So Nicke, Leprosy was formed in 1987 as Sadistic Pain by you on drums and Christian „Damen” Carlsson (R. I. P.) on bass/vocals, do you still remember, how did you get together? Did you perhaps know each other earlier? Were you close friends, school mates or…?
I found Christian „Damen” Carlsson in another band I don´t remember the name on a Youthgard and I know Mange Liljetoft trough another friend who have a record store and we formed Sadistic Pain.

At which point did the line up become complete? When did guitarists Magnus Liljetoft, Patrik Svärd and vocalist Patrik Olofsson join the band?
We have a rehearsal room under the record store and Me, Mange and Damen start to create songs. Mange have a friend called Patrik ”Peo” Olofsson Peo have not sing before but we will try him in the band and he kicks really hard and he was the right person for the band. Patrik ”Svärra” Svärd ask we to help     and play solos on the first demo ”Death to this world” and after recording we ask him if he will join the band and he say yes. 

Was Sadistic Pain the very first band experience for all of you or have you been involved in small, tiny acts before?
I have played in a few local bands before and the other guys to.

How did you opt the music, that you wanted to play? Which bands would you cite as your most important musical influences?
Leprosys manager Thomas Wilms introduce me to Speed and Thrash Metal and the most important band for me when I c create music was Sepultura, Death & Obituary. 

Have you ever recorded any demos, rehearsals as Sadistic Pain?
We have record some rehearsal with Sadistic Pain and I don't think no one have them anymore.

Is it correct, that your style was thrash metal with brutal vocals, that hinted at death metal?
I will called Leprosys music is Death Thrash.

Around this time happened the great Swedish death metal boom, a lot of bands started popping up trying to make a name for themselves, such as Nihilist, Carnage, Grotesque, Mefisto, Morbid etc., were you familiar with the underground? I mean, were you deeply involved in what was going on at this point in Sweden?
We listen to the early Entombed, Mefisto, Damien etc. But we find our own style and don't copy the Stockholm Death Metal bands, and Im very happy over that.

You came from Helsingborg, how was the metal scene in your town, in your area?
We have a few band in Helsingborg this time called GOD BC & HYSTERIAH.

How do you view, that the thrash bands were overshadowed by the death metal movement? How about bands, such as Merciless, Tribulation, Mezzrow or Agony? 
We have no problem with that, I like this band and buy this records.

Before the release of your first demo tape the band name was changed to Leprosy, did it perhaps inspire the second Death record? 
We changed the name before Death released the Leprosy album and that was really funny for us when the album come, we have a big laugh of that.

What can you tell us about your rehearsals? Did you take the band seriously?
We practice and record in the rehearsal very serious, but we lived a rock n roll life when we play live and we drink and take a lot of drugs that time, not all of os in the band do that and the most serious person in the band was Svärra. We don't understand what will be with Leprosy. I learn a lot of the mistakes we do that time in my future bands I play with.

Did you start writing originals right from the start or were you jamming mostly on covers?
We played some Metallica, Death and Sodom covers but we write our own music to.

How about the songwriting process?
Me and Svärra makes the most music and Peo write all lyrics in Leprosy.

In November 1988 you recorded your first demo, called Death To This World, how was it recorded? Did you record it in a studio or in your rehearsal room?
Death to this world & Full of hate records in a studio in Landskrona outside Helsingborg.

Could you give us details regarding on the demo?
I can say I was really fucked up when I record this both demos and when I listen to them today I say to myself, How can i play so good when I was so fucked up with alcohol & other drugs.

Both you and Damen did backing vocals, was it because to make the music more brutal or…?
Yes, Damen sings backing vocals live and me and Svärra will sing at the demos.

Did the songs have a more thrash metal approach than your later material?
Yes, Death to this world was more Thrash Metal and Full of hate was more Death Metal.

After the releasing of the demo Miko Mattson joined the band to replace Damen, what happened with him? Did something go wrong with him?
Yes, Damen choose the drugs before the band and Micko Mattson was a closed friend to us so we ask him to join us.

