Get to kown the strangest sounds in Metal Music nowdays with Danish, Leifur Nielsen and ‘The World State’ (Exclusive interview).

The World State, Danish-origin band, carrying one of the most unusual sounds from current metal music, in addition to the very epic voice of the beautiful Monika Pedersen (ex-Sirenia, Ex-Sinphonia); a just-started band with 4 very matured musicians, musically talking. This band is opening their own path in the world of metal music but most from the world from quality-alternative music, offering super-stranger atmospheres taken away from the weirdest scenes of fiction films, alternating with noises properly from metal music, making justice to the metal origin of every member; when I say this band gives a very strange sound I really mean it in a literal view; with a very hard to explain genre, I introduce The World State, one of my biggest discoverings in music in my personal side. Newly formed and able to rule the world, it worth it to give a listen to their first and only release until now, the EP ‘FLIER’ with 4 epic songs itself, also it’s a worth-reading having a look on my new friend’s words about it, Leifur Nielsen from Denmark, a man with genius and figure! (Interview made in November, 2013)

Hi Leif! Thank you so much for accepting the interview! Before we start i wanna make a question i make to everyone, since my website is about promoting metal from every place in the world, i wanna know how is the Metal Move in your country, is metal music famous, is it very visited by fans? Tell us, how’s about living in Denmark? That country has always called my attention!

Hi Zue. Well I have been a part of the danish extreme-metal-scene for more than twenty years now, so I´ve seen the birth of a lot of the earliest bands in Denmark within this genre, bands like- Invocator, Illdisposed, Dominus later Volbeat, and much later Hatesphere, that all have gained attention worldwide.

At the time I began to attend these shows, in 1993 I guess, it was realy hard to get enough people to show up. This is not a problem anymore. For the last ten years our scene has grown to be really big, and the fans are loyale to show up, even for upcomming events. Thats nice.

But then again, when a scene is growing fast, the quallity of the music gets realy unstable. We got a lot of good bands, but just as many playing rubbish. And the danish metal-scene has always had a sad tendency of being really conservative…

1.-First, would you please tell me where does each of the members come from? I mean in which bands were they before? Where have they been grown as musicians.

Well I myself have been in various bands in various genres for the last 15/20 years, to name just a few January Jaunt, I was the composer here too, Oziris, Horned Almighty, The Surfing Henchmen which i’m still in.

Andreas is playing in a new danish thrash-metal act called Hells Domain and they have just released an awesome debut-album, check it out, before that, and The World State, he was guitarist in one of the oldest death metal bands from Denmark; Exmortem, before they split up some years ago, he was co-composer on their last album “Funeral Phantoms” which in my opinion is the best danish metal-album ever made.

Ronny is playing drums in the danish post-punk duo War Drums.

Beside of her exelent work for The World State so far, Monika is taking a break from the music-scene to focus on her family, and is now the mother of two beautiful kids. Luckily she is still singing all the time!

2.-Monika has a nice status since she was in Sirenia and Sinphonia, you met her before being in Sirenia? Or After?

Before. I´ve  known Monika for  about ten years or so.  She also had a net-shop together with my wife- Signe called RagnaRock Fashion some years ago.

3.-So, how did The World State idea begin? And how did you find these amazing musicians?

Well for two reasons!

First of all, I wanted to form my own favourite band, a playground – with no rules, where I was in charge of everything- this is my vision, and I know exactly how it is suposed to turn out…

Second, I wanted to make some music that would bring justice to Monikas voice, and where Andreas’  charateristic, bleak and quirky style on his guitar would be shown the attention it deserves.  Ronny and me have been playing together for a long time, so that was obvious.

4.-You’ve released an EP called ‘Flier’, where did you guys produce and record it? Are you working with a studio/label in specific?

Well… it was a really hard time for me to find the right people to help us record and co-produce this EP, but finaly I bumbed into an old friend; Kenn, who was working in a nice studio in Aarhus  and we talked for hours about the process, and decided to try it out. It worked out pretty good I think. We realeased FLIER on my own label Death Rides A Horse Agency, but we know we need to find a good label with good promotion, good distribution (and good intentions) to get our strange music spread all over the World. We are looking…

5.-I read you do already have the songs for your first album which will be called ’Traced Through Dust and Time’ have you already recorded the songs and what’s the meaning of the name?

The songs for the album was written simultaneously with the songs for the “FLIER” EP. We just couldn’t wait any longer to get some of our music out to the world, that’s why we released the EP, those where the only 3 songs that was finished at that time.

We have already recorded a lot of rough-takes for the album, and we recorded most of the strings for the album at the same time as the strings for the “FLIER” EP.

About the name. There is a lyrical-theme for more of the songs on the album, not only the title-track about human-evolution,  and this was where the title came to me.  But I also like to think of it as a synonym for the way we make music, influenced by mostly old music/films and art in general  from various times.  And then it´s just a bloody good title, don´t you think?

6.-That’s a fact! Then, what kind of music do you fit yourself in? Also,what do you inspire in?

