1. Are there any recent news in Arcana? I read you are thinking about releasing some of your albums on a vinyl. Is it still actual?

Well, we are thinking about releasing old ones on vinyl, but everything has to do with finances. Not only musicians have a bad situation financially these days, but also recordlabels. The best media today is digital downloads, but it is sad that one misses the layout and actual physical cd.

2. That probably won’t motivate Peter to get his Erebus Odora label back to life.

No, it won’t. The thing is that all labels have a hard time right now, and to start a label again would only cause trouble. We need to focus on the music first, not have problems with pressingplants, distributors and so on. Hehe, not that is is always problems there, but when it is... not funny at all!

3. Are you working on some new material? A year passed from releasing your last album "Raspail". I would be surprised if you spent it being inactive.

Peter has almost a full album done, but a lot of work has to be done to finish it. No vocals are there, and we still don’t know if all songs fit the wholeness. Everything will be worked out this year!

4. No vocals? That sounds like a return to „Le Serpent Rouge“.

Nono, you got me wrong. There will be vocals addes, both with lyrics and a lot of choirs. But as it is right now, no vocals have been added yet, but they sure will be. When I mentioned that we don’t know yet if they will fit the wholeness, I meant the songs as they are. So many songs can sound like Arcana, but they sort of don’t fit the context. That is the reason why Peter is releasing a solo-album this year. The songs sounded Arcana, but it was in a completely different path than what Peter want Arcana to go.

5. Oh, so just a misunderstanding. I focused on that scary „no vocals“ part without realising a context. So, anyway, listeners will be probably interested in the sound of the prepared album, so how it is going to be? Just like „Raspail”, its predecessors or something totally new?

Oh, I will not speak about the next one more than that we are trying to keep “the true Arcana“ spirit. What the next album will be, might be in the same vein as Raspail, the old sound or something completely new :).

6. You’re not trying to hide, that your greatest inspiration for Arcana is Dead Can Dance. How did you feel when you were participating on their tribute albums?

I think they are both really good albums and we are proud to have been part of them.

7. Did you like the other songs on „The Lotus Eaters“ compilation? To be honest, I think most of them do not reach the quality of original.

If we first mention „The Lotus Eaters“, I found the songs on that album not as good as on the „Summoning of the Muse“ (from Projekt). I have difficulties enjoying a DCD song with metal sounds. No One, and I mean No One, can ever do a DCD song better or as good as the original, it is just that!


8. Arcana is said to be Peter’s project. How much influence do other members have when it comes to creation process?

Peter is making all the music from scratch, he is the one who decides where instruments shall tune in and out, and he is making the first and last touch on each song. However, we all are part of the process in some way or another. Mattias sometimes puts his touch on the percussion, Stefan with some keyboards and then me and Ann-Mari put the vocals on the recording. And sometime we add our lyrics to a song, as long as it fits the context.

9. How does it feel playing and singing mainly in accordance with other man’s ideas? Don’t you feel like bonded sometimes?

No, not me. I cannot speak for the rest. Okej, I won’t lie, sometimes we believe a song could be different, but in the end, when everything is finished it is just perfect. We know Peter can make magic from a disaster;)

10. Back to some of your future plans, you are going back to Romania. It looks like you really like it in Brasov.

Oh yes, we just love Romania. But it is not the country alone, but the people. We got really close to Doru from Kogaionon and Andreea from DonisArt. We are in contact every week and this summer Doru will join me and Peter with his family for a vacation in Sweden. Brasov as a city is very beautiful, and we are so happy to see it again, and now explore more surroundings. And of course, we are so happy to once again meet the great audience who welcomed us with such warmth last time.

11. You were also invited to play in Prague in october. What are your expectations from a show in Czech Republic? I think you have never played here before.

We have waited for years for this opportunity. Peter and I went to Prague after our wedding and we fell in love with the city. We were there in November, and they just started wit the Christmas market at the old square. We visited some classical concerts, had drinks on the roof at the Hotel U Prince (where we stayed) and we walked through the whole city and it was just breathtaking.

If we talk about the expectations for the show, I must say that we never have any expectations. We always enjoy meeting people, the organizers, doing the best we can on stage and hopefully everyone is happy :).

12. You have this good habit, spending a one free day before each show doing sightseeing in a city you play in. Are there any specific places you want to surely visit again or missed last time during your last stay in Prague?

Of course the old square, Saint Vitus cathedral and the Jewish cemetary. I would also like to see some museums and maybe catch an opera (although that might be hard). Most of all, we enjoy just eating good food and drinking some nice beer, and the czech beer is a favourite;).

13. What do you think about the other bands (Triarii, Desiderii Marginis and Czech project Tábor Radosti), which are going to perform with you on that night?

I haven’t heard much from Triarii, but what I have heard sounded really good. Desiderii Marginishas always been a great band, and Johan is a great person. I am sorry, but I have never heard about the third band.


14. Playing live probably isn't an easy thing for you, is it?

No, it is not. We would love to have a whole orchestra, but it is impossible. If all instruments were to be played live, we need about 15-20 people on stage. We need to have background music and then we add what we can with percussion, bells, guitarr and keyboard.

15. I know you can’t speak for Peter, but I heard some tidings about planned rebirth of his former project Sophia. Are they true?

