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ENTOMBED A.D.: No Rest for the Wicked – Festivals, Tours, and the Power of Death Metal

By capitalchaostv on May 22, 2016 • ( 0 )

After releasing their second album under the Entombed A.D. banner, the band has wasted no time getting back into the grind. We sat down with Victor Brandt and Nico Elgstrand to talk about touring, setlists, new material, and what it’s really like working together inside one of Sweden’s most intense death metal machines.

Capital Chaos TV:
You mentioned taking a little break, but it seems like it’s only a couple of weeks. You’ve got some European festivals lined up—like six or seven?

Victor Brandt:
One week, and then it’s 15 festivals throughout the summer.

Capital Chaos TV:
Fifteen festivals? Wow.

Nico Elgstrand:
Yeah, and then we’re doing a European tour. So basically—no rest for the wicked.
After the festivals, we jump straight into an extensive European run. It’s going to be full-on until the end of the year. Hopefully, we get to breathe a little bit before Christmas. But then I’m sure it all starts over again.

Right now, the thought of what’s coming next is just… I don’t even want to think about it. I’d rather put a pillow over my head and stay that way for three days—just relax.

Capital Chaos TV:
When you’re getting ready for shows, do you lock in a setlist, or do you rotate it? With so much material, how do you decide what to play?

Nico Elgstrand:
It’s tough! We usually go with a locked setlist—but with a lot of flexibility.

We always focus first on the latest album. Those are the songs we know the least, so we spend extra time learning those—like “Learning Is Money” and others from the new record.

Then we have a batch of songs we can rotate in and out, depending on the mood of the crowd or how the night is going. It’s really helpful not to set it in stone.

Victor Brandt:
Yeah, and LG can always switch it up. If we’ve just played something fast and heavy, and the next song is supposed to slow it down, he might just call an audible—“Let’s skip that and go straight into this one.”

We have a rough setlist for the first two weeks or so, and then we kind of wing it. We know which songs are likely to stick, and from there, we follow the vibe.

Capital Chaos TV:
You mentioned new material—so less than three months ago, you guys dropped your second album as Entombed A.D., right?

Victor Brandt:
Yeah, exactly. We’ve been rotating three or four songs off that one.
It felt tricky at first—just being new material—but now it’s like second nature. We’ve really got it under our skin.

Nico Elgstrand:
The crowd’s been responding well, too. With new songs, people need time to absorb them. If you’re used to Left Hand Path or Clandestine, a new track might feel a little unfamiliar at first.

But the reaction has been great. Steady mosh pits, great energy. That kind of physical response is the real heart of death metal.

It’s the music we love to play, and the crowd can tell. That connection rubs off in a really positive way.

Capital Chaos TV:
What’s the writing process like for Entombed A.D.? Is it collaborative?

Victor Brandt:
Absolutely. Everyone contributes.
Each of us starts a little “seed” of an idea—usually on our own—and then we come together. Sometimes we just send files or riffs via email to get the ball rolling.

Nico Elgstrand:
Yeah, it’s definitely a team effort. But we try to let whoever starts a song stay in the lead. Writing music can get ego-heavy, so it helps keep things smooth if one person acts as “captain” of their idea.

If their vision isn’t working out, someone else will step in to help polish it up. That way, we preserve the flavor of whoever started it, while still making sure it’s a good song in the end.

Victor Brandt (laughing):
He’s basically our in-house repairman.

Nico Elgstrand:
Exactly. I do the repairs on their stuff, and mine? Mine are already superb! (laughs)

But seriously, working with Victor is great because he’s got that producer’s ear. He brings a dual perspective that I really respect—he handles a lot of the production elements that I don’t. It’s a blessing… and sometimes a curse.