Chris Connelly Interview

You have had a very prolific career as a musician but what some people might not know is that you’re also an author. Your first book was Confessions of the Highest Bidder. Can you tell us a little about its content?

Confessions was basically a collection of songwords, starting from around 1982, which is when I was in my nascent stages as a songwriter, I suppose, it follows me through my move to the states and through several subtle stylistic changes as a writer-that being said, to the outside reader (i.e. someone who is not me) I think it is apparent that several things in my writing are constants. I also published a number of pieces in this book which were not songwords, they are simply poems, some of them later became songs.

With the perspective of time, what is the piece from that book that you’re proudest of? Why?

Oh, that’s hard-I actually am looking at it right now, and my answer cannot be concrete-sorry, I am not a contrarian, but writing for me carries with it the perspective of my own abstraction so, to answer your question, there are pieces in there that are very visceral and intuitive, the bits where I am writing about nature or the asymmetry of nature perhaps, that’s when I feel I have bypassed the human and am writing instinctively.

Matt Barlow Interview

What were the reasons that made you want to become a police officer?

I really felt a sense of pride and personal responsibility because each of my family members had served in the military / law enforcement.  I wanted to contribute to the community and have a stable environment for raising a family.

Do you remember your first assignment as a police officer? How did it go?

I remember trying to get used to shift work…man, that was rough!  It’s pretty difficult working through the night on a twelve hour shift.  I’m much better at it now…I think.

Angela Gossow Interview

A few months ago Arch Enemy teamed up with Amnesty International on tour to support the “Expression of Freedom” campaign. Can you tell us a little about the experience and the message behind it? it sounds very interesting

AI is running a campaign called Art4Amnesty, where all kinds of artists with different ethnic, political and social background get involved in actively promoting AI’s human rights messages. We support the ‘Freedom Of Expression’ campaign as the topic is naturally very close to our hearts. We are fortunate to live in a part of the world where we can communicate our thoughts and beliefs without being threatened or punished for it. We want to raise awareness that this freedom is not the norm in other parts of the world. Many artists are being punished by governments for their visual art, music or general message. We hope one day everybody will be able to express themselves freely! AI came along with us on tour in Europe and the US, they had booths and campaigners at our shows, collecting signatures, giving out flyers and recruiting new supporters. The collaboration was very successful and I am proud of our fans and the metal scene to have the courage to get actively involved and practice.. not just preach!