Mikael Sundtsröm (aka S.T. Mikael) was born in Södertälje, Sweden March the… Read Full Bio ↴Mikael Sundtsröm (aka S.T. Mikael) was born in Södertälje, Sweden March the 27th, 1963. His father was a jazz swinging plumber and his mother was an innocent forest girl. He was a lonely, introspective boy who developed a bizarre imagination and an obsession for everything odd, mysterious and supernatural in life. His head was filled with images from Sci/Fi-Fantasy and Horror movies and books, but he also built his own dream worlds with creatures, characters, phantoms and prehistoric images in his drawings, comics and short stories. At 15 he picked up his mothers old guitar and started improvising and recording music. At the age of 19 - in 1982, he tried to find members for a group, but it took him until 1985 when he joined a garage-combo called ”Dickie Dickhead and the Outcast” as a lead guitarist. Although it brought many laughs and good fun into his heart and the fact that they developed from ”the worst and unintentionally most absurd band in town” to a serious and expressive experimental rock band, he left after two struggling years to form his own group. The trio ”The Twilight Souls” , was where he could sing and play his own compositions. He tried to fuse heavy rock and soul music with psychedelic influences which can be heard on the title track of his ”Unknown”-album. During this time he searched for the psychedelic experience and took his first dose of LSD. Because of exhaustion and inability to secure any gigs the band broke up in 1988. After this he gave up the rock´n roll band dream, understanding that there wasn’t anyone in town that had the same psychedelic ambitions as he had. With no expectations for the future he continued working with his ideas and primitive home recordings.

In 1989 he moved to Stockholm where he met Stefan Kéry, a psychedelic connoisseur, and gave him a cassette with some of his many recordings. To Mikaels great surprise he found that the tape was received with great enthusiasm and an album was soon made out of that very tape. The album was titled ”Visions Of A Trespasser” and was released early 1990 in an edition of 150 copies only. The album cover featured a colorful, organic vortex with images of beings of the galaxy in it painted by Mikael. Each and every record had differently hand painted labels. The album was mainly distributed among friends. It showed his very personal style of music covering all kinds of musical directions, all laced with the psychedelic sound. Among these ”not-meant-to-be-heard-by-others”-recordings you will find unbelievable sound’s from tea-balls, spoons and boilers. Except for the 3 studio tracks which was recorded together with a friend, he played everything himself - singing through his guitar-amp and using a pitched guitar for a bass.

In March 1991 he released his follow-up, ”The Unknown” , an odd home cassette- collection with new old haunting songs. The album was distributed the same way as the first one.

After forming Xotic Mind Productions Stefan Kéry let him go into a 8-channal studio and Mikael built up a whole new album all by himself (the only way he knew to work) step-by-step, beginning with the drums and nothing else but except a good memory! The result: ”Claustromania” (meaning: manic obsession for locking oneself in, which derives from the introspective state of mind he always go into while creating!) . The music is filled with pulsating, organic expressions, always emotionally gripping with his soulful voice. The album has a circular concept: The songs about other worlds, man against infinity and the human mind, soul and spirit are linked together with small musical inventions building a story that never ends, ending the way it started, starting the way it ended. The composition also reflects his past life of loneliness and emptiness that now has been replaced by a new existence of love, happiness and possibilities. Mikael says “Claustromania” also is an homage to LSD which helped him make the transformation possible.

st mikael

His creative years had only begun. In 1994 Mikael wrote a book with novellas in the horror-fantasy tradition crammed with drawings done during the last 15 years and drawn, copied and shaped 4 volumes of comic-fanzines - all still available in Swedish only! He acted in a 16mm film and in his own 3 fantasy video films as well as taking acting- and dancing- lessons! During the years he has been invited to participate on other Xotic Mind projects, like playing sitar on Adam Axelzons well-received ”Eura” album and with sitar and Tablas on the ”Gnostic Mass”-LP by The Entheogens, an improvisation-group he joined together with Adam Axelzon, Måns ”Word of Life”Månson and Stefan Kéry, among others.

