Project Rotten

Hi! Thank you for taking the time to talk to us. How are you?
- ?I'm pretty good but dead tired, had a rough week with gigs and partying, thanks for asking.?

Tell us a bit more about your upcoming release 'Cinema Bizarre'!
- ?Cinema Bizarre is our second full length album and could easily be described as a really fucked up journey and or a twisted movie if you will. The tracks are basically Harsh EBM, but the tracks differ pretty much from each other. Starting out a bit soft and then ending up in total chaos.?

The vocals have less distortion on them now, how come you wanted to make this change and will the vocals change even more in the future?
- ?I've only used effects live about three times since we started out two years ago and I think it sounds a lot better without them. Of course a few effects in the studio is crucial (for me at least), but I always tend to tweak my vocals every time we make something new. Basically I change all my setting and find out it sounds a lot better without any major effects. Of course ?Cinema Bizarre? has a lot of vocal effects, but that will be changed drastically until the next release.?

You guys have some guest vocals from artists like Javi Ssagittar (Terrolokaust) and Johan Van Roy (Suicide Commando), how was this collaboration born?
- ?Well, basically I just sent an e-mail to them and asked if they were interested, mainly because they have two very distinct and different vocal styles and I really like both of them. Javi was really fast with sending back the vocals, but for Johan it took a couple of months, but he?s a busy guy so I really appreciate that he took his time to do this.?

With the changes of the vocals, it feels like the similarity with your other project Menschdefekt is fading, was this deliberate choice?
- ?Oh yes, I was so sick of people comparing Project Rotten to Menschdefekt, because in my ears they don't sound the same at all, but then again we've been compared to a lot of strange bands that we don't have any connection to what so ever, so it's not very surprising. Even though I perform the same type of vocals live, I still want Menschdefekt to sound one way and Project Rotten to sound entirely different.?

With multiple projects ongoing at the same time, how do you keep them separate, fresh and the sense of identity?
- ?Well, naturally we don't create tracks at the same tim,e so more or less I work with one thing at a time. There have been maybe once in the past when I worked with Project Rotten and Menschdefekt at the same time, but that rarely happens anymore which gives me more time to think about what I want to write. I try to separate the bands lyrics and base them on different things. Menschdefekt is often more personal when it comes to the lyrics (of course it always depends) and Project Rotten is more fictional, even though sometimes it can be very personal also .Of course a lot of the lyrics will change towards the next release also.

You released a free remix EP called 'Remixing The Flesh'. Will we see more of these free releases in any form in the future?
- ?Maybe, maybe not. Only time can tell.?

You have done a bunch of live concerts lately all around Europe, what are your best experiences?
- ?Hmm, wow, that is a tricky question, but I'd say the last gig we had in Hässleholm was freaking awesome. It was really small and it wasn't a big crowd, but damn what a feeling and what energy. People singing along and dancing and having a great time it's so good to see that people really like what you do and specially when performing live.?

And of course, what's the worst?
- ?I won't name the country and place, but it was a gig where the crowd was basically just standing still with crossed arms and not giving out any joy or energy at all. This makes you just want to get drunk and play fast and just leave the stage, of course there will always be times likes these and you just have to shake it off. Even though you try to actually entertain people even when they are hard to entertain, it kind of makes you feel that why bother, but we have to remember to always give 100% no matter what.?

What is your opinion about the CD's lifespan, is it possible to only release albums digitally, or do you still need the physical albums?
- ?This is a very hard question, I myself still prefer CDs and even thought a lot of labels always whine about that CDs doesn't sell, I still think it does and I have a hard time believing that the CD will die out anytime soon. Sure, downloads sell, but still. What is better, a download or a real CD with a booklet you can look at??

Note: Just a few days after this interview was made, Fredrik decided to leave Menschdefekt.