Joachim Nordlund (Sunstrike)

Interview by Woody

Hi Joachim, you have just released your debut album with SunStrike (“Rock Your World”) – As a new band do you find it hard to get noticed as many hardcore fans still look solely to bands and musicians with strong ties to the melodic rock genre’s golden period in the ‘80’s?

“Well, of course there's hard competition out there, with a lot of bands that are very good. But I think we have made a very strong album that takes you right back to the golden days of the 80's. And judging from the reviews we received, many people really appreciate what we do. I have received many messages from fans who are delighted to have found a band that have this authentic 80's sound these days.”

I know many newer bands find it frustrating to be accepted by the fans how have you found your journey so far?

“I think we have been very well accepted so far. People from all around the world write to us all the time telling us how much they appreciate the album. What more can you wish for? And yes, SunStrike is a new band, but all the members have been in this business for a long time, so we know what to expect; we know its hard work.”

You have worked with Erik Martensson of Eclipse and W.E.T. on “Rock Your World”; he mixed and mastered the album I believe. How did you end up working with one of the most popular musicians in modern melodic rock and what was the experience like?

“Well, I have been a fan of Eclipse since their first album came out; early 2000 I believe. And I like very much what he's done as a producer and songwriter. For me the choice was pretty easy. He understood the whole idea of SunStrike right away and he made the perfect sound for us. Every song shines like a diamond. He is very professional and a nice down-to-earth person.”

What inspired you to write songs in the melodic rock genre, especially given that it’s not a mainstream style anymore?

“I have always been a fan of melodic rock/AOR and when I first heard Christian’s voice I wanted to write melodic rock songs for him. He's got the perfect voice for it. For me it's a dream come true to have a band like SunStrike. I was listening to a whole lot to bands like Europe, Bon Jovi, TNT, Pretty Maids, etc., when I was a teenager. In fact, I still do!”

Has “Rock Your World” turned out as you hoped and originally envisioned?

“Absolutely! In fact, it got better than I ever could imagine as it went along! I'm very proud of the record.”

Can you talk to us about a few of the songs on the album any stories or meanings behind the songs that the fans would like to hear?

“Yeah. "Roll The Dice" is a pretty cool song, I think. It's built up around this bassline you hear in the riff and verse. I've always wanted to do a song that is driven by a synth bass and here I got the chance; it turned out pretty cool. One of the best songs on the album if you ask me. The lyrics are about a gambler who's taking it way too far. "Higher" is another song that I like very much as well. Fredrik, our keyboard player had this piano thing lying around and wondered if we could make something out of it. We wanted to make this kind of huge ballad you know; from the 80's, with a chorus to die for. And in my ears, it turned out great. The lyrics are about a guy that has found the true love in his life. Maybe it's about me, who knows... :-) I'm very satisfied with the solo in that song too and Christian sings like a god, with such emotion. When we made "Into The light" I had TNT in mind. I wanted a song that could have been made for the "Intuition" album. It's a tragic little story about a young couple who committed suicide together. But it's a very beautiful song.”

Do you plan to do any live shows especially here in the UK?

“Yes; we are talking about doing some live shows as we speak. Hopefully we can do some shows this fall/winter. I don't know about the UK though? Everybody is pretty busy with other bands, so we'll see what happens. As I said, we're working on it!”

SunStrike are a young band, what does the future hold for you and how do you want to see the band evolving?

“The next step is to definitely take SunStrike out on the road. That's the main goal right now. Then I want to write some more songs and hopefully that will be a second album. One thing is for sure, you haven't seen the last of SunStrike!”

Thanks for your time, Joachim, is there anything else you would like to add or say to readers?

“Thanks for reading this! Hope you enjoy the album!”