Amaranthe don't care to be pinned down. Since their 2011 debut, the Swedish band has incorporated everything from power and symphonic metal to pop, melodeath and metalcore to create a fascinating fusion of styles that remains as distinct with each new release.
Hammer caught up with vocalist Elize Ryd to talk childhood, part-time jobs and secret musical ambitions...
You grew up around ballet and jazz. How did metal come into the picture?
“Well, I was born in Värnamo, Sweden, which is 20 minutes from where Metallica’s tour bus crashed in 1986. My town was very Christian, so metal was often considered dangerous, but when [Metallica bassist] Cliff Burton died, it was such a huge event.
I think it made the community a lot more aware of metal music. It led to my older brother getting really into metal and becoming a growler!”
A growler?
“A total growler! He’s since passed away, but my brother was a massive metal fan. He would wear all these different band t-shirts, had really long hair, and I thought he was so cool. He was so brave for standing out in our small town.
When I was small, he showed me Hole and Queen, and he’d say, ‘We’ll start you on the softer stuff, then you can move onto the harder stuff!’ He even played in bands, and he’d take me to his shows. I remember being about five years old, sneaking into these small clubs and the music sounded brutal!”
Was your brother a big musical inspiration, then?
“I think so. My mindset was always that I wanted to honour my brother, but to also connect and honour all the musical interests of my family. Amaranthe was my own way of doing that. It’s also why I’ve never been shocked about people’s comments about mixing different genres together – because that mixing of sounds is how it is in a normal family, right?”
How did you start out in music?
“In my town, many families went to church, and they basically relied on kids for all the entertainment. If you were a kid, you’d get handed a microphone and have to sing every Christmas or Easter. That’s where it started for me, aged three – the Christians were my first ‘audience’. After, I was always involved in music. In ninth grade, I even chose to go to a musical high school – a real life High School Musical.”
What’s the crappiest job you’ve had?
“At 15 I moved out, so I had to work to afford rent and toilet paper. I lived with my sister in Gothenburg, and I worked as a cleaning lady, and at a call centre. I mostly called my friends at that job though, so I was fired. They were like, ‘Elize, you’re not fooling anyone! You’re just costing us money because you’re just calling your boyfriend!’”
And what was your favourite part-time job?
“Being a dishwasher in a restaurant! I could sing really loudly and eat snacks. It was like, ‘Oh, I’ll have a little chocolate cookie while I’m doing the dishes and daydreaming…’ I’d mostly dream about becoming an artist. I wanted to do musicals, but I really wanted to write my own songs, sing my own words. I think musicals aren’t entirely off the table, though – I think that I can always go back to musicals later on in life.”
Is that the plan after Amaranthe? Become a musical queen?
“It would be very fun to act on the West End or Broadway. It’s on my bucket list. I have a few dream roles: I’ve love to play Christine in Phantom Of The Opera or even older Cosette from Les Misérables.”
Not Fantine? Or is her story a little too tragic…?
“‘I dreamed a dream in time gone by…!’ Ah, her story is sad, but I’d love to perform her part too. Wicked is another dream, and I especially love Elphaba’s ‘belting’ style in Defying Gravity. I know so much musical history – many people I meet are metal nerds, but I am definitely a musical nerd!”
You should try to add some musical elements to any upcoming shows!
“I’d love to have a sparkly dress but it doesn’t suit the music just yet. We’re just about to start songwriting for new music; maybe I’ll push for a more ‘musical’ sound. But I’d have to be careful if I did wear a big, flowing dress onstage… I’d be worried about pyro setting me on fire!"
Amaranthe's latest album The Catalyst is out now via Nuclear Blast.
