PAST FIVE – The Swedish Metal Experience

1) Welcome to the world of Skylight magazine. Please introduce the band to the world. What is your name and what do you do in the band?

The name of the band is Past Five, we are a five-piece alt-metal band from Borås, Sweden. I’m Alexander Orlov and I’m playing bass.

2) You come from Sweden, a country that is forward thinking compared with other countries. How does the culture of your country affect the way you compose and record music? 

The swedes might be forward thinking in stuff like environmental questions, equal rights, social security and so on but when it comes to music I don’t think we let that affect our sound/composing.

When it comes to culture I would say that the swedes in general are calm, polite, introverted and under law of Jante (google it!). This affects the way you get viewed as a group and individual when you do something out of the ordinary, something that’s not the blueprinted plan that most swedes follow with 9-5 work, 2-3 kids, a Volvo and a house. I personally don’t have anything against that, do what you want with your life, but when you’re not following this blueprint and normative path (work, kids, Volvo, house) set out for you since you were a kid, that tend to annoy people. This annoyance and peaks that people like to throw our way from time to time is a total gas on our fire, people telling us that it’s ”time” for this or that according to their blueprint just makes us play harder, better and more. For us it’s time to release ’Detox.’.

3) Your debut EP Somewhere Between Serenity & Rage, which was produced and mixed by the band. Is this independent way of working effective for your music goals? 

Well ”Somewhere Between Serenity & Rage” was our first EP with Jonathan Wallin on vocals and I would say that’s when our musical V-Card was taken away! We were very new as a band, didn’t know shit about recording or releasing new material or anything like that. This was the very first trembling step for us to get out there as musicians.

Today is a completely different story as we are currently working on some new stuff in kind off the same way that ”Somewhere Between Serenity & Rage” was produced… And yes, it sure is an effective way of working but I feel that Past Five is more ready now than ever to actually work like this; with more knowledge, better equipment, higher proficiency and of course; a new studio. We truly feel effective och productive at this stage.

4) You have collaborated with the producer Christian Silver (Dragonforce, Arch Enemy, Soilwork), what did you learn from this collaboration?

The days in february of 2019 with Christian and Studiomega was first off all really great – he’s got so much experience and knowledge when it comes to producing, recording and making everyone bring out the best of themselves. He’s so competent but still one of the most humble dudes I’ve ever met. I take a lot of inspiration from that and something that stuck with me, to stay humble even if you happen to be, like Chrstian, one of the best producers in Sweden.

From the sessions we as a band of course learned some practical stuff, but to conclude all of that in one package I would describe it as ’BE DISTINCT’. Every hit on the drum kit, every chord played, every note sung, in studio discussions; be absolutely distinct and clear in what you do. It’s for everyone’s best and everyone during those long days in the studio deserves that!

5) The resulting EP out of this collaboration is “Detox”. Why did you decide to shop it around at labels instead of self-releasing it?

Throughout the years of being invested in music, visiting concerts and playing local shows and whatnot you get to see a lot of bands that really try different releasing methods and tactics to get out there. The bands might be incredibly good, doing everything right on stage, while producing, rehearsing as often as they can and so on. But when it comes to get the stuff out there something happens. The reach for these great musicians is so much smaller than what they deserve. I’ve seen it in Borås, other cities, other countries… I mean I’ve been there – all in all I’ve participated in four releases with and without Past Five – and the reach today with the release of ’Detox.’ is a whole different story.

Some bands might be able to self-release their stuff but so far I’ve not seen much success in that. It might work if you already have a big fan base and hundreds of thousands of views/listeners, but for small town bands like us at this stage – we need the great boost that we get from Eclipse.

6) What was the criteria that made you choose Eclipse Records instead of other labels?

From the get go, we got a very serious, humble and exciting impression from Eclipse Records, since they don’t get involved in the creative process – it’s a trusting label that really believes in all the bands in their roster. They work with music they like and actually believes in and want to listen to. The way they work is the perfect boost that Past Five needs in terms of reaching out to a broader audience. We as a band really appreciate the vision Eclipse has aswell, they don’t go full blown million dollar budget from the get go – during this first couple of months/years with eclipse we will get to know each other as partners and show them what we as a band can bring to the table while we also get to see what eclipse can do for us. It’s a ’relaxed’ but still very serious label that I couldn’t be more happy with. Chris at Eclipse is so passionate about the label and Past Five which inspires us even more – resulting in great music coming out. ’Detox.’ is just the beginning.

7) Could you describe us musically the new EP?

It’s caffeinated as fuck. It’s got that energy, purpose and true shine that really shows what Past Five is and stands for. We don’t sound like any other band and this EP shows that. We are inspired by a lot of bands though; like Funeral For A Friend, Bullet For My Valentine, The Used and so on. If you like that kind of alt-rock/alt-metal-ish sound, you will probably like ’Detox.’ aswell.

Futhermore I would describe the sound of ’Detox.’ as very well polished and modern alt-metal. Christian did a fantastic job in putting it all together, he really gets to show what he’s good at.

To sum the sound up I want to quote a listener from the other day that said; ”It feels different on the eardrum than any other music out there!”

8) Do you remember the video shooting of the “Kryptonite” promotional video? Please describe the process and your experience.

Our very first music video! Wow… Yeah I remember that – it was much tougher than I expected it to be. I remember being so tired from playing that song over and over and over while being instructed and directed by a crew of absolutely fantastic and competent individuals, Astrid Larsson, Simon Karlsson and Filip Lundahl.

Playing the song over and over again took a toll but we kept on doing it until the crew felt happy with the performance shots – I don’t know how many times or how long we were there but it was much more than expected to say the least. I remember thinking ”Are we supposed to do this this many times or do we completely suck?”

Then we moved all the equipment to a small apartment at Norrmalm in Borås to continue this madness. Luckily I wasn’t participating in those scenes – I instead drove around with my parents old Renault Scenic with equipment and people, like the hangry bitch/band dad that I was and still am. Afterwards I finally got home to a nice dinner ready on the table, ate it all in like 2 minutes and fell asleep right on the couch – it was a great shooting day but man, I was tired.

I’m so happy with the result though and that’s what really counts in the end, we still get positive response from it with people asking who made it, where it was made and how – it’s a sharp video that really catches the vibe of ’Kryptonite’ and the crew did an awesome job.

9) How did you choose the name Past Five for the band?

In our very first rehearsal space we were not allowed to make any noise before five o’clock. So someone came up with the name… And we loved it. The name has a better flow and stands out more than the names we’ve had before with other setups in the band. We were actually called ’La Parenza’ for a couple of months and after that ’Crash Course’!

The name ’Past Five’ has come to be a symbol for the ’restart’ we went through when Walle (Jonathan Wallin) joined. We wanted to mark that for ourselves and the rest of the world.

10) How does the band adjust all of its activities during the Covid-19 days?

We’re five honest guys that rehearse as usual – if anyone feels any symtoms; like coughing or having a runny nose, they stay home, it’s actually as simple as that. We’ve been lucky so far and can keep doing what we do in our new studio – we are writing like crazy at this stage to prepare for the future, after the release of ’Detox.’. We do however really miss that unbeatable energy kick from gigs, meeting new people, having a couple of beers and seeing new places… So yeah all in all we are keeping ourselves busy but can’t wait to get out there again and play infront of all the beautiful people out there. I hope you all stay safe!

Article photo: Sebastian Gustavsson-Amundsen
Band info: https://www.facebook.com/PastFiveOfficial/