"If you take the wilderness out of us RAUBTIER wouldn’t exist."

It’s right after the gig at Debaser Medis where RAUBTIER really ripped. The guys are happy about the gig, it is a special gig since friends of the band attended the show. Men who fight for their living. Earlier the same day the Nordic Battle Group soldiers have been decorated for their bravery in Afghanistan. It turns out that a few of them previously have served with Per Hulkoff and RAUBTIER has become somewhat of a soundtrack to experiences of the soldiers on their Afghanistanian tour. The band reveal that they are writing for a new album and that there will be a slight change to the sound.

Just read on and you will be enlightened in the realms of the predator known as RAUBTIER.

Heavy Hell: The last time we had a chat we were on board the Bandit Cruise ship and thing had just started to happen. At the time you were really hot in Stockholm and everything had happened really fast.

Per Hulkoff: Yes

Heavy Hell: And since them RAUBTIER has turned into somewhat of a movement on its own.

Per Hulkoff: Yes it is actually quite amusing. People have started to dress up in winter camouflage clothes and RAUBTIER shirts. We like it!

Heavy Hell: At that time you had no idea if you sold any records and I guess you have a better grasp of that now. I suspect that you sell quite a lot of albums?

Per Hulkoff: Sure, we hit the first place on the Swedish hard Rock chart and kept that position for quite some time. I don’t know exactly how long and I wont sit here and exaggerate, it‘s better to keep the mouth shut when you don‘t know what you are talking about.

Buffeln: We reached the 17^th place on the Swedish chart officially unofficially we were 5^th place but that was in between dates when the list was updated.

Heavy Hell: And that was the debut album by RAUBTIER, a band that not toured and none knew hardly anything about!

Buffeln: We hadn’t played a single gig!

Per Hulkoff: Sure we had, we played one gig at “Lillan” in Lulea

Heavy Hell: Only one gig!?

Buffeln: But that was after we had recorded the entire album!

(laughs)

Per Hulkoff: Yeah

Heavy Hell: Since then you haven’t toured massively either. I have noticed that you do a few gig here and there.

Per Hulkoff: Yeah, we try to play a few shows at a time when we decide to play. It’s not that easy since we live were we do (Happaranda and that people is above the Arctic Circle) you know.

Buffeln: We have made some short attacks on the country. I guess you could call it mini tours.

Per Hulkoff: It is guerrilla warfare you know!

(laughs)

Heavy Hell: The audience tonight was fierce!

Per Hulkoff: Sure! We like the audience in Stockholm, they are special. But they are not like the audience in the countryside, the are completely insane! They usually rip the place apart and trash the entire inventory when we play!

Buffeln: The audience in Stockholm is just as charged but they are not as violent.

Heavy Hell: But the crowd tonight were moshing like crazy

Per Hulkoff: Sure

Heavy Hell: You have a very wide audience, middle aged people going to the gym are listening to RAUBITER. Kids picking up on metal just love RAUBTIER and that is cool.

Per Hulkoff: Yeah Yeah

Heavy Hell: Do you have a fan club?

Per Hulkoff: Yes we have. It is not operated that professionally at the moment, it is a fan that has started something that he calls “Rovdjursflocken” or Raubtier rudel. I have been in contact with him trying to get a picture of what he is doing. It important to interact with the fans. Maybe that is something that we should be more in control of in the future.

Heavy Hell: I guess that there is a genuine interest for that. I bet you sell a lot of merchandise as well?

Per Hulkoff: We hope that we cover the need for merchandise quite well but I don‘t know how it works with distribution to the shops. I don’t know, we don’t’ exactly live in Stockholm you know. We really depend on that people get online since that is where they find us.

Buffeln: We haven’t had time to think too much about that.

Heavy Hell: You have a new website

Per Hulkoff: Yes, it new

Heavy Hell: And you also keep in contact with the fans through MySpace

Per Hulkoff: Yes, I try to write myself whenever I have the time.

Heavy Hell: That is a good way to keep the fans updated with what’s going on

Per Hulkoff: Yes

Heavy Hell: Despite that you haven’t been around all that long and only released one album you already have separated with your Bass player (Torbjörn). That must have felt surreal for the two of you that were left in the band?

