Interview: Alexander Krull and Thorsten Bauer ( ATROCITY/ LEAVES' EYES )

      Atrocity is complex not only through their musical variety, as they successfully combine various styles and sounds throughout the years, but also creating an imagery to go along with the sound, a whole world cinematographically structuring music in trilogies, series, and their anniversary film documentary that runs at film festivals. Lead singer Alexander Krull and guitarist Thorsten 'Tosso' Bauer honored our page with this awesome interview!

pdn: Greetings, Alex! Here is my usual curiosity, to begin with; is there any particular story behind choosing the name 'Atrocity' or was it simply appealing? How about 'Leaves' Eyes'?

Alex: First of all I want to thank you for the interview! Our new album “Okkult” will be released soon, and we can't wait until it is released! I think "Okkult" contains many elements from our musical past, especially the very heavy stuff from our 1990's album releases but also "Atlantis". "Okkult" combines our roots with new musical ideas, and this is simply a new era for Atrocity after such a long history of challenging metal music! I love the whole lyrical background of the “OKKULT” trilogy! The lyrics relate to occult magic, mysterious places, conspiracy theories and mysteries that are still unsolved. Actually it's great to take the listener and ourselves on a heavy trip through the dark and mysterious tales, happenings and places of all times. Our band name has a strong connection to old history, too. The name “Atrocity” was born after we changed our first band name Instigators. It's inspired by Latin language. I wrote once a lyric for a song called “Eae atrocitates Neronis” - the atrocities of Nero. The idea behind the band name “Leaves' Eyes” is actually linked to Liv Kristine and mine honeymoon in Ireland, 2003, as we were already gathering ideas and inspiration for our first album. “Leave” is a word game homophonous with “Liv” and she has the most bluest eyes, deep like oceans. Moreover, as in Northern mythology, the tree, especially Yggdrasil, plays a vital role.

pdn: The Leaves' Eyes line-up is practically Liv and everyone from Atrocity. What is it like to have two active projects, especially if all of the members are involved in both? I guess it can't be too easy!

Tosso: The bands are very different. Atrocity is the more guitar focused band, while Leaves' Eyes is more focused on symphonic soundings and Liv's voice, just to mention one point. Leaves' Eyes has Felix on drums, whereas Atrocity has Joris playing. Sometimes we play with both bands in a row, which is quite demanding (laughs), however we all like challenges especially when the audience is head-banging and having a great time! Actually we are super busy because work never stops, studio, tours, studio with two bands. But it also gives you the opportunity to create and develop different musical ideas, which is very enjoyable. We chose to have two different drummers for Leaves’ Eyes and Atrocity, so both, Felix and Joris can concentrate fully on the drum needs of each band. We had some cool shows in Spain for example, playing with both bands. So Joris and Felix teamed up as each others stage tech. That's very cool!!

pdn: You and Liv are married with a child. How much does the family life cross paths with the musical part, since you are both successful musicians? 

Alex: Both of us, even before we became parents, had made up our minds about how to combine family life and musical profession, including touring. The best decision we ever made was to build our own studio, “Mastersound Studio” where we compose and record as much as we can. Our son, Leon, has already seen many countries and practically grew up with all this, without any problems. Step by step we have found great solutions and an optimal schedule to our highly interesting, but indeed busy, lives. Liv and I both see it as a privilege to be full-time musicians and composers, having jobs we really like and perform with heart and soul. Apart from this, being parents is for my wife and me the greatest luck in the world.

pdn: Back to Atrocity; how did it all begin, what were your initial influences? How did making music start for you in the first place, any hero musicians you've had growing up?

Alex: We formed Atrocity already in 1985 and became the forerunners of the German Death Metal scene haha. I remember dirty rehearsal rooms, shitty equipment, fantastic shows in small rotten clubs haha. I was into hard music since I was a young kid, 6 six years old. As school kids we formed the band then. From the beginning we were a big part of the Underground movement of extreme music, too. Atrocity and I was there myself when it all started! We have been in personal contact with most of the bands from Morbid Angel, Pungent Stench, Immortal to Entombed. By the way I organized the first Euro Death Metal Festivals and our first Atrocity Euro tour together with UK legends Carcass in 1990. Great times! When we did the work for great retrospect on our “Die gottlosen Jahre (The godless years”) last year, a lot of the memories came back. The golden Underground times, us being tape trades but also very passionted musicians at the same time! Back then we wanted to support each other, all the bands we were friends of, from Napalm Death to Entombed! Many of them were guests in my house. Nobody else wanted that kind of extreme music. A lot of musicians from these times give us great respect and great statements on that DVD, which is a great honor! These are some of the most unforgettable and special memories of our career. Many others involved in the project share the opinion. And over 80 interviewees contributed to the documentary! Some of the interviewees were truly touched. It was so honest and authentic. Nobody didn’t put lipstick on the pig. The anecdotes featured are the true-to-life stories of a metal band and about our crazy career. It was a big effort to get all the interviews set up and filmed. Several teams were filming all those interviews with different people from all over the world. It is a very special feeling, knowing that after devoting such a huge part of your life to a band, the hard work is immortalized on film and even gets such a feedback from all these musicians, journalists, fans and music biz people. To be honest, who would have thought that a German underground band would one day tour the world and even enter the charts!

pdn: The band clearly followed a lot of different musical paths and popped around between genres, making the sound quite unique and hard to define. Do you consider that the experience with different sounds was a key factor in musical evolution and individuality?

