Sister Sin’s classic line-up reforming + interview with drummer Dave Sundberg

INTERVIEW WITH SISTER SIN DRUMMER DAVE SUNDBERG
Date: December 20, 2019
Interviewer: Olivier

BACK FROM THE DEAD! SISTER SIN’S CLASSIC LINE-UP IS RESURRECTING! A LITTLE MORE THAN FOUR YEARS AGO, ONE OF THE GREATEST AND MOST UNDERRATED BANDS EVER — SISTER SIN — ABRUPTLY CAME TO AN END. THE SWEDISH ROCKERS HAD RELEASED FIVE STUDIO ALBUMS INCLUDING FOUR — ‘SWITCHBLADE SERENADES’ (2008), ‘TRUE SOUND OF THE UNDERGROUND’ (2010), ‘NOW AND FOREVER’ (2013) AND ‘BLACK LOTUS’ (2014) — THAT WILL MOST LIKELY STAND THE TEST OF TIME. EARLIER TODAY, SISTER SIN’S CLASSIC LINE-UP OF DRUMMER DAVE SUNDBERG, LEAD VOCALIST LIV JAGRELL, GUITARIST JIMMY HITULA AND BASSIST STRANDH ANNOUNCED THAT THEY WOULD BE REFORMING TO PLAY THE GLEFE METAL FESTIVAL AND HELGEÅFESTIVALEN IN SWEDEN THIS COMING JULY 2020 WITH MORE TO COME. SLEAZE ROXX CAUGHT UP WITH SUNDBERG IN THE DAYS LEADING TO THE ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS PHENOMENAL NEWS AND LOTS MORE.

Sleaze Roxx: What prompted Sister Sin to reunite after the band abruptly announced its demise a little more than four years ago?

Dave Sundberg: About a year ago, me and Jimmy took over distribution, via Universal, for ‘Switchblade Serenades’ and ‘True Sound of The Underground’ and with that we got a lot of insight [on] sales, streams and what not. Stats we’ve hadn’t had insight on before. Anyways,  I was frankly put off guard how well they were doing, still. Everything is relevant of course but I was really surprised by the stats. Me and Jimmy were chatting back and forth from off that and basically came to the conclusion that it would be a shame to not savour this, one last time at least. Shit fades fast you know and stats don’t last forever.

So we all decided to meet up a few months ago and talk it over. Me, Jimmy and Strandh have been seeing each other every now and then, jamming or drinking beer, but this was the first time we all sat down together since the demise. We chatted back and forth, and decided to check in with our former booking agent to see if this could fly. It felt good. Grounded. Exciting! So here we are.

Sleaze Roxx: That is very exciting! Is there any thought of recording the upcoming shows for a live album release? I am sure that Sister Sin fans would be all over it.

Dave Sundberg: Not as of now. We’ve talked about it previously but nothing in the works I’m afraid.

Sleaze Roxx: Why didn’t Sister Sin ever release a live album or a greatest hits compilation album during its 12+ year run or even afterwards?

Dave Sundberg: Like I mentioned earlier, we own the Masters for two albums. And that’s for the European territory only. The rest is in Victory Records’ hands. They just sold their business to Concord Music so it’s their property after New Year’s. We have no saying what they’ll do with it. It would be cool if they decided to do something of course.

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

Sleaze Roxx: Do you regret the way that the band shut everything down back in mid-November 2015? In hindsight, wouldn’t it have been better to have some sort of farewell tour?

Dave Sundberg: I do and I don’t. I think we pushed it as far as we could go, as friends and as a band. It might have seemed sudden but the seed was planted many years earlier where we bled money every show. We made it up, for years, by having so much  fun. It was pure dedication and getting along so well. But years and years on the road around the globe with nothing to show for isn’t sustainable in the long run. Labels, managers and what not covers their loss in a declining industry by figuring ways to drain bands instead. Bands burden the cost. In any other industry, such terms, selling your “product” would be ridiculous and nothing short of laughably. Sure, we never reached a level where those margins should matter that much. Our gross income was  “OK” from time to time but, Jesus, we got so fucked. It’s our own fault some might say but when you’re young and hungry… In hindsight, I’m surprised that we kept going for as long as we did with our touring schedule.

