“I hope that the listeners can feel the passion that we put into the album” – interview with Adept

Swedish metalcore band Adept played at both Summer Breeze and Reload festival this summer, and when they were at the first one we had the opportunity to chat with them about their upcoming release, pizza and ninjas!

Hello guys, how are you doing today?

Robert Ljung: We are super fine, very good, hot. Sweaty and glad, I would say.

Your new album will be out in a few months, in October. Are there any songs in it that started in one way and then completely changed into something else?

Robert Ljung:  Oh, that’s a good question. Some of the songs we’ve been working on for so long, so I guess you could say yes, but I can’t pinpoint one. 

Gustav Lithammer: Well, I know that we worked kind of hard with “Heaven”. “Heaven” had like a different ending, a different like kind of super huge part in it. But we wanted it to be more of a single kind of vibe to that song, so we narrowed it down and went a little bit more straightforward. So that song, definitely.

Robert Ljung: I think most songs have had like a different phase, because we started writing these songs so many years ago. And then we just picked it up and rewrote them. Looking back, you can find more stuff that you want to change or add or remove. When we release “Blood Covenant”, we should release it again with the old versions of all songs. 

When people will listen to Blood Covenant, what do you hope that they take away from it?

Robert Ljung: Oh, I mean, I hope that they can feel the passion that we put into it. Because it’s not easy getting back to music when you’ve been away for so long. At least not for me, to find that kind of, that what drives you. It comes so easily when you’re in it. But when you step away from it, it was for me kind of hard to find that passion to write these kind of lyrics again. Once you get started, you get more into it. For lyrics, I put a lot of effort into it. And I know that you put so much effort into writing the songs. So I would just love if people can find, you know, how much heart it is in it.

Gustav Lithammer: Yeah, definitely. Just find some elements that you like and just appreciate the hard work that we put into it. Yeah, definitely.

I’m sure it will be that way. So if I’m not mistaken, you’ve also announced a tour for the 20th anniversary. Will you prepare a special setlist for it?

Robert Ljung: Oh, definitely. Definitely. I mean, we’re gonna do the tour when we release our new album. So it’s gonna be a lot of new songs as well. We’re gonna focus on the album, of course, but play a lot of old stuff as well. But since it is a 20 year, I mean, it’s actually a 21 year anniversary tour. I would love to dust off some really old songs that we haven’t played, like “Incoherence“. We should put out a poll on Instagram “What songs do you want to hear from the old or the new?”, and we’ll do maybe a new version on it or just play it as it is. But yeah, something special, definitely.

Fantastic. Metalcore at the moment is a genre that is trending a lot. Are there any bands you listen to?

Robert Ljung: I mean, I haven’t heard that many new metalcore bands. But I mean, Walls of Jericho, fronted by a female. That was one of my favorite bands when I was growing up. Like, super heavy hardcore. I know Jinjer is super popular now. And I feel like it’s a similar vibe to the Walls of Jericho kind of sound to it. Very uncompromised, straightforward kind of. And she sings so good. Her clean vocals are super good as well.

Gustav Lithammer: Yeah, and obviously Poppy as well. There are a lot of good female artists coming out.

Robert Ljung: But I would say my favorite in this kind of genre is this singer from Walls of Jericho.

Sometimes in interviews you get to talk about what the interviewer wants. This time I want to give you the opportunity to talk about a topic that you choose.

Robert Ljung: It’s difficult. I think it’s nice just to be back out here touring. This is the first summer we’re out traveling like this together and it’s been amazing. This time we’re doing it a bit different because we have a couple festivals here and there and some time off. So we recently played in Spain actually and then we stayed there for some sort of vacation set up for a week or two. So that’s great.

Gustav Lithammer: I really like that, to be able to incorporate the touring and doing high level music stuff like this. And then also being able to do stuff around it with friends and also bringing family. 

Robert Ljung: You can get more experience out of the festivals and the shows this time around than the previous years. Because we just went in, got drunk, barely remembered anything. Now it’s a completely different approach. It’s a more mature way of looking at it. We’re getting older as well, more vintage. .

Gustav Lithammer: We’re getting more classic. 

Robert Ljung: So I think we’re enjoying every minute more now. Because I think we may have taken it for granted before. Another festival here, another festival there. We didn’t really appreciate it. 

Gustav Lithammer: But now you get here, you see all the hard work every person is doing. 

Robert Ljung: And for us to get here and get super drunk and not respected, it’s so shameful. So I’m really glad we’re in a different place now. 

Gustav Lithammer: Yeah, a different place and a different tempo to what we’re doing. And that’s really a thing that we haven’t really thought about before. Previously it’s just been go, go, go. Because when a show is possible, just travel. If it’s possible to do a show, we said, yes, we’re going to do it.

Robert Ljung: But now we’re more like, okay, is it smart to do it? Are we going to be able to do it and do a good show? That’s also a thing. We talked about that before. Recovery time. We’re a little bit older right now.

Gustav Lithammer: That’s another thing as well. You can do a lot of shows and tour very hard, but you also get worn out.

What is your favourite TV show?

Robert Ljung: Oh, well, I’m an emo guy. I would like to say Dawson’s Creek. Team Pacey, that’s me. 

Gustav Lithammer: I just discovered this show called Seinfeld. Have you seen it? Apparently it’s not new, but it’s pretty good. Breaking Bad, I love that one. 

Robert Ljung: Breaking Bad is good. Dawson’s Creek is better. 

Gustav Lithammer: I know.

What is your to-go pizza topping? 

Gustav Lithammer: It’s definitely some of the hotter stuff. Like with the pepperoncini. Or like the hot stuff.

Robert Ljung: Cheese and, yes, tomato sauce. That’s classic margherita. 

That’s great. I wanted to play a little game with you. There’s a ship in the sea and there’s a ninja and a pirate fighting on it. Who wins the duel?

Robert Ljung: I would say the pirate, though. It’s his home turf, right? He knows the ship, you know. 

Gustav Lithammer: But the ninja has a sword, maybe. Pirate still has a little hook. Ninjas are sneaky.

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview. Is there anything else that you want to add to our readers?

Robert Ljung: I’m just, like, super happy to be back. Yeah. And excited for the show tonight on T-Stage.