This October the buzz(saw) is back.
Three-fifths of the classic Entombed line-up — guitarists Ulf “Uffe” Cederlund and Alex Hellid alongside drummer Nicke Andersson — have reunited and are set to headline Close-Up Magazine’s Båten cruise in late October just a couple weeks before performing the band’s 1991 sophomore landmark Clandestine with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra on November 12.
Decibel caught up with Cederlund for the inside scoop on the long-awaited return of one of the greatest, most groundbreaking extreme music acts of all time….
Alright, first things first: Can you tell me a little bit about how this reunion with Alex and Nicke was first broached, then pursued?
Alex and I got together [in 2014] when he needed my help with the orchestration of Clandestine [for the Gävle Symphonic Orchestra collaborative performance]…and we realized that we still really liked each other! We talked about how great it would be if Nicke joined us. So Alex asked to see if he was interested and he was. Nicke could not be present at that show, but he was into doing something together again. I guess the extra spur was we could not agree with L.G. Petrov on the legal issues over the name Entombed — which Nicke came up with. I felt more comfortable once Nicke got involved because he formed Entombed and wrote the best and most songs when he was in the band. None of this would exist if Nicke was not on the Entombed ship…If Nicke had called me and said not to continue on without him, I would have respected that. He was always in my heart, somehow, and I am thankful for him letting us continue. He’s the man and a genius! Alex pulls the strings to make cool things happen. I just ride along. We have fun when we hang out, we can be real honest on everything and I think it’ll be great to play with these guys again.
Are you surprised at all by the continued influence of/love for Entombed?
I always thought we had something original going on. There are of course things I hate, too, but the four first albums stand out as something special to me. We were pretty cool. [Laughs.] We sucked a lot of the time, also. But that brought dimension to the band! And I’ve met people who think that what I see as the lowest point of the band is the best material we ever did. I’m totally cool with that — that’s what I like about the mess Entombed somehow always was…We’re not a huge band, but I’m really glad a band like Converge likes Entombed because I love them. That means a lot to me!
Can you tell me about that first jam session back?
Actually, the three of us have not played together yet. I know that might sound weird. We have re-recorded some old songs to see how we sound today. We’re going to start focusing on [rehearsing] in August. I know it’ll be hard work — some songs are really fast! — but I’m sure it’ll sound good in the end. We would not do this if we believed it would suck. I guess we’re focusing on the two first albums.
Do the songs from Left Hand Path and Clandestine continue to be as relevant for you as they are for that aforementioned ever-growing fanbase?
I think those albums mean more to me today ’cause I didn’t have to play the songs every show for over ten years! I always felt close to Left Hand Path, but Clandestine was always a weird album to me. Nicke wrote almost everything on it and the process was fast — It was hard to keep up with his creativity speed. It was not until we were tearing the album apart for the orchestra that I really came to appreciate it… There was a lot going on at the time. I think L.G. once told me Clandestine is his favorite Entombed album — maybe not anymore — and as an outsider on that album, but also somehow involved, he was maybe the only person in the band that heard the full potential of the album. [Laughs.] We were so serious on Clandistine — I like that. We wanted to be older than we were [and] we put everything we had into that album. There’s so much going on and it’s not possible to play it the right way — we had really strict rules. I guess it might be an album that you can hear something new everytime you listen to it? I like albums like that.
Who will be singing and playing bass for the band on that Close Up Cruise?
I’m sorry to not be able to let you know ’cause I don’t know! We’re actually in the process of figuring that out right now. It’s sort of difficult cuz we really want this to work out the best way possible.
Why did the Close Up cruise seem like the most opportune moment for this reunion?
We had the Malmö orchestra show booked and we’re doing a band set there, too. This was something that came up. I’m honestly not too happy about being trapped on a boat: I’m a very quiet and humble person today — living healthy; don’t touch any drugs at all. But, hey, it will be beautiful to meet all these people from the past again as well as meet new people. Close-Up always supported Entombed over the years. At first we saw it as a warm up show for Malmö, but I’m not sure if that’s the case anymore.
Does this line-up intend to play shows beyond what’s currently booked?
We’re not going to do big world tours. Right now we have these two shows booked and we’re taking it from there. It must be fun and everyone must be into doing it.
How about new music?
I hope so. Like I said we have been re-recording old stuff to see how we sound today — and we like it. Time is flying faster as I get older and I would love to be part of a new Entombed album. First, though, we must focus on the shows. I would be satisfied if that’s the only thing we end up doing, but I’m open for more.
Can we expect any surprises from the band before the cruise departs in October?
Maybe whose in the band!
What does Entombed mean to you, now, in 2016?
Right now I think it’s weird doing stuff like interviews again — which I have not done in a very long time. I think it’ll mean a lot more to me when we’re rehearsing again. That will be fun.
How does it feel to return to that?
A bit nerve-wracking, I have to say. I’m like the least rockstar person in the world and I think it’s hard to dealing with that people care and are interested in what I was and now am a part of. I’m, like, disconnected. Still, I’m real happy people care — even if I have to struggle with the English language again!
What does this mean for any of your current projects, if anything?
Nothing. Disfear just started rehearsing again. I really like what we’re doing. Those guys are real special and close to me. I’ve got other small projects, too, and I’ll keep on doing those. I work full-time to manage a living and it would be great if I could cut down a bit on that. That would mean more time for music, for reading books, for being a good parent. Entombed 2016 is a very healthy kick for me. It gives me more inspiration for the other projects I’m involved with and it’s a lot of fun hanging out with Alex and Nicke, too — that alone would be worth it for me.
