Interview: "The Godfather of Buzzsaw" Tomas Skogsberg of Sunlight Studio by Danny Nichols

Death Metal may have been birthed in England and California and popularized in Florida, but a case can be made for it having been perfected in Sweden.  

Many of the most influential bands of the genre (Dismember, Entombed, Grave, Treblinka, Carbonized, Carnage, Grotesque, Therion, Afflicted, Dark Throne, Cemetery, Refused, At the Gates, Katatonia, to name just a few), not only got their start in Sweden, but recorded at the same studio under the guidance of the same producer/recorder; Tomas Skogsberg of Sunlight Studio in Stockholm.  

Skogsberg, while working with Entombed on their debut album, Left Hand Path in 1989, innovated the sound of the buzzsaw guitar, which has become a staple of the genre ever since.  This essential sound has come to be referred to as the Sunlight Studio Tone.

It was an honor to be able to interview the Godfather of the Buzzsaw, or as another publication once described him the “Uber-god of Death Metal”, Tomas Skogsberg.

Danny at Glacially Musical: What were your musical tastes and musical influences prior to establishing Sunlight Studio? What bands were you listening to before becoming a part of the industry yourself?

Tomas Skogsberg: Black Sabbath,The Beatles,Yes

GM: Are there any producers or sound engineers whom you consider to be a particular influence?

TS: Rick Rubin,George Martin,Trevor Horn

GM: How did you learn the business and process of music recording?

TS: I learn myself, and watching and listening to the masters.

GM: How did the establishment of Sunlight Studio come about?

TS: I was tired of hearing that it could not proceed with things in the studio because of a tired sound engineer.

LP Review: "Delirious Excursion" by Darkrypt

Delirious Excursion

Historically speaking, music has been traditionally segregated among races, nationalities, and creeds.

Frankly, this is not a concept that's easy to understand for this blogger.

Let's get in the Wayback Machine all the way to 1986 when the Beastie Boys were unleashing Licensed To Ill on Def Jam Records, owned by Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons.

They had the first major hip-hop album to hit Number One on the Billboard Charts. The Beastie Boys of course, were a former punk band peopled with Jewish New Yorkers...some of whom then transitioned to Buddhism.

Like The Run DMC version of Walk This Way released just months previous, they added colors to the palette for that genre of music. Well, what about going back even further to the Yardbirds playing 12 bar blues...a band that gave birth to Cream and Led Zeppelin. Again...palettes were expanded.

EP Review: "On The Outskirts of Hades" by Paganizer

On The Outskirts of Hades

When I go to certain restaurants, ordering the same thing each time is a common occurrence for me.

Like Dante from Clerks, I'm not always ready to risk my comfortable situation for the fabulous prices. At Crusoe's, the fried chicken is always perfect.

When the family is at Culpeppers, the Stake Sandwich never failed to create cheers.

What's all that matter?

Though many of us are fans of avant garde music the likes we have never heard before doesn't mean that adherence to convention is a bad thing.

Take the most avant garde music from 2016 and deconstruct it. You'll be left, most likely, with several different conventions from several different types of music, but it's not normal for doom metal to be laden with blast beats....see?

Album Review: "Age of the Fanatics" by Gutter Instinct

Age of the Fanatics

It's come to my attention that my taste in food and beverage might be a bit too narrow.

On a recent outing at Small Batch, there was literally nothing on the menu on that seemed remotely appealing once I read the entire description of the entree.

To the surprise of my companions, for the first time in my life, my dinner was going to be a Caesar salad just, as in nothing else.

What ended up happening is that our host ended up ordering several of their small plates and we shared them. The black bean tacos that put me off tasted so delightful.

The pot stickers that had the wrong meat in them were divine. In fact, nothing that went down my gullet was anything less than amazing, and that's not just the whiskey! A narrow vision is a terrible thing that's only going to cause problems. In fact, how many of us metal fans have not said that to a friend, family member, or co-worker...open minds change the world.