THE ARSON PROJECT – Support Your Local DIY Space!

the arson project

In today’s interview, we are thrilled to sit down with THE ARSON PROJECT, the relentless grindcore band from Sweden known for their uncompromising sound and politically charged lyrics.

Join us as we dive into their creative process, inspirations, and what generally makes them tick.
Hey guys! Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. In a few sentences, tell us about The Arson Project.

TAP: We are a grindcore band formed in 2005, we played a bunch of shows over the years and we like to play fast and work slow.

Sweden has a more than recognizable extreme music scene. Where do you fit in?

We feel most at home in the punk and hardcore scene, with a strong diy work ethic and mostly nice people that understand what we do. We have played some shows and fests that lean more towards metal and it seems like that crowd like what we do as well, but we feel like punks. Our music probably appeals to a lot of different people since we blend a lot of things together, but we don’t mind if it fits in somewhere or not. We play music that we think sounds good and that we enjoy playing!

In almost 20 years of the band’s history, you only have three full-length albums. Unlike other bands, you are not one of those who release singles, EPs, and do not appear on compilations. Is there a specific reason for this, or is it just the attitude of the whole band?

The reason is us being slow and really, really picky! About 12-15 years ago all members lived in different cities which made it hard to meet up and write new songs, but these days it’s mostly because writing is a long and draining process. We try all ideas a million times from different angles, throw most of it away, and care a lot about every small detail in a song. All four of us are very involved in writing, both music and vocals, and there’s a lot of discussions and opinions going on before all of us are satisfied. All this together makes the process slow and far between our releases!

Lately, it seems that you are touring extensively. Do you think it is now easier to book a gig than during the period before the infamous coronavirus? Also, what is your opinion about the often venue “blackmail,” taking a percentage of the band’s merch? Have you encountered this issue already?

Don’t know really, we haven’t booked that many ”regular” shows after the pandemic but we feel there are more fests asking us to play than before, which is amazing of course! Unfortunately we can’t say yes to everything we want but we are extremely grateful that people want to see us in different places. We have noticed that many bookings are far in advance now after the pandemic, it was not that way before.
We have never encountered this and feel that the merch money should go to the bands, everything else feels wrong.

Where can people see you play?

At the moment we have shows booked in eastern Germany, Obscene Extreme in Czech and Malmö Massacre in Sweden. More to come in the fall!

the arson project 2024

Grindcore and extreme music genres are often associated with provocative artwork. How important is visual art to your music?

Very important! No need be provocative for the sake of it, but as it goes hand in hand with the lyrics being about fucked up politics, world chaos, fascism and what not, the result is often something that tries to sting the eye a bit. We also want to give the packaging of our music the same treatment as the music itself and we want it to look good and be representative.

What inspirations and influences have shaped your sound?

Too many bands to mention and all four of us differ a bit in our music taste, but as small kids when we started, NASUM was of course a big thing. Swedish national TV made a live broadcast with NASUM and a few other bands in 2001 and it was one of our first impressions of grindcore and it definitely made an impact. Nowadays it is hard to pick a band or specific influence, it is more of a gut feeling when a new song sounds and feels right.

What was the first show you ever played?

A local youth centre in Oskarshamn back in 2005! Nothing special about it really, just a regular first show and a pretty common kind of show for younger kids in Sweden.

Is there a gig you wish you had played?

The few gigs we cancelled over the years of course, but we don’t really have any dream shows. All shows with a good energy and an excited crowd are the best ones and that can happen anywhere, from dirty basements to bigger festivals. There was a tour in 2013 we wished we played though! We got an offer to open for DEAD IN THE DIRT on their euro tour that year but could not make it because of work which was a real bummer.

What was the greatest show you ever played?

A lot of good shows over the years but Dreadfest in Leeds in 2023 was fantastic, also Moshfest in Montpellier in 2017 with an absolute insane crowd!

10. Are there any new bands worth mentioning?

Hm, always a tough question and it feels like every band we know has been around for at least ten years. But we saw some good ones at Grind The Nazi Scum this year! DAYS OF DESOLATION, NO SHELTER and BAS ROTTEN all delivered solid sets to name a few. The bar is definitely higher these days and most bands are really good, tight and with solid musicianship and good songs.

Do you have a message for the fans?

Support your local DIY space! Go to the shows, be nice to people, help out if you can and don’t ever trust the cops.

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Follow THE ARSON PROJECT:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thearsonproject
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thearsonproject
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thearsonproject
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4WVuNXyxH081jWdBo8ZuGe
Buy Merch: thearsonproject.bigcartel.com

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