DEVIAN Vocalist/Lyricist Erik “Legion” Hagstedt

DEVIAN Vocalist/Lyricist Erik “Legion” Hagstedt On MARDUK: "There Was No Band Spirit"

Masterful Magazine (www.masterful-magazine.com ) has published an interview with DEVIAN vocalist/lyricist Erik “Legion” Hagstedt, conducted by Belgium based scribe Wouter Roemers.

The following is an excerpt from the interview:

Q: The inevitable question, of course, is your resignation from MARDUK. Can you tell us a bit how the spirit in the band was when the both of you decided to throw in the towel?

A: "There was no band spirit; that was the big problem for me. I'm all about the feeling of belonging. Family, the wolf pack against the world kind of thing. When you feel just lumped together, rehearsing the same old tracks for the sake of rehearsing, not talking, bitching at each other for the sake of a t-shirt the other one is wearing - it's like being stuck with a girlfriend you hate, you know the bitch gotta go, you can't be in bed with someone just for the sake of having a partner. World Funeral was a return to good times though, it didn't last very long. More the thing like when a person is terminally ill and just before they die they get a lot better all of a sudden. I do wish them well for the future though, it's just not my place on earth."

Q: Are you still on good terms with Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson and the rest of Marduk?

A: "Last time I saw Morgan we shook hands and said "hello", he said "hi, hi" - so that's three words spoken by two ex-best friends who has not seen each other in ages. That's how far apart we've come. The old Marduk'ers are all great friends still. I can shoot the shit with [Magnus] Devo [Andersson] for a while when we meet. Mortuus I don't know personally but I do like him as a vocalist."

Devian's debut album, Ninewinged Serpent, was recorded from April - June, 2007 at Art Decay Studio in Sweden with producer/engineer Rickard Kottelin. The album was mixed at Studio Fredman by Fredrik Nordström (ARCH ENEMY, AXAMENTA, DIMMU BORGIR) and was mastered by Peter in de Betou at Tailor Maid Productions.

Ninewinged Serpent features artwork by Seth Siro Anton (PARADISE LOST, SOILWORK, OLD MAN'S CHILD) and was released on October 22nd through Century Media Records.

Read the entire interview here.