Smash Into Pieces On Their Maiden Voyage To Australia…

Swedish rock powerhouse Smash Into Pieces are bringing their groundbreaking live experience to Australian shores for the very first time this August! With the launch of their latest chapter, ArmaHeaven Prophecy, the band unleashes their most cinematic live show yet – a high-intensity experience of music and stunning visuals that embodies their motto: “don’t let anything stand between you and your dreams… if it does, smash it into pieces”. Following the global success of their critically acclaimed latest album Ghost Code, Smash Into Pieces now unveil ArmaHeaven Prophecy: their apocalyptic live show powered by a bold new era of storytelling and sound. Chris Adam Hedman Sörbye talks to Hi Fi Way about their first Australian tour.

Getting excited about your first tour to Australia?
Yeah, we are. It’s finally happening after almost twenty years. So it’s about time.

Was it just the planets not aligning, or is it just too many moving parts that make overseas touring to Australia complicated?
The last thing you said basically. Early in our career, we couldn’t really afford to go there. The timing now is perfect. We were actually about to go before the pandemic hit, but things happened. So we postponed it. But now, the planets are aligned.

Do you set any expectations for this first trip? It’s only three cities this time, right? Just rock out and plant the seed for a quicker return?
I’ve stopped having expectations from life. I think it’s a bad mindset to have them at all. Better to just see what happens. That said, I can see ticket sales are going well, so I’m heading in with the mindset of having a good time and feeling out the Australian market.

Have Australian fans been asking when you touring here?
Yeah, you’ve been in our top ten countries since the beginning of our career. It’s a weird thing. I don’t know why you guys are up there, but hopefully it’s because you like good music.

For fans who don’t know much about Smash Into Pieces, what can they expect on this tour?
It’s their first time seeing us live, so the full show, full setup. We’ll do our thing and probably drop a few Easter eggs into the set to see how Aussie fans respond.

Are you focusing mostly on Ghost Code for this run, or mixing it up?
We’re in the middle of our summer tour in Europe, mostly Sweden and we’ve got a new album coming very soon. No release date yet, but I just wrapped my part about a week ago. So yeah, we’ll probably throw in a new song we haven’t done before.

Will you get time to play tourist, or is it all go-go-go?
There’s a pretty long drive between every city we’re hitting, four cities, I think. Probably the major ones. I really hope I get to see the cool animals I’ve always wanted to see kangaroos, wombats, koalas… maybe we’re in the wrong part of the country? I have no clue. But I’m really looking forward to that, just hoping not to get bitten by a snake or a spider.

How’s the European tour been going so far? And what was it like playing Download Festival?
Europe’s a strong market for us. We pull a lot of people to shows and the tour’s been super solid. We’ve played the biggest festivals you can do in this part of the world. Download was great, it was our second time. We played it in 2023 and returned this summer with a bigger stage. That was a nice step up. I love playing summer festivals, it’s wild energy. That’s probably the next step after this Australian tour, find a way to do festivals in Australia.

Does it get even more exciting seeing the crowds getting bigger?
Totally, but we’re still the same guys who met seventeen years ago in a rehearsal room. It’s always been about the music and making it together as a unit, just having a good time. What’s happening around us is still kind of hard to take in. Sometimes I wake up and have to pinch myself, people are actually listening and enjoying the music. It’s pretty cool!

It must be humbling that the hard work is finally paying off?
Yeah, it’s amazing to see that and as I said before, we didn’t really have any expectations when we started playing and doing this circus. It’s a wonderful thing to witness now. I’m just happy people want to come out to shows and listen to our music. Depending on their situation, they’re able to connect with it in their own way, and that’s really cool.

How’s progress on the new album and will it be a departure from your earlier sound?
Smash Into Pieces is always evolving. We’re not trying to repeat what we’ve already done. We don’t want a new album to sound just like the last. We always bring in new producers and songwriters to keep things fresh. That’s how our sound progresses, new perspectives and collaborations. If you listen chronologically from our first album onwards, you’ll hear a clear shift and growth with each release. We’re constantly changing. It’s important to evolve as musicians.

Do your musical influences still shape your sound or does that come from within?
Speaking just for myself, it’s usually Benjamin and Per who write the songs. Depending on what they’re working on, they’ll present an idea and I’ll interpret the story so I can truly live it when I sing. That’s probably the most genuine I ever get when I’m recording vocals. I put one hundred percent of myself into it. Truth is, I don’t really listen to music anymore. We work so much on our own stuff, and between that and having two kids, who I bring on tour, it’s just nonstop. There’s no time to seek out new music. For me, life itself is the inspiration. When I’m in the studio, nothing interrupts me. Phone goes away. I sit down and just exist inside the song. That’s my process, being fully present and giving it everything I’ve got.

What’s the energy like in the studio? Is that your favorite part of the creative process?
It really depends on the song. Sometimes the energy is electric, you’re standing up cheering and you just know, “This one’s a banger.” Other times it’s more of a grind. Take Broken Halo, our latest single. It’s almost a year old, and we went through five or six versions before landing it. It was a tough one. Took real effort, especially from Benjamin. But that hard work paid off. Sometimes songs come together in a single day, others take months of refining. But the best part is that moment when the track finally clicks, when you hear it, feel the goosebumps, and know it’s ready for the world. That’s where the songs can continue to evolve, when you’re playing them live.

What are your thoughts on AI in music?
I think AI can be a good tool. We’ve tested some AI tools to explore songwriting, but for me, and for Benjamin and Per, it doesn’t fully connect. Per might use it a bit, though. He’s got every raw vocal recording I’ve ever done since our first album, and he sometimes uses my voice in AI-generated demos. That way I can hear the song beforehand, and then go record the real vocals in the studio. In that sense, it’s helpful.

It speeds up the process and saves me from having to do hundreds of takes in the studio, which can really take a toll. But we’re not using AI to actually create songs, we’re not throwing in random keywords like “cowboy hats plus Metallica plus synthwave” and asking AI to generate a track. We’re still doing music the traditional way. We try to keep the soul in it. So I think if AI is used as a supportive tool, not the heart of the process, it can be great. The danger is when people go too far and things start to sound robotic. Maybe I’m just old-school. I come from that rehearsal room mindset, you know? But if you grow up in this generation, using AI feels natural, it’s no big deal. You’ve got to stay open-minded while being a little skeptical too because not everything was better in the old days. So, I believe in using tools wisely, thinking ahead, but also staying grounded.

Is there a timeline for the new album, will it be released this year or early next year?
I think the new album should be out around October, if everything goes according to plan. The first single from it is dropping very soon. I actually accepted a new European tour last night for next year, it’s not official yet, but I said yes. Things are shaping up well for next year too. We’re just looking forward to getting on stage and meeting all the fans. That’s the job. Still kind of surreal to have fans. Sometimes you’re just like… what?

Interview By Rob Lyon

Catch Smash Into Pieces on the following dates, tickets from Destroy All Lines…