Nach fast einem Jahrzehnt Stille kehren ADEPT endlich auf die Bühnen dieser Welt zurück – und das mit einem Paukenschlag. Am Freitag erscheint ihr neues Album „Blood Covenant“, das nicht nur musikalisch an die glorreichen Tage der Band anknüpft, sondern auch ein kraftvolles Statement über Neuanfänge, Zusammenhalt und Leidenschaft setzt. Wir vom Frontstage Magazine hat die Ehre mit Sänger Robert Ljung über die lange Pause, das Gefühl, wieder auf Tour zu sein, und die Bedeutung der neuen Songs gesprochen. Im Interview wird schnell klar: ADEPT sind nicht einfach zurück – sie sind entschlossener, ehrlicher und emotionaler denn je.
Frontstage Magazine: After nearly a decade away, you’re finally returning to the stage – how does it feel to head back out on tour?
Robert: It feels like we are home again. I have to be honest and have to say that it felt like something was missing when we stepped away from music. A part of your identity got lost. It’s a strange thing to be identified and connected to music for so long and then all of a sudden you’re disconnected to it. I missed the boys and all the adventures we had together. I am so glad we got a second chance at this. Nervous, but extremely excited.
Frontstage Magazine: Your new album “BLOOD COVENANT” is at the heart of this tour. Which of the new songs are you most excited to bring to the live stage?
Robert: There are some songs that I really feel will be visually beautiful with the new production set up, such as “Parting Ways”, “YOU” and “Blood Covenant”. At the same time I look forward to more straight-forward heavy songs like “Filthy Tongue” and “Define Me”. I truly believe we will have perfect balance of grandiose, visual songs mixed with heaviness.
Frontstage Magazine: You’ve invited strong support acts like Thousand Below, Ocean Sleeper, Intohimo, and Hopes Die Last to join you. How important was this mix of bands for you?
Robert: I am so happy that we could get this strong line-up to join. We have “Thousand Below” and “Ocean Sleeper” who truly are bringing on waves to the music scene. They are a force to be reckon with and they have already proven themselves around the world. They stand for a more modern touch to the metalcore landscape while “Intohimo” and “Hopes Die Last” come from the same era us Adept. We have shared stages on many occasions 20 years ago and they were some of the first European bands in this genre that got the attention. I think this is a great mix of heavy music, old and new.
Frontstage Magazine: Fans associate ADEPT with powerful and emotional live performances. Did you consciously change anything in your stage approach, or do you trust the energy to come back naturally?
Robert: It feels like a lot has changed during the last 10 years. More bands tend to put loads of effort into making live production bigger, exploring the correlation between sound and visuals – whether it is huge LED-backdrops, wearing masks, stage platforms and so on. While we have mostly just got on stage with t-shirts, a couple of beers and some fire at best, we do see the possibility to make parts of our songs even bigger with the help of visuals. With this comeback we feel that we have a lot new fans discovering us and we can’t take the energy from the audience for granted, we need to bring something new to the table.
Frontstage Magazine: After such a long break, do you feel pressure to meet the high expectations of fans when stepping back on stage?
Robert: Definitely. It’s a scary thing to place yourself on a stage again. You get really nervous thinking if people will still find us relevant again, and if our new songs will connect. A huge difference between now and then is that everything back then felt like a competition. You wanted the biggest crowd, best festivals, the most plays on social media. It got super exhausting. Today, with having this absence and all, you really value every time we get together and play. You embrace everything differently and don’t take anything for granted. It’s about the passion for music, above anything else. And I think people will see that when they come to see us live. It is as much for them as it is for us.
Frontstage Magazine: Besides the new material, can fans look forward to hearing some of the classics in your setlist?
Robert: Of course. When we did the run of summer festivals we had the opportunities to talk to a lot of people after our shows, and we were struck by how many people had grown up with our music. It made us feel so proud (and painfully old) to have had that impact on people. And of course, we will play some of the songs that we wrote from the very beginning.
Frontstage Magazine: Do you see this tour as a fresh start, a comeback, or more as the next chapter in your band’s story?
Robert: This is not the beginning nor the end. It is a new chapter in our book as a band. Wherever it takes us I’m just so proud and happy that we are doing this together, again. Music has always been a huge part of our lives, and it’s been there in the good timed and in the bad times. It has helped me so much. I would love to think that we have much more to give in the future. But one day at a time.
27.11.2025 – DE – Berlin, Astra Kulturhaus
28.11.2025 – DE – Hamburg, Fabrik
29.11.2025 – DE – Dresden, Alter Schlachthof
05.12.2025 – DE – Stuttgart, LKA Longhorn
06.12.2025 – CH – Aarau, Kiff
10.12.2025 – DE – Frankfurt, Zoom
11.12.2025 – DE – Köln, Essigfabrik
12.12.2025 – DE – Münster, Skaters Palace
13.12.2025 – DE – Saarbrücken, Garage
14.12.2025 – DE – München, Backstage Werk
Fotocredit: Pontus Gustavsson Martin Oeberg
