Sweden’s Sister Sin are back with their latest album Black Lotus. The band’s vocalist Liv Jagrell gives us the lowdown on the writing and recording of the album, the “Chaos Royale” video, tour plans, her interests outside music, top Swedish bands of all time and other subjects.

Chad Bowar: How did your songwriting process for Black Lotus compare to your previous albums?
Liv Jagrell: Very much the same as the previous three albums.


Jimmy (Hiltula, guitar) and Dave (Sundberg, drums) write all the music for a couple of months and then we get together for pre-production, re-arrangements and rehearsing. It’s a really smooth process by now and usually doesn’t take more than 3 to 4 months from start to entering the studio and start tracking everything.

What will be your strongest memory of recording this album?
I guess it would be the studio itself. This time around we went to Leon Music Studios outside Karlstad. They are located in the middle of nowhere Sweden out in the woods. It’s very isolated, so there were no distractions from the outside world whatsoever and very work focused.  This was during the summer, so we worked from 8 to 5 and then barbequed in the evening, played pool and just hung out. Awesome studio and a great experience!

How has the band's sound evolved/progressed on this one?
I would say that it´s a bit more guitar-oriented than the previous one. Main difference I would say is that we spent way more time on vocals; from backing vocals to harmonies and melodies.

Overall I think we found our sound with the last two albums, especially Now and Forever, and we´re quite content with our direction and don’t want to mess too much with a winning concept, just tweak it here and there.

What inspired the album title and your lyrics this time around?
The album title Black Lotus came up after a couple songs were already written. They seemed to have a darker touch than before and somehow Black Lotus summed that feeling up. Lyric-wise, the inspiration comes from all kinds of places; mostly personal struggles but also politics and fiction. “Food for Worms” for example is about the growing fascism in Sweden and Europe that we felt necessary to bring up, although we’re usually not a political band.

How was the video shoot for the "Chaos Royale" video?
Very cold! Two days in some kind of very moist and cold bunker, with the sun shining outside. But it was very fun! The team that worked with us (11 Frames) was amazing to work with, and  we are very happy with their work. I really enjoy playing the part of some kind of dictator.

Have you or do you have plans to do more videos for the album?
Yes, absolutely. We have a couple of songs and ideas in our mind already. Hopefully we get the opportunity to shoot “Desert Queen” as I think it would make for a really interesting video

You're in the midst of a European tour. What have been some of the highlights so far?
Beautiful towns and beaches here in Spain, but as far as the shows I have to say the show in Valencia was awesome. France a few days ago was also a really great show in a very nice little town. People around the Mediterranean seem to be a hard-rocking people. I like it here. There are very dedicated metalheads, some sporting Sister Sin tattoos, so what´s there not to like?!

Any plans of coming back to North America?
Yes, we are currently working on getting our asses back to the U.S. as soon as possible, let’s hope it doesn’t take too long. With all the expenses that come with traveling from Europe we just have to find a great tour or opportunity to make it worthwhile.

With four albums now under your belt, is it getting more difficult to put together a set list?
It is. It’s getting harder and harder, but it’s nice to have a lot of songs to choose from. I think we have a pretty good set list right now with all fan favorites from the first three albums and of course a bunch of new stuff from Black Lotus.

What are your some of your non-music related hobbies and interests?
For me it’s hitting the gym. I’m really a train-aholic, and I don’t have much time for anything else than that and Sister Sin, but if I have a free weekend I enjoy meeting friends, listening to good music and drinking some wine watching a documentary.

Seen any good movies or DVDs lately?
I just recently watched all of the old Planet of the Apes and I really like them a lot! Haven’t seen the new ones, but from what I’ve heard they are not as good as the originals.

What's currently in heavy rotation in your MP3 player?
Some old Dimmu Borgir and Dissection and some new Mastodon.

Who are your all-time top 5 Swedish metal/hard rock bands?
 Arch Enemy, Pain, Dissection, Sister and The Haunted.

Anything else you'd like to mention or promote?
Check out our new album Black Lotus and come on out when Sister Sin hits your town with explosive heavy metal anthems!

(interview published October 23, 2014)