With that said, yeah, we should have done a farewell tour and done a proper goodbye, but it it had gone too far and would probably had fallen apart in the middle. I could go on and on with things we should have done differently from the get-go but, it is what is. Many have asked why shit went south but how transparent do you have to be? It just wasn’t working in the long run. Sad but true. We had a fucking great time for over a decade, released a handful of albums that I’m super proud of and toured the world.

Sleaze Roxx: What have you, Jimmy and Strandh been up to in the last four years?

Dave Sundberg: Strandh has been rocking and rolling with some punk bands and several other projects. Jimmy has a small home studio jamming away. Personally, I quit everything music related and focused on a “regular” career.

Sleaze Roxx: What’s your “regular career” and what do you miss about your past life in Sister Sin?

Dave Sundberg: I work at a chemical company as Senior Warehouse Manager nowadays. My life is so much different from the Sister Sin days and I can’t say I want that back, especially not full-time. I guess I miss the travelling a bit and recording albums. We’re still good friends and hang out from time to time so I got that covered, so to speak.

Sleaze Roxx: Liv has continued playing music with her new band Liv Sin but gone in a heavier direction. Have you listened to Liv Sin’s material and what do you think?

Dave Sundberg: I’m happy for Liv continuing on doing what she loves! I’ve heard bits and pieces and it’s all good.

Sleaze Roxx: Having had the chance to sit back a little bit for the last four years, what do you think is Sister Sin’s legacy?

Dave Sundberg: I think we managed to transcend sleaze, metal and punk in a way that was pretty cool. We opened for bands like Arch Enemy, Slayer — heavy shit — all the way to the opposite and it always worked with the crowds and in the clubs. That was pretty fucking awesome. So I guess our legacy is that we attract from the whole sprectre of metal, hard rock or whatever you call it. Also, Liv is a category by herself that made all of the above possible. A part of the Sister Sin legacy is hands down to her for contributing making the “female fronted” genre moving forward.

Sleaze Roxx: You were the primary writer for the band during the classic line-up period. Have you written more material in the last four years and if so, will it see the light of day with Sister Sin or another band / project?

Dave Sundberg: No, I put 110% in Sister Sin and when that ended, I shifted that same focus elsewhere. There might be some tracks laying around somewhere but I don’t know. I won’t be doing any musical projects in the future if [it’s] not Sister Sin.

Sleaze Roxx: What are your proudest accomplishments with Sister Sin?

Dave Sundberg: I’m extremely proud of ‘Black Lotus.’ I don’t know if I could ever produce a higher standard of melodies, riffs, arrangements and lyrics than that. Me and Jimmy really pushed ourselves for a few good months under less than perfect conditions. To say the least! So that album is a milestone for me.

Then there’s so many shows and countries visited — the shit you see and experience. Most rewarding was the people as well as the warmth fans provided for seemingly unknown people. Sounds almost like a cliché but for a Swede, inviting a perfect stranger to your home with food, shelter, gifts and what not is, to me, beautiful and something truly remarkable. The love we received in one way or another is something I’ll always remember and cherish. I would like to extend, in case some of our fans missed it, a most grateful  and appreciative “Thank You” for all the years. Hope to see you all again next summer!

Sister Sin‘s “Fight Song” video (from Now And Forever album):

Sister Sin – Fight Song

Sister Sin “Fight Song” is from the album, Now And Forever, available now.iTunes: http://bit.ly/TaYmsGAmazon: http://amzn.to/18YMH6VDirect (CD / Vinyl): http…

Sister Sin‘s “Chaos Royale” video (from Black Lotus album):

Sister Sin – Chaos Royale

Sister Sin “Chaos Royale” is from the album, Black Lotus, available now.iTunes: http://bit.ly/ZWj7z1Amazon: http://amzn.to/1yGvueHDirect (CD): http://bit.ly/…