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What's in a name? How do you choose the name of your band? What does it mean and does it really even matter? Maybe you want a band name that conveys a certain feeling or passion, or is associated with an event in the life of the band members. But what is the public's perception of the name? I'm reminded of a few years ago, when the country's attention was focused on letters that were being mailed to people containing the deadly poison anthrax. September 11 had just happened, so everyone was sensitive about other potential acts of terrorism. Shortly after the story broke about the letters, the band Anthrax talked about people contacting them, dumbfounded that they could name their band after such a heinous act, of course not realizing that had been the band's name for years. As you can see, a band's name can come to mean more than ever imagined, which brings us to Narnia. The band has been around for almost ten years, but it was just this past year that Disney released the live action film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, making the classic C.S. Lewis series The Chronicles of Narnia more popular than ever. Do you think people are noticing the band more as a result? We asked Narnia guitarist Carl Johan Grimmark about this and much more.


Chris Beck: You have a new album coming out called Enter The Gate. Tell us a little about the album.
Carl Johan Grimmark: It's a brand new start for us as a band, musically and spiritually. We didn't really like the way The Great Fall turned out so this album needed to be the revenge. Musically it's a very melodic album but with a slightly more aggressive sound than earlier. So, we're somehow back to our basics but in a modernized way. The lyrics are far more positive and 100% focused on the Christian message. The Great Fall was more dark and pessimistic, and we felt that's not what the world needs today.


What, besides the darker lyrics, do you not like about the album The Great Fall?
Well, the production didn't turn out the way we planned. I could talk forever about what could have been done better, but the production and the lyrics are probably the main problems I have with it.


What songs from Enter The Gate do you like the most and why?
I like the song "Into this Game" very much. It's a great up-tempo opener on the album. I also like "Another World" very much because of the way it builds up and the way Christian delivers the message in a way he has never done before!


Enter The Gate is the first Narnia album that won't be released by Nuclear Blast. Why are you no longer signed with them? Are you happy with your current distribution deals with Massacre Records and Attic Arcade/Gencross?
Yes, that's right. We felt that Nuclear Blast were growing so big that we got no priority and in the end they decided not to pick up the option. Anyways, we are very happy for the years we had with them--they put us on the map. Our new labels seem very positive about having us and we feel the same. I hope it'll last and turn out to be great for everyone involved.


You've personally had the opportunity to play guitars with Saviour Machine and Rob Rock. How did each of these collaborations come about? How do your experiences with these bands compare to Narnia?
I have a different role in those projects, of course, being only the guitar player who doesn't write songs or anything. My role in Narnia is much bigger as I write all the music, some lyrics and also produce. But I've very much enjoyed trying something completely different. Saviour Machine is like a lesson in how many odd numbers you can remember during 3 or 4 hour-long shows, while Rob Rock is straight metal where one of the major challenges is to represent in a live situation what has been played on record by virtuosos such as Chris Impellitteri and Tony MacAlpine.


Christian Rivel, lead singer of Narnia, has also worked on other projects such as Divine Fire and Audiovision. Do you think that having most band members of Narnia working on other projects has had any negative impacts on Narnia?
Of course there are at least two sides to every story. It's hard to focus on too may things when every day has no more than 24 hours, but on the other hand it has given us more experience and connections that we have good use for in Narnia. We have all agreed on Narnia being our main priority!


We mentioned the fact that you played some concerts with Rob Rock in Europe this past year. Several months back, a statement was issued that Narnia and Rob Rock would perform concerts together if promoters were interested in booking them. Did the bands ever play any shows together?
We did about 15 or 16 shows all over western Europe with Rob Rock last year, but only one of them was a Narnia/Rob Rock combo show. There will be more in the future, but it's still uncertain how many.


Can the Christian metal industry support this type of tour? If not, what can we as an industry and music fans do to change this?
I wouldn't say yet that the concept won't work because sometimes the business can be very slow, so it's a little too early to say. We are talking to a few promoters about future combined shows.


Narnia already has a couple concerts booked in Europe for 2006. What is your impression of the current heavy metal scene in Europe?
The metal scene is superb now compared to the 90's. Of course, it's nowhere near the 80's size but there are many bands touring and selling decent amounts of records and some of the music is really great. That's very nice of course, but it also means that the competition is tough. The Swedish bands In Flames, Soilwork, Arch Enemy and Hammerfall are just a few of the many successful touring bands. What I like about the European metal scene at the moment is that there are many bands that blend melody and aggression in a very nice way.


Since Narnia is a Christian band, are you ever the target of persecution at your concerts or in other situations?
Not very often. People usually don't threaten us directly, but of course there are people who very much dislike our attitude and the way we deliver a no compromise Christian message into the secular metal scene. There's constantly ongoing debates regarding satanic messages vs. Christian messages in metal music, and some people really hate us for some reason....


