3 minute read
H.E.A.T
Sometimes in life, you’ve got to take a few steps back to move forwards. At least that rings true for Scandinavian rockers H.E.A.T. Following the departure of the band’s former lead singer Erik Gronwall due to health issues, the Swedish natives thought there was only one man for the job. That being the group’s original lead singer Kenny Leckremo.
H.E.A.T continued their friendship long after the singer departed from the group in 2010.
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Since those early days, Kenny has watched on with bated breath, waiting for his opportunity to return to the fold. Thankfully for him and the band’s loyal fan base, his time is now. What’s more, the group released their new album Force Majure in August. The release has been well received by the H.E.A.T fraternity and the industry alike.
Perhaps the title of the band’s latest offering feels pertinent in the strange times we’ve encountered during recent years. Although the pandemic wasn’t the only factor influencing the album name. The change in band personnel was also on the band’s mind at the time. “With everything else going on in the band already, with the shift in singers, and me coming back, which I wouldn’t say was a challenge necessarily, but it was different circumstances put it that way. Also, everything about the recording, the music, the songs. The guys kept referring to me coming back into the group as a force,” explains Kenny Leckremo. “We took all these pieces of the puzzle and put them together, and it’s got to be Force majeure. I mean, this is it. This is the name.”
The band’s new album isn’t necessarily a hangover from the band’s previous line-up. H.E.A.T essentially started from scratch with their latest material. “The stuff that you hear on Force Majeure was basically written for the album surrounding the time I came back. We just started writing music, putting together a bunch of demos,” said Leckremo.
Kenny’s departure from the band in 2010 was a decision the artist has been reflecting upon for some time. “After I quit the band, it took me a couple of years to go through all the emotions that you do. And I definitely started to be able to see things more clearly,” said Kenny. “I think that there was a huge part of me that missed the guys, missed the band, and missed the music. But at the same time, I was really happy about what they were doing with Erik. I definitely realised my mistakes, as it were.”
With the vocalist’s first tenure in H.E.A.T in his rear-view mirror, the artist pursued opportunities overseas. “I was living in England at the time, and I was just getting on with life doing everyday stuff,” said Kenny. “I was slowly but surely coming back to the point where you just want to put everything into music again - releasing the solo album that I did and then eventually being asked to re-join the band.” Of course, Kenny didn’t have to be asked twice when he was approached to reunite with his former bandmates. “That wasn’t something I had to think about,” he said. “Let’s go for it. What are we waiting for?”
Although it had been approximately twelve years since the lead singer had left H.E.A.T, the frontman had remained in contact with his musical counterparts. “I would say that all in all, we’ve stayed in touch in some ways, whether it be by phone or whatever else,” said Leckremo. “We always have had this connection together, because when we started working on this band, or with some of the guys even further back, it was the time when you’re young, and you’re discovering all kinds of music and what you want to do and who you are in a way, musically. So that creates this musical bond - almost like a brotherhood in a way. It’s difficult to get away from.”
Force Majeure, the new album from Swedish rockers H.E.A.T, is out now via earMUSIC.