Per Hulkoff: Sure, it felt kind of hopeless. But now when we have Mörsaren in the band it feels great. We never thought that it would be possible to replace Joey. You know he is such a character, he has a special style. Not only his playing but he were a part of the show in his own right. He has, I don’t know what to call it, a flamboyant style.

Heavy Hell: But also in his musical style, when you play as a trio you can’t get too loose or everything just falls apart.

Per Hulkoff: Exactly, that’s exactly how it is.

Heavy Hell: So then you started the search for a new Bass player through Radio Bandit

Per Hulkoff: We auditioned e few guys but because of the logistics we had to find someone willing to live where we do.

Heavy Hell: And you won’t move.

Per Hulkoff: Hell no! We wont move. I want to live my life up there and Buffeln want to live up there with the closeness to the wilderness. If you take the wilderness out of us RAUBTIER wouldn’t exist.

Heavy Hell: That is a good one liner! If you take the wilderness out of us RAUBTIER wouldn’t exist.

Buffeln: But really, it takes three and a half hour to get to Stockholm, that is the same time it takes to get from Stockholm to Gothenburg. So Stockholm is quite close for us. Sundsvall is far away for us!

Per Hulkoff: Yeah, since we have to go by car…

Heavy Hell: So how did you find your new bass player?

Per Hulkoff: Well, we have a history together. The three of us, me Buffeln and Mörsaren released an album with a band on an Indie label in Canada. We stuck in that band for quite some time it looked like we would have a break back then when we were young and dedicated. But it turned out to be nothing. Since then we have kept contact through the years.

One day it simply struck us as the best solution. And we called Mörsaren.

Heavy Hell: And what did you think of that idea?

Mörsare: Well it wasn’t much to ponder. It is simply just to put the pedal to the metal.

We already knew how well we work together since we had worked together before

Heavy Hell: So did you start to rehearse together?

Mörsare: as soon as it was decided we started to rehearse and felt the vibe between us and it felt great.

As mentioned earlier, we knew each other so we had quite a good idea already beforehand.

Heavy Hell: But RAUBTIER is a bit special for a bass player. There is a lot chugging in an quite strange manner.

Mörsare: Well what do I know, I haven’t played all that much bass previously….

Heavy Hell: So you are a guitarist too!?

Mörsare: Yeah I’m a guitarist

(laughs)

Per Hulkoff: Just like Tobbe!

(laughs)

Heavy Hell: But in RAUBTIER the bass constitute a large portion of the sound.

Buffeln: Everybody has to step up to the plate. If someone fall everything falls.

Heavy Hell: you haven’t done too many gigs with the band

Mörsare: This was the third one, and it works quite well.

Heavy Hell: I can imagine that you are psyched to release new material now when the new line-up is in place.

Per Hulkoff: Sure, already before we had a new bass player!

Buffeln: This fall has been a really productive period for us

Heavy Hell: Do you record in a project or home studio studios then?

Per Hulkoff: Yes, we record all our material in our own studio “Terror Fabriken” (The Terror Factory).

Buffeln: We recorded all the synthesizers and guitars for the first album that we released this spring there as well.

Heavy Hell: Do you have a tentative title for the album?

Per Hulkoff: No

Heavy Hell: Any song titles?

Per Hulkoff: No, noting that we want to reveal right now. We want to keep that to ourselves for a little while

(laughs)

Heavy Hell: What will it sound like?

Buffeln: It will sound like RAUBTIER

Per Hulkoff: Sure it will sound like RAUBTIER, but I want to say that it will sound more grand and epic.

Not pompous in any way but there will be some classical elements in there. Like the Wagner fanatic I am I have t satisfy that side in me as well.

Heavy Hell: With large string arrangements and shit then?

Per Hulkoff: Well, the one who lives will see….

Heavy Hell: It was obviously a special gig for you tonight. You had something to say when you introduced “Legoknekt” (Mercenary).

Per Hulkoff: Yeah, the boys came home last night and they have been through quite heavy combats during their time in Afghanistan. I actually have served with these boys previously. They have conducted quite a few heroic acts while they were down there.

It is quite emotional now when they have arrived back home in one piece. It was no child play to serve in the Nordic Battle Group. It is damn few people who appreciate what Swedish soldiers do abroad particularly when the bullets start to fly.

