{"id":6930,"date":"2021-10-11T20:16:23","date_gmt":"2021-10-12T00:16:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/?p=6930"},"modified":"2021-10-15T21:14:36","modified_gmt":"2021-10-16T01:14:36","slug":"ulterium-records-celebrating-15-years-the-first-5-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/index.php\/2021\/10\/11\/ulterium-records-celebrating-15-years-the-first-5-years\/","title":{"rendered":"ULTERIUM RECORDS: Celebrating 15 Years – The First 5 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In September Ulterium Records<\/a> (Sweden) celebrated their 15-year anniversary as a record label. Although humbly starting out with a few quality bands \u2013 employing a somewhat \u201cunderground\u201d approach \u2013 the label grew steadily during their first 5 years to become one of the premier labels in Christian metal with quality acts such as Darkwater, Harmony, InnerWish, Sinbreed and Theocracy anchoring the label.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to promoting and supporting original music, they have issued and reissued limited versions (vinyl and CD) of releases from established bands such as Impellitteri, Stryper, Kreyson, Rob Rock and Seventh Avenue. In celebration of this anniversary, and in recognition of the accomplishments of the label, Heaven\u2019s Metal\u2019s<\/em> Jonathan \u201cDoc\u201d Swank has endeavored with label founder Emil Westerdahl to chronicle \u2013 in a 3-part series \u2013 the journey of Ulterium Records.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[Author’s Note: This feature represents Part I in a 3-part series with Parts II and III to follow over the course of the next several months as time and circumstances allow. The format will include some traditional interview type questions, but mostly observations and reviews (by me) of each release (in chronological order of their original release dates) along with commentary by Emil.]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Happy Anniversary!!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Emil, first of all, congratulations on 15 years! Let me say, you have excellent taste in music! I share a love for over 95% of your catalog!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you so much, Jonathan! That\u2019s great to hear and I really appreciate your kind words and support!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So \u2026 tell us how this all got started. What were your motivations\/inspirations to start a record label?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea to start a label was forming in my mind in 2005. I had been playing in different bands and organizing shows for some years but that year I also started to help some labels with promotion which gave me some insight in the label business. Even though I was mostly involved in the extreme metal scene at that time, I really loved melodic metal (still do obviously) and thought that there was a gap to be filled on the label side of things. I felt that there were bands like Harmony for example, that were too small to get a good deal on a big label, and that would benefit from having a smaller label that really understood them, believed in them and worked hard for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of 2005 I went on a trip with two great friends and mentors: Samuel from Endtime Productions and P\u00e5l from Nordic Mission. We spent days talking about different projects, discussing strategies and how to co-operate the best way possible to help the scene. In one of these talks I mentioned my idea about starting a label focusing solely on melodic metal, and they thought it was an exciting idea and told me that I could count on their support. That\u2019s when I decided to go for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What were the challenges you faced to make this all come true?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get official distribution in different countries wasn\u2019t exactly easy. I knew the underground scene quite well and had some contacts, but yeah, this was a huge challenge in the beginning. After some years it all fell into place, and even though there\u2019s been some bumps in the road over the years, I feel very happy about how everything turned out looking back on it now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have also been blessed and lucky to have known people that have helped and supported me. And sometimes new people just appeared out of nowhere and helped the label forward no matter if it was about distribution or finding new artists or something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the first years I only worked with smaller bands, or bands that released their debut albums. When the time came to release the new albums by Theocracy and Harmony \u2013 bands that already had an album out and a following \u2013 that was a huge difference. It wasn\u2019t like I could just sit back and relax, but it made a big difference as I could invest more time and money to promote them outside of their fan base and the scene. Since those early years the label has gained a loyal following as well, and that\u2019s been so extremely helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2006<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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EVERGRACE: Evergrace (ULTCD001)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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The debut release for Evergrace and Ulterium Records. Known later as Incrave, these guys laid down straightforward metal with heavy grooves and a nice balance of power, crunch and melody. The melodic vocals of Johan Falk, however, would fit more into the commercial progressive metal genre. With melodies reminiscent of Parallels<\/em> era Fates Warning and Harmony \u2013 Dreaming Awake<\/em>, and a quality mix, these guys provided a solid metal foundation for the fledgling label. While promising, I felt that with a bit more toughness in the vocals, more varied songwriting and the addition of some speed, these guys would shine. The original version contains a 12-page booklet with lyrics and credits.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Tell us about the debut label release. How did you come to sign this band and what was it about Evergrace that caught your attention?