Yes, they are true. How ever I cannot tell when and where. The plans are to include all former members for one last album. Then Sophia would be Peter, me, Per Åhlund and Stefan Eriksson, since we are all former members.

16. Also from this answer Arcana seems to be the type of band which can be proud of really good relations with other projects and bands in your area. It looks like, that the northern industrial, ambient and also metal scene really sticks together in a supportive, but also very friendly way.

Well, we don’t have that much contact with the rest of the bands in the north. But here in Eskilstuna, several bands live, and we always partying together, hehe. Bands like Karjalan Sissit, Sub Luna, Gustaf Hidebrand, Diskrepant and so on. And really close are also Jouni and Kathi of In Slaughter Natives. We all try to help eachother in the bestway we can with recordings, mastering, partying, hehe…

17. By the way, some of Arcana’s members are old metal heads, Peter plays in a band called Tyrant, are you also into this kind of music?

Yes, I started to listen to metal back in 1981, when I was 12 years old. Deep Purple and Iron Maiden were my house gods, and I have seen many bands live through out the years. I love metal still, almost everything from hardrock to black metal, but I HATE German power metal. Sorry!;). Not all bands are good though in the rest of the genres, but I am very nostalgic and I love drinking beer and listen to old 80ies bands, When Peter started Tyrant, I was very happy, since the music is just right for me. And I also love punk, old hardcore crustpunk, so Peter and I listen to a lot of that music as well.

18. Apropos, how do you two find time on such many musical projects?

Well, I don’t have many, so I have time. My time is filled with schoolwork and my family. Peter have problem finding time, you are right there. So many people want to start new bands all the time, but Peter cannot find ime to start any new ones. Meanwhile (his punk band) only perform live maybe 2-3 times a year, Tyrant as well, and Arcana no more either. So the big issue is about time in the studio. I try my best to take care of everything at home, so that Peter can be alone in the studio.

19. You mentioned family, you have four daughters, what do they think about their mother’s and father’s music or what kind of music do they use to listen?

Hehe, it is a big mix of music from their rooms. My oldest daughter, she lives in Stockholm, mostly listens to MTV-crap music, but she does like Shining. My second daughter is mostly into punk and screamo, like Casualties and Blood Brothers. My third daughter listens to a broad mix of music, but her favorites are Johnny Cash, Edith Piaff and Lykke Li. But all three LOVES Dead can Dance. Vendela, our youngest daughter, mostly listens to kids music like High school musical, but she likes Peter’s punk band Meanwhile. All of the girls are proud of what we do, and they always argue about joining us on our travels, but we can never afford it. But hopefully one day :).


20. Even though you are not a political band, you Ia, are very active as regards the environment and environmental protection, you are a member of Green Party and also Animals Rights organisation in Sweden. You seem to care.

Well, we need to focus on a sustainable development. We cannot forget that the human race are going to extinct if we don’t take care of our planet, and that is only because of our own fault. When I vote in the election in Sweden, I do not vote formore money in my wallet, I do not vote for more jobs, I vote for a better future for our children. It scares me how ignorant people are, when it comes tohow the environment and the animals are treated, just so that people can have a steak on the table. Both me and Peter became vegetarians. We cannot do much, but we try to do what we can. And if we can share our thoughts via the music, we are happy if some people listens.

21. In which ways you are trying to share this thoughts via Arcana’s music?

Almost every song is about the feelings surrounding our nature, the development of the world and sadness about the ignorance in the world. Of course, many songs are about other things, but the last 5-6 years the focus has been on environmental issues.

22. I think you are also a vegetarian. I would guess it’s a moral decision for you outgoing from your philosophy of life, or am I wrong?

You are absolutely right. I remember one time, when Peter and I went to Germany for a little Sophia tour. We passed a big truck filled with pigs. They were stacked upon each other, squealing and tried to put their snouts out of the car for some air. It made my heart break. At that time it was also a lot of discussions in the Swedish media about animal cruelty surrounding the food production. Both Peter and I decided to quit eating red and white meat and chicken. I maybe have double standards, but I can’t stop eating fish. Fish makes me feel healthy and strong, and after 6 years without fish, Peter started to eat fish again. Even my 14-year-old daughter Sara is also vegetarian (eating fish though), and has been for over two years now.

23. By the way, how is the life in Sweden? I read some really strange study of London Cass Business School and your country was seventh in their scale of happiest countries in the world.

Ha ha ha, well sometimes we are happy, that is true. But seriously, we are facing a lot of difficulties in the future. We are lucky to have a well-built welfare system, good school and good healthcare. But since a few years back, when we changed government, things were getting harder for people with less money. Today people cannot afford to be part of the union, school are laying off teachers, school classes are getting bigger and facing social difficulties, the hospitals are loosing employees since the financial crises are getting worse. All of this leads to problems in the communities and fights between multicultural suburbs. But a part from that Sweden is a very beautiful country with lots of forests and nice lakes. We are one of few countries that have the typical four seasons and all seasons have its own beauty. I LOVE living in Sweden and will never leave this country unless I am forced too! But we all in Arcana love traveling, seeing other countries, historical places and seeing new people. But in the end, we are very happy to finally be back in Sweden. This is home!