Do you think Narnia will ever tour in the United States?
That's been on my mind very much during the past year and we sincerely hope so. We appreciate any kind of help in this matter and hope that promoters want to book a few shows.


You recently released the live DVD At Short Notice...Live in Germany as a live CD. Why did you decide to release this on CD now, almost two years after releasing the DVD? Are there any changes or extra songs on the CD?
It's basically the same, but it's slightly edited and remastered. We have shortened the show a little for a higher tempo experience as there is nothing to watch. This only means that the drum solo, the guitar solo and some intro is taken out and that there are shorter gaps in between some of the songs. It feels pretty fresh that way.


Now I'll ask a question that you've probably been asked many times, but I'm not sure everyone knows the answer. Why did you decide to name the band Narnia? It isn't necessarily that unusual, as many bands draw their name from or write lyrics about The Lord of the Rings or other fantasy stories, but you've remained loyal to The Chronicles of Narnia with songs titled "The Witch & The Lion" and "The Return of Aslan."
It was Christian's idea. We liked the way that it combined the common metal fantasy-world theme with clear Christian symbolism.


Disney recently produced the live action film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Have you seen the movie and, if so, what do you think about it?
I still haven't seen it. I'm either too busy or too lazy.


Has the popularity of the movie had any noticeable effect on the band's merchandise sales or had any other impacts?
I have no idea yet whether it has affected our sales or not, but it sure has taken a bunch of people to our website.


Are you able to make a living through your work in the music industry? If not, what other work do you do?
No, I'm not. Our drummer, Andreas, is the only one of us who makes his full living by playing drums. If I could make a living out of playing just the stuff I play, I would of course very much welcome that, but I don't want to make a living from playing music that I don't like myself. I would rather keep loading and unloading trucks and drive forklifts. It keeps me connected to reality, it pays well enough and I somehow enjoy heavy work.


Who are some of the guitarists that you like, and have you patterned any of your playing after them?
I grew up listening to some of the Swedish heroes like Yngwie Malmsteen, John Norum and Kee Marcello, and I'm sure they all had a significant impact on me, as well as Gary Moore, Joe Satriani, etc. Nowadays, I enjoy John Petrucci of Dream Theater very much, especially on their past three studio albums. He's also one of my inspirational sources guitar tone-wise. Only Mesa/Boogie amps in my rig nowadays. I may have also included a bunch of Steve Morse-type licks here and there.


If we were to look into your CD player today, what band would we see?
At this very moment, Liquid Tension Experiment (the project with some Dream Theater members and Tony Levin on bass) is in the CD player in my kitchen.


Earlier we mentioned that you've played with Saviour Machine and Rob Rock. Are there any other projects that you are currently working on?
Yes, I'm now working very hard on my first solo record. I'm having some very good musicians on it. Peter Wildoer from Darkane will be on drums and Jan S Eckert from Masterplan will play bass. It's not yet 100% decided who will handle the vocals. I'm very excited about this project.


Fans of Narnia can never seem to agree on one thing...which Narnia album is the best one. All four albums are chosen by different people as being the best for one reason or another. So I ask you...besides the new album, which one is your favorite and why?
I personally like Desert Land very much! One of the reasons is the songs, of course, but also the very raw and live sound it has. We really got the energy down on tape on that one.


Narnia has been together now for almost 10 years. Looking back, have you accomplished what you had envisioned for the band when you first started?
Basically yes, but it has taken up until now. We now feel like a very strong unit that wants to give it all for the Lord.


What has been the most difficult thing you have had to deal with over those 10 years and how was the difficulty overcome?
Oh, probably this question! More seriously, I think that a couple of band member changes and the time surrounding those changes might have been some of the toughest parts.


As a musician, we've discussed writing, recording, producing and performing. Which of these do you enjoy the most and which one do you enjoy the least, and why?
Performing would be my favorite since you actually get to see your audience and their reactions; there's a certain spontaneity about a live show which makes the whole thing very exiting. Also, it's sometimes very powerful when God touches people in a special way through our music. Completing a studio production is also very satisfying! Sometimes the recording process can be a little heavy because it can take so much time. Yet, I enjoy most of the recording as well!


If you were to set three goals for Narnia to accomplish over the next couple of years, what would they be?
1. To tour the US, Japan and South America. 2. To write and record a new album as soon as my solo album is done. 3. To see as many people get saved as possible!


Do you have any closing thoughts you would like to share with the readers of Heaven's Metal?
Sincerely, from my heart - I can't wait to open the first Narnia show in the US. Please tell your local promoters to contact our management, MCM Music. Hope to see you soon!!!!!!




© 2006 Heaven's Metal Fanzine. All rights reserved.

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