Buoyant, larger than life and senses-stuffing all might be used to describe the band that has just released their debut record, Divanity on Frontiers Records. All the songs tell a story and suck you in like a coked-up circus carny or like a good movie soundtrack.

The drawing card for the band is the magnificent vocals of Angelica Rylin whose pure and powerful tones deliver the carefully crafted, hook-ridden songs. Less obtrusive but still enticing are the excellent background vocals, sweeping arrangements and lush (without sounding bloated) keyboards.

I played this record the first time and thought it was pretty good. The second time, I thought it was great. Now I can't stop playing it. I had a chance to interview Daniel and Angelica recently. Here's what they had to say:

antiMusic: How long ago did you first conceptualize The Murder of My Sweet and since your previous work seems to be a little more on the prog side, what is it about this more straight-forward material that appeals to you?

Daniel: Well for starters I just was fed up with the prog scene. I needed something new and I felt I was repeating myself. After the last album with Mind's Eye and over 30 reviews saying the album was a 10/10, I just felt that no Swedish band had taken a prog album to this level so why continue doing it? Better quit when you are on top and so I did.

The Murder of My Sweet is like fresh new air and there is lots of undiscovered ground to explore, I just feel like progressive music lovers have certainly heard it all by now and my generation is moving on =) and so am I.

antiMusic: I've read that there were a few previous incarnations of this band. Has your vision changed very much from the first line-up?

Daniel: Not really. I mean Angelica's voice really took the band to a level I could not imagine but at the same time my vision stayed the same. That being: Cinematic Rock music accessible for a large number of people. The band will, however, change a little bit but as Angelica is still singing no one will ever feel any difference.

antiMusic: You've worked with Johan in Mind's Eye. How did you find everybody else in the band and were you looking for any other qualities other than musical abilities?

Daniel: Most of us are friends and I just wanted to find people I could see myself spending a lot of time with. Of course it didn't hurt that they where some of the most recorded Swedish metal musicians in the business at the moment but the main reason were these:
1. Can play any style
2. Likes to drink beer
3. Incredibly talented
And last but not least: Nice to have around

antiMusic: Angelica is certainly a dynamic vocalist. Did the songs take on a different shape after she came on the scene or was everything written after you and her had formed the foundation of the band?

Daniel: Most of the songs on the album are written by Angelica and me during the development of the band and that's why you can hear such dynamics and diversity in the songs. She is very talented when it comes to hooks. A real natural! For some of the songs I had written before she was involved, I just changed for her voice and that seemed to work perfectly as she came up with her own lyrics.

antiMusic: What is your musical background; what other bands have you been in or played with and how did come to join forces with Daniel in The Murder of My Sweet?

Angelica: I started out as a dancer when I was a girl and I even went to the Swedish Ballet Academy here in Stockholm which is a very good school but there I learned that I was a much better singer than a dancer. Eventually I had to make a decision whether I wanted to develop more as a dancer or become a singer. I mean, if I should commit 100% to both I would have had to stay awake 24-7. For a couple of years I tried to progress as a singer and started looking for the right producer, which wasn't easy. There are a lot of people out there calling themselves producers but they are often better at talking than actually getting some where. I met Daniel through a mutual friend of ours and I must say he exceeded my expectations and is a fantastic producer and songwriter.

antiMusic: Your music has a real cinematic quality just like the origins of the band name. Does this come from Daniel or is it a direction that you've helped cultivate as well?

Angelica: When Daniel and I started working together and got to know each other better we realised that we had a particular thing in common, the passion for movies and sound tracks. Daniel is amazing at composing and arranging score music and we thought we should take that element and make it our sound. There are many other bands, and especially female-fronted bands, that have massive strings and keyboard arrangements but I don't think any one has taken it to this level. We like to push the envelope a bit.

antiMusic: How do the songs take shape? Do you discuss a "storyline" that would work, or do random song ideas just spring out at you? What songs were first out of the box?

Angelica: Most of the time either Daniel or I come up with a topic, a chorus or a title for a song and we start building it from that. And other times we start with a really cool riff. On a few occasions our manager said "How about writing a song about…" and we got inspired by that. "One Bullet" was created like that actually. I had never written anything before I joined the band but we work really well together. Just give us anything and we can write a song about it.

Daniel: The first songs were "Follow the Rain", "Kiss of Death", and "Storms of the Sea". There were some songs that didn't make the album but are now being released as bonus tracks for the second single "Tonight". Those songs were "Sand of Time", "Shivers Down My Spine" and "Another Dawn". Make sure you check them out as soon they are available.

antiMusic: I assume that you did the music while Angelica did the lyrics. Is this correct? Was there any blurring of roles with both of you contributing to your opposite duties?

Daniel: 90% true. Angelica wrote some music, mainly for "Mistaken" which was released as a bonus track for the digital release of the album. She also did most of the music on "Another Dawn", which is actually the first song she ever wrote! Not kidding!

antiMusic: Was there any song that you had to really work at to complete or did everything sort of "write itself"?

Angelica: Maybe the foundation of the songs came quite natural and easy for us but then we worked really hard on every one of them trying to make them as great as they could be. Every note and guitar riff and loop, etc. is carefully created. Of course "Death of a Movie Star" was the one we worked on for the most hours. It's the longest and most busy song on the album.

antiMusic: What do you think happened to "Valerie"?

Angelica: "Valerie" took the road that so many young girls and boys do today trying to follow their dreams and tragically she ends up the worst way possible. Selling herself to provide her drug habit. In my imagination, "Valerie" meets her creator in the end of the song but it's really an open ending so if you want her to survive that's fine with me ;) That's what's so cool about music, that every one can relate to the lyrics in some way and make up their own story.

antiMusic: "Death of a Movie Star" has been described as your "Bohemian Rhapsody" and it certainly is epic. It sounds like the kind of song that might have been constructed with a bunch of different parts. Was it fun to put this song together or did you feel you started a Pandora's Box?

