SOURCE WEBZINE | We don’t have readers – we have believers.

SOURCEWEBZINE – For those who aren’t familiar with where your band’s name came from can you explain it?

Allan (G) – Well, The Downward Candidate kinda reflected something we were aiming at in the beginning of the band, a sort of decaying, going to the dogs feeling. I was just an idea, not nothing of importance. Since we changed it to The Kandidate, there’s not any deeper meaning behind it.

SOURCEWEBZINE – What do you hope to achieve with the official release of The Kandidate in January 2010 ?

Allan (G) -We want to show people who we are and hopefully establish our name and music in the metal world. We hope to get out and tour a lot, you know. That’s is why we have a band. To make music and have fun playing it. We are a little late in the planning of the spring, but hopefully we’ll play some festival during the summer and then we have some big plans in the pipeline for the fall.

SOURCEWEBZINE – Do you feel that when the band goes into the studio, is it better to have a producer who is on you guys all the time or one that let’s you open up creatively?

Allan (G) – I assume so. For me it’s important that the producer understand the band and the sound, understand where we are going or want to go. If an idea comes up, that can change everything into that thing you were trying to go for, then it should of course have an opportunity to develop. So of course it’s important for me that the guy in the chair let us open up creatively and that he takes part in it as well.

SOURCEWEBZINE – How hard is it to ‘make it’ as a metal band in Denmark ?

Allan (G) -Really hard. I know that there are a lot of bands working their asses of to achieve something big and most of them are never going to “make it”, as you call it. “Making it” can be a lot of things spanning from World domination to just making a living of it, but I think that the metal musicians in Denmark, who live from what they are doing can be counted on one hand Everyone has a day job or get money from the state to support them.

SOURCEWEBZINE – How do you perceived the metal scene these days?

Allan (G) -Hmm, to be honest, most metal out there today is crap. There are so many bands on shitty little labels or bands that release their shit on their own. Of course there are people who will think we suck, and that’s fine by me. It just annoys me that there are so many talentless fools and copycats in the game, and that some of them actually grow big and has a lot of fans. I don’t think too much about it, I just focus on the stuff that rocks my boat and leave the crap behind.

SOURCEWEBZINE – And what kind of relation do you like to have with fans (on and off stage)?

Allan (G) -Well, I’m kind of a private person; I’m not good with people that I don’t know. I’m not good at dealing with praise and if people diss me, I get offended. I like when people come up to me and say like “Hey, cool album, show, whatever” and then lead a normal conversation WITHOUT babbling on about his own band. You know, down to earth stuff…

On stage I love it when people go crazy, it really gives you a lot of confidence and energy, which makes me deliver a better show, and it’s more fun for everybody…

SOURCEWEBZINE – The band has a strong presence in all the various social media outlets like MySpace, Twitter etc. Which platform seems to be most effective for you at the moment?

Allan (G) -Nope, we only have a MySpace account that is regularly updated and maintained. Don’t use any FaceBook or Twitter crap, which are for people who live their lives through others and the internet. I don’t care when people are shopping, taking a dump, what they had for dinner or what they are doing at any given time. So I’m not going to take part in that, though it might help us in getting known as a band if we did use the social media more though…

SOURCEWEBZINE – Are there times when you just have to kick back and not touch music for a while? How do you destress from the rigors of a musical life? You got a vinyl collection at home?

Allan (G) -Well, I think I have a pretty relaxed relationship with music. You know, having a day job is of course a good abbreviation from music, haha. But no, actually when I am on tour or in the studio, where it’s music, music, music 24 hours a day, it makes me crave it even more! I guess that is why one band was never enough for me… Especially when you get home to every day life, I really miss it. Maybe if I went on tour for like three months, I would need a break.

I do have a vinyl collection of around 500 pieces. That is not much, but I kinda stopped buying vinyl when the CD kicked in. I think about starting collecting again, but it’s going to be VERY expensive for me, since there are so many albums I’d need to get. So I’m a bit reluctant with that. KB has always been a vinyl freak and his collection is on several thousand items. But he’s going for several prints of the same album. He’s a Cure fan for example, and alone with them, he has over hundred pieces, it’s crazy!

SOURCEWEBZINE – What do you say about the Brazilian metal scene and do you have any favorites among the Brazilian metalbands ?

Allan (G) – Woah, I’m afraid I don’t know too much about the Brazilian metal scene – or South American for that matter. Obviously Sepultura, who was amazing on the first five albums. I actually just bought their latest A-lex thing, which I think is way better than the last ones with Max. I’ve heard a couple of Krisiun albums which are very impressive and cool. I remember Angra from the days where I worshipped bands like Dream Theater and also a band called Sarcophagus or Sarcofago or something like that. They did an amazing album called The Laws of Scouge which I listened to a lot back in the days of vinyl. Maybe it would suck if I heard it today, haha. Man, you really make me want to dig out the ol’ turntable and spin some vinyl!

SOURCEWEBZINE – Napalm Records, the label you’re signed to, has such a great roster of bands. With the record industry being as it is, as well as the global economy and internet downloading, do you feel Napalm Records are doing all they can to promote you and get you the publicity and tours that you need to carry on as a band?

Allan (G) -Yeah, I’m absolutely convinced about that. I don’t have the rightful insight in the business, but no matter what the numbers are saying, I am convinced that Napalm is one of the labels that will endure. They seem to have the right attitude towards doing business in this genre where the money is small. They live for what they are doing, not doing what they do to live, and that’s important. Also I see labels cutting the budgets of their artists recording, tour support and so on. It seems to me that Napalm is going in the other direction with new signings and we already got offered a cool amount of tour support for a tour that unfortunately didn’t happen. In a crisis, be it the CD-selling business or international economy, it’s really important to maintain momentum, so that you are ready to come out of the crisis head on – and in front of everyone else.

SOURCEWEBZINE – Anything else you’d like to add?

Allan (G) -No, not really. Except that I really hope that the Brazilian metal heads will enjoy Until We Are Outnumbered and that we’ll have the opportunity to get to South America and play some time. And thanks for the interview and for your interest in The Kandidate!

The Kandidate

Napalm Records