- What inspired the concept and sound of your new EP?
Hi, Johan, guitar player and founder of Shatterheart here.
The band started out as a side project at first. I was new to the genre even though I had listened to some bands in my teens or so. I just wanted to create something new and kinda rediscovered bands like Nightwish and Within Temptation. From there I got tons of inspiration and started to do my own thing.
- Can you walk us through the songwriting and recording process for this release?
Since I was new in the genre it took some time to write the songs. The EP is a part of our debut album which is already recorded and mixed. We recorded it in different studios and some parts at home.
I remember that No Rest actually was the first song I wrote for the band. A Shattered Heart was the second or third. The songs on the EP just came from ideas inside my head. I wrote all the synth parts on the guitar and then just “transformed” it to the keyboards.
Many of the songs were instrumental till Alicke joined and helped me with the lyrics.
Video
- Which track from the EP do you feel best represents Shatterheart’s identity right now,
and why?
It’s kinda hard to answer. You can see the EP as a preview to the upcoming album which includes different types of songs, but the title track “Ground Turns To Dust” represent us as best right now. It’s heavy and big you know.
- Were there any new influences or experiments in style that shaped the music on this
EP?
The songs, of a coincidence, are among the very first songs I wrote for Shatterheart so the inspiration came from my rediscovery for Symphonic Metal more or less.
On other songs on the album there are some songs or melodies that I experimented somewhat with, but these three song where composed quite fast.
- What message or emotions do you hope listeners take away from the EP?
We hope that our listeners feel the depth of the songs, enjoy our musical compositions and get happy to listen to the EP of course. We hope it is a strong teaser for our debut album and that they look forward to it!
- Do you plan to release music videos or visual projects to accompany the new EP?
We already have a music video for A Shattered Heart.
We will release more videos but they will be released before or during the album release.
- Are there any collaborations or guest appearances in the works for upcoming
projects?
There are! Stay tuned! We’re really excited about it.
- What are your touring plans following the release—will fans see you performing
internationally or focusing on local shows first?
Right now we’re trying to book festivals and so abroad, but it’s not till next summer or so, so maybe some local shows will happen before that.
- Is the band already writing or planning material for the next release, and if so, can you
give us a hint about its direction?
We’re waiting for our debut album to be released, but yeah there are some ideas for new songs as well.
The EP is just a preview. The real deal will include more of everything.
- How do you envision Shatterheart evolving musically and creatively over the next
few years?
You never know what’s going to happen and where the inspiration will come from, but I believe we will create even more epic stuff in the future. It would be a dream come true to work with a real symphonic orchestra.
BIO
Shatterheart is a brand new Symphonic / Power metal band from Sweden originally formed in the Swedish metal capital of Gothenburg in 2023, but it wasn’t until fall 2024 the full band line-up became reality.
The band consists of Johan Bergman (guitars), Alicke Kostopoulou (vocals), Olle Bengtsson (drums), Jonathan Strand (bass) and last but not least, Daniel Lyngsaa Larsson (keyboards). Johan Bergman being the mastermind of the musical compositions crossed paths with Alicke and together they worked on creating and developing ideas that became a series of majestic songs.
A debut album of total 10 songs, mixed and mastered by the legendary Studio Fredman followed and is waiting to be released. The band has released a brand new music video as their first single called “A Shattered Heart”, as well as an EP as a teaser for the album, called ”Ground turns to Dust”.
A new video for the song “Betrayal” is scheduled to be recorded/produced in the end of June 2025. Though the band may be brand new, its members have been touring and performing in many countries and festivals through the years.
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