Elise was up first, now it’s my turn. I was lucky enough to be able to sit down with Christopher Amott of Arch Enemy when they rolled through NYC last week and we talked about vegetarianism, YouTube… and 70’s style pop/rock? Seeing them perform at the Nokia was just the cherry on top. No wonder they were the band that got me into metal in the first place…
Your brother and Angela are both vegetarian, are you as well?
Yep. I’m more of a modern vegetarian. It’s common to eat fish, but not eat meat. I eat fish, eggs, milk, all that.
With one Swedish parent and one English parent do you have more of a preference for Swedish fish or fish and chips?
Fish and chips are disgusting. I like Swedish fish.
What about English tea?
I’m a big tea drinker, yes. I could live without coffee, but not without tea.
Since you’re also a vocalist, what do you think about the debate of whether or not clean vocals are considered metal?
I mean, Iron Maiden not metal? Maybe singing isn’t DEATH metal, but I’m not a purist like that. It’s up to the fans I guess, but I can’t get into that argument.
What about that rumored solo album?
I just finished it… It’s not metal, it’s more soft, pop/rock, singer/songwriter, 70’s, it’s kind of mixed-up. Some of it is more psychedelic, some of it is more laid back, more bluesy. I sing, write, and play guitar. I also started painting in recent years, so I’ve done the front cover too.
Do you think it’ll crossover well to Arch Enemy fans?
Yeah, maybe half the Arch Enemy fans will appreciate it, and the other half will be too young, or too narrow-minded.
Metalocalypse! Michael and Angela have both done voices, would you do a voice?
Well, I don’t think my voice is that great, but I haven’t been asked.
Do you have a favorite character?
I’ve really only seen the episode Michael was in… I like the guy Michael was playing!
How do you waste time?
I try not to waste any time. Recently I’ve become very anchored. I’ve gotta be productive, I’ve gotta work. I used to just sit around and waste a lot of time. I just try to be creative, take care of emails and keep the ball rolling. I paint and draw a lot, I read. I never really watch TV, I’m more of an internet junkie. A lot of Wikipedia or YouTube. That’s my nickname in the band, “YouTube!”
