It’s all-around captivating to explore the ever-dynamic, deeper cores of the Stoner Rock scene in Sweden, with various names surrounding– ranging from Skraeckoedlan, Besvärjelsen, to Truckfighters. But in case you haven’t heard of the emerging names, the Ghost Cult editorial team on behalf of Ralka Skjerseth had the chance to talk to the almighty three-piece Void Commander, a stoner rock act hailing from Karlskrona in the far south of Sweden! To this day, they have released four studio albums to note, with Alien Queen being the newest, released in early June. They incorporate elements of blues rock into their fuzz-laden, stoner-rooted sounds and combine them with sludgy guitar tones. Presenting psychedelic-nuanced imagery accompanied by surrealism that would bring their listeners on a hazy cosmic odyssey, Void Commander and their laid-back sonic journey are ready to take over the world.. or even outer space.
Ralka Skjerseth for GCM: Greetings, Void Commander! Congrats on the release of Alien Queen. Do you mind telling me what your sources of inspiration were when writing the album? It can be fellow bands and musicians, books, movies, specific trajectories in your life, places, or anything.
VC: The source of inspiration for the album has been our lives in general!
We didn’t aim to write an album; we wrote some songs, which happened to become an album.
I personally have been heavily into 80s movies lately and Sci-Fi, Flash Gordon. Emperor Ming is an awesome character.
GCM: What inspired you to incorporate blues rock elements into your stoner/doom sounds?
Bobbie has grown up listening to blues way back, REAL BLUES such as Blind Willie Johnson, Elmore James, and such. Buddy Guy and BB King are more of a modern kind of blues.
It’s difficult for us to play any kind of genre without it leaning into blues and it keeps shining through
GCM: You seem to experiment a lot with fuzz pedals on most of your songs. What are some of your favorite fuzz pedals to use?
VC: The only fuzz pedals we use are Big Muff, for bass and guitar. It’s easy to make sound great and impossible to sound bad.
GCM: Since some of the readers of this interview might be new to the Stoner Rock scene in Sweden, what are some of the Swedish stoner/doom bands you would recommend?
VC: Our friends in Skraeckoedlan really hit home anytime you want to lean back and sail away, Goat Riders, Terra Black, Graveyard, and Witchcraft are spinning all the time at HQ
GCM: Between Shrooming Widow, Void Commander (S/T), River Lord, and Alien Queen, which albums had the most fun creative process according to you?
VC: Shrooming Widow has been the most fun, it was a dice throw. We recorded it in Bobbie’s living room it could have gone in any direction. But somehow it ended up sounding as underground as it could
GCM: Are there any music festivals you would love to play at someday? If so, what are they?
VC: We would love to play at Truck Fighter´s Fuzz Festival. Krökbacken in Sweden has always been on our map. Desertfest NYC. You know! The list goes on.
A thing we know for sure is that we will never be allowed to play at Sweden Rock for some reason! Is it a curse? Maybe. 6th year in a row we have applied, maybe we stand out too much from the music the masses want
GCM: What is the underground scene like in Karlskrona where you guys hail from? What are the events, festivals, and venues you would recommend from that municipality?
VC: The music scene in Karlskrona has been dead for the last 15 years. When we were kids there were tons of events! Dio, In Flames and W.A.S.P. Nowadays some associations are trying to lift the curse but it’s a hard thing to do! If you as a band want to play in Karlskrona I’d recommend ODEN. It’s an old Punk Venue with great sound. No drugs and no alcohol venue for the younger audience.
GCM: Over the years there have been a lot of stoner/doom-dominated record labels emerging, be it the still active ones or the already defunct ones; ranging from Southern Lord, Hydra Head, to Earache Records. As a stoner band yourself, do you have any favorite stoner/doom label?
VC: I’d have to say cause we are biased that Majestic Mountain Records is one of the best labels out there. We have been given a lot of creative freedom and understanding.
GCM: Last one, what are your top 3 releases of this year?
Greenleaf of course and Wyndrider. Personally, I loved Skraeckoedlan´s Vermillion Sky
GCM: Thank you for the time and the correspondence, Void Commander!
VC: Thank you Ralka! It has been a wild ride with many ups and downs.
We will keep doing what we love and maybe people will enjoy it.
That always makes us happy!
Buy Void Commander music and merch here:
https://voidcommander.bandcamp.com/album/alien-queen
RALKA SKJERSETH