Interview with We Sell The Dead's Niclas Engelin

Jack The Ripper is one of history's most notorious killers. Throughout the entertainment world, many books, movies, tv shows, etc; the man has been represented in many ways. But with We Sell The Dead, Jack takes more of an overhead inspiration over this band with dark melodies, heavy subject matter and haunting aesthetics that really give this band an original flavor. With the debut album, Heaven Doesn't Want You and Hell Is Full, is coming out February 23rd through earMUSIC, I had the opportunity to ask guitarist Niclas Engelin (In Flames, Engel) a few questions about this fantastic release. ENJOY!


Thank You very Much for taking the time to do this interview.
No worries, my pleasure!

First things first, how did We Sell The Dead come together?
It started with me an Jonas wanting to write and play some really heavy music together in the Sabbath-/Candlemass-vein. And we wanted the mighty voice of Apollo and the thunderous drums of Gas to be a part of it.

The debut album, Heaven Doesn't Want You and Hell Is Full, is coming out February 23rd through earMUSIC. How does it feel finally getting this album out?
Fantastic! There’s really no other word for it. I mean, we’ve built this totally from scratch ourselves, and have just done exactly what we want. So that’s an amazing feeling!

With that, how does it feel working with earMUSIC to get this album out?
Awesome! They are so professional and they have treated us with nothing but respect from day one, so it has been really great for us.

I’ve gotten the chance to be able to check out the album and I absolutely love what I hear. It really feels like it’s a great culmination of some of the best elements all of you have brought into your respective bands (past and present). Was this an intentional songwriting formula or how did you decide upon what direction this band would be going in?
As I said above; the songwriting was intentionally going in that direction, but we also wanted to feel free within that formula. Plus, everybody brings their own persona and style into the mix, so the final product never looks and sounds like the beginning.

The lyrical concepts are also very intriguing, discussing Jack The Ripper. Where did the idea come from to use him and his crimes as inspiration for the other aspects of the band?
Me, Jonas and Dan, the animator, talked a lot about how the visual setting was going to have a 19th century feel to it. And when that was decided, Jack the Ripper sort of just popped up. He is not really a figure in any of the lyrics, but you might say his spirit hovers over the entire project, haha!

So far, Turn It Over and Echos of an Ugly Past have been released as singles for the album. How did you decide on these two songs representing the album ahead of time?
Actually, as we speak, Pale and Perfect has also been released as video/single. But we chose those songs because they appear in that order in the story line of the videos, that Dan has thought up. On the album, they are in a different order, though.

Is there plans on releasing any other singles before or after the album’s release?
Yes! Six of the songs have animated videos, and they will all be released as singles.

With such a great album as Heaven Doesn't Want You and Hell Is Full, where do you see the band going from here, musically?
Jonas and me have already started working on the songs for the next album. No rest for the wicked! I don’t know, maybe we’ll go for a more fuzzy stoner sound next time. We talked about simplifying more on the new material, production wise. We’ll see.

So what are the plans for the band for the rest of 2018?
We want to play live, tour and meet audiences all over the world! And record songs for the next album!

With 2017 only being a short time behind us, did you have any favorite albums from last year?
I’m a huge Judas Priest fan and hearing the first 20 seconds of the song ”Firepower” made me dream of a new ”Painkiller” or ”Defenders Of The Faith. Those 20 seconds made the year for me.. But Arch Enemy or Rag ’n Bone Man Raaawked my world in 2017!!

Between We Sell The Dead and your other musical endeavors, what do you like to do in your free time?
I hang out with my kids & wife the free time and I like to keep myself in shape. And I like to spend time with friends and having a laugh!!

Once again, thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview. Like stated above, I really love what you guys have accomplished with this album. The songwriting is stellar, the production is pristine, and the dark atmosphere fits perfectly. I really hope others will enjoy this album as much as I do. Before we are done, is there anything else you would like to mention that I hadn’t brought up yet?
I would like to stress that this is a real band, not a project. We Sell The Dead is a band, and we are here to stay now. Thanks a lot for your kind words they warm my heart and a huge thank you for the interview and helping spreading the gospel of ”We Sell The Dead”!! 

We Sell The Dead- Heaven Doesn't Want You and Hell Is Full, is coming out February 23rd through earMUSIC