Albums of Purgatory Interview Hammerfall's Joacim Cans

Albums of Purgatory: Firstly, What was the story behind you being united with Hammerfall in '96?

Joacim Cans: I got a phone call from Jesper Stromblad, drummer at that time, and he asked me if I could help them out and sing at one show only. At the time I just split up with another band and I decided to help them out. After the show Oscar and I spoke about the future, and we both agreed that HammerFall had something special
and soon we decided to continue working together.

AoP: How would you describe the sound of Hammerfall?

JC: True german heavy metal from Sweden

AoP: The band has had a lot of line-up changes. What kept the band going?

JC: You have to keep in mind that the band started out as a project. When Oscar and I decided to make the band a full time band some people had to leave since they had other obligations to variouse bands. Since that day we have only changed 1 member. Both Oscar and I love this form of music and all that HammerFall stands
for. Nothing can stop our visions and dreams to come true. As long as the flame is burning inside thereīs no stoping us.

AoP: Glory to the Brave was a very successful debut. Did you expect anything like that?

JC: Absolutely not! We knew that we had recorded a good album, but we expected a turn over of 5000 albums...the most. This was for us a good demo to pitch for a better deal for the second album. Now, after over 150.000 albums sold itīs sometimes hard to understand what happened.

AoP: How difficult was it to follow with "Legacy of Kings" when people will have had such high expectations?

JC: People always expects this and that. I didnīt feel that much of a preasure writing my share of the songs.
But of course thereīs always a small amount of preasure there when the album is released and you are waiting for the opinions of the magazines and fans. But in the end writing music is to satisfy yourself.

AoP: What was it like paying tribute to three idols when you got the chance to perform covers of Judas Priest, Helloween and Accept?

JC: The Priest song was just a cool thing to do since itīs so easy and we were able to switch instruments.
The other songs were a different story since we did them with some original members of the bands. It was a fantastic experience working with both Kai and Udo, something we will treasure in our hearts forever.

AoP: How difficult was it to allow Patrick to leave the band when the line-up seemed to be doing so well?

JC: We felt that we needed someone more reliable behind the drums, so it was un-avoidable to let him go to be replaced by Anders.

AoP: You have played along side bands like Gamma Ray, Rammstein and Dream Theatre. Who have you enjoyed working with the most?

JC: We have played with so many bands, but mostly at festivals. The coolest band to work with was Death on the Death/HammerFall US-tour 1998. The Gamma Ray guys was also really cool.

AoP: What is your best memory from playing live over the years?

JC: Bolivia 2001 when we were the first international band ever to play in Cochabamba. Great experience

AoP:  What is your favourite Hammerfall song?

JC: All of them

AoP: What is your favourite all time Metal song?

JC: There are so many songs that are great. Canīt really pick one.

AoP: Do you have any funny stories from the road about fans or anything?

JC: One funny episode was when we left Patrik at a gas station in USA and found out 5 hours later that he was not on the bus. He said he was going to bed, but on the way to the bus he went in to the gas station to by a snickers bar. The bus took off, and Patrik ran after it. He had to take a plane to the next city. Imagine his face when the bus took off into the night.

AoP: And Finally, what does the future hold for Hammerfall and there fans?

JC: There will be a new homevideo/DVD out in May with over 2 hours of metal-
In October weīll release our 4th album.