Interview with Dark Legacy by Dave Wolff
When the band began in 1996 you were known as Rest In Peace and played mostly cover songs. How long did you continue in this fashion and were any original songs composed during that time?
Thank you for an interesting question!
Well, you see Rest In Peace was a band with a rather different kind of music than the early constellation of Dark Legacy. RIP mostly played some kind of mainstream hard rock; Europe, Black Sabbath, Kiss and so on but actually there was also a lot of our own material. The very first song was written in 1997 with lyrics in Swedish. To be honest it was just a simple pop/rock song.
An interesting fact is that today’s Dark Legacy has recorded some old Rest In Peace songs. If you listen to the album "An Unexpected Interference" you find a song called "Like Gods From Heaven". That song was composed for Rest In Peace 25 years ago. So in some way you can say that Dark Legacy sometimes plays Rest In Peace covers. It's a bit like Kiss when they recorded music that originally was Wicked Lester (Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley's first band together) songs in a new version.
What other original songs did Rest In Peace write for their repertoire besides "Like Gods From Heaven"? Did any of it get as much response as your cover songs if they were played live?
Songs like "My Way", "Demons", "Metal Warrior" and "Rest In Peace". Well, I heard some comments about "My Way" and "Demons". I think we didn't get so much response for the cover songs as we got for our own music. I won't say that our own songs were better than the covers we played but I guess people sometimes get bored of covers and appreciate bands playing music created by their own.
What did you find appealing about Wicked Lester? In musical terms, they differed greatly from Kiss's later releases.
Wicked Lester is very important in Kisstory. It was the beginning of something much bigger. Some songs of Wicked Lester like "We Want To Shout It Out Loud" became Kiss songs in a new version but Wicked Lester's album was never released.
What were the reasons you made the transition switch hard rock to what you term symphonic dark metal? And switching from composing Swedish to English lyrics?
Most of the lyrics have always been written in English. There was only one song written in Swedish.
It was time for a new era of the band because we wanted a darker, symphonic sound. Today’s Dark Legacy is more of a progressive band with a lot of other influences than only metal and classical music.
Did you make any changes to "Like Gods From Heaven" when you adapted it for Dark Legacy?
A longer version, with added backing vocals, some growling, sound effects and so on. The song is down tuned a half step also for a heavier sound.
Dark Legacy's first demo, "Defending the Throne," was released in 2007. How much promotion went into that demo, and how much attention did it bring the band?
Actually not so much. The local paper wrote about the demo and you could listen to our music on the internet. We also may have sent it to some record labels.
In what ways did your debut demo differ from the band's subsequent releases in the 2010s and 20s? What aspects of your songs did you most want to improve?
The production became tighter and we spent more time on the recording because we could produce it on our own. Recording in a studio is very expensive. It's quite simple; more time, better production.
On our first release "Ad Extremum Epilogue" we wanted a dark, symphonic sound with some scary moments you may find in the old horror movies from the eighties. But most of all create dynamic music. Music is about expressing emotions and we don't want it to be just aggressive metal or just doom metal or speed metal.
How much more time did you spend producing your demo independently than in a studio? Would you proceed to develop your subsequent releases in the same manner? What equipment do you have to work with to achieve the desired production?
The demo "Defending the Throne" was recorded in a professional studio in Västerås. We didn't spend much time on the recording, just a weekend.
Nowadays we’re recording our releases in our own studio and that's why we can spend more time producing Dark Legacy music. We use high quality microphones, reliable recording programs and mixer tables but most of all we got the opportunity to produce our music the way we want without stress and time pressure.
How much of a difference has the recording and mixing equipment you recently purchased made in terms of sound quality?
We recorded our demo in a very advanced studio so the audio was already high quality. But whatever we do we try to take it to the next level, step by step, so our latest release is always a result of what we believe is the most updated version, musically and technically.
When you were creating your debut album, which horror films from the 1980s did you draw inspiration from? Was it mostly the plots, the music, or a combination of both?
Friday the 13th, Halloween, The Howling, Pet Sematary but also b-horror movies like Return of the Living Dead. We wanted to recreate a touch of that scary feeling you experience when you know that something bad is going on but you don't know what's going to happen next.
How does that eerie vibe you get from horror movies play into the dark, symphonic sound you’re creating? Does simulating the mood that the antagonists in such films evoke heighten the emotion in your musicianship?
