INTERVIEW WITH FRANTIC AMBER

A while ago, the Swedish band Frantic Amber was interviewed by our new contributor Fonda!

A little background on the band first: Back in 2008, an all-female band was established in Sweden, having the musical approach of melodic death metal. Through the course of time and some band member changes, they currently have a male drummer to complete the band. They had played in a lot of shows such as the Wacken Metal battle, Swedish Rock Festival, Grindhouse, Carpe Noctem, and so on!

Fonda: Hails Frantic Amber!

Frantic Amber: Hello Fonda and Metality readers!

Did winning several awards open doors for new opportunities for Frantic Amber? What did you do to celebrate it? 

Yes definitely. One thing leads to another as they say! We got to play on bigger stages and got our name out and about. The celebration itself is being on stage for example when got picked to play at P3 Guld Awards, Sweden Rock Festival and when we won Wacken Metal Battle and got to play at the Wacken Festival.

I know that you have shared the stage with a lot of great musicians. But, can you tell me a specific band in which Frantic Amber actually felt honored playing with them on the same festival or event? (I am picturing you squealing like a crazy fan deep inside when you saw the band). You can answer individually.

Elizabeth: Behemoth! I’m a huge fan of them and feel so honoured to have performed on the same stage as them.
Mio: Mother's Finest at Sweden Rock Festival 2015. Met them at the same hotel we were staying at and got a picture with the singer.

Who are some of the artist or musicians you want to collaborate with?

Mio: Devin Townsend would be awesome to work with, and also Peter Tägtgren.

Elizabeth: I would absolutely love to put together a huge production where we collaborate with professional ballet dancers on the stage and a symphony orchestra playing along with the band in the orchestra pit. I would then want to do both vocals and be dancing.

Since you all came from different ethnic backgrounds, ever thought of writing songs in Swedish, Danish, Japanese or Colombian Spanish?

Elizabeth: I mainly write lyrics in English since it’s always been my natural choice of language for expressing myself lyrically. I’ve been actively writing lyrics since I was 15 years old and have accumulated a lot pieces, mostly in English and some in Swedish, Danish, and German. But for Frantic Amber, English is our language since we want to communicate with our audience worldwide.

In making your music videos, do you also input your ideas depending on the content of your songs?

The video that has the most lyrical influences is Ghost. We were recording in an old broken-down mansion without electricity so we filled the entire room with candles. In the side story we were all portrayed as ghosts. The lyrics are an abstract depiction of wandering through the darkness, to feel invisible and insignificant but at the same time frustrated and angry. Truths are revealed from the core and forces in the darkness represents the subconsciousness tearing at it.
Our other videos were mostly based on cool ideas and don’t have ties to the lyrics specifically.

Do you believe that there’s an advantage by being a female in the metal scene? And have you ever experienced any sexism?

When we first started and released an EP and the video for Wrath of Judgement we were met by a lot of mixed feedback. It was either love or hate. The haters were brutal and sprinkled with sexism, but we chose to focus on the good. It’s become better with time and it feels like the metal scene is getting more used to female metal musicians.
It’s fun and exciting to show people that we can deliver both brutality and melody just as good as any metal band with all-male members. It’s important to focus on the music and not on gender. We just do what we love and salute the fact that more women are finding their way to the stage.

Mac, being the man in the group, if there’s an actual catfight between the lovely women, are you the type of referee who stops the boxing match or, the one who says ‘Round 2! Fight!’ hehehe?

Mac: I would probably be smart enough not to get in between.

Ever thought touring outside Europe like US, Asia or even places in the Middle East like Dubai?
We would of course love to travel far and wide to tour and hope to find serious bookers all over the world that wants to bring us there.

Elizabeth, you used to be a ballerina. Have you tried incorporating some of those ballerina moves with hard rock/metal music? Would you mind sharing with us a video if you actually did that already?

Elizabeth: Yes, I’ve definitely thought about it a lot, but never recorded anything...yet. I probably will someday and I’ll share it with you all on YouTube!

Mary, you love Math and Physics.. 8989 / 6 = ? (No calculator please! Just kidding). So I presume you like sci-fi movies? Ever thought of being a professor or scientist before?

Mary: I started studying a Technical Physics program at college and wanted to specialize in math, but my life turned into a different direction, and the music got a whole other meaning to me. Recently, I picked up my studies again but changed program to Computer Science and plan to finish my Bachelor's in a little bit over a year or so.

Mio, which type of motorcycle do you have? Since when have you started learning martial arts? You grew up in Sweden, but can you speak Japanese?

Mio: I have a Suzuki DR650 and a KTM 525 Desert Walking with extra big tank. Both bikes are good for driving day-trips on gravel roads.
I have practised Karate (Goju-ryu) and Kung Fu (Choy lee fut), but because the band and work take a lot of time, I unfortunately do not have the time to continue.
I was only 4 years old when my family moved to Sweden, and there were not many Japanese people around to maintain the language. So, I understand Japanese at the level of a small child, but find it harder to speak.

Madeleine, you are into video games like me. Have you been to Comic Con? Are you able to play on piano the full soundtrack of Mass Effect?

Madeline: Yes, I don't play as much nowadays but when I do I enjoy playing games such as Diablo or Mass Effect. I haven't been to Comic Con, but I have been to only a smaller one in Sweden. It would be very fun to go the really big conventions abroad.
I only play the keyboard sometimes at home and teach myself through YouTube videos, so I'm not there yet, but maybe someday I will be able to play the whole thing.

Mac, you are into science, wildlife and history, so do you enjoy travelling to places that have historical monuments, literature, and the like? Name a place that you enjoyed visiting. And oh, what’s your famous recipe?
Yes, I love traveling in general, especially if it gives me a new experience. Angkor Wat was an awesome place to visit.
Funny, I hardly ever cook by recipe! I am more like a MacGyver of the kitchen: I improvise a lot!

Now let’s play a game. Describe another band member in one word and say why you used that word.

Elizabeth describing Mary: A great leader and a strong person. She sets high goals and achieves them with passion and drive.
Mary describing Mio: Strong-minded and dedicated to everything she does. Perfect skills both musically and in organizing.
Mio describing Madeleine: A bit shy. Committed, hardworking, always tries to do her best, and open-minded to develop herself and her playing.
Madeleine describing Mac: Calm and collected. He has a very positive and relaxed view on life and shares his positive energy with others.
Mac describing Elizabeth: Positive. Always the happy, cheerful Lizzy, spreading her happiness all around!

Thank you once again for this opportunity! We do hope to see Frantic Amber in this part of the world soon!

Further band contact:
info@franticamber.com | www.franticamber.com | www.facebook.com/franticamber | www.youtube.com/user/franticamberofficial