Heavy Hell: Nordic Battle Group had their decoration ceremony earlier today did you participate?

Per Hulkoff: No we didn’t, we actually arrived late to Stockholm today.

Heavy Hell: Will the lyrics thematically stay close to “Det Finns Bara Krig” (There Is Only War) or will you explore new areas?

Per Hulkoff: If people become sentimental after listening to the new album then I’ll f**king kill myself.

Heavy Hell: Have you played any gig where the audience didn’t get what you were doing? Have you had any really poor gig at all?

Buffeln: No actually not, not since we released the album. It looks pretty much just like this gig.

Per Hulkoff: The Raubtier fans are special. They are a little bit “kärvare” than the regular metal fan. We mainly attract a male audience.

Buffeln: But when I was looking out in the crowd tonight there were surprisingly many women in the audience.

Per Hulkoff: And that is positive.

Heavy Hell: You are currently with BDPOP, and I would be surprised if you haven’t gotten proposals from other labels. Will you stay with them?

Buffeln: BP POP, the music. We have a label that finance our recordings, still can get worldwide distribution. I think it is a good thing to grow really strong in Sweden first. It not possible to attack everywhere at the same time

Per Hulkoff: We take one territory at the time until we reach complete world dominance.

Heavy Hell: The Stockholm Metro paper made asses of themselves when they reviewed “Liebe Is Fur Alle Da”, the new Rammstein album. Next to the review they put a picture of you guys in RAUBTIER and called you dildo-rockers. A Stockholm radio DJ called you up that morning and talked about it. Were you aware of this shit before he called or did you get the news on the air?

Per Hulkoff: I were aware of that shit. The phone was ringing like crazy the entire morning. But what the f**k they put a picture of us in the paper saying that we represent the German Dildo-rock.

It made me really pissed because we don’t stand for pornography, dildos and shit like that. Society today is already cramped what that type of junk I don’t want RAUBTIER to be associated we crap like that.

Heavy Hell: Did you ever get any excuse from the paper?

Per Hulkoff: We heard that they published some kind of excuse afterwards. But we haven’t seen it.

Buffeln: We don’t get that paper it isn’t distributed where we live.

Per Hulkoff: You know anything can happen here and we will never hear about it , nor do we have a possibility to fend ourselves. This is actually one thing that I perceive as negative with being famous.

Buffeln: It isn’t so f**king hard for the person who wrote that shit to simply give us a call and say that they are sorry.

It isn’t complicate, it only takes a few minutes and it would have made our day a whole lot better.

Heavy Hell: My thought was that it was a demeaning insult.

Per Hulkoff: That was exactly how we perceived it as well.

Buffeln: If they can’t spot the difference between me and Per and Rammstein maybe they should consider changing their work.

It proves that you not are interested in what you are doing for a living. It is just something that you do to make a living.

Per Hulkoff: I will tell you something, this is something that has annoyed me through this year. The lack of basic research before journalists publish. They mainly publish shit. It is unserious, it is not professional and still this is paid professionals.

Heavy Hell: I certainly hope that Heavy Hell isn’t included

Buffeln: No, no you wouldn’t be here if that was the case.

(laughs)

Buffeln: One of the best thing with living in Haparanda is that we live just like average Joe. Nobody cares and we carry on with our life just as usual.

When people here in town are sober they keep a bit of distance but when they are drunk they come up to you and start clinging. We can do without that.

Heavy Hell: Is it something special that you feel has been missed in the media noise that you would like to say

Per Hulkoff: that would probably be how much we care for the fans. We wouldn’t do this if they weren’t there.

It is important that you write that it is impossible for us to talk to everyone. We try as much as we can but we try.

Buffeln: We try our best to be polite and not refuse people but there is a lot of stress. If there are 200 persons that want to talk with you for three minutes it will take us ten hours! It is simply impossible.

We really try our best to be kind with our fans.

Since the interview Per has revealed the following as tentative song titles: Praedator, Hulkovius Rex, Världsherraväldet, Himmelsfärdskommando, Militant Metall. the one who lives will know if they end up on the sophomore album by the arctic predator that goes by the name RAUBTIER.