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By following the scene closely I knew about the Swedish band Evergrace as they released a very cool demo in 2003. I felt that this was a band right up my alley that would be great to work with. I really liked their vocalist Johan Falk and the songwriting on their (a bit raw) demo, so they felt like a very promising band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During winter 2005\/2006 I reached out to them, telling them about my label plans and that I would love to work with them on their debut album. They liked the idea, we agreed on a deal and they entered the studio later that year. On September 30th<\/sup>, 2006 the self-titled Evergrace debut album was released, which was the first release on Ulterium Records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was really cool, and a big deal to me and the band to have Mattias Nor\u00e9n create the artwork for the album, since he created artworks for bands like Kamelot, Evergrey, Epica, Sabaton and many others around that time. Mattias actually lives in the same small city as I do, and he\u2019s a fantastic guy and a truly talented artist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The label name Ulterium Records is actually taken from the song \u201cUlterior World\u201d from that album. We basically re-wrote \u201cUlterior\u201d to \u201cUlterium\u201d, and that was it. The label logo was created by Heli Berg, a good friend of mine, who is a fantastic designer and photographer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ULTCD002<\/strong>?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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What happened with this release? Something that could have been but never materialized?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, there was a release planned for this catalog number, but it was delayed and delayed, and then delayed some more. The material will be released eventually, but some other way so now this catalog number will be an empty one until the end of time. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2007<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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GRAND LUX: Carved in Stone (ULTCD003)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Officially the second release on Ulterium, Grand Lux flexed hard rock, melodic metal chops akin to heavy Stryper. If you are going to play this kind of music you had better find a confident singer with the range and swagger to deliver the goods. Phil Goode fit the bill for all intents and purposes \u2013 his only fault sounding just a bit too much like Michael Sweet (eerie) and Dale Thompson. Second, you had better be able to write catchy riffs and melodies that hook as deep as the ocean. Check. Third, you need a guitarist that can shred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When this was originally released, I had reservations about whether this band could hold up to the likes of Stryper, Bride, Impellitteri or Circle II Circle. Afterall, this was a competitive, very tread-worn genre of metal\/rock when this album was originally released, and so to succeed with this style you had to really work hard to stand out. But to the credit of Ulterium Records, when I go back and listen to this album now, these tunes sound much better than I remember. The production sound\/mix is solid with plenty of low-end power and push on the drums and bass. I don\u2019t think the quality of this release surpassed Evergrace, but it solidified (and diversified) the young label\u2019s efforts to develop a foothold in the scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[Note: This CD featured enhanced content with the video for \u201cEscaping the Clouds.\u201d]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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How did you discover Grand Lux and what lead up to the release of Carved in Stone<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grand Lux released their debut album on a Norwegian label in 2005 and the guys managed to create quite the hype around the band as they put on great live shows! Lots of fire and pyrotechnics and also a very 80\u2019s metal image done the right way. They basically went all in! (you can see this clearly in the \u201cEscaping the Clouds\u201d music video) Because of their image and awesome live shows they not only appealed to the metal crowd, but to regular people as well, and they played a lot of shows in Norway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I saw them live a couple of times in Norway and once in Sweden, and instantly loved them! P\u00e5l from Nordic Mission helped me get contact with the guys, and when my band played in their hometown Kristiansand in Norway in 2006 I met the guys and we signed a deal for Carved in Stone<\/em> that came out early 2007. Me and some friends travelled to the release party in Norway and it was fantastic!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The music video for \u201cEscaping the Clouds\u201d entered one of these \u201ctop list shows\u201d on Norwegian television, which was very cool for the guys. (see below)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Samuel did the artwork for this album, and while creating it he got the idea to have something special somewhere on every Ulterium release, to bind them all together somehow. That\u2019s when he came up with the idea about the 4 (3, 1) lines on the CD spine, so from this release and moving forward you can find these lines on all CD editions from Ulterium Records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Grand Lux seemed like a band with great potential. What happened to them after they left the label and why have we never heard anything from them since?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The band played a number of shows after Carved in Stone<\/em> came out, and the guys started to work on material for a new album. But one of the members moved abroad for some years, and then the years just passed I think, so they didn\u2019t release anything new yet. But I am in touch with them from time to time, so let\u2019s see what happens in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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