Alex: Some call us the „metal chameleons“ because we combined so many different music under name Atrocity, and crossed borders no other metal band has gone before, too. We were always looking for new challenges and ideas. Let's see it like that: I like the idea to be in a band which is able to deal with several musical concepts and styles. What is a better: A movie director, who does only horror movies or a movie director who is able to do horror movies, blockbusters as well as action or fantasy movies? Just like guys like Peter Jackson or Sam Raimi. Well, besides all experimental stuff we never gave up our heavy side or denying it! We played the heavy stuff live, classics like “Necroplois”, “Blut” or “Fatal Step” from our first albums have been in our live setlist as you can see on the Live in Wacken DVD. This band certainly stands for creativity, perfectionism and depth. To put our compositions and albums in an over-all view, past to present, I think "Okkult" contains many elements from our musical past, especially the very heavy stuff from our 1990's album releases but also "Atlantis". "Death by Metal" is the best example for that: Our tribute to Death Metal actually contains the main riffs of the song, which I wrote originally in 1991 and also brand new riffs! So "Okkult" combines our roots with new musical ideas, and this is simply a new era for Atrocity after such a long history of challenging metal music!

Tosso: I absolutely think so. You have bands in metal that play the same stuff over and over again. We always tried to come up with new ideas and new challenges for ourselves, instead of releasing one album after the other sounding the same. Of course we took a high risk with that attitude but, being passionate about our music, we took that risk.

pdn: And did the numerous line-up changes in the band's history have any effect on this musical variety?

Tosso: Of course every band member brought in some new influences over the years, but the core of the bands was, regarding the fact Atrocity exists for such a long time, very steady. I think it has more to do with the interest in and excitement about music. 

pdn: You've toured with many other great bands - who were your favourite people to tour with and why?

Tosso: There were so many!! Haha. Of course I have special memories about my first tour, which was a five weeks european tour, together with Obituary and Pitch Shifter in 1994. I was 19 and had just finished school. That was fucking amazing for me. Just a few weeks ago Obituary played here in our area and of course we met, partied and talked about those great days and moments. It’s really crazy! Just think about all the people we’ve met on the road...We have toured together in almost 40 countries and played with tons of bands, for example Motörhead, Morbid Angel, Carcass, Entombed, Sodom, Deicide, Obituary, Cradle Of Filth. We also did a lot of festival shows in the whole world and were supported by bands that later got pretty known, like In Flames, Haggard, Theatre of Tragedy or Samsas Traum.

pdn: And also, who would you like to share the stage with, if anyone?

Alex: It would be a great idea to make a re-issue of one of the “Support the Underground” festivals I did back in the day, together with our mates of Carcass, Entombed, Pungent Stench and Disharmonic Orchestra haha Another cool idea would be to perform together with Laibach “Die Liebe” or to bring Diamanda Galas on stage with Atrocity. 

pdn: Any secrets for your amazing hair? :D (joke- well, half joke!)

Alex: Well, I guess it's due to the good genes, my father is turning 85 and still has thick hair, so no worries haha. My wife Liv cuts it here and there, I don’t like it when she does it haha. People actually ask me always for advices, and it's a simple answer: Don't cut your hair, switch hair products. My son is about to break the record, though: he is nine and his lion's mane has already reached his waist, for the second time in his life!

pdn: Thank you so much! Anything you would like to add for your fans, friends? :)

Alex: Thanx for this interview. Greetings to all metal heads! Join our treasure hunt!

