One of the best debut albums of recent years, 'In Distortion We Trust' by Crucified Barbara is a powerful rock 'n' roll machine souped up with a blistering heavy metal engine. After witnessing the Swedish band's rocking performance on the Napster Stage at Donington/Download, Derek Evans got in touch with lead vocalist/guitarist Mia Coldheart (the band is completed by Ida Evileye on bass, Klara Force on guitar and Nicki Wicked on drums) for an interview.
Room Thirteen: People seem to concentrate on the '80s when discussing your music, and while your love for '80s rock and metal is clear, there seems to be a healthy amount of '70s hard rock in your music too. Additionally, some of your heavier moments have a very contemporary thrash/death edge to them, and when I spoke to Ida after your set at Donington she said that she was planning to check out In Flames later in the day. Which bands would you say were your main influences?
Mia Coldheart: All of us think it's a bit tricky to answer this question, 'cause Crucified Barbara as a band don't have any main influences as I see it. All of us were inspired by Nirvana and those kinds of bands in '93/'94 when we picked up our instruments for the first time to play some stumbling power chords. Our sound today is a mix of the music we like, though I think that the bands we like just inspire us to play hard and loud more than they influence us. But to mention a few bands we like today: Mustasch, Slayer, Motörhead, Sepultura, Alice In Chains, Megadeth, Bullet, Accept, TurboNegro, In Flames, Guns 'n' Roses, Judas Priest, Queens of the Stone Age…
R13: Your influences also extend beyond the purely musical to the way that you present yourselves as a whole, from your names to the way that you dress and the instruments you play. Rarely have I seen leopard print, studded leather and flying Vs put to such good use. How important is this side of the group to you?
MC: Of course it's important. When you come to see a Crucified Barbara gig, see it if as you're coming to a heavy metal rock party. I don't know many people that would go out to a club or whatever without making at least some effort to look better than he/she did waking up in the morning. And since we're the hosts, we want to keep the fire burning…
R13: Your lyrics deal with what might be seen as traditional heavy metal/hard rock subjects (drinking, failed relationships, driving fast), but you approach them with a sense of humour and fun which makes them seem fresh. Is this is a conscious effort on your part, or is it just the way things come naturally, perhaps as a result of a female perspective on these issues?
MC: Those 'traditional hard rock subjects' come naturally for us. I used to say that it's about everyday life, and I think that a lot of people in rock 'n' roll can relate to what we write about, male or female. Especially since we often hear that we're more like guys than girls. The funny twist in some lyrics might come from the fact that we enjoy a good laugh and don't take life too seriously. I guess – and hope – that's not only a female thing!
R13: What's your songwriting process like? Is there a primary lyricist in the group? Are songs thrashed out collectively in the rehearsal room, or do individual members bring in almost completed works which the rest of the band add their input to? Are the songs which made up your debut ones you've had for a while?
MC: We write most of the songs together in the rehearsal room and they're always born out of total chaos. We start out with the music and then I add vocal melodies. I write the majority of the lyrics while making the music. It works good 'cause then the lyrics grow into the music. Some of the songs have been around for a long time, 'cause we didn't want to throw away good ideas just because they’re old. About half of the songs are "brand new".
R13: Living up to its title, the production on 'In Distortion We Trust', is a lot grittier than that of most modern albums. Was it difficult to keep this metaphorical dirt under the fingernails yet still deliver an album that sounds clear and expansive? Did the album turn out the way you wanted?
MC: We're really satisfied with the album. This is our first one and we're not experienced in the recording process. We had ideas of how we wanted the sound, but in fact we just entered the studio and burned it down!
R13: I read that the group formed in the late '90s, and you're obviously a professional, hardworking band with a lot of experience behind you. At Donington you were playing in daylight, through other people's amps, with a drum riser which looked like it was about to fall over at any minute, yet you still put in one of the performances of the weekend. Not to imply that you're getting old, but how long has the group been together? Has your sound developed at all over time?
MC: CB has existed since '98, but the line-up was a bit different at the time. Klara, Ida and Nicki have been in the band the whole time, but there was another singer. I joined in 2001 as a second guitar player and back then CB was an aggressive punk rock band. Some people even said it was a bit hardcore, probably 'cause the vocals were very aggressive and more screaming than singing (that doesn't mean that's my definition of hardcore). At the time I didn't listen to that kind of music, but somehow it felt so right anyway. The music was simple but raw and heavy in a really cool way. And as people, we got along very well from the first time we met. As time went by, I got more into pure rock, and the other girls started to like my heavy additions more. I started to sing in 2004 and together we've now built up what we consider the perfect mix of dirty heavy metal and rock 'n' roll.
