Universe III - We go way back but play today!

Swedish outfit UNIVERSE III release their third album in total although “Universe“ (1985) and  “Rock Is Alive“ (2018) came out under a slightly different monicker. Andreas Eklund (v), Hasse Hagman (b) and Per Nilsson (g) join us for a very pleasant and informative video interview across the Baltic Sea from Northern Germany to Sweden. The three musicians, who seem to share a similar vision of the band and their melodic hard rock, absolutely speak with one voice. But let’s see what they actually have to say…

How and when did this powerful album come into being?
We came back together and put out the first record again and a new one and then we played some shows which was fantastic. But suddenly we felt that should not be it. So we took some time off during the pandemic to write and record new material. The songs were written and recorded during the pandemic. All material on the record has been created the traditional way, during rehearsals in the rehearsal space, as a band. We always work like that.

So it’s all new tracks or did you have one or two ideas from back in the day still shelved somewhere?
They are all brand new. We had a lot of music in us that definitely needed to be recorded and put out! No song is older than maybe three or in one case four years. We didn’t want to waste time and do nothing when everything else came to a stop. We didn’t want to wait until we can’t play anymore. It’s funny, when we put out new songs in 2018 some people said that it doesn’t sound like we did in 1985. Of course not, although we play the same style, we have evolved, we are not the same persons like back then. Everything else would strange, wouldn’t it?

Your former guitar player and founding member of Universe Michael Kling is no longer on board. What happened?
We didn’t share the same idea and vision of how to carry on with the band. There was no big fight or dispute whatsoever but we came to the decision not go work together as Universe anymore. So, no bad blood but a clear cut. He didn’t want to take part when we started to work on new songs. That’s why we use a new name, Universe III, to underline that there is a new chapter, which also made a logical album title.

The artwork of “Universe III“ is pretty reminiscent of the one from the debut from 1985…It’s not a coincidence, is it?
No, certainly not! We wanted it to evoke a familiar feeling and we think the artist did really make it happen. Although the new songs are basically from a different era, the history of the band UNIVERSE goes way, way back. It’s music that comes from the past and it is played by old people..ha ha ha. We go way back but play today. This album and the music on it explains it all, we guess…

A track I like to speak about in particular is the beautiful ballad “Why“. I sense quite a lot of authenticity, definitely real emotion in it…What can you tell me about this track which in a better world would become a radio hit?
Yeah, you’re right. It’s very personal lyrics in there. It deals with upbringing and a difficult time with your mother. Most people might unterstand what is feels like. It’s honest and deeply emotional lyrics that maybe apart from one or two songs showcase real situations, real experience. It’s difficult on one hand to write about your inner feelings but on the other hand it’s very easy because you don’t have to make up something just for the sake of a song. It’s like a therapy. Once you open that door, there is no way back. And of course, it makes you vulnerable to a certain degree. But a song like this can appeal to different people in a different way, our guitar player for instance always thinks of a long lost friend whenever he plays that song.

My favorite at the moment is “Dream Of Better Days“… What a great classic rocker it is with nice Hammonds and everything…What can you tell me about this song? To me it bridges the seventies and eighties easily…
This is a song that picks up the spirit of the good old days, for sure. We tried to include this feeling and these kind of keyboards are best when it comes to classic rock. Especially in the pandemic or in similar dark times it’s really important to stay positive. And that is what the song is about. Staying positive and looking forward to what is going to come.

There will also be a vinyl of the new album…
Yes, and this time we didn’t have to convince our label…ha ha ha. We come from an era where music was mostly on vinyl. So it’s only natural for us to do a vinyl. It looks great and sounds fantastic…

Will there be live shows in support of „Universe III“?
Absolutely, yes! Wie want to play live and still embrace the shows we did in support of the last album. It actually ended way too soon. So this in fact has been the main driving force to keep this band going…playing live as much as possible! We simply love it! The new songs deserve to be played on stage, we guess! We can’t wait to be back in Germany, too.

Martin Stark