Angelica: "Death of a Movie Star" came about by coincidence. We were stuck on another song we were working on and then Daniel started playing something completely different. We realized right then that this song could be something extra. It was so much fun to write this song and really exciting too. We had a good idea of what we wanted to do but every time we finished one part we were amazed and surprised at the outcome. And the lyrics were great to write. I had to get in a special creative mood and come up with a real story. It was like writing for a musical in a way. I could picture everything I wrote like it was a movie so I have a lot of ideas for a music video as well. I only lack of the budget ;)

antiMusic: Your admiration of soundtrack scores is obvious. Is it hard to put forward the cinematic qualities of the music without muzzling the straightforward nature of the rock side for this project?

Daniel: Not really, as I said before, I had my training with my last band and on those records it was the opportunity to do things without failing for a large crowd, sort of trial and error. Now as it seems there are a lot of people listening and I feel more in control of this kind of style, next time it will be even better.

antiMusic: Your skill as a producer is evident by some of the arrangements (I love all the background vocals, like in "One Bullet" and "Valerie"!!). Is it harder to be the producer of your own music where you have to wear two hats as both performer and "boss"?

Daniel: It can be but as I am a bastard =) and don't really believe in democracy within the band, everything is really easy to do. I have learned how to deal with my own "ego" and as I have gone older I have learned to control the beast =) but sure there are times I wish I had someone to ask and I do ask some of my heroes here in Sweden. Mats "limpan" Lindfors has really helped me and he is a wonderful producer who is by far the best Swedish ROCK/Metal producer Sweden has (or will ever) see.

antiMusic: Your credits suggest that you've been more than active in the music scene. Can you give us a snapshot of your musical background and also the steps that took you out of the drummer's seat and into the other areas that you've explored?

Daniel: The main reason I started to produce was that most "producers" that I had (not) the pleasure of working with were just lazy a**holes which only cared about going home and not finishing the job. They never wanted you to sound as good as they could make you. There where always excuses and so I was always the one producing the records but in the end there was always someone taking credit for it. The first step must have been when I said: "F*ck this! I'm not going to pay one cent more to a lazy engineer that would rather go home and bone his wife". I applied to music production school and lied all my way through my initial test, bringing mixes made by other guys to my teachers just so I could get in. BUT, I learned a lot and I have become good through listening to what the bands need from me and delivering that. You are never finished and completed. There is always something new you find and you try. As a drummer you sit there and shut up and play what you are told but as a producer you take control of the album and that why I'm doing that. I'm convinced that I'm the right person to fulfill another person's dream because I respect people and their visions.

antiMusic: The band name comes from an old film noir from the 1940s. Did you actually see the movie? What were some of other names you considered?

Daniel: Yes, we have. Love the movie! Dick Powell looks like he had smoked too many cigarettes during the making of the movie though =) Other names I considered were: The Extraordinary Light and the funny name: "Bitches and hoes" hahaha

antiMusic: Has the band done any live shows yet? What were your impressions of how the band came together on stage or if you haven't yet played live, what are your expectations?

Angelica: We have played a couple of gigs here in Sweden. We actually had a gig last night. On stage we have a lot of fun together and we love to interact with our audience. The guys are all a bunch of pros and I'm the happiest girl alive to get to play with them. One thing that I wasn't prepared for but came as the sweetest surprise was when people in the audience started to sing along with our songs. It's an amazing feeling!

antiMusic: In terms of a live show, are you more sedate and prefer to duplicate the songs as closely as possible or do you like to give way to the adrenaline rush of playing in front of an audience and just "have at it"?

Angelica: We want to give people the same thing as they can hear on the album, only better! Musically, it should be top notch and as a show we want it to be very personal. With those two ingredients anything can happen. We are there and everywhere and when you get home we're there too. You will remember our show and you will want to come to the next one.

antiMusic: It's still early in the game since the record has just come out but is there plans to tour the U.S. or will you wait to see the reception first?

Daniel: We would love to play in the States but as you already mentioned it's too early to tell. We are doing some festivals in Europe and maybe during the summer over there we can hook up with some promoters and see what happens. The reception from the US has been nothing short of amazing. Seems like people love the cinematic vibe over there.

antiMusic: What track are you most proud of from this record?

Daniel: Sound wise: "Follow the Rain"
Musically: "Death of a Movie Star"

antiMusic: With the focus on The Murder of My Sweet right now, what is the future plan for Mind's Eye?

Daniel: Nothing at the moment for Mind's Eye. We just dropped the singer as that didn't work out anymore so we are taking it really easy. The Murder of My Sweet will take all my spare time from now own.

antiMusic: Anything else you would like to tell us about the CD or the band that I didn't ask?

Angelica: I would like to thank everyone for taking time to read this interview and if you find us interesting, pay us a visit! We try to answer every email or comment that we get so just let us know that you're out there.

Daniel: It's done with the world's smallest budget! No just kidding, I would like to mention the record company Frontiers Records who have been phenomenal up to this point. Hope they see this. I need more money for the next record…. HAHA HAHAHA

antiMusic: Lastly and most importantly, what does your wife think of you going on tour with Angelica? ;)

Daniel: I recently divorced so I'm free to do whatever I want =). Marriage is not my cup of tea… But if I would be married, she would be jealous as hell!!!!!!! Whoever that might be as not many women can measure up with Angelica's voice and looks.

Morley and antiMusic would like to thank Angelica and Daniel for taking the time to do this interview.