by Dalia  "gryphon-spirit" Di Giacomo       

 transcripted by Matt Haumschild      

Magnus and Dalia  -                   pic taken by Stefan  

Dalia: Hammerfall are called the Templars, but what do you think about the real story of the Templars?

Magnus: Yes, what I think about that...well me personally I don't war I don't like the power people have to <thinking of the words>

conquer people to conquer lands...

 Yes I think people should be strong by themselves and I think of course many templars or warriors who not had idea but I think our thing is about is people should feel strong by themselves.

So the Templars are like symbols of strength?

Yes! A symbol like you should be strong by yourself and not put people too much on a pedestal and not listen to what other people say or to think "What do I feel about this?" and be strong with this and not feel weak only because you have can I say occupation who was low or something like that. So all people are worth the same and have nothing to do with money or intelligence or this kind of thing. All human beings are of the same value.

Do you think your music can really help some people to go on with life or to gather strength against some problems or do you think your music or kind of music can help someone?

If I say it like this, I don't know but our music is not negative in a way, we don't sing about the negative parts of life but I don't know if it'll help someone, I hope anyway people will be happy or have a good feeling when they listen to our music.

When I listen to the music of Hammerfall I personally don't believe you are coming from Sweden, because in my opinion your music sounds a little bit German
<giggles> So.... which is the real musical face of Sweden? Inflames? Hammerfall or... Roxette?

Humph...I think that it is all of them, because in Sweden there is not only one music styles so I think Roxette, Abba, Inflames, Hammerfall, a huge table with many styles espcially from Sweden, ....different faces of Sweden

HF frontmann Joacim Cans, together with Tsamis contributed to the Reborn project of Warlord:  after eighteen years they have recorded an album  "Rising out of the Ashes" What do think as a Hammerfall member ,  about this?


I think it's fun, and I think it's good for all the musicians in Hammerfall to try different things and I believe it's easier to hold the group's drum if you don't put the members in jail in a group if you know what I mean? So I think it's good for his experience and it's also good for Hammerfall because he can try things he can't do with Hammerfall and it's a little dream for him to do that and I think it's good people can get through with their dreams and theirs happiness like myself I do the jazz thing in-between recording new CD's and I'm really happy to have two music styles that's so different so I can be happy in my heart it makes me confortable to play with Hammerfall because I'm allowed to put out all the things I have inside. So I think it's really good.

So knowing all this, which kind of experimentation or musical direction with instruments can Hammerfall propose for the future?

I can't tell you what I think because I don't know <laughing> I tink we can completly re-new the same kind of style maybe a little bit with the sound it will change like we have done before and I hope with all the side projects will also give a lot of energy and happiness when we do these Hammerfall tours and CD's,  so I hope the happy feeling will stay for many years but who knows? But that is my hope.

How much important are the releases of Single-CD's  for  Hammerfall?

It's really hard for me to say to actually, I think it's important because otherwise the record company should never put out the singles and I think the fans think it's fun to get the CDs, the Singles, the DVD's so as long as they buy then we all in the right way to make these singles and DVD's so I think it'd important.

If you could have a time machine would you prefer to travel into the Past or the Future?

humm...I never really thought about this <laughing> of course I am thinking very much about the future but I don't know if it should be too scary or really good but I am thinking a lot about the future so maybe I should...but on the other hand I don't want to know what's going to happen the next day so that is it  gives me hope; if I know it will be a bad future then I am going to lose my hope. Maybe it is not good to see the future. Maybe it is better to see the past and learn things so I have the same hope <laughs> if you know the past you know the future. So in someway it's in the both directions the past...we make the future so maybe I'd go back.

What are Hammerfall's opinions about guitar solos?

Well, we try to have melodic guitar solo's almost that  you can sing it ya know what I mean, and Steven makes his solos in some parts really fast and in many other parts it's like melodic so you can really understand what is going on, so they are good melodic solos.

The last question, it is our typical gryphonmetal question, it is a question we propose to every band we are interviewing for the first time, we call this question "The Game Of The Tower". Imagine, this very high tower, and on top of this tower there are three bands that are waiting for you, and you can kick down two bands,

<both are laughing at this>

only saving only one, so you choose which band and we change the band per person we interview, And for Hammerfall the bands are...Hypocrisy, Slipknot, or Sentenced.

Um, it's hard because I almost not know these bands, so the only band I know
the name of is Slipknot's, and I have not really heard Sentenced but I think Slipknot is scary um...
 
Hypocrisy is the band of  Peter Tägtgren.

Peter Tägtgren, who is that?

<both laughing>

I guess it's really hard because I don't really know of these bands, but I can say like this, I don't want to push down any bands or music styles, that is the only thing I can say really, and even if it's a music I don't prefer, I think it is good to have many different styles because there are so many different people with so many diffrent tastes, so I wish all the bands could stay.

Ah, you are one of the very few  <laughing>  that  want to save all three bands..

Yes... <laughing>

Thanks so much Magnus!