Just before the release of The Doomsayers Call, I was given the chance to get some questions over to the guys of Coldworker for an interview. Anders Jakobson is the man to respond.

---

Thank you for taking some time to answer some questions. How’s everything on your end? Going well I hope? No major problems?

Anders:
Yes, happy about “The Doomsayer’s Call” finally has been released and ready to promote it live!

First of all, Coldworker was originally signed to Relapse, but now you guys are on Listenable Records. Was this change a necessary one for the band, or was it all just business related such as a contract coming to an end?

Anders:
It was business related. The contract came to an end. sort of. I explain more below.

How has Listenable Records been handling Coldworker since you guys signed up with them? Any real differences between the two?

Anders:
It’s too early to notice the big differences but so far everything has been good. We have nothing but good things to say about Listenable.

Rotting Paradise came out in 2008, putting a large gap between it and The Doomsayer’s Call. Was this due to the line-up change, such as having to get Daniel Schröder up to speed with everyone, or did it take you guys that long to get the material together?

Anders:
Daniel has been in the band since 2006 so he was not the issue. One big part in the gap is that “The Doomsayer’s Call” was finished and ready to be pressed a whole year before it actually was released. The album was recorded in December 2010 and January 2011 and by February 2011 it was mixed and ready to go. Unfortunately Relapse decided to not use their option and we were left without a record deal. So there were a few months where we were talking to other labels before inking a deal with Listenable. Due to different circumstances the album had to be postponed a couple of times until we finally put it out in February 2012. We did however put a little more time than usual writing the songs and making everything perfect before we started recording the album.

Sorry for the confusion on the timeline, clearly my research gave me the wrong information. Coldworker definitely sounds a lot tighter than before. Do you feel that “The Doomsayer’s Call” has been a positive progression for the group?

Anders:
Yes we have grown to be a tighter and better band during the years. It’s what you call natural progression. We always try to improve with each and every recording, writing stronger songs and pushing our own limits a little bit further. So The Doomsayer’s Call is definitively a big part in our development as a band.

I noticed plenty of songs that had a good mixture of the Death Metal and Grindcore styles, and plenty that catered to one or the other. Did you and the others of the band go into the writing of The Doomsayer’s Call making it a point to keep a good deal of variety?

Anders:
We’ve worked hard on making good, individual songs. We want our songs to “work” outside their natural environment. I.e. you should be able to enjoy song #7 without knowing how it relates to song #6 or #8, but at the same time get the whole picture when you listen to the complete album. So variety is a must!

How about with the production? Are you guys satisfied with the way the album came out, especially in the drums considering how low the bass kicks came out?

Anders:
We are very satisfied with the production. We like the good and natural sound and that’s what you’ll get on “The Doomsayer’s Call”. We’ve used almost the exact same recording process and team from the start and it’s really nice to see how our productions evolve at the same pace as our song writing.

Sorry if it seems I’m repeating myself, but how about the promotion? I honestly didn’t even know “Rotting Paradise” existed until I got the review copy of The Doomsayer’s Call, which says a lot because I loved your debut album and was waiting for a follow-up. Has Listenable Records done anything different or really unique to push this album compared to past labels?

Anders:
That’s unfortunate that you missed “Rotting Paradise”. I don’t have a full insight in how Listenable works with promotion and so on, but the album is out there and the reviews and interviews keep coming in, so the promotion machine seems to be working fine!

Will you guys also be following what seems to be your growing trend and issuing another split release following “The Doomsayer’s Call?” If so, with who, or who would you like to if you have the chance?

Anders:
No split release is planed at the moment. The first one, with Pig Destroyer and Antigama, was something that Relapse put together, just collecting a few Japanese bonustracks on a 7″. The other one, with Deathbound, is more a “real” release in my view. We had two songs left over from the “Rotting Paradise” session that was suitable to put on a split release. Right now we don’t have any left over songs available.

How about any tour dates. I see you’re playing the Neurotic Deathfest in Tilburg on March 3rd, but are there any other plans in the works right now? Maybe the possibility of a North American tour?

Anders:
We are looking at some different options right now, but there will be something. North America would be cool, so hopefully that will happen some day as well.

Is there anything else you would like to mention that I didn’t get to touch on?

Anders:
Thanks for the interview. Check out coldworker.com or facebook.com/coldworker for news and more info.

Anytime, and thank you very much for getting back to me so quickly. I appreciate it. Take care!

Interview conducted thanks to Listenable Records via Clawhammer PR.