FEATURES

DESTYNATION are making waves, despite their isolation way in the North of Sweden, due to their dark, almost EVERGREY-like but very steely and precise power metal sound. The intrigue comes through the experience gained as ETERNIA, as well as an assimilation of al the great unsung Swedish bands from the mid-’80s. Another comparative might be NOCTURNAL RITES, as both acts seem to possess a gravitas that puts them outside of trend, outside of all the new clichés, but embracing of old ones. It’s a strange, irresistible mix, a canny time-travel, and a worthy trip for those who wish to take it.

“We had reached the point where we could choose to keep struggling in vain,” says guitarist and keyboardist and spiritual leader of the band Ronny Blylod, on the changeover from Eternia, “or we could drop everything and just give up, or we could start all over again from scratch. The last alternative was the most appealing to us since our music, lyrics approach and appearance had changed too much to still be associated with the name Eternia and all the fantasy-influenced aspects that it stands for.”

Asked for a brief history of the band, Ronny explains that, “In the beginning there was Eternia, created by Magnus, Daniel and Patrik, in 95. A year later I teamed up with this bunch of merry fellas! One year later, vocalist Mats Dahlberg was invited to join the band and decided to give it a shot. He remained as frontman from 1997 until 2003 when we went our separate ways. We recorded the demo The Guardian Of The Treasure, which got great response and the interest of some labels. We signed with Ufo Records and released the full-length album Tales Of Power in 2002. In 2004 Andy was recruited and participated on the Shadowgate EP. But shortly after we decided it was time to move on and let go of the Eternia days. We formed a new band in February 2005, still same members but with a completely new direction in both music and lyrics. We recorded a three song demo which caught the interest of many labels, among them Sonic Age Records whom we had been in contact with for a long time. Now we both knew it was time to start a cooperation. So we were offered a worldwide deal and then recorded Rising Up.”

And no recording bands before Eternia?

“No, not really, but before the Eternia days Magnus, Daniel and Patrik used to play in a punk rock band and I was in a KING DIAMOND cover band called NYPON & BLYLOD - the name had nothing to do with King Diamond. We participated on a King Diamond tribute album called Church Of The Devil for Dwell Records, but we did also record some of our own material too and managed to create a five song demo. And later signed with LNP Records who unfortunately went out of business shortly after. I think this is the only recording project worth mentioning, as it's the only project which after all gained a small amount of feedback from around the world, mostly coming from King Diamond fans. But still, besides these bands we've played in many different bands in different genres before joining forces in 1996.”

I asked Ronny to articulate the Destynation sound in contrast to that of Eternia. “We try to focus more on the melodies thanks to Andy's incredible great and melodic clean voice. We also want to make it as heavy as we possibly can and in some aspects we managed this, but I can tell you that some of the songs for the next album are really heavy... and I mean heavy (laughs). This is the way we always wanted it to sound. Almost like EUROPE but with a heavier punch and more attitude. We wanted to add more keyboards but since we're still searching for a keyboard player we didn't want to over-do it in order to maintain a similar sound when performing live.”

Ronny seems to agree with my comparison of his band to the cult classic Nocturnal Rites. “Sure, I would definitely say that our sound is a mix between DREAM EVIL and Nocturnal Rites, with a touch of Europe.” (Note: if that last rankles a bit, realize that this band has more in common with the crushing and under-rated self-titled debut from the ‘Countdown’ band, and not the later commercial fare). “I think that we succeeded to create our own sound instead of being one of those ‘copycats’ because we have never been trying to copy anything. We write whatever we feel like and we only write stuff that we find exciting, melodic and cool. Some people might not think the same; some may hate our music and call us copycats but that's just a matter of taste. Who knows... maybe I think their music is the worst ever?! Who is right, who is wrong? I think we're all right. I think that Andy's voice reminds people of Anders Zackrisson, Joey Tempest or Olaf Hayer and therefore draws the parallel to these bands. Although if you listen harder you can sense some King Diamond influences, CRIMSON GLORY, QUEENSRYCHE… even bands like DEATH have inspired many of us both as musicians and songwriters.”

Ronny alludes to a fair bit of psychological and emotional strife surrounding the band and its past, but doesn’t want to go into details. You can hear it in the impassioned and dark melodies on Rising Up, in the almost claustrophobic structures, and for now, that will have to suffice…

“Yes well, there's too much to even talk about it here,” laughs Ronny. “We could easily write a book about it. It is very much about the band history and the band situation, personal experiences during the last years and such stuff that could easily make you give up. Some things almost turned into police business. I don't really want to get any closer to that subject. So we leave it there; it's just bad stuff. But I noticed there's a lot of anger and confusion in our lyrics, still with a glance at a brighter sky in the distance which encourages you to keep struggling. So that's my own personal conclusion - that in some way our experiences are showing through our music.”

