Heavy rock band Lucifer have collaborated with Joakim Nilsson from Graveyard to record an English cover version of Poszlabym za toba, a song originally released in 1969 by the Polish band Breakout. The cover, titled I Would Follow You Babe, will serve as the official anthem of Mystic Festival 2024, Poland’s largest metal festival, located at the Gdansk shipyard.
Lucifer, known for their heavy rock and doom metal sound, had a notable performance at Mystic Festival in 2023. Joakim Nilsson, known for his work in Graveyard, provides vocals on the track. The limited-edition 7-inch single will be available exclusively at Mystic Festival 2024, where both bands will perform.
We spoke to bassist Harald Göthblad and multi-instrumentalist Nicke Andersson, who offered insights into their approach to the band’s music and live performances.
Harald Göthblad, responsible for the bass lines during Lucifer’s live shows, adopts a meticulous approach to recreating the band’s distinctive sound. “My approach is to learn the lines as close to the demo recordings as possible,” he shares. “Nicke, who records most of the demos, always has an overarching idea of the song and how the bass lines fit with everything else. After that, I experiment with different fills or lines, and sometimes they stick around and sometimes not. But I’ll always get the original idea down first.”
Describing his live setup, Göthblad opts for simplicity and efficiency, anchored by a Fender Bassman 500 head and a pair of Orange cabs. “I put that through a 1×15 and a 4×10 Orange cabs, which apart from being built like tanks, have great sounding lower mids and tight bass,” he says. He supplements this with select pedals: “Pedal wise, I keep it as simple as possible. I use a DCX Bass from Origin Effects to add some warmth, light drive, and a little EQ.” For a more mid-focused sound, he chooses a Fender Precision bass with Seymour Duncan pickups and LaBella flats.
When asked about differences between live and studio versions of Lucifer’s tracks, he maintains that there are minimal deviations. “The main difference between live and studio is that we rarely record bass using amps. We almost exclusively use some overdrive pedal and go direct into the console,” Göthblad explains. “Playing-wise, it’s basically the same techniques live as when recorded.”
“I think I subconsciously ask myself what Geezer Butler and/or Paul McCartney would have played and take it from there.”
Nicke Andersson
Nicke Andersson, also the band’s drummer and primary songwriter, discusses the recording of I Would Follow You Babe with Joakim Nilsson of Graveyard. The collaboration took place at Andersson’s home studio, The Honk Palace. “No approach really and no thought behind blending styles. Just playing what I think suits the song best. The distinct style of Graveyard comes from Joakim’s vocals, and the rest is full-on Lucifer.”
The single, to be released as a limited edition at the Mystic Festival, was a meaningful experience for the band. “We’re very happy they asked Lucifer to do this, and it was great fun recording it. Hopefully, it means some festival attendees who don’t know Lucifer already will be a little wiser. I think it’s a fantastic idea for a festival to do something like this, and we’re honoured to be part of it.”
Regarding his choice of bass for the single, Andersson reveals a personal touch. “I used a Hagstrom H II B H2B (H400) shortscale bass from 1964 that I bought 10 to 15 years ago. I played it because that’s the only one I have. I love it because it’s small and sounds great. The flats that are on it were on when I bought it. Who knows how long they’ve been on before that.”
Andersson’s equipment choices reflect his desire for simplicity. “I use a J. Rockett Blue Note overdrive pedal straight into the instrument DI of a TL Audio Ebony channel strip. I think it works really well for what I want to achieve, and I’ve been using this setup for a decade or so.”
Balancing his roles as drummer and bassist, Andersson’s dual perspective informs the rhythmic backbone of Lucifer’s music. “I guess being a drummer, a guitar player, and a bass player helps me hear the whole picture, so to speak. I just play and come up with parts that I like hearing. More often than not, the parts complement each other quite well, and if they don’t, I change something. I think I subconsciously ask myself what Geezer Butler and/or Paul McCartney would have played and take it from there.”
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