In January 1994, people Xotic Mind released S.T. Mikaels new album ”Psychocosmic Songs” which was even better received than any of his previous LPs. The LP was recorded in a modern, high-tech studio. This time the tracks was a mixture of acoustic and electric singer-songs painted with sitar and tabla jams, heavy fuzz guitar sessions and airy, pulsating sounds done in the same step- by-step method like Claustromania! Although it is serious and soulful in tone, ST Mikael himself says he misses the playfulness and vitality which is more prominent in his home recordings.

In the spring of 1994 ST Mikael was living in a rented house with a beautiful garden of fruits, berries and flowers. For the first time he found an immediate presence of self confidence and also a more emotional and limitless way to express himself. In changing direction from somewhat stylish compositions to more improvised-on-the-spot creations he found that the happiness of a live-performance could be caught on a Pot-induced multi tracked solo recording.

During 1994 he made a huge collection of organic home recordings, far away from any inexperienced studio-technician, planning to release some of the material as a new album. With the addition of the extended studio track ”Summer In My Life” , which was recorded by an experienced crew and with additional musicians like Adam Axelzon. Xotic Mind released it in 1996 as a double-album - titled Soul Flower. As always - with a homemade painting on the cover. It can be seen as a rock opera without a plot, an invitation to a small living room full of impressions of many far away places.

During the years that passed since that album, St Mikael seemed to become more secretive and reclusive, but was still making homemade music. Some of this music, still stretching out in many different musical directions, has been done freely and spontaneously in an extremely relaxed and happy environment, and has been compiled into the home-made double CD, "Mind Evolution", which is not really an official album. Since the turn of the century, Mikael has renewed his lifestyle, has found love in Cheska, an American woman, and has travelled around in Europe, and recently in the USA.

source: http://www.subliminalsounds.se/DOK/stmikael.html

A New Era
St. Mikael Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Wake up! my mate
We can see new
The past life slammed by new year's door
Take a deep breath
Slow exhalation

The freedom is here

Around us faces
But not eyes
Who tried to live and to survive?
Though everything is new but wait
What to expect?

I can't believe in all of this
The world's becoming an abyss
The expectation panics from within
I saved my thoughts and common sense
But storms are coming from the hills
Where world's patricians have an iron will
For the kill

Is it a fake world's brutal truth?
Again we feel oppressive rules
It was
It's here
It did not go away
We decides so, but they have not

Look at yourself
That was a perfect breath
Without a mask you like a pagan freak
New lifestyle's fashion can't return anything

The new era's here

Overall Meaning

In these lyrics, St. Mikael is expressing the feeling of awakening to a new era, symbolized by the beginning of a new year. The first verse encourages the listener to wake up and observe the changes that have occurred. The past life is metaphorically described as being "slammed" behind the door of the new year, signaling a fresh start. The phrase "take a deep breath, slow exhalation" suggests a moment of reflection and readiness for what is to come.

The second verse focuses on the people surrounding the singer, emphasizing that although they have new faces, their eyes hint at a lack of genuine life experiences. The lyrics question who among them has truly tried to live and survive. Despite everything being new, there is a sense of uncertainty and anticipation for what lies ahead.

The third verse reveals the singer's disbelief and skepticism towards the current state of the world. The lyrics describe the world becoming an abyss, as oppressive rules and destructive storms seem imminent. The reference to "world's patricians" suggests a powerful elite with an iron will, ready to take advantage of the chaos for their own gain.

The final verse shifts the focus inward, urging the listener to take a look at themselves. The lyrics suggest that despite fleeting trends and the superficiality of the new lifestyle, one's true essence cannot be changed or returned to a previous state. The new era has arrived, and it is up to the individual to navigate and find their place within it. Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of uncertainty and apprehension about the future, while also emphasizing the importance of staying true to oneself in the face of societal shifts.

Line by Line Meaning

Wake up! my mate
Rise and awaken, my friend

We can see new
We are witnessing something new

The past life slammed by new year's door
The previous life has abruptly come to an end with the arrival of the new year

Take a deep breath
Inhale deeply

Slow exhalation
Exhale slowly

The freedom is here
Freedom has arrived

Around us faces
Surrounded by people

But not eyes
But devoid of genuine connection

Who tried to live and to survive?
Who attempted to live and persevere?

Though everything is new but wait
Despite everything being new, there is still uncertainty

What to expect?
What should we anticipate?