R13: Did you have a lot of live experience prior to your album's release? What were your first gigs like?
MC: I can hardly remember the first gigs we did all together 'cause it feels like 100 years ago. We'd played a lot before we released the album but I think we've developed most after the album release since we've got to play better venues, bigger stages and in front of more headbangers than before. People are – of course – expecting more of us now, and it's a challenge that we've happily accepted.
R13: How did you secure your record deal? Was it simply a case of sending off a demo and crossing your fingers, or was there a long period of negotiation?
M: We were playing at a rock club located on a boat in Stockholm, in 2001. The DJ said he was working for some music company and asked for our demo. I only had one left and I didn't really want to give it away for some unknown reason, so I said that we could keep in touch by e-mail instead. I was really making a big mistake there but luckily enough he actually sent us a mail some days later... from Warner/Chappell of Scandinavia (now our publisher)! He had seen some potential in CB and we decided to start working together. That was in 2001 and things become more serious after that. There were labels interested in us but it wasn't right either for them or us. We still had a lot to work on and it's only good that we haven't recorded an album until now! When our "mother label" GMR music decided to sign us in 2004, it was perfect timing and a perfect match.
R13: What do the four of you do outside of the band? Have you been able to quit your day jobs yet?
MC: If we were in it for the money, Crucified Barbara would be dead and buried years ago. So to be able to do what we do and still pay the rent, we all have part time day jobs – but of course our highest wish is to be able to make a living on music. We actually don't do much outside of the band. There isn't much time left since we're on the road almost every weekend, we rehearse and we also have our day jobs (note: Force is unemployed for the moment, she got sacked because she had to take too many days off). Then there's a lot of work behind the curtains: planning, doing interviews and promotion, website stuff, trying to get some sleep and much more. If there's any time left after all this, we spend it together drinking beer or something like that... Crucified Barbara is a sect for sure.
R13: Casting an eye over your previous and upcoming tour dates, you seem to play a lot in Sweden (naturally enough) but also quite often in France, of all places. Does Crucified Barbara have a large fanbase over there?
MC: Yes we have got a great start in France! We have a really good record label and booking management in France, and they have done an incredible job for us. A lot of people are coming to the gigs and we have some really cool fans there working their asses off to go to e-v-e-r-y gig we play. It's an amazing feeling to get that kind of support.
R13: Have you toured with any major bands yet?
MC: We've toured in Sweden with Pain (Swe) and in France with American Dog (US). And then we like to say that we opened up for Black Sabbath at Donington! *laughs*
R13: Your star seems to be on the rise at the moment, with increasing press interest in the band and quite a heavy touring schedule. Have there been any highlights or moments in particular which stood out for you over the past months?
MC: To enter the stage at Sweden Rock 2005 and thousands of people are screaming just 'cause they're so happy to see us (or for which other reason they might have had), that's was a feeling I can't explain with words! And all our friends and people we've met during the years we've played around Sweden were standing there side by side just like a big happy family. And the morning after we left to play at Donington… We couldn't really imagine how big it was before we went there, and it really blew us away! It was an honor to be a part of that huge festival with such an amazing line-up, so that weekend is something we'll probably tell our grandchildren about. If we ever get some...
R13: Off-topic but just something I like to ask people: what's the greatest movie ever made?
MC: I always forget about the movies I've seen, so I can see them over and over again without remembering the story or the end. (So theoretically, I'm the perfect renting-a-video-film-partner since you can always choose whatever you want!) But some movies that somehow left some marks in my mind are 'A Bug's Life', 'Man on the Moon' and 'Requiem for a Dream'. Heavy stuff! Hehe.
R13: And finally, what are Crucified Barbara's plans for the future?
M: The record has been released all over Europe and release dates for other areas are coming up so our highest wish and plan is to go and make some noise wherever it's released. We hope that our plans to go to Brazil will come true soon and we're have a lot of other cool stuff coming up that I can't reveal right now. And not to forget, we're coming to the UK this autumn (no dates confirmed but we're on our way for sure!). Meanwhile, we're also working on new heavy songs to make a second album. Summary: Crucified Barbara's plan for the future is to conquer the world!
R13: Thanks a lot for your time!
M: See you soon! Cheers!