Swedish gothic rock act Scheitan has a new single and accompanying music video out in ‘Believe‘, taken from their upcoming album Songs For The Gothic People.
Guitarist, multi-instrumentalist & vocalist Pierre Törnkvist commented on the new single: “’Believe’ was one of the earlier tracks I wrote for the new album. Ghost had just released their eminent song ‘My Little Sunshine’ and I was inspired by the tempo of the track, I think it has a certain groove to it. Mr. Forge is one of the most prominent songwriters of our time so catching a bit of inspiration from him can’t do any harm.
“To me, the lyrics have a double edge. At first glance, they could be seen as written from a pure ‘I’ perspective, what ‘I believe’. But one could also interpret it as a general ‘I believe’ followed blindly by many people. They all claim to believe in some kind of god and goodness but there is more fire than ever in the world, look at Ukraine, Israel, Gaza and all acts of terror constantly committed in the name of god. Maybe your gods are not the gods they claim to be?
The single is available on Spotify and all other digital platforms, and you can check out the video here at RAMzine.
“The album has now been completely recorded/mastered and I am really looking forward to presenting it to the audience. Scheitan will also perform live in 2024. So far, only one show in close proximity to our hometown Luleå has been announced and a show in Athens, Greece but we are talking with some promoters.”
“The album has now been completely recorded/mastered and I am really looking forward to presenting it to the audience,” Törnkvist continued. “Scheitan will also perform live in 2024. So far, only one show in close proximity to our hometown Luleå has been announced and a show in Athens, Greece but we are talking with some promoters.”
Following a 24-year hiatus, Swedish gothic rock act Scheitan returned with a series of singles, the third being a cover of the Billy Idol classic ‘White Wedding’.
“Billy Idol has always been one of my favourite artists,” said Törnkvist. “It was the same for Oscar, Scheitan’s drummer who tragically passed away some years ago. And I think Oscar would have approved of this version of ‘White Wedding’. We talked many times about recording ‘Rebel Yell’ with our other band Helltrain but I think this one will do equally good.
“I tried to go for a bit more goth than rock in the soundscape and vocals. Billy is an excellent singer so it would just have been stupid to try to replicate some of the stuff he does in the track. I know my place and capabilities.
The single is available digitally here and you can check out the lyric video here at RAMzine.
Previous singles were ‘Lost in Time’, dedicated to the people of Ukraine, and its follow ‘Fire At Dawn‘ taken from their upcoming album Songs For The Gothic People to be released in Spring 2024 by Greek independent label The Circle Music.
Of the latter single, Törnkvist commented: “I feel that this became a nice follow up to the last single, ‘Lost in Time’, almost like two siblings of songs that each have their own identity but have a connection somehow. Not all songs on the album will have this traditional mid-tempo gothic rock style but these two turned out that way.
“I have never liked to speak about lyrical themes but it has almost become a necessary evil these days. The song speaks to the heart of those of us who do not feel like a part of contemporary society, those of us who feel the fire from within, the instinct to defy all that is wrong in this world. If you have the fire inside, you already know, for sure.
“I will now keep working on the rest of the tracks for the album, a lot of ideas are already in progress and I am basically spending time in the studio 4-5 days a week, a bit here and there. We hope to have another single released after the birth of the new year and then we will celebrate the new album in the spring of 2024. I think it will be one of the best post-rock efforts in a long time, I am quite sure of that.”
‘Fire At Dawn’ is available on all digital platforms here.
‘Lost in Time’ was available in two formats: A demo version & final version mixed by Daniel Bergstrand of DugOut Sturdio via Spotify or other digital streaming platforms, and the single itself available via Scheitan’s Bandcamp and The Circle Music Bandcamp. That single should appeal to fans of The Sisters Of Mercy, Fields Of The Nephilim and The 69 Eyes, and there was a video shot for it that you can check out here at RAMzine.
Commenting on the return of Scheitan, following 1999’s Nemesis album, released back then via Century Media Records, Törnkvist revealed: “I had a really tough time deciding what to do with this track. First I was looking for a new project name but as time passed by I realised this had to be presented under the Scheitan banner as it was so close musically to what was presented on Nemesis except for the vocals, which was the last piece missing.
“The song is dedicated to the people of Ukraine. I wrote the lyrics for the song as the Russian tanks entered into the suburbs of Kyiv. Myself being a father I spent a lot of time thinking about having to take the decision to leave everyone and everything you love for a higher cause. I also thought a lot about all the Ukrainian soldiers who went to the frontlines, leaving their loved ones to face death. The lyrics say ‘I have been turning down the things I have desired’, the desire of most people is just to be with the ones they love – the ultimate sacrifice is to give all that up in exchange for the freedom and safety of other people.
“We played with Helltrain in Kyiv in 2011, both before and after the show we made friends for life. I will never forget the warmth and kindness of the Ukrainian people, I highly doubt that I will ever experience such a concert again.”
Regarding the signing to Greek label, The Circle Music, Törnkvist said: “I was really happy to sign with The Circle Music. From our short contact prior to signing the contract I could feel that we share a common view of music and I also think that we will work very well together to reach common goals. The Circle Music met my demands with 100% accuracy and I am looking very much forward to working together.”
Scheitan was formed in 1996 by Törnkvist together with Oscar Karlsson on drums. The duo started out as a black metal band but transformed during the musical journey into the fields of gothic/ambient rock. Both members had previous musical experience mainly in death and black metal such as The Moaning, Defleshed, The Everdawn and Gates Of Ishtar and established themselves in the 90s underground scene.
Scheitan released its first album Travelling In Ancient Times on Invasion Records in 1996. The album was an eight-track blast of intense black metal except for the last track ‘Portals Of Might’ that was the first indication of them wanting to explore other musical realms. The second album Berzerk 2000, also released on Invasion Records in 1998 was an album that was divided to say the least. The first four tracks showing a gothic/ambient feel while the last three saw Scheitan bid a final farewell to its black metal roots. Those first four tracks saw a digital rerelease in 2021 as the Deathgoth EP.
Century Media signed the band after the contract with Invasion was finished and in 1999 the band recorded and released Nemesis. The musical style was now completely devoted to the gothic/ambient/dark domain except for the vocals of Törnkvist, that remained in the harsh style that was present on earlier albums. The Nemesis album has in later days been hailed as a hidden gem and predecessor to many bands today with a similar style. Following Nemesis, the duo felt the songs being written were again of a different style, leading to them forming Helltrain, with Scheitan left to rest until now.
