SOURCE – IV Aftermath is set to be released on April 24, 2026, via Frontiers Music Srl. How would you describe the album both musically and lyrically?
Andreas Gullstrand (Lead Guitar) – Musically, I would say that the framework and building blocks of a Creye album are the same as all its predecessors: strong hooks, radio-friendly melodies, song structures, and a strong production. These are the non-negotiables when making a Creye album. From a chronological perspective, I would say that ‘Aftermath’ picks up where ‘Weightless’ left off. As it’s been a bit longer between albums this time, I do think that we looked back before moving forward more than usual. Where II and ‘Weightless’ were just full speed ahead, it felt very important on this one not to forget where we came from. We definitely tried to take the best parts of every album and blend them into this one, as well as still trying to move forward. Lyrically, it’s the same as always. I write the majority of the lyrics, and I base most of them on my own thoughts, ideas, and experiences in some way or another. I do think that there’s something very poetic about the fact that if you listen to the Creye albums in order, then you’re really just experiencing the reality of following your dreams for over a decade. It’s no secret that the albums do get darker and darker, and I do think that in the beginning, at a younger age, everything is new, exciting, and beautiful, and with time, experience, and all the hardship that comes with truly pursuing a dream or a goal, we find out that it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.
SOURCE – With the release of the singles “Left in Silence,” “Rust,” and “You,” the band appears to be following a current industry trend in the album rollout strategy. How were these singles selected?
Andreas Gullstrand (Lead Guitar) – So, the only single we knew we wanted from the get-go was ‘Rust’, as we felt it really represented the direction of the band and what we were going for with the new album. With the other two, we really did feel that we could go with any song on the album, but we finally decided to go with three singles that would target very different audiences on their own. I do think that this succeeded to some degree, as we have a metal song, a melodic rock song, and a radio/pop/rock song among the three singles.
SOURCE – The release of lyric videos such as “Left in Silence” originated at a time when producing full music videos was very costly. Considering that today it is possible to produce music videos with relatively limited resources, what is the significance of releasing lyric videos like “Left in Silence”?
Andreas Gullstrand (Lead Guitar) – I am by no means an expert on the subject, but I do believe that it’s about stimulating more senses and using more mediums to market a song. A video could potentially help the listener gain a better understanding of the band and the image that they’re going for, the message of the song, or simply be beautiful to watch. A good video could definitely make a song go viral if done right. But making videos is definitely an expensive investment. I do, however, feel that the overuse of AI to keep costs down would probably just undermine the whole idea.
SOURCE – While reviewing your promotional materials, I noticed something unusual for this type of content: the percentage breakdown of each member’ contribution to the songs, for example, Authors: SIMON BÖÖS 33.5%, DENNY KARLSSON 33.5%, ANDREAS GULLSTRAND 33%. How is this division determined?
Andreas Gullstrand (Lead Guitar) – I’m not really sure why this is part of the promotional material, but we basically split the song evenly if there’s more than one writer. We don’t get into any specifics regarding percentages. That would be a very hard road, trying to determine what is worth what in terms of percentage. As I am usually the one who has the privilege of filling out this data, I tend to favor the writer who brought the idea to the table. In the example above, that song was an idea by Simon and Denny that I did a few changes to and added some stuff to. Therefore, their names were first and my name last. As 100 divided by 3 is 33.3%, it leaves the song with a remainder that cannot be equally distributed to reach exactly 100%, so I preferred to slightly favor those who brought the idea to the table and round it accordingly. If it were the other way around, meaning that I’m the one who presented the original idea, I would favor myself first in an equal situation.
SOURCE – Creye is not exactly a new band, you even have a live album, Alive and Well (2021). What can you tell us about that release?
Andreas Gullstrand (Lead Guitar) – Alive and Well was more or less a tour substitute and was recorded during the pandemic. Even if this was toward the end of the pandemic, the opportunities to do a live show were next to none for bands of our size, and we needed to find other opportunities.
SOURCE – What are your expectations regarding the success of IV Aftermath?
Andreas Gullstrand (Lead Guitar) – We’re very proud of it, and hopefully it will be appreciated and open new doors for the band.
SOURCE – Your style is particularly popular in Latin America, with major festivals and a highly dedicated fanbase for melodic bands. Do you plan to invest in nontraditional markets to promote IV Aftermath?
Andreas Gullstrand (Lead Guitar) – It’s no small task to bring a show to another country, even harder across continents. That said, Creye is definitely ready to do shows in Latin America if there’s something realistic on the table.
SOURCE – What are your plans for this year, aside from the album’ release?
Andreas Gullstrand (Lead Guitar) – The band is going to focus on touring and expanding as much as possible, and continue to build a solid foundation for the future.
Photo Credit: Andreas Ungré
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