lot to do with the fact that we get the chance to play a music instrument in school from 3rd grade. It´s a great opportunity for you kids to get started and a lot of people gets hooked and continues. We also have really good rehearsal places all over the country where you can rehearse in fully equipped rehearsal rooms. You don´t have to buy all this expansive equipment and that´s a big advantage. Also the fact that we have a lot of bands that are doing well makes young people inspired. I think those things are a big part of the Swedish scene.”

Any tips or tricks you can offer to aspiring metal guitarists?

“Practice, practice and practice. Have an open mind and ear to all sorts of styles, not only metal or rock or whatever you are into. There’s always good things to learn from all kind of music. Also, get together with friends and play in group. What´s also really important is to listen to your own playing, record your playing and listen to what and how you play, there´s alway things that can be better and improved. Last but not least, enjoy what you do and the rest will follow!!”

 For more on Simon and BibleBlack, check out the links below:

www.bibleblack.se
www.facebook.com/pages/bibleblack/111570675547276
www.myspace.com/bibleblackofficial
www.wolf.nu
www.facebook.com/officialwolf
www.myspace.com/wolfheavymetal
www.facebook.com/pages/Memory-Garden/143196479072029
www.myspace.com/memorygardenofficial