Interviews

So, let's pick up the thread after the European tour in January 2006. When coming home it was time to start writing new songs for 'Hope'. Can you tell a bit more about the writing process this time?
I started to think about new songs in the spring of 2006 right after the tour in January. Usually I have written the songs with my own crappy four-track machine in my home, but this time I went to our other guitarist's house and we used his computer to make demos from the new songs. Writing songs for this album was almost too easy this time, it only took couple of months to have songs written, but I think that you can hear from the album that the writing was pleasant work.

What were the main sources of inspiration concerning the lyrics? The album title 'Hope' suggests a little less dark, but I must be totally wrong when I listen to the songs…
Yeah, hope is far away from this album, as it has always been in our music. But still every album has had a little bit hope too. I have always felt that if you do not have any hope in music, it will get boring pretty soon, you need some colours and light too to make music even darker. Lyrics are dealing with the same things as on our earlier albums, so it is ghost stories, end of the world and women..

Why is the album divided in rooms? (Every track being a room)
I wanted this album to have the same kind of atmosphere as the movie "Shining" had. And the whole album has this hotel theme too. In the cover there is a door, so you cannot ever know if you are going to lose or get hope when you enter different doors in this life. Every song is a different room where to enter.

Previous recordings were always done with Sami Kokko at Sam's Workshop, but now you went to an island near Helsinki. A new place… so I guess you can tell us a lot about this new experience?
Yes, we recorded the album on the island in Helsinki. It was a great choice because you could not escape from the studio to the city if you had enough, and if the recording started to piss people off, you could always go out and watch the sea and walk around the island. I think the island made the recording also much easier.

How long did you stay there?
Well, we stayed there about one month.

Who was helping you out with the recording process? Did you produce it yourself again?
Sami Kokko was recording the album again, so he and the band produced the album.

It was the place where you invited the guests for vocals. Pre-eminent guests I can say hehe. How was it to work with Jonas Renkse (Katatonia)?
Working with Jonas was fucking amazing. He did his job in about one hour and that was it, then the party began for two days haha!!

And what about the contribution of Tomi Joutsen (Amorphis)? Was it fun to meet him and work with him? On which song?
Tomi Joutsen was also absolutely awesome! He did his job in about one hour and the man is one of the nicest and funniest guys ever. He sings in the cover song 'These Low Lands' that is on the 'Don't Fall Asleep' single and on the limited edition of the album.

Who are Timo Rautiainen and Trio Niskalaukaus (composers of These Low Lands, but a few words more would be fine)
They are one great band from Finland that sings in Finnish. Well, the band has broken up already few years ago, but they have really great songs and albums. I wanted to pay a tribute to them because they were one of the greatest bands from Finland.

At the time of our previous interview, you had to look for another label. And here we are: you ended up at the biggest label of Finland Spinefarm. I think you couldn't do better! What do you think and can you tell a bit more about you looking for a new label after Firebox?
Well, there was few great labels where to choose from, but we really wanted a Finnish label to deal with, and of course Spinefarm was best in that case. We have been really pleased how they have treated us and how much they have given support, but only with the time I can tell if the choice was the right one, so far it seems to be.

I think the problem with the release of albums in the United States is solved as well now? Any news on the "conquest" of the USA?
Yes, the album comes out through Candlelight and I really hope people in US finally find us and have a chance to get the albums from the record stores. There are some big plans for USA in the future, but it will take some time.

The album was preceded by a single on the 10th of January. 'Don't Fall Asleep' is indeed a song with a melody that haunts you. What's the latest news on hitting the Finnish charts?
Well, the single went right to number four and stayed many weeks in the charts. And when the album came out, it hit the official TOP-40 album charts at number three!!!!! Norah Jones was number two and we left Madonna far behind, hahahahah!!!! There is something so wrong in the Finnish people, but I am happy about it, haha! Album has sold so well, and there has been new pressings of it already, I can't be happier.

You shot a videoclip of 'Don't Fall Asleep'. Can you tell anything about the making of that clip?
The company called Medialouhos did and wrote the whole thing and we just came to the set and did our short job, which was it basically. The video also has a hotel theme like the album, and it is a really, really strange video, but I love it. No one expected us to do a video like that and that was one of the reasons to do it.

You were one of the first doom bands to hit the Finnish charts, but after that it seems that many doom and metal bands hit the Finnish charts. Aren't you proud/happy to be one of the echelons to achieve this?
We were the first one to hit the Finnish charts with music like this, and maybe it was a good or a bad thing for the whole scene, but I think it was good hah! I never thought or said that we are pure doom metal, so it is a bit wrong to say that we were the first "doom" band to hit the charts, I would rather say that we are "pussy doom" hahaha!!!

On the 10th of February there was a release party of 'Hope'. Can you tell a bit more about that evening?
It was full madness all the way, it was one house and maybe one hundred drunken party people, the gig next day was something special for some boys in the band.

On the 17th of February you are going to hang out at the Finnish metal Expo 2007. Can you tell something about this event? It seems like a place to be, to me…
Yes, we are selling our merchandise there and play a really short set on the "Musamaailma" stage because they are our guitar and drum sponsors, so we give something back to them also. FME has always been a great happening in the middle of winter, and it is great to see many friends there and check many great bands on the stage.