As stated countless times already, one of the intentions behind this webzine, is to bring you some interviews with up and coming acts. NIGHT from Linköping in Sweden has only released a single so far, containing two songs that I found promising, but not groundbreaking by any means. However, as Rome wasn’t built in a day, new bands deserve a couple of more opportunities before we slam the metal axe down on them. NIGHT is already planning a full length album, and if the singer Burning Fire, can work a little on his vocals, making them sound less strained, and resist reaching for the highest notes, we could have another cool, rocking band in the vein of fellow Swedes, Screamer. Guitarist Midnight Proppen is the man answering all our questions.
Please give the readers of Metal Squadron a brief insight into the story of NIGHT. When was the band formed, by whom, and with what kind of intentions?
– NIGHT was formed in the beginning of 2011 by guitarists Midnight Proppen and Burning Fire. We really started the band because we love to play heavy metal, and that’s what the intentions were, to play the music that we love. Bassist Highway Filip was added to the line-up, and later on came Linus Lightning on drums.
Do you have experience from other metal bands, or is NIGHT the first one for all of you?
– Both me and Burning Fire were in a heavy metal band called Road Raiders before we started NIGHT, but that band never made it out of Linköping. Linus was in the thrash/hardcore band Guilty, which toured all over Europe on several occasions.
It seems like many Swedish bands that later go on to be quite successful, start out with a single as their first official release. Lately, I can think of Ghost , Enforcer, In Solitude and Helvetes Port to name a few. Why does this format suit NIGHT at an early stage in your career?
– We really wanted to come out strong, to get the word out you know, and felt that a single was the right way to start, and at the same time promote our upcoming full length. Besides, releasing a 7’’ single is really cool!
NIGHT– a very short, simple and effective name. A band name you simply can’t forget and at the same time a very much used theme and metaphor in metal music, does that sum up your own thoughts behind the choice of band name?
– Well, we felt that we needed a name that really stood out, and that people would not forget at the same time. So when we figured it out, the choice was really easy. Besides, the word “night”, you can’t really get more heavy metal than that!
We have to talk a little about the artwork of the single. It definitely stands out, but at the same time I can’t free myself from the thought that it’s done with a sense of humor. I mean, that is one mean looking owl if I ever saw one… 
– Haha, we wanted to do something that would be incredibly cool and really represent what we stand for, and we thought long and hard before we came up with the whole artwork. But I really think we succeeded.
The songs on the single were recorded live in the studio. What do you want to achieve with recording this way? How did it affect the result in the end? Will you continue to use this method in the future?
– We wanted to do a record that sounded like heavy metal should sound, and therefore we decided to record everything live, because that’s the way a lot of bands did it back in the seventies and eighties. I’m really happy with the way the songs turned out, as I think they represent us really well, so we are gonna record our full length the same way we recorded the single, as we really see the single as a appetizer for the record.
Tell us a little about your label, Gaphals. How did you get in contact with them? I understand that your first full length will be released on this label also, but in the long run, do you see this small label as a springboard to bigger and better things?
– As Gaphals is Linköpings based, we had a relationship with the guys for quite a long time before we agreed to sign a deal with them. I think the label is great in that aspect that they really love what they’re doing, and they think the same as us, more often than not, which is great when you work together. Because all we really want is to release the best heavy metal we can do, and so far Gaphals has been great with helping us with that! But who knows what the future holds….
The songs on the single are a bit different, with “Stand Your Ground” definitely being the most metallic track, while “Hard Working Man”, as you know immediately when you see a title like that, is a rockier tune. Do these two tracks reflect how what the album will sound like? A mix between metal and hard rock? Does these two songs also reflect the main inspirations for the band – let me suggest everything between NWOBHM and AC/DC?
– I think that the songs represent the album quite good, although not necessarily all of it. Our biggest influences are Judas Priest and Saxon, but the record I think does not really sound like nothing else than NIGHT. It’s really best described as true heavy metal, with all that goes with it!
You’ve also made a video for the song “Stand Your Ground”. Just to promote the band and the single, or did you want to try out how this medium works for a band like NIGHT?
– The video was made mainly to promote the band and the single, but we also wanted to try out a different medium than the one we are used to, and I think the result was quite good, for a video that’s completely done by ourselves.
Do you already have the material to record the full length album? When can we expect it? Will you use the same studio?
– As we speak, the songs for the album are almost done, with one or two songs missing. However, that can of course change during the recordings, but the material is in most parts done. We will once again use Studio Hufvudstaden and the great Niels Nielsen as a studio and producer, as we felt that the singles came out so good. The record can be expected this autumn/winter, but we will release another single before that, this spring!
You’ve built a reputation as a strong live act. What are your strengths as a live act? Have you been performing all original material from the start, are have you (or are you still) including cover songs in your live set?
– I think that our strength lies in our image, our songs and our stage presence. Many bands nowadays forget about their image and just walk up on stage dressed the same way that they would dress at home. When I go see a band, I wanna see a show, and I think that’s what makes NIGHT a great live act, that we put on a good heavy metal show. We have always only performed original songs, with maybe one or two exceptions as an encore.
Metal Squadron 