Interviews

Hi, how are you doing?

Hi, I and the whole band is doing just great. We live exiting times, looking forward to the European tour which begins in a couple of days. It's great to get on the road and get the chance to play foreign audiences, especially in Germany where we have had a good reception for the album. The reception of the album has been outstanding everywhere, and that feels good.

Since a lot of people probably don't know you that well, could you please tell us something about the background of the band?

Well, we're just five guys from Finland who decided, after playing cover songs from the eighties and nineties for years, to write our own material. We got bored playing other people's songs and I felt like we could do excellent stuff together. So we've been playing together for about four years now and have our debut album "Cold Reality" out now. So we are at the beginning of our journey, I hope.

The band released its first album this year. How was it to record the album?

Recording the album was so much work. Because we had to find someway to finance it ourselves. And that was our choice, because we wanted to do a completely ready album, all the producton, covers, all by ourselves. And that's because we figured out that it would increase our chances to get a good record deal, because the record companies could be sure about what they were getting if they signed us. And it worked out great. And it was kind of a race against the studio time. And of course the first time in studio for some of us, including me, so we had to learn the ropes. Especially me, because I produced and mixed the album with Pasi Kauppinen, so there was a lot of work. But the atmosphere so was really great and at the same time as it was hard, it was also a pleasure and so much fun.

How were the reactions towards the album so far?

Hey, it's been just great. It's been great to hear so much really, really good feedback from everybody. People really seem to like the album. And all the reviews have been good, excellent. And the best thing about the feedback has been the fact that people seem to understand what this band and the album is all about. Someone said that it's not your typical Finnish heavy/power metal band with a real rock touch and some progressive influences. That really sums it up. And everybody has loved Teemu's voice which has been great to see. People still appreciate a good talent when they hear one.

The band has also signed a record deal with Massacre Records this year. How is the support/promotion from this label?

Everything's been great with them. We got a good deal with them and I think both parties have been satisfied. Support and promotion has been excellent in Germany especially. They've done a good job. And I like the way they work. It's very honest and right in your face. You can't say that about a lot of the record companies out there. We did have a lot of options considering the record labels, but we choose Massacre and I hope it will pay off in the end.

In which way is Winterborn different from other metal bands in your genre?

Well, as I said there earlier, I think we are not your typical Finnish power metal band. I don't think that we are power metal at all, even many people like to think so. But they haven't really been listening to all our material then. We got this hard rock/ rock side in us. And a lot of different influences from all around, and it really can be heard there. I think we got our own sound.

Which bands have been an influence for your music?

The list is really, really long. Because in some way all of the stuff we have listened before, has in one or another way influenced our music. Some a little bit more than others. And everybody in this band has so different favourite bands and influences. But one thing we have in common is the 80's heavy and hard rock. All the classic bands. And of course some of the seventies. Whitesnake, Iron Maiden, Dio, Purple, KISS, Priest.... the list goes on.

In December you will be doing your first European tour, what do you expect from it?

We hope it will be a great experience for us as a band. It's really nice to have the chance to do this tour. And I hope that we will get a good response from the audiences all around. And one thing in this tour is that we can just concentrate on the playing for a whole month. And Christmas will be very different than we are used to. We are really looking forward to the tour.

What can we expect from Winterborn in the future?

Plenty more gigs all around and the next album will be just unbelievable, let me tell you. We have six songs completely ready for it and some are just to be finished yet. But it will be something special. I can't wait to get to the studio and record the next one. And of course after that one, more tours and albums. We are here to stay and we're not going to leave anytime soon. I know that there's so much more in this band than we have managed to show. We just have to dig it out.

Is there anything left unmentioned you would like to tell our readers?

Well, I just want to say that go out and by the album. You will not be disappointed. And I hope to see a lot of you in our gigs when we happen to come somewhere near you. Rock on!

Thanks for the interview and good luck in the future!

Thank you very much. Stay heavy!