Thyrm: Hey Tomas! You guys are just back from your first big Tour trough Europe together with Vader. How was the Tour?

Tomas: The tour was absolutely amazing! The bands and the crew have been outstanding. We couldn’t be happier right now. It feels like the whole tour has been like a homerun for us. People have been crazy when we have played! The last gig was a real massacre, cause during the last song guys from Vader, Septic Flesh and Inactive Messiah stormed the stage and lifted me and Legion up in the air during the song and just headbanged with us. So I guess we were like 20 people on the stage for the last song, haha crazy times! I really must mention the show in Romania too. No one in Devian have ever been there so we didn’t know anything about the scene there and we played on a Sunday, like the second worst day in the week to play. The place was packed and everyone from the front to the guys in the bar hailed and cheered with us. That was really amazing! I could talk about this tour for hour’s haha!

Thyrm: A few months ago, you guys released your Debut Album “Ninewinged Serpent”, which is really a Killer Album in my Opinion!
What means the Title of the Album?

Tomas: The title and the whole album are about walking the world in your own boots and don’t take shit from anyone. Find your own path and believe in yourself.

Thyrm: Devian is a very special kind of metal, with Death, Black, Thrash and some traditional Elements.. Can you tell us why Devian choose such an individual sound?

Tomas: We all come from these roots. Legion and Emil have done the black metal thing for years and they felt that it was enough for them. Devian isn’t limited by anything. A good riff is a good riff and then it should be in the song. We have all grown up with bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and felt that we wanted to do something extreme but still have an essence to the roots that have meant so much to us.

Thyrm: How is the working with the former Marduk Members Emil and Legion, and how did you meet them? You liked the music of Marduk?

Tomas: Since they are very down to earth guys it’s very easy to work with them and they are very skilled too! I and Emil meet when I played in my former death metal band Suicidal Seduction. We were opening for his other band, The Legion, we really liked each other and decided to do a project together. After some sessions in Emil’s studio in Jönköping he asked me if I’d like to join Devian and I accept it right away! I guess the funny thing about it was that I was in the band before I had met anyone else in the band besides Emil. So my first meeting with Legion was in a car drive between Finspång and Jönköping on the way to my first meeting with Devian. 30 minutes after we had said hello I discover that this guy knew every band that I listened too when I was in my teens hahaha!
I think Marduk is a cool band. “World Funeral” was the first album I heard with them. I really like the albums “Panzer Division Marduk”, “World Funeral” and “Plague angel”.

Thyrm: Last time Devian recorded a videoclip for the Song “Scarred”. How was the recording? The video looks very expensive produced.

Tomas: The recording was very cold! Mary Mayhem, the girl playing the scary ghost in the video, should have all the credit in the world. She did an amazing job and didn’t complain or anything even though she was just walking around in a tiny dress in the middle of the winter when it was – 9 Celsius outside! The video is more or less done without a budget, but I still think we managed to do a real Evil Dead/The Ring like short movie of it. We really wanted to be as far as possible from how videos are looking nowadays; fancy guitars and guys wearing make up posing in front of a huge mountain of Marshall stacks. So we actually took some instruments and just smashed them with hammers and axes and went berserk before the recording and drenched ourselves in flour to look as shitty and old as possible haha! So we used our contacts and tried to do a video that reminded us about the Evil Dead movie, and if you haven’t seen it you really should check it out on youtube!

Thyrm: What’s up with a new Devian Album? You guys started working on new material?

Tomas: We have already finished all the songs for the new album, we wrote it before and during the tour. Now we gonna start rehearsal on Saturday (14th of June) and then in 4-5 weeks we’ll start recording it. So expect a new killer release from Devian before the end of this year! I’m so anxious to record this album! It will be so interesting to record an album that we actually have rehearsed as a band before recording it! This time we’ll use Peter Tätgren as a producer and he will even record the vocal tracks and mix the album in his studio The Abyss. Legion is thrilled about working with that sound wizard again and for me it will be an honourer to work with him for the first time! I’ve always admired Hypocrisy!

Thyrm: Can you tell us something about your other Band Aktiv Dödshjälp? Are you still active there or are you full focused in Devian now?

Tomas: The only news I have from the Aktiv Dödshjälp camp is that the latest release “4:48” will be released on Vinyl by Halvfabrikat Records sometime this year. I’m really looking forward to this cause the vinyl will have a new mix of the album that include even more violence than the CD did. I really wanna release another album with Aktiv Dödshjälp, but Devian is my main priority now so I will maybe have time for that in the future, who knows. I have written a bunch of new songs though.

Thyrm: Had you any “Idols” as a child who influenced your guitar playing?

Tomas: Of course! I guess my top three idols are; Yngwie Malmsteen, Marty Friedman and of course Slash; since I’m a big sucker for Guns n’ Roses. Still it was Mr Malmsteen’s style that has shaped my own playing. Still guys like Vinnie Moore and Victor Smolski have influenced me as well.

Thyrm: Which bands you listen privately? Can you tell us you’re 5 favourite Albums at the moment?

Tomas: Guns n’ Roses – appetite for the destruction (ALWAYS!!!)
Yngwie Malmsteen – Magnum Opus
Rotten Sound – Exit
Dismember – Death Metal
Septic Flesh – Communion

Thyrm: One last Question: Who wins the UEFA Euro 2008? Do you think Sweden have any Chance?

Tomas: Well I don’t know actually, I’m not so into sports and that stuff. Anyway I hope that we beat Greece so I can harass the guys in Septic Flesh and Inactive Messiah about it hahaha!

Thyrm: Okay that was it. Thanks for the Interview Tomas! The last words are yours

Tomas: Okay, check out the Ninewinged Serpent album and be ready for the new release this year and stay fuckin metal and I hope to see you all on the road next time!

Cheers!