It´s pretty hard to explain for us, and trust me it will not get any easier when the full album is out… hahaha!

Right now we are using tag-lines saying

“Epic and genre-distorting rock music outside of time” 
and “Faith, Hope and The End Of The World”  that pretty much says it all, I think.

7.-Your music has a lot of ingredients from many genres, how was the process of creating them?

Listening and thinking music has been the biggest part of my life for as long as I remember. I am very influenced by soundtracks to movies too, and Ennio Morricone is my god. I listen to all kinds of quallity-music, rock, classical, metal, pop-music. I don´t like most of the modern music-scene thought…

8.-Who has composed all the songs of FLIER, also i’ve seen a tracklist for the debut album, are you keeping it?

I have. I can’t say we will, can you?

9.-From the songs you’ve written for The World State which one is the best, musically speaking, and which one is your favorite?

A song called “Everything Changes” which will be on the debut-album! We are going to play it at our debut-concert the 7th. of November in Denmark. This is one of the first three songs I ever wrote for The World State, and is the best song I have ever writen in my 20 years of composing, if you ask me. Well… Thats another new song called “The Strangest Of Places” it’s on the debut-album too.. or ”When The Blackening Shows”, or ”Engine”

10.-What about ‘Rider’? I tried to read some Danish and found it up in your facebook hahahha but don’t tell anyone please! Tell me about this song

That´s right hahaha! The music is a far-out tribute to, once again, Ennio Morricone, and Especially the title-track to his soundtrack for the old western saying ”Death Rides A Horse”. I named my own label/booking agency from this song, it means a lot to me. And most likely, I will be singing this one!!

11.-Are you guys planning to record a videoclip, right? How is it going?

We are editing the first video from the rehearsal-room these days actually.

12.-When can we expect the debut album to be released?

Within 2014 hopefully. We don´t want to put a date yet, so many things can keep us delayed.

13.-All the songs are gonna be composed by you?

Yes, they are already written

When i hear the songs of flier i can only imagine a very strange scene from a sci-fi movie, its a very unique music.

I’m really proud that you get these pictures in your head when you listening to our music!

14.-You’re going to have your first performance soon, will you guys play only the songs of Flier or will you play also new songs. I heard something about “A Castle For The Battles That i Fight”. I just love the tittle!

Haha yeah me too! We only have 30 minutes, so it is a really tight set. Beside of that song, we play the three songs from the FLIER EP, and another new song called “Everything Changes” this song is, in my own opinion, the best song I have ever written so far.

15-Is it too cold in Denmark? Maybe you should come to Venezuela and feel some warm hahaha

Hahaha, it is fuc…g cold in Denmark yes! And we will visit Venzuela some day, trust me on that!

16-Do you have a job beside The World State?

Pheeew… Sure! I make a lot of underground music-events, among them a two days festival called Mono Goes Metal, I am booking for other bands from time to time, and work at the health-care too.

17.-From the current scene what bands do you like, and what kind of genre do you identificate with?

When it comes to life-style, metal is my thing! But I´m mostly into the music of the old bands, such as Morbid Angel, Obituary, Death,  Slayer, Black Sabbath, etc. The World State is not really a metal band in th common sence, but the scene has shown a lot of interest in us, so I guess we belong here…

18.-Whats the target of The World State? Will you guys rule the World as a World State Goverment? Hahaha

Total control, yes! From now on, we tell you what to hear and what to think! Hahaha

No actually the name The World State was brought to our attention by Ronny (drums). By the time we were starting up he had just read the novel called “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley, he was talking a lot about it, and not least, The World State, in the novel The World State is a unified government which administers the entire planet. We all liked the sound of it, and the thing that the name didn’t tell anything about what kind of music the listener were to expect, really intrigued us.

19.-You guys are gonna release your debut album, will you find a label or are you gonna apply some current move like making a money-making campaign?

We will raise a crowd-funding in some months, and keep seeking out good and tasteful labels.

So, lets talk a bit about your personal side Leif..

20.-You are married and also have a family, how do you mix your jobs and you personal life?

Well my wife Signe is a really creative soul too, she’s in fashion and clothing, so she knows how it is… We have the cutest little boy, and we spend as much time with him as posible, he loves music as well. So when his put to bed, the nights are often getting much too late hahaha

21.-Favorite band?

Hmmm…. Ennio Morricone, The Beatles and Morbid Angel.

22.-The most complete album in history? Musically.

Pheeew… The Beatles ”Revolver” in Rock, and Death ”Human” in Metal.

23.-The best-written song in history?

“A Day In The Life” by The Beatles in rock, and “Flattering Of Emotions” by Death in Metal.

24.-What are your expectations from a country like Venezuela?Have you heard about us?

A lot of interest for The World State is coming from Venezuela, so we have to visit you some day.

Wow! Those are great news! I hope it happens soon! For the time being i thank you so much for this conversation! And i send you my warn greetings from Venezuela!

Thank you, Zue.

P.S: If anyone asks, ‘Zue’ is an alter ego of myself, Kenta. It seems to be like Leifur prefers to call me that way.