Tosso: Thanx! Check out our new record, its well worth!!

   www.last.fm/music/Atrocity
   http://twitter.com/atrocitypage
   www.myspace.com/atrocitypage

Diminished 7 - Dim World (2009)

   Dark and romantic, sensual and gloomy - this is how I would describe the sound of Diminished 7! The album 'Dim World' represented irremediable love at first audition, love that still keeps on growing to this day. The balance between brutal and serene is more than perfect, melancholic but with obscure impetus, beastly growls added here and there to the infinitely pleasant predominant clean vocals, 'Dim World' can easily be considered a perfect release. When listening to an album, everyone probably has one or two less favourite songs that they tend to skip. In this case, the whole thing is a real masterpiece.   
   The opening song is 'Your Warmth From A Candle', which transmits the comfort of an approaching, anticipated tranquility after long struggles. Quite romantic and mystic at the same time, with the repeated element of the candle. Next up is 'Taste A Vampire', my personal favourite I would say. It's about a vampiric love story, with a heavily obsure, bloody and romantic atmosphere in melodic line and vocals, as well as the lyrics, hosting a lot of perfectly structured variety. 'She Lost Her Heart In Hollywood' has a more sort of cheerful and light flow of sounds which seems to be in slight opposition with the tragic lyrics, describing the stereotypical Hollywood-ian despair worn under a mask of glamour. 'Our Darkest Love' could be referred to as a kind of calm resignation in two, materialized in form of a romantic, simultaneous death that will isolate the two lovers from the burden of life. The next piece is entitled 'Sleep In Shadows', chorus of which delivers a calm sort of sensation, the rest of the song contains some more pronounced growls and a reference to the band as gods, 'the diminished 7 gods are here with us'. 'Midnight Divine' is another personal favourite, also giving the illusion of vampiric ways, which is obviously the leading element of the album all in all. It gives the impression of the love and immortality of a new vampire in need of her maker's guidance. In 'Her Bloodlust At Sunset', we continue the occult journey in the depths of vampirism, embracing the scent of sacrifice that means giving up on mortal life in favour of love. 'In Fear Of The End Of Days' is clearly about death, which is yet unknown and thus, desperately feared. The last song is' Pre-Apocalyptic Meditation', a quite simple instrumental piece with calm continuity, that can suggest either a shade of resignation and hollow endlessness as an effect of the previous song, or a closing ritual to this journey that the album offered the listener.

   Playdeadnation warmly recommends this album to everyone wishing for an obscure, notional, soothing yet darkly dynamic heart- and mindtravel!

http://www.diminished-7.com
https://www.facebook.com/diminished7

Interview: Moloch (EXTERMINAS)

   Black metal force from Treviso, Italy. Exterminas have created their own thing, with a touch of  genuine Scandinavian sound, a fusion I strongly recommend to fans of the genre and not only! Founding member Moloch agreed to talk to us about his continuously promising, powerful band!

pdn: Hails! Please tell me, when was the band formed, and how did it all happen? How did you decide upon the name 'Exterminas' for the band?

Moloch: The band was formed in 2009 by me and Raven, the drummer. There is no particular story of how it happened. We decided to make a band and we wanted to play black metal, that's all. As concerns the name, we decided it after some time. We thought of different names but any of them convinced us and in the end Raven proposed Exterminas as name. I thought that it wasn't so bad and we chose it!

pdn: How would you describe your music to people who are not yet familiar with it? Who writes the music, the lyrics and what are the main themes and subjects you tackle?

Moloch: We play black metal basically. I can say that we are near to the scandinavian scene, mainly to the Norwegian, but we try to give a personal touch to our music. It is not the old black metal that you can hear everywhere by now. The music in Seventh Demoniacal Hierarchy and in Abaddon was written by me, but now that task is divided between me and Eskathon. Lyrics are written by Februus in most cases but some lyrics are written also by me and Raven. There is not a partucular thing we talk about in our songs, it's about war, demons and rejection of religions.

pdn: When did you start playing music? What was your first instrument and what/ who was it that influenced and determined you to join a band?
Moloch: I started playing guitar when I was 16 and it's the only instrument I play. 

pdn: If you could pick any band to share the stage with, who would that be and why? 
Moloch: There are a lot of bands I would like to share a stage! It would be a dream to play with any band that made a history of black metal like Venom, Mayhem, Darkthrone and so on.. I am sure that anyone would like to play with these bands!!

pdn: And what would some venues, festivals be that you would be delighted to perform at sometime?
Moloch: The answer is obvious in this case, too!! When you play at big festivals in front of  thousands of people, it has to be a graet thing! But I think that it's more important with who you play with and not where you play.

pdn: Did you ever play or would you consider playing any other genre than black metal?
Moloch: No, I only play black metal. I never thought about it but it would surelly be interesting to play something different. Yes, I'd like to try someday.. Who knows..

pdn: Is Exterminas working on anything at the moment?
Moloch: At the moment we are working on new songs! And also trying to find some live shows to promote our new album.

pdn: What are the band's future plans and aspirations?
Moloch: There is not a long term plan. We are searching for some gigs at the moment and than we will see. There are many ideas we are working on and maybe we'll have a continuation of Seventh Demoniacal Hierarchy very soon.

pdn: Thank you so much! Anything you would like to add for your fans and friends here, at the end?
Moloch: Thanks to you! It was a plesaure for me. I hope that someday we will come to your country, we know there are some fans also there. It will be an honor!! Keep listening to good music my friends, hope to meet you in the future!!

