Per Karlsson - Drums.
Joakim Åström - Vocals, Guitar.
Johnny Johansson - Guitar, Backup Vocals.
Peter Uvén - Bass, Backup Vocals.
Influences
The Music in the tour van. It can be bands like: A Perfect Circle, Propagandhi, Puddle of Mudd, Killswitch Engage, Tool, 3 Doors Down, Dark New Day, Motley Crue, Sevendust, Alter Bridge, Korn, Staind, Foo Fighters, Chevelle, Shinedown, Def Leppard.
For a group that's been together for a decade now, the hard-rockin' Swedish four-piece April Divine is surprisingly reticent about discussing their past.
This despite the fact that they quickly caught the attention of the discerning ears at P3, Sweden's biggest rock radio station, whose listeners voted the group "Best Unsigned Swedish Rock Band." It also conveniently ignores the legions of energetic, sing-along audiences that rabidly populate some of the biggest festivals and venues in their native land, courtesy of a booking arrangement with touring behemoth Live Nation…and even their debut effort, the aptly titled Chapter One, which was released through Ninetone Records/Universal Records Sweden in January 2007 to rapturous reviews, receives seemingly short shrift.
However, even a single listen to the group's forthcoming sophomore effort swiftly explains their preference for peering forward. Whether it's the monstrous guitar riffs percolating throughout songs like album opener "Water & Wine," the magnum opus "Copycat" and the anthemic "Alibi," or the gorgeous piano melodies and haunting lyrical phrases of numbers like "Redemption," "Beautiful" and the panty-moistening ballad "2 to 1," April Divine's new work represents the culmination of a decade's worth of blood, sweat and beer-stained gigging throughout Scandinavia.
Now based in Umeå, Sweden after originally forming in the small town of Örnskoldsvik, the members of April Divine--vocalist/guitarist Joakim Åström, drummer Per Karlsson, guitarist Niklas Westberg and bassist Peter Uvén--are eager to spread their musical message beyond the bounds of their native land, with their sights firmly set on conquering the biggest music market in the world: America. "The only things that you can do here is you can go to church or play ice hockey," says founding member/drummer Per Karlsson. "We didn't want to do that so we started the band and we got real good at it."
To further that goal they signed on with Los Angeles-based Sinergy Management and determined it was time to take the plunge, cross the Atlantic and record in the United States. "We'd been looking to get to the States for a long time, if for no other reason than to get away from the cold in Sweden," laughs Karlsson. "We'd talked to producers in L.A. and New York, but [album producer] Rick Beato has a great track record and we ended up coming to Atlanta. It was great; the recording process went so well, and we even had a guest spot on harmony vocals from Sevendust's Clint Lowery."
Indeed, Beato, who's previously worked with Shinedown, Dark New Day and Vince Neil, amongst others, brought some great perspective to the studio, including the use of instruments the band hadn't previously utilized--witness the understated, yet eloquent, usage of piano on the songs "Redemption" and "A New Day." "We haven't done that before and we really wanted to incorporate that," notes Karlsson. "We'd experimented a bit with those types of things while playing live, but it was the first time we'd brought it into the studio."
Beato's judicious ear also influenced the length of the album, with his advocacy gaining a spot on the final tracklisting for the song "Seven Seals," a sly reference to a Swedish cultural touchstone (the classic Ingmar Bergman film "The Seventh Seal," in which a wandering knight engages Death in a game of chess) that's buoyed by a fist-pumping main guitar riff and a chorus that practically begs the audience to chant along. "We said we were going to record 10 songs and we had 16 or 17 songs when we went into the studio," Karlsson shares. "We went through all the songs with Rick and he really liked 'Seven Seals,' but we still planned on 10 songs. However, the recording process went so well, and we had some time on our hands, so we decided maybe we should do another track. So, we went with 'Seven Seals.'"
Now that their sophomore album is in the can, the members of April Divine are looking forward to the future. They've previously demonstrated a broad cross-generational appeal, having opened not only for such 21st Century trendsetters as Staind and Black Stone Cherry, but also by being chosen for supporting slots by such classic rock acts as Thin Lizzy and Alice Cooper. Having been cooped up in the studio, the bandmembers are more than eager to get back out on the road and begin the next phase of their career. "We want to get out of Sweden, go to the US and get some kind of momentum going," Karlsson avers.
The timing for that task couldn't be better for April Divine. Indeed, as Americans prepare for a possibly epoch-changing presidential election this fall, the message shared in the final words of album-closing number "3 Drops" should resonate across the land: "The time has come to change." Regardless of whether that's true in political terms, one thing remains obvious: the time has come for April Divine to spread their music and message to the masses worldwide…and this is just the album to do so.
Listen to the 4 trax listed here on myspace, and if you cant get enough of April Divine and want a bunch more, just kick off an email to:
info@aprildivine.com
I'm excited to announce the release of my Enchanted Garden CD a guided meditation with music by Joanne and Leah Shenandoah! It makes a great Holiday Gift!
Our latest single 'Set Me On Fire' is now available worldwide from all major digital stores and includes the exclusive remix by dance legends Utah Saints.
"I'm totally feeling 'em!" - Liam Howlett, The Prodigy
"Revolution is a massive tune!" - Rob Swire, Pendulum
"The missing link between Soundgarden and The Prodigy has materialised!" - Eddy Temple-Morris
Hey wass up just showing sum love check out our new videos please please download our single on itunes if you haven't already please show your support here
hi there!!! Debut Album - News & Updates The one year of pre production is finally over and we'll hit the studio in January 2010. The title of our debut full lenght album will be "THE DAMNED NEXT DOOR (know your neighbors!)", and is gonna be a blend of old-school Heavy/thrash, modern sound and horror atmospheres. It will be produced by Carlo Bellotti(Necromass,Gf93) and Alessandro Paolucci(Rebel Devil, Raw Power) and recorded at WESTLINK RECORDERS in Pisa. We are really excited about it and we're looking forward to bring this creature to life! New profile, photos and more updates comin'soon! keep on supporting us and fuckin' Metal!!! Stay creepy!
Hey Whats up? What do you think of our new songs??? Go to www.purevolume.com/thistwilightcity and download some of our songs for FREE!!! hope to hear from you soon -Brandon TTC
Hey, you should watch this movie: ☮ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJG-Htk3FPc Try singing about some of this stuff!! I dare you. Make a real impact on people's lives.
Just stopping by. The band 20 GRIT will be on The Metal Scene T.V Show air on TV Station "KJLA" Reaching Over 4.5 Million Homes In The So.Cal Area airing Tues Oct 27th 10PM
Thanx for your support!!! We really appreciate it!!! Cheers! Mad Lion Team
OUT NOW!!! OUT NOW!!! OUT NOW!!!
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