We chatted with Imminence vocalist on growing in Sweden, the music scene in his hometown, and more, You can pick up their new EP, Return to Helios, on May 7th.

For the record, what’s your name and what do you do in the band?

We’re called ‘Imminence’, I am the vocalist of the group.

Sweden is such a fertile musical ground. From your perspective, as a native, what’s going on in that scene right now?

Sweden is a big country with a smaller population in relation to its size, so my perception is that the music scene isn’t as big as I would like it to be (in the metal genre and its subgenres). At least not for smaller bands trying to make their way in the business.

What was it like growing up in Sweden?

Personally, I think there’s a sense of indifference and seclusion in our society. Although, I’ve had the luck and privilege, unlike many others, to have been born in a great, industrialized country like Sweden. For that I am grateful.

What was the very first concert you attended and how much of an impact did that have on you musically?

Well, the first concert I chose to attend (not being dragged by my parents) were in Gothenburg 2008, the band Korn. I can’t say that they have inspired me in writing music, but they were definitely a big entry for me when I first started exploring the Metal genres.

Who or what band inspired you to starting screaming and form a band?

Of course there were several bands, but it really comes down to two singers/bands that really inspired me to start. Anders Fridén from In Flames and Chester Bennington from Linkin Park.

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any vocal warm ups, flexing, exercises, ect …

I mostly try to relax and get in the right state of mind before performing. Usually I pray.

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

We’re still very much in the beginning of our career, but so far it’s definitely playing Sweden’s Metaltown Festival in 2012 and no doubt, getting signed to We Are Triumphant Records.

What do you put into your music to differentiate yourselves from other bands in the genre?

When we’re writing music, we don’t let the boundaries of a genre restrain us. We write exactly what we feel is right for us and we put everything we have and what we are into our music. Also, a lot of bands today tend to have backing tracks while they perform live… For us it’s a key element while writing to be able to play the songs “live” when we’re performing live.

What are some of the particular messages you tried to get across in the lyrical content of this new EP?

I often try to write my lyrics in an open way, so that they may be freely interpreted by the reader… But for me its mostly about self-insight, I tend to write a lot about faith. I feel that there’s a big positive message behind these songs.

Digging a little bit further, what song(s) were particularly hardest for you to write and why?

Every song is hard to write, I mean, in the writing process it’s very hard to produce the result that you’re trying to achieve. We try to focus less on the result and more on the feeling of the songs as we’re writing them. But to give the question a concrete answer… “I & Sea" was personally the hardest song to put together.

If people aren’t listening to you, why should they?

We really do put our very heart and soul into the tunes we create. These songs mean a great deal to us, hopefully the listener will find that and be able to connect with us through our music.