You see some of the b-horror movies from the eighties are in my opinion weird productions for the real sick minded and some of the films are almost ridiculous. But after all we got something eerie that we tried to recreate on "Ad Extremum Epilogue". Dark keyboards, growling and a rather nasty guitar sound characterizes this album and reflects the eerie vibes that some listeners may perceive.
But I can't say that this sound is our trademark. It is how we sounded on our first album and I think it's a bit stripped when it comes to the symphonic part. Today we want a sound more like a full-sized symphony orchestra in combination of some kind of industrial metal.
The majority of the films you listed include characters who somehow resurrect from the grave. Does this come through in any of your lyrics as much as in your music?
Yes, sometimes. The song "At the Graveyard" is about a guy who resurrects from the grave but that song is more of a King Diamond inspiration than inspiration from old horror movies.
How many indie labels did Dark Legacy contact before discovering Sweden's Black Vulture Records? What finally prompted you to sign with then, and how long have you been with them?
We sought attention from several record companies back then and quickly received a positive response from BVR, who liked us a lot. And since then we've been on that label for twelve years and counting, so that must be proof that both parties are happy with each other.
Does Black Vulture Records pitch the band to fanzine editors, or do they also approach podcasters, publications, and indie labels?
BVR tries to spread our music widely. Often third-hand by hired PR firm. However, they're not pitching us to other record labels, as far as we know.
Why were the tracks from "Defending the Throne" re-released at the conclusion of "Ad Extremum Epilogue" and how did they fit the rest of the album?
"Defending the Throne" was the beginning of our first album "Ad Extremum Epilogue" so the tracks on the demo fits like a glove on the rest of the production.
Was "Ad Extremum Epilogue" expanded upon in the songwriting of your second full-length "The Rejects"?
The songwriting did not develop significantly on "The Rejects", but the production is more top notch, partly because of Dan Swanö (the musician and highly-regarded producer) that master our music but also because we ourselves have become better at recording techniques.
In other words, I think that the songs are at least as good on "Ad Extremum Epilogue" as on "The Rejects", but that they don't get their due in terms of recording, and that's why we will record the record again in the future.
Was it simple to collaborate and share ideas on recording procedures with Dan Swano? How did he find out that you were seeking a producer? At which studio did you collaborate? What changes were made to make "The Rejects" sound better than your previous releases?
We produce our own music and Dan Swanö masters the songs. Sometimes he gives us advices and comments but we never work together in a studio. Recording "Ad Extremum Epilogue" was an adventure in many ways. It was our first experience of recording by our own and we learned a lot about studio work. When we worked on "The Rejects" we were able to create a new sound. For instance the drums and guitars sounds more powerful.
How soon do you intend to rerecord "Ad Extremum Epilogue" in order to get the material more in line with your desired sound?
We have already started the process but I think it will take some time to release it. Maybe in the end of 2025 or in the beginning of 2026. There's absolutely no hurry.
How did you go about developing a sound like a full symphony orchestra during the recording of "An Unexpected Interference"? How much more work do you need to put into developing it? A sound like a full-sized symphony orchestra is a goal or maybe just a dream but we always try to arrange our music with strings and traditional instruments for that kind of orchestra. It's hard work and we have to spent hours & hours to figure it out.
There's not so much to speak about the "Riders".song other than that it's a rather commercial tune and it's about keeping the spirit alive.
Is the new single you released going to be added to the album you’re planning to release? Let the readers know what they can expect about both of these.
You will find the single "As Above, So Below" on the new album. "As Above, So Below" is also going to be the title of the album. We usually don't preach any special messages but this time the song actually contains an important message. It isn't rocket science to understand that artificial intelligence can cause the human race a lot of serious problems. The scientists have already warned us and some of them are real worried.
The album is going to be a surprise with a musical mix you have not heard from Dark Legacy before.
In what ways will this musical mix you referred to reflect on the subject matter of "As Above, So Below"? How does the band intend to put this message across? When it comes to "As Above" and AI, the message is in the text and as a listener you have to think for yourself a bit about what it might mean.
How much of a danger do you see artificial intelligence, going by your research on the subject?
You can listen to the scientists who warn of the consequences of AI. They know what they are talking about. If you want to counteract something, as usual, you can always refrain from using it or at least minimize its use.
Band photo L-R: Jens Fredriksson (Bass), Mikael Dagobert (Keyboards), Daniel Reese (Guitar), Daniel Tjernberg (Vocals), Jonas Hoffman (Drums), Gabriel Tjernberg (Guitar).
-Dave Wolff
