The Swedish band has been around since 2008 but it was last year when it dropped its debut album, ‘Trapped In Lies’, on World vs Cometh records. Bitter Taste Of Life’s influences are pretty broad, you can hear some modern elements in their music, but they have a firm foothold in more traditional sound as well. They have a tour all across Europe, from Portugal to Poland, planned for May so make sure you show them support when they come to your area. The interview was done some time ago but for various different reasons is being published just now so please excuse if any questions seem to be outdated. It’s still a good read though, and the band is definitely worth checking out!
The Swedish band has been around since 2008 but it was last year when it dropped its debut album, ‘Trapped In Lies’, on World vs Cometh records. Bitter Taste Of Life’s influences are pretty broad, you can hear some modern elements in their music, but they have a firm foothold in more traditional sound as well. They have a tour all across Europe, from Portugal to Poland, planned for May so make sure you show them support when they come to your area. The interview was done some time ago but for various different reasons is being published just now so please excuse if any questions seem to be outdated. It’s still a good read though, and the band is definitely worth checking out!Let us know some basic info about Bitter Taste Of Life? How and when it all started, who’s in the band etc...
First of all, we'd like to say thanks for the support and giving us this interview. Keep up the good work with Hardboiled. It all started in late spring 2008 when Olle contacted us. Niklas, Niva and Rickard had another band that weren't going that well, so there was no doubts, we teamed up with Olle. Olle knew two other guys Joel and Marcus who where into hardcore so they tagged along. Unfortunately for us Marcus who played bass at the time had to leave for studies in the US. So we played our first show without bassplayer and for the upcoming shows Niklas and Joel took turns playing bass. After a bunch of shows and a quite unknown demo, Niklas went away for studies as well. Then we decided to put the band on hold for a while. Then in early 2010 Rickard, Joel, Olle and Niva started talking about reviving Bitter Taste Of Life again. During this period we got to know Simon, so he joined us. And by then Niklas was finished with his studies in Portugal and moved back home to Sweden, so we asked Niklas if he’d like to team up with us again and here we are. So now Bitter Taste Of Life is Rickard (vocals), Olle (vocals), Joel (guitar), Niva (drums), Simon (guitar) and Niklas T (bass)
How did you guys come up with the band’s name? Is there any deeper meaning behind it?
We were just brainstorming for a band name and when Bitter Taste Of Life came up we just felt, "this is it". So no, there's no deeper meaning behind it, just a band name that we felt fitted us.
Has anyone of you been in any other band apart from BTOL?
Olle, Joel, Rickard and Niva played in a band called Negative Vibes. Simon was in a band called Orson Sparks and is currently playing in the metal band Arreat Summit.
Can you tell us something about “Trapped In Lies”? What kids should expect to find in there?
It's a 6 track MCD with the signature Bitter Taste Of Life groove, grit and pit starter, with political and angry lyrics.
Lyrically, is there any concept to the album? Can you touch on some of the lyrical focuses of your songs? The lyrics is related to things you encounter in everyday life, what we've been trough and what is happening around us. We think it's very important to be aware of what's going on in our society now a days and how it affects us. Religon, addictions, exclusion and antifascism is some of the thing we touch in our lyrics.
How did you hook up with World vs Cometh?
Christian (also known as "Boris", "Chris") who runs the label is one of our best friends and we asked him if he was up for releasing the MCD and he said yes. And nowadays our guitarist Joel is part of World vs Cometh too. Make sure you all check it out and support them!
You guys are quite different from stuff I usually hear from Sweden. What’s your opinion about the scene in your country and what local bands you support?
A few years back the scene was insane every show was well crowded and everyone went insane when the bands played, but then something happened and the interest in the scene grew a bit cold for a while, not saying that people stopped putting shows up and so on but it felt different and many people you used to see at every show just stopped showing up. Big ups to all the elder ones who's still in the game and going strong. At the moment the scene is on the uprise again, at every show you see new kids, there's loads of new bands coming up and bookers who putting shows up. Shout outs to Norrköping Hardcore, SSE, GBG SXE, Sunpower Bookings, 026 Hardcore, KF Stationen, Västerås SXE and all the others who's putting shows together. There's loads of good bands coming outta Sweden you better check them out! Dead Reprise, Vulture Mob, Decades Of Blood (RIP), Stay Hungry, Elapse, Lose The Life, Keep Rising, Chain Reaction, Guilty, Angers Curse, Kaos, Kris & Helvete, Anchor is some of them.
What is your opinion about Refused? Would anyone get lynched in Sweden for saying their music sucked balls?
Haha! Personally I (Rickard) don't like them at all and I hasn't got lynched yet so I think it's ok to say that they sucked. But there's other ones in the band who likes them. And no question that they was and is a very important part of the Swedish hardcore scene and the development of it.
Let’s get political. In case Greece eventually falls down, followed then by Italy and then probably Ireland, Spain and so on, do you think we should gear up for Mad Max scenario in Europe in any near future?
Well, there's a chance it could get to that point, maybe not as extreme as Mad Max. As long as all the greedy fucks craves for more and can't see the effects of their actions, there will always be people who's going to make their voices heard, whether it's through violent actions, civil disobedience or on a political level.
So another year has ended... what were the best albums of 2011?
Expire - Suffer The Cycle, Grankapo - The Thruth, Vulture Mob - Feeding Time, 45 Stainless - O.G.B.D, Alley Gods - North State Of Mind, Q-Unique - Throwback, For The Glory - Some Kids Have No Face. That some of them… can't remember them all, haha.
What are the next steps for the band? Any chances for European tour?
We're playing at an awesome festival (Killing The Legacy Fest) in Turku, Finland in january, then we're going to focus on writing new songs for a upcoming 7" split with our brothers in 45 Stainless from Finland who will be released sometime around April or may on World vs Cometh. We're going on a European Tour in May between 11/5 and 26/5. It's going to feel good to be on the road again. Otherwise we got some shows planned here in Sweden and in the end of July we're going to play Zvera Fest in Latvia. And during the autumn we're going to work on a full-length cd and try to sort out a mini tour i east Europe.
