(Henke Palm, Sweden Rock magazine, September 2017)
The September issue of Sweden Rock magazine features an interview with Henke about his solo project and his musical career. For all the Swedish-speaking readers, it's possible to buy the magazine on Swedenrock.com .
For all of us non-Swedish speaking followers, an English recap of it can be read below, with special thanks to Vervain for providing a translation of the text and sharing it with all of us, along with a picture of the page.
After briefly pointing out that Henke has previously stated he is not going to comment on the lawsuit involving the band Ghost (whom he has played with during 2015 and 2016) and some of its ex-members, the interview starts off focusing on his solo album, "Many Days".
Henke explains that the record has been growing since 2014, and started while having fun rehearsing with Benke (Höckert, bass; also member of Pig Eyes and Södra Sverige) and Tor (Sjödén, drums; of the band Viagra Boys). Two songs took shape at that point, and he had the idea of recording a single. After playing for quite a while with Mattia Alkberg (Södra Sverige) he has always been impressed by musicians who release music under their own name, and since he considers himself rather shy, that seemed quite a daring thing to do, so initially he didn't think it would have suited him, but with time it began to feel right, he explains. So, in 2016, he did the first demos with Tor on drums and there was originally the intention of calling the project with another name,
but he didn't come up with any name which seemed appropriate, and pity, he says, that he couldn't have some cool name like Tom Angelripper...but mentiones that he would have found it awkward to go with a pseudonym instead of his name.
Speaking of "Elephant", the first track premiered from the album at the time, Henke says that the song features two saxophones, and that the idea was making it sound like the Celtic Frost song "To Mega Therion", which has French horns on it. Working on the record, he and the producer Martin Ehrencrona would decide in advance what instruments they wanted to use in each song, in a similar fashion they did with In Solitude as well (Martin Ehrencrona also produced In Solitude's "Sister"). He thinks this narrows down the possibilities and makes it easier to experiment; however he says he has been trying to keep a clear line musically and knew since the beginning he didn't want to include guitar solos and wanted the drums to be pretty "stiff", so eventually even if there still are some guitar solos here and there, he says that having a clear idea in his mind makes things easier for him and mentioning how he listens to a lot of monotonic stuff, like krautrock, bands like Loop and Stereolab, he didn't want the album to be the kind of stuff you rock out to, nor something swingy.
Henke acknowledges that 90% of his influences are British and that half of the record is totally "an anglophile jerk-off". He mentions that he has been told his vocals often remind those of Snake from Voivod, whom he is opening for in October at their concerts in Sweden; and says he can't even imagine how it would feel to bring his solo project on tour so he will see how things evolve, but first, he adds, he just wants to make another record anyway, and perhaps, contradicting plans, it could be a swinging hard rock album filled with guitar solos. He already has four songs and it's not that he wants to strike the iron while it's hot but he just finds it's really fun, he enjoyed recording with Konie and Tor, and also with Anna Norberg and Sara Taylor (both guest on "Many Days", Sara is part of the band Youth Code, Anna has released the single "Darkness/Dance With Death" and previously appeared as guest vocalist on In Solitude's "Poisoned, Blessed and Burned" and Watain's "They Rode On").
Touching upon a subject that many fans think about often, one of the last questions of the interview is: will there ever be an In Solitude reunion?
Henke says that he and all his ex band mates are often in touch but haven't talked about that. He recalls the last year with In Solitude was hard due to a negative feeling, perhaps of disappointment he says, after a difficult tour with Behemoth and Cradle of Filth (in February 2104) which felt wrong and made him feel stressed, and he wasn't the only one feeling that way he explains, so it felt as a relief when they put the band to rest. But he still would take a bullet for any of his friends, they are still very tight, and , he adds, In Solitude is the most beautiful thing he has ever done.
Does that include his solo album?, questions the interviewer.
Yes, easily, answers Henke: with In Solitude he had many experiences for the first time, like touring the U.S., and their last album, "Sister" (2013), is something he is super proud of; and there are things which would have never happened without In Solitude. And he concludes saying that In Solitude is still something that all of them identify with, even though the band isn't active anymore.
[Source: Henrik Palm interviewed by Jonas Granvik on Sweden Rock magazine Issue #09/2017; English recap edited by Unearthed Mirrors based on translation and picture courtesy of Vervain].