I guess the first reviews of your new album are coming in, how are the reactions so far? 

Hey Reinier and Powerofmetal, NP the new drummer in The Kandidate here. Reactions have been pretty good. Friends and other bands have been complimenting us alot, especially on the sound and direction. Reviews have been generally in our favor too, an average of 7 or 8 out of 10. So yeah, pretty good, but it's still very early.  

How is the song writing process for a The Kandidate song?  

Usually Allan and KB write the basic stuff: Riffs, drum ideas, arrangement ideas. Then when we get together we'll work out the final arrangement and usually demo it a few times. When the music's done Jacob will work out the vocals and lyrics around it. But that's just what "usually" happens, we change the method every now and then. 

There is a new drummer, Niels Peter, what is his background and why did Dennis Buhl leave the band?

Yep, that's me and I've been pretty incognito up until now. Not alot of background there, sorry. Been playing for a long time, but nothing you'd have heard of. Bumped into Jacob many years ago and that's the connection I guess.I don't know why Dennis left, it was before my time. I don't think it's a big deal, they're all still good friends as far as I know. I've met Dennis and he seems like a nice guy, I loved his drumming on the first album and I try to do it justice but at the end of the day I'm a completely different can of worms. 

What is in your opinion the biggest difference between ‘Facing the Imminent Prospect of Death’ and your debut ‘Until We are Outnumbered’? 

Probably the songwriting. Last time around Allan and Kb wrote everything, as in EVERYTHING. This time me and Jacob had a hand in there as well and that changed a good deal in my ears. And of course Allan and KB have moved forward too since then. On a personal note: I'm a very different drummer from Dennis, 'Until..' had a lot of "bunch of angry wasps" drumming going on, where 'Facing..' is more like a rhinosaurus stomping on you. 

Reviewers always try to subscribe the style of music a band plays. The music the Kandidate plays, is it thrash with a hardcore (punk) attitude, or is it hardcore with thrash elements?

We call it a mix of metal and punk, but your suggestions will do as well. With the new record coming out and reviews coming in, we're hearing a lot of versions these days. I'll just say make up your own mind.  

What fans visit your concerts, only metal heads or also more hardcore minded people?

I've seen all types of people at our shows, everybody's invited.   

Can you tell something more about the art-work? What is the idea behind it? 

The vision for the record was to make it as real as possible, in all its parts. The writing, the playing, the recording and therefore also the artwork. A friend of ours, Uncle Allan, a tattoo artist from Copenhagen had an idea for the cover and a plan for doing it and we just gave him free reign. Everything written in the cover was written by him. He had all these old cameras he used for the band pics and he used coffee grounds, chlorine, salt and paint for the backgrounds. I think it's so cool I can't stop looking at it, like the covers from my favorite albums when I was young, I hope other people will feel the same way.

How important are the lyrics for The Kandidate and can you tell a bit more about the subjects? 

Hmm, I don't know if I can tell you 'more'. They're Jacobs thing and I like them alot, I know what I derive from them as I'm sure you do, but that's about it. I love how dark and heavy they are and I think they fit the music perfectly. Also, the fact that they're not definable as death, hardcore, goth, gore or whatever speaks volumes to me. I guess it's a sneakpeek into Jacobs mind, somewhere in the back.  

Is there already anything you would change on the record if you had to make it again? 

No. It is what it is and there will be other records.   

I read the band is going on tour in Russia and China, how popular is the band in those countries and do you think there will be problems because of the regime in those countries? 

Yes, very much looking forward to it. Hopefully we will be alot more popular when we're done with the gigs, you know. I don't think we're a big deal over there yet. And in terms of problems: we'll tell you when we get home.  

The band will be touring Europe too, are you headlining or is it a package? 

Nothing's final yet, but something like a package in the fall is what we're looking at.  

The year 2011 is just behind us, do you have a favorite 2011 record(s). 

Yeah, Darker Handcraft by Trap Them. And I don't know if it's a 2011 record, but I found out about Kvelertak in 2011 and they fucking kick ass!   

Denmark is a country with quite a few metal bands, which not well known band should our readers check out! 

Uh there's a lot. Blood Label, By The Patient, Rising, Black Book Lodge to name a few. Their all bands we've either toured with or are going on tour with. Check 'em out.  

Anything else you want to share with our readers?

Hope you enjoy the new record and we look forward to seeing you on the road.