Curiously, Ronny also mentions the word envy, when looking at the band and its environment. How so? “There have been times when people talk very bad behind our backs, a lot of gossip because everyone knows everyone. I believe this is caused by the ‘small town syndrome.’ People envy those who succeed, maybe due to their own failure? It's hard to stand and fight against this type of envy from an entire village/city. You know, it's almost impossible to get anywhere. It's like ‘access denied’ everywhere - you get rejected by most people. It's like a grand conspiracy. Finally you break apart and give up.”

So, er, where is this place?

“We live in a small town located in the northeastern coast of Sweden, surrounded by hills and woods. It's called The High Coast and was actually included in the World Heritage List of UNESCO Sites in the year 2000 because of its grand magnificent nature. The closest band around here is Nocturnal Rites who live a little further north from us. We sometimes go and visit them, as we are friends and it's not that far away, only a one hour car ride. That's also the hometown of the band PERSUADER. The closest band south from here is probably THE STORYTELLER, about four hours car ride from here. They are very good friends to us and we've played many gigs together through the years and will hopefully team up again someday soon.”

Delving into the varied origins of the songs on Rising Up, Ronny explains that “’Shadowgate’ and ‘Signs’ for example are both from the Shadowgate EP. We believed in those songs, enough to give them another try. We also knew we could do them better now than the old versions and they only received a minor facelift. ‘Freedom’ is actually a rewritten song dated back to ‘99 I think, though it was named differently and had a completely different approach and you can hardly recognize it, I assure you. We knew it had potential and it was just a matter of time. ‘The Shadows Remain’ was a difficult song to complete. At first we couldn't get it together; the verse and chorus didn't match at all. It was like two, three different songs in one and we tried different solutions but we never got it right until the recording of Rising Up began. Then we tried one final change with new chords, new melodies and a very different style, and there it was. The songs ‘Back From The Dark’, ‘Spirits’ and ‘Evil Tonight’ are examples of completely new songs which were written only for this album. I think the strangest track on here would be ‘The Tears I Cry’. Yeah, the lyrics are really far-out, all seen through the eyes of a person who suffers from very severe delusions and doesn't quite recognize the world he's in. Me and Daniel wrote the lyrics on a dark and stormy winter night - I think that's a big reason why it turned out the way it did (laughs).”

I’d say my favourite is ‘Evil Tonight’ because of its heavy power sing-along chorus… it's definitely a very cool song, with a touch of the progressive - I never get tired hearing it. ‘Back From The Dark’ is also cool because I think it’s got that old Nocturnal Rites style which I like a lot, some cool riffing and a chorus which makes you happy and also some fast speed picking on the solo parts, which I'm actually satisfied with.”

The Rising Up songs are delivered with a very icy, chilly production sound, especially down into the drums, which attack near PANTERA-esque levels, specifically at the bass drum. As regards production, Ronny – also the producer of the album – opines, “I like very much the Dream Evil sound, and also the new Nocturnal Rites sound. I wanted to give the production a little touch of everything, not too much rhythm guitars because I find that irritating on an album. It should be a perfect balance of guitars, bass drums, with the string section floating on top of everything. Then the vocals, clean with nice melodies yet hard soul-piercing power in the voice. I think we managed all that. Anyway I'm very satisfied with the whole production, and I also knew that all band members would do their best so there wasn't any doubt in any of our instrumental performances.”

And if it’s ticking you off trying to spell the band’s name, take solace in that some thought has gone into the assembly of the tricky moniker. Says Ronny, “The name comes the rising of a band who's been through hell and is now back with a new face. Destynation is like a combination of the words Destiny, Destination
and Nation which creates something like ‘A Destined Destination with music for the Nation’ - DestyNation. Meaning that destiny has a plan for us and our music in this world. Isn't that a cool thought? (laughs).”

In closing, Ronny charts the future for this well-grounded, rich with experience act. “Both Sonic Age and us guys are working real hard to get a tour as soon as possible. But we're at the same time waiting for sales statistics and there's really not much we can do at the moment except for planning and waiting. There are some plans which unfortunately are confidential right now but as soon as we get anything concrete to announce, no one will be happier than ourselves! As for right now, we're concentrating writing new cool heavy material, updating the studio and the festival gigs. We're currently booked for five Swedish festivals, from north to south. It will be a lot of fun as we’ve got some surprises here and there…”

See www.destynation.com or See www.sonicagerecords.com for more.