INTERVIEW: Patrik Jensen from The Haunted & Witchery

Sweden is preparing to flex its heavy metal credentials when some of the nation’s premiere outfits link for a run of shows in Australia.

Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are the lucky recipients of a triple-bill that features At The Gates, The Haunted and Witchery.

Patrik Jensen is the spokesman for the shows as he is the guitarist whose tremendous riffage dominates The Haunted and Witchery cuts.

With over sixteen albums worth of material to cull a setlist for the shows across the two bands, Jensen said it was a challenge, but one he is more than willing to meet given the band have had their fair share of touring experience to help curate a set list.

“It’s pretty hard but also it’s a pleasant problem to have, I remember when we did the first The Haunted album, it really took off, we won best newcomer in list’s all over the place and we ended up doing headliner tours straight away and we only had the one album,” said Jensen.

“We had to fill out the shows, we played one At The Gates song because you know, back then we had three guys who are from At The Gates, we played “Blinded by Fear” (Slaughter of the Soul– ’95) and then we played the Witchery song “The Reaper” (Restless & Dead– ’98).

“Can you imagine that just to fill up the set? Actually, as we speak, I just got off my music recording computer and I’m writing the next The Haunted and Witchery albums actually. There’s going to be even more material soon.”

Jensen’s love of live performance extends to the ambient qualities of live albums, he said live albums inspire him to create studio albums that have a live feel as he isn’t a fan of many modern digital recording techniques.

“Dio era Black Sabbath, Live Evil (’82) when I heard that I was 12 and it was just the best thing I’ve ever heard,” said Jensen.

“How evil is this? That probably laid the foundation for my love of live albums, there’s just this rawness about it,” said Jensen.

“Because I love live music or live albums, I prefer much more feeling over perfection because what is perfection? You know, these days people sit with Pro Tools and everything is cut perfectly neat and neatly ordered.

“But you know that’s just arranging around the clock, it needs to be the musicians, you know, breathing and the organic feel, that’s what I like about old thrash because you feel the band almost struggling… nowadays everything is still so linear, I like when you hear the sweat and the aggression I guess.”

Australian fans and the county itself has impressed Jensen on past tours.

Jensen said he was looking forward to a day off in Melbourne however it is a shame that he could not spend more time to relax in his favourite city.

“Perth is kind of similar to Brisbane with the climate and the beaches, palm trees and everything, but you know, Perth is so far away,” said Jensen.

“Brisbane is a more a happening city, I think.”

Link for tickets here: https://hardlinemedia.net/tickets