Were there any personal and musical issues, differences?
The problem was as some of us choose the drugs and we get in jail and after that we split up the band.

How did Miko get in the picture by the way? Was he the first choice of the band or did you audition other musicians too?
He was the first choice and we have no audition.

What about his musical background?
Really, I don't know, I think he play Rock n Roll before Leprosy.

A sad event happened, Damen has passed away, what did betide with him exactly? I think so, it was a big loss for you…
When he died I lived in Stockholm and I have no contact with nobody in the band. I was very sad over hes death and he was a really good friend but the drugs takes his life and I choose to stop using drugs and be clean.

In 1990 came out your second demo Full Of Hate, how did the recording sessions go with this effort?
We record this demo in Landskrona outside Helsingborg and we do it like the first one.

In your opinion, were there any similarities, differences between both tapes?
No, we did it on the same way.

Did you develope compared to the first demo? Was it a better representation of the band?
The second demo was more brutal and more Death Metal than the first one. Full of hate demon was what Leprosy is gonna be.

Would you say, that you turned into a more complex and matured brand of death/thrash and the death metal part in your sound was unmistakable increased and much more dominant than before?
Absolutely, we have grown more in the band and the new songs where more professional writing. 

Although you offered more sophisticated material, you didn’t lose any single piece of their brutality, don’t you?
No, we where more brutal with the new songs.

Through which channels did you promote the demos? Did you send them for fanzines, magazines, labels, did you shop them around to attract some labels interests?
We send only the first demo to fanzines, magazines, labels and Earache Records where interested to sign us but we fucked that up.

If I’m correct, Full Of Hate has been never officially released, hasn’t it? 
Thats right but now we have released the both demos on Vinyl and CD.

You recorded a rehearsal tape too, including two newer tracks, Magic Mushroom and Disease Of The First Degree, right?
Yes, thats right and you can find this songs on the CD.

By the way, did you have songs written, that never made up on any Leprosy efforts?
I think we have some songs we never record in rehearsal room.

What about live situation? Have you gigged a lot both in Sweden and outside of Sweden?
We played 2 times in Sweden and 1 gig in Denmark, then we play 3-4 gigs in Germany

Despite delivering a quite convincing brand of thrash/death metal you unfortunately never got signed and weren’t able to present your killer tunes to a wider audience, how do you explain this?
The problem with Leprosy was few of us start using a lot of drugs and choose the drugs before the music. If we don't have use the drugs Im share we have could be a big like Entombed with leprosy, We where a really good liveband and we give everything when we play live. So some of destroyed this dreams with drugs.

Is it true, that being close to be put on Earache’s roster the band failed to get a deal? 
Yes thats right.

Why and when did the band split up? What kind of reasons did lead to the demise of the group?
The drugs and jail split up the band.

Were all of you involved in several acts after Leprosy? Did you remain in touch with each other?
Yes, Me and Svärra continued in other bands. I play in Haven and Svärra play in Cloudscape today, Mange & Peo don't play in bands anymore but Micko plays in a band.

Two years ago To The Death Records and Cryptorium Records (former on vinyl, latter on cd) released a compilation Death To This World containing your both demos, how did that happen? Were all of the Leprosy bandmembers involved in the project?
To the death records have contact with me and they will release the demos on vinyl, I think that was a joke but they was really serious and I say, go for it. Cryptorium Records talked with Svärra and he say go for it. Me and Svärra from the band was only involved in this.

Was it done only for die hard fans? What kind of goals did the compilation serve? 
No the will release 300 vinyl and 1000 CD and the will sell them like others do.

Is the release sold out or is still available?
The Vinyl is sold out but we have CD´s left.

Do you consider the material as a true convincing testament?
Hahaha…. Yes I think it is LoL

What are your best and worst memories during the Leprosy period?
The best are all live shows, I miss the so much, we kick some fucking ass live. The worst its the split up.

Nicke, thanks a lot for the interview, anything to add, that I forgot to mention?
Thank you. I have a dream and I will make a reunion with Leprosy, so we will see what happens in the future, More will be reveled 

Interview by Leslie David
Answers by Nicke Olsson

June 2017