Swedish heavy metal veterans Bullet are set to release their new album entitled Kickstarter on January 9th. Bullet’s drummer Gustav Hjortsjö spoke with Metal Express Radio about their upcoming album, overcoming trouble with their tour bus, plans to promote Kickstarter, and more. Check out the chat below!
Metal Express Radio: Bullet are set to release their seventh album entitled Kickstarter on January 9th, what can you tell fans about the upcoming release?
Hjortsjö: It’s been a while since the last release, so I guess there are both fans out there waiting for a new album as well as people who might experience us for the first time. If you’ve followed Bullet since the beginning, you might hear some vibes from the earlier days on this one. The production is more raw, dry, and maybe more vivid than ever. If you’re new to us, just check it out and prepare for a rough and punchy heavy metal piece with some good ol’ rock ’n’ roll vibes.
MER: What was the writing and recording process like being your first album in seven years?
Hjortsjö: It was kind of tough and slow at the beginning. The pandemic and the fact that Alex quit after things cleared up slowed our pace quite a lot. When Freddie came along and we could start working as a complete group again, everything felt lighter and like we were running on all cylinders. Quite a lot of the material came together just months before we entered the studio, or even as we had already started the recording process.
MER: What did you and the rest of Bullet do to stay busy during that time?
Hjortsjö: A couple of years were just on hold due to the pandemic. After that, we just moved on however we could. We had a hard time finding someone to fill Alex’s shoes, so a lot of time just rolled by doing different jobs or moping around our houses out here in the sticks. We played with Ben Healey from Nottingham for a while, great guy and guitarist, but it didn’t work in the long run due to the distance.
MER: You recently faced a tough challenge having the engine of your tour bus explode after one of your shows, how did you and Bullet push through that, and do you feel like it made you stronger as a band?
Hjortsjö: It was a few kind of depressing months back then. Ben had just stopped playing with us, songwriting was still going slow, and the bus was a wreck. I guess every obstacle you overcome is an experience of overcoming an obstacle. Maybe that does make you stronger in a sense “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” just sounds like such a cliché. I don’t know really, at least we didn’t break. And the bus is running better than ever!
MER: What plans do you have for yourself and Bullet after the album is released?
Hjortsjö: We’re already rehearsing the new songs—especially the singles being released, but also more songs from the album. After their release, we’ll start working on new set lists for real and maybe do production rehearsals to prepare for the new sets. Later in the spring, the touring starts. First up, officially, is the Swedish leg of the tour. After that comes the festival summer, and we have plans for a European tour in the fall.
MER: You’ve toured with a handful of killer bands such as Ross The Boss, Enforcer, and Grave Digger to name a few. Is there anyone you hope to tour with that you haven’t and why?
Hjortsjö: Accept or Airbourne would mean nice opening slots for us. We were close to doing some tour with Accept at one point, but it never really happened—I don’t remember why. All of the classic bands that are still on the road would be great to tour with. There seem to be fewer and fewer of them though. We were close to getting an opening slot for Motörhead, last minute, just before Lemmy passed. I’m up for touring with any band within the genre as long as the band is rocking and the people are cool.
MER: Is there anywhere you hope to play live that you haven’t and why?
Hjortsjö: I’m really hoping to go back to Japan. We went there right when the pandemic broke out, so continuing to go back wasn’t an option. Hopefully now we can pick up that ball again. Of course South America would be cool, and I’d like to go to Eastern Europe a lot more than we have in the past.
MER: You’ve played small clubs as well as large open air festivals, what do you see as pros and cons to both?
Hjortsjö: Big festivals are usually well organized and you hardly ever miss stuff—like space to work/hang out, technical gear, or things like food and drinks. Smaller clubs can be a little unreliable in that sense sometimes. On the other hand, at a festival you’re only one small piece of a bigger whole unless you’re the headliner, witch we are not on bigger ones of course. Smaller clubs where you’re the main attraction feel more personal and intense. It’s only up to you, and you own that stage for the night, it’s your fans and your time.
MER: Out of Bullet’s seven albums, what is one you would suggest to a new fan and why?
Hjortsjö: The easiest answer would be Kickstarter, of course. It might sound like the typical expected sales pitch since it’s the one being released, but I honestly feel this one sums up the range of albums we’ve done throughout the years in a nice way. Then of course our debut Heading for the Top is a classic by now. Bite the Bullet contains our biggest song with the same name, and that album maybe put us on the map in a way. Storm of Blades is one I’m also proud of and is maybe the most metal of our albums. There are a few to choose from, just start somewhere and rock away!
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