Fred Washburn

Sparzanza

I have to admit that the new SPARZANZA album caught me completely off guard; the addictive grooves and chorus along with the nice melodies convinced me to seek more info on this Swedish act and the band's singer Fred Washburn was more than kind to help me. So, read what he said while spinning the In Voodoo Veritas CD.
By Dimitris Kontogeorgakos
March 19, 2009
Fred Washburn (Sparzanza) interview

Interview with: Fred Washburn from SPARZANZA

Hail from METAL TEMPLE! I have to congratulate you about the new album it really Rocks!

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Hail from Sparzanza, and thanx!

You had recently a release party for the album; how did it go? Did you film any part of it?

It went really well and there were lots of people in the audience, but we unfortunately did not film any of it. Maybe next time!

What is the story behind the video clip “Methadream”? Who is responsible for this?

The video was made by a local guy named Ola Paulakoski and it revolves about this guy, who's struggling his inner demons of drug abuse!

So, did the guitar player change affect in any way the release of In Voodoo Veritas? How did you contact Magnus Eronen?

Magnus did not participate on this album, so we just did what we had to do... more metal! We contacted Magnus after the album was finished, because we knew him since before, and that he was a good guitar player who would fit perfectly in the SPARZANZA universe!

Let's talk about the album; how long did it take you to write the music? Was it a team effort?

When our last album, Banisher of the light, was released, we immediately started writing new songs for the next album. Writing songs is a process that sometimes can take several months, just because we try to raise our standards in songwriting for every new album, and since we all write everything together, we also have to agree that this is good shit!

I found it a little bit difficult to describe your music using the classic label; can you describe it from your point of view? What are your major influences?

Well, since our first album, people have labeled us as a Stoner band, but personally I'd say we've moved more into the Metal genre. All of us in the band have kind of different influences, so I can only speak for myself, but bands like PANTERA, FAITH NO MORE, SLIPKNOT and SOUNDGARDEN are probably MY biggest influences!

Who came up with the idea for this voodoo concept in the artwork and the promo pics?

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It all came up in the studio really, when we sat down trying to come up with a cool name for the album. We knew we wanted to have some kind of word game, so I came up with the idea of changing the old latin saying of In vino veritas, to In Voodoo veritas which basically means In voodoo lies the truth which we all thought sounded cool. Besides, voodoo isn't that commonly used in media today. When it came down to artwork and concept, we handed it over to a guy named Henrik Hedlund at Chaosmedia, a very talented dude from our hometown, who does this stuff all the time! It's as simple as that!

You have chosen to be actively involved in the production process; do you believe that the artists know what sound is the best for their music?

By the way I really loved the sound of the bass guitar. Sometimes yes, and sometimes no! That's why we involved producer Rikard Lofgren, who became sort of a sixth member in the band. He is very good at picking our songs apart, and then putting them together again...with that little extra to it. Regarding the sound of the album, we pretty much knew from the beginning what we wanted to sound like!

Expanding the previous question; how much important is the producer to the success of an album? Are there 'golden' recipes to make an album?

He he... I wish there were, but I think that over the years we have got a lot better at writing new material, and with the help of Rikard Lofgren it's even better, so I'd say that the producer, in our case, is very important!

I think 'veritas' stands for 'truth', so what is the meaning behind the album's title In Voodoo Veritas?

Plain and simple, In voodoo lies the truth!

What is the lyrical content of the album and who is responsible for it?

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In the creating phase it's mostly me and Johan (bass player) who writes all the lyrics, with a few exceptions. In the studio we tend to re-write a lot of material, and once again it's Rikard Lofgren who contributes there!

Who did play the keyboards? And will you get a session musician to take care of them on concert?

Once again the credit goes to Rikard Lofgren, who did all programming and keyboards on the album, not that there is that much though. Live, we have them on backtrack!

Your tour program contains Swedish and Finish dates; what about the rest of Europe, do you have any plans for summer festivals?

Europe is definitely in our game plan, it's just a matter of when. And we will try to play as many festivals as we possibly can this summer... festivals are always fucking awesome!

What about a live DVD; have you ever thought of making one?

The thought has crossed our minds a couple of times, but nothing planned yet... let's see what happens!

Ok, Fred it was pleasure having you in METAL TEMPLE. I wish you the best for the future and hope to see you live in Greece. Give the last words to this interview.

Well, stay metal, drink beer and buy our albums. See you on the road!

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