No one does hard rock like Sweden. From 80s heroes Europe, Treat and Alien through to such 21st century hotshots as Hardcore Superstar and Crashdiet, the Scandinavian country has continued to raise the melodic rock flag high.
The current kings of the Swedish rock scene are H.e.a.t, who released their most recent album, Welcome To The Future, earlier this year. It’s the second album they have made with singer Kenny Leckremo, who rejoined the band in 2020 after the departure of Erik Grönwall – the man who replaced him a decade earlier.
In a brand new interview in the latest issue of Classic Rock, Leckremo address the current state of play in H.e.a.t, as well as their new album.
“We called it Welcome To The Future because this album doesn’t really care what came before it,” he says. “Force Majeure [Leckremo’s first album since rejoining] was a great album, but it had to live up to [Erik Grönwall’s 2019 swansong] H.e.a.t II, whereas this one is unapologetic. It doesn’t give a shit. This is how we are moving forward.”
He goes on to address people think H.e.a.t’s music is “cheesy”, telling Classic Rock: “No, it’s a bit weird when somebody says they don’t like such and such a band cos they’re cheesy. Whatever. Just listen to the music and come see us fucking live and then tell me it’s cheesy.”
Kenny Leckremo also opens up about his departure from the band in 2010, after being diagnosed with a heart condition. He reveals that he “thought it would be amazing to work with the guys again, whether it was in H.e.a.t or something else”, and talks about his relationship with Grönwall, the singer who replaced him.
“There’s nothing but love and respect there,” he says. “If any weird vibes existed between us, it would have been when we were much younger and we didn’t get the opportunity to get to know each other. He’s a great fucking guy, and he’s part of this band for ever.”
Asked if he and Grönwall plam to work together, Leckremo doesn’t rule it out. “You can never say never. I’m a big fan of what he does, and he thinks what I do is pretty good as well. So yeah, it’s something that could happen in the future.”
Read the full interview with H.e.a.t’s Kenny Leckremo in the brand new issue of Classic Rock, onsale now. Order it online and have it delivered to your door.
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