Interview with Liv Sin and ex-Sister Sin lead vocalist Liv Jagrell

INTERVIEW WITH LIV SIN AND EX-SISTER SIN LEAD VOCALIST LIV JAGRELL
Date: October 23, 2019
Interviewer: Olivier

SLEAZE ROXX READERS SHOULD BE FAMILIAR WITH THE NAME “LIV JAGRELL” AS THE FEMALE LEAD VOCALIST FRONTED THE GROUP SISTER SIN FOR 13 YEARS BEFORE FORMING THE BAND LIV SIN AFTER SISTER SIN DISBANDED IN NOVEMBER 2015. IN AN INFORMAL POLL ON SLEAZE ROXX’S FACEBOOK PAGE BACK IN JULY 2016 WITH RESPECT TO WHO IS THE ‘ULTIMATE METAL QUEEN‘, LIV JAGRELL FINISHED IN THIRD PLACE BEHIND FEMALE LEGENDS DORO PESCH AND LITA FORD. LIV SIN HAVE JUST RELEASED THEIR SECOND FULL-LENGTH ALBUM ‘BURNING SERMONS‘ LAST MONTH VIA DESPOTZ RECORDS AND SLEAZE ROXX CAUGHT UP WITH JAGRELL TO FIND OUT ABOUT THE NEW ALBUM AND MUCH MORE!

Sleaze Roxx: Congratulations on your new album ‘Burning Sermons.’ Who came up with the witty album title and what is the meaning behind it.

Liv Jagrell: I think that  it was Tommie who spilled it out and the rest of us thought it sounded like a cool title. There’s no big underneath meaning to it, but you can see it as metaphors for things, events, ideas, etc that I don’t like so much and would like to get rid of.

Sleaze Roxx: How does the new album ‘Burning Sermons’ differ from the debut ‘Follow Me’?

Liv Jagrell: Well, we brought in other elements on this one, like the orchestral parts, keyboards, etc. And that I think gave it another sound. If the previous was more straight forward metal, this is a bit more melodic and dynamic.

Sleaze Roxx: What was the writing process like for ‘Burning Sermons’ and what topics were tackled in the lyrics for the songs?

Liv Jagrell: We had more time which gave us more ideas to start with. And with our producer Emil’s help, we chose the ideas or tracks we thought suited the album best. Since we went in the studio little by little, we had time to develop and experiment a bit there too and I think that made the songs grow. As for lyrics, I tend to write about things that I care about or that I think is important. Either it’s things in the world that frustrate me, or something that I’ve experienced, or something that I hope can help, inspire or courage people.

Sleaze Roxx: What are your favourite tracks on the new record and why?

Liv Jagrell: Right now, it’s “Death Gives Life Meaning”, ’cause I love that riff! And it’s a super fun song to play live!

Sleaze Roxx: You have some guest appearances on the new album just like on ‘Follow Me.’ How do you go about choosing who to approach to do a guest appearance on a record and why did you choose Björn Strid of Soilwork and The Night Flight Orchestra to play on the record?

Liv Jagrell: Well, first, it’s a bit easier if it’s someone in the same country so first we start there. Then we throughout names and Björn’s name came up. I’m a big fan of Soilwork so I immediately gave my thumbs up for him. And fortunately for us, he was available and happy to be a part [of it]!

Liv Sin‘s “Hope Beings To Fade” video featuring Björn Strid (from Burning Sermons album):

Liv Sin feat. Björn Strid – Hope Begins To Fade (Official Music Video)

HEAVY METAL / METALFollowing on from the acclaimed ‘Follow Me’ album, Swedish quintet Liv Sin, led by the unmistakeable vocals of Liv Jagrell (ex. Sister Sin…

Sleaze Roxx: The band has gone through a bit of a musical chair game when it comes to drummers this year. Why did Per quit the band and how come it’s been so difficult to find a permanent replacement for him?

Liv Jagrell: Well it’s hard to find people in this business, and right now he’s back doing some tours and we are very happy about that.

Sleaze Roxx: Liv Sin had an interesting start given that you and Per Bjelovuk were in a relationship when the band started. Was this your first time being in a relationship with a member of a band that you were in and how do you think that it impacted the band dynamics?

Liv Jagrell: We are still in a relationship. Per is my soulmate. I knew from the start that he was. And yes, it’s the first time, but I’ll do it again, ’cause if you can share the love for music together with the one you love, that’s better than best! But yes, it can be hard of course. We’ve experienced that. What’s important is to see the difference between “work” and “relationship” and to not drag things into each other. This whole thing has actually brought us closer together and stronger together.

Liv Sin‘s “Blood Moon Fever” video (from Burning Sermons album):

Liv Sin – Blood Moon Fever (Official Music Video)

HEAVY METAL / METAL Following on from the acclaimed ‘Follow Me’ album, Swedish quintet Liv Sin, led by the unmistakeable vocals of Liv Jagrell (Sister Sin), …

Sleaze Roxx: Why did you decide to release the EP ‘Inverted’ in between Liv Sin’s two full-length albums?

Liv Jagrell: We had a contract to release an EP, and it didn’t feel right to just do a “normal” metal EP and release the same kind of music on a full-length after a year, so we thought why not do something totally different!

Liv Sin‘s “Devil’s Plaything” video (from Inverted EP):

Liv Sin – Devil’s Plaything (Official Music Video)

ROCK/HARD ROCK/METALThe first single from Liv Sin’s upcoming EP is a cover of Danzig’s song “Devil’s Plaything”. The video was recorded by Bullsize in Martin…

Sleaze Roxx: Liv Sin was recently on tour in Spain. How was the tour and what are the touring plans after that?

Liv Jagrell: Spain was awesome! Right now we don’t know so much more, but we’re hoping to get back out soon.

Sleaze Roxx: I have to ask you an obligatory Sister Sin question since Sleaze Roxx and many of its readers were — and still are — such big fans of that band. How would you rank the five albums from first to last in terms of your favourites and why?

Liv Jagrell: It’s really hard, I’m not sure if I can to be honest. But I’ll give you this, ‘True Sound of The Underground‘ and ‘Black Lotus‘ are probably my favourites. I like them ’cause they are a bit more rough and heavier. Then ‘Now And Forever‘ will come after and then ‘Switchblade Serenades‘, mostly ’cause that album is a little bit lighter and rock-ish.

Sleaze Roxx: I noticed that Liv Sin have thrown in at least one Sister Sin song in its set in the past. How did the band end up choosing which Sister Sin song to play and do you think that there will be more of that in the future?

Liv Jagrell: We chose to play two of the songs that I know people most like to hear, and I think that’s what we’ll play in the future too, but who knows?

Sister Sin‘s “Outrage” video (from True Sound of The Underground album):

– YouTube

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