Transcending The Mundane interview
* Well, the changes have just come. I haven`t planned anything. I met my girlfriend, we bought a house. I just felt like it. And I got a decent job doing graphics. And when I got the job, I finally got money to buy me a Harley…hehe. I am a middle class bastard. Haha. But I shall never quit metal, as it has been part of my life over 20 years and shall be till the end.
2. What approach did you take when writing songs for The Origins of Paganblood?
* Azhemin and I did the basics for the songs at home and then got together to complete each song. Then we sent mp3s to everubody to check them out. Actually we didn´t practice at all before entering the studio. We have done this together for so many years, we kinda “read minds”. We know each others abilities and disabilities. Therefore working is quite easy. And I don´t mean that we do everything with computers, no way. Actually there are NOT that many corrections on the album. Drums were laid down within a couple of days and so on.
3. All your albums are different (although you can tell it's the same band) and you have many different styles of metal happening- do you find that you prefer to not do the same thing twice and prefer variety?
* I have been listening to different kinds of metal since 1981, so of course it makes the mark. I mean, I prefer extreme metal: death / thrash / black, but I usually go deeper. I try to find stranger and angrier bands than usual. But I also enjoy dark ambient, classical, traditional, stoner etc. metal. So altogether they mold in my brain into…Soulgrind. With new album, we concentrated to keep songs tighter and listened carefully for the arrangements. We kept the surprise effect, of course. But all doesn´t have to happen in one song anymore…hehe. About doing things twice, yes, I like to move on. But all albums are mirrors of my current situation in life in general. I just suck inspiration around me.
4. I live in America and our president is an aggressive, religious zealot and has no respect for the environment, does the actions of this country have any type of effect on your feelings?
Yes, definitely. I feel sorry for the intelligent part of Americans. 90% of Europeans think that GWB is one religious bastard hungry for oil. And I agree with that. But still, I hate religious in general, so muslims are not that much better. Even worse , I think. And the worst is a stupid fucked up western muslim, who tries to destroy the culture he lives in. Where he gets his bread and butter. But again, GWB destroys the freedom you have there. I bet freedom of speech shall disappear within a two decades from US of A. Werd country you are living in. I spent one year in Oregon and I must say I was amazed and amused about the whole country. People were ignorant and uneducated in genera. How can it be possible, that a jock can pass final exams in school WITHOUT knowing how to read?? And hegets in Iniversity after that. Extremely weird…
5. Why do you think it's important to honor the past but also think for yourself?
It is all. I mean, if you don´t respect your roots, how can you look for the future? And all comes from him / herself. When you respect yourself, you can achieve something. There is no god to turn to. God is nature and god is technology. When those two are in balance, life is worthy. But this planet is dying for sure. Now when China is turning into a western country, they shall pollute the shit out of this planet. And India is coming close to China as well. Just look at the storms and tsunamis happening. It makes my pagan heart cry, although it is a fact that nature battles back.
6. What is it about Anton LaVey's writing that you find fascinating?
Self respect. And love when it is time to love, hate when it is time to hate.
7. Many Finnish bands utilize a strong connection to their culture in their music, how do you incorporate your ancestry into your writing in Soulgrind?
It is the Finnish mind. Melancholy. That fascinates. And the fact, that Finland were the last to have resistance against christianity. Even Sweden and Norway were taken over by the bastards with the cross. Finns were the last in Europe. Everybody were afraid of the mad Finns, even Vikings. Yes, Finns were NOT Vikings. There are some small Viking history on the west coast, but overall our ancestories came from the east. Finns have wared and lived through hard times through the centuries, that has made them tough and dark motherfuckers. You can se it today even from the charts. Half of the albums are metal on the top 20!! Last week Scourger went straight to number one on the chart with their debut single. And they play DeathMetal. That would never happen in the States.
8. It seems that Soulgrind and Gloomy Grim don't get to play on tours very often, does this frustrate you or are you content with your creations in the studio?
It does. I like to play live. BUT now things may change as we have a new promotion / organizer behind us. We have been with them for two weeks now and they have already come up with two gigs. Cool.
9. I've been receiving Holy Records promos for many years now, but it's not easy finding their releases here and I don't even know if Holy Records has a website; I know they spend a lot of money on the presentation of their c.d.'s but why does there seem to be reluctance to push great bands like Soulgrind, SUP, Gloomy Grim, and Misanthrope here?
I don´t know, ask them. They are happy for little, I guess. Their promotion is not the best.
10. What are your plans for the next record?
We have four songs on the way. We have booked studio for June 2006 to record the album. The working title for the album is Monument.
11. Final comments? Please add anything we missed in the interview.
It would be a blast to come over to play in the States. It has been close twice, so let´s hope it will happen sooner or later. Meanwhile check out the website ( www.soulgrind.tk ) , download the samples, leave feedback and rush to get paganized. Stay heavy and stay pagan!!