Exterminas on Facebook
http://www.myspace.com/exterminas
http://www.youtube.com/user/exterminasofficial

Interview: Kai Leikola (SOULFALLEN)

   It rarely happens that a certain band/ song gives me goosebumps right from the first audition, and a large number of people I know experienced the very same thing when first listening to Soulfallen, dark metal band straight from the heart of Finland. Kai Leikola is responsible for the breathtaking vocals, the clean ones particularly standing out , and he is here on playdeadnation for a little chat!


pdn: Hello, Kai! First of all, how was the idea of this band born? And the name?
Kai: Hello, Laura. That’s a tough question to start with. 
I guess it’s the ordinary story. It’s hard to pinpoint how and when it happened, ever since I was a kid I have been listening to many types of music with rock being in the forefront. Guns n’ roses, Metallica, Sepultura, etc. And of course I thought those guys were the coolest guys in the world and when I grew up I want to play in a band too. So as a teenager I started playing bass and soon formed my first band with some of my friends and have been playing in a band ever since. From the start wanted to write my own music and I was somewhat lazy in learning to play other band’s songs. Of course the other guys in the band also composed music and still do even more than me, but it was never about playing cover songs but doing our own music. So I guess you could call it a natural state of my existence since I have been doing it for more than half my life.
I think the idea of Soulfallen came sometime in 2002 after my previous band was laid to rest. I felt the need to continue doing music. It was just impossible to think that I would not be in a band. So it took a while to find the right guys to do it with there have been changes in the lineup ever since but the passion for dark, melodic, atmospheric metal has stayed. Naturally the people who have played in the band have had a great influence in how the music has turned out, but in a greater scale the direction has remained somewhat solid. The name Soulfallen also came to me during this time and I thought it to be a good one-word name for a band. 

pdn: As I understood, the band was formed in 2003, but the debut album was released much later, in 2007. Was it difficult to get a record deal or did you guys just want to focus on live shows first?
Kai: You are correct. I don’t think it’s ever easy getting a record deal, a decent one at least. I don’t think we had a plan, we just made music and started playing it live. In the beginning it also took some time to find a good lineup and changes always disrupt the birth process of a beginning band. Time is a relative matter too. We only made two demos before our first album and some could say we got a record deal relatively fast. In metal you really don’t just form a band and get signed in the same year, unless of course you’re Max Cavalera or Mikael Åkerfeldt.
Looking at it now, I think it was only a good thing we didn’t make our debut in 2004 because I don’t think it would have been a very good album. There are things on World Expiration I would have done differently if I were to do it all again, and I think I will feel that way about all our albums sometime in the future, but I still think it’s a very good album. It is good for most bands to let their music stew and cook, if you want to use cooking terms. And it was good for us, too. Just practicing, playing live and practicing. The problem with many bands nowadays is that with all this home studio equipment band start making albums too soon. They don’t want to do the hard work in the cellars and practice places where their music would evolve and mature. They skip the cooking phase and hand people raw cd’s that usually don’t even sound that great. But I guess that’s the way this world is going, everything has to be done faster and faster despite the loss in quality.

pdn: At what age did started getting attracted to the world of music and a career in it? How did it start?
Kai: Well like I said, the attraction started quite early as a teenager, but I don’t know if you can call it a career. All of us have been studying or working or both at the same time, so this has never been fulltime work for any of us. I think passion would be a better word for it. A passion we take very seriously and put a lot of effort, time and money in it. But something we love doing. The way I think about it, that if your livelihood doesn’t depend on it you don’t have to make compromises or think about sales figures when you’re writing music. You can just write what comes out of the heart as stupid as it perhaps sounds. And I’m not saying that bands that live on the music do this, but I for one enjoy the fact that I have never even had to think about it that way. 

pdn: Which are your favourite bands, maybe some that represented a strong influence and/ or motivation?
Kai: Oh there are so many! My Dying Bride, Katatonia, Keep of Kalessin, Kreator, Moonspell, Meshuggah, Machine Head, Behemoth, Hypocrisy, Anathema, Samael, just to name a few. And there are a lot of great Finnish metal bands as well: Insomnium, Alghazanth, Scorngrain, Swallow the Sun, Torture Killer and the list goes on. I still listen to a great deal of music and I think everything you listen to and experience influences in one way or another, but I don’t think there is any one or two bands that could be named as our strongest influences. We don’t aspire to sound like someone else. With that being said, there are many bands we look up to and respect what they have accomplished. I just don’t see the point of wanting to sound like someone else.

pdn: Reviews say your sounds have somewhat changed, evolved throughout the years; What would you say changed in the music of Soulfallen inbetween the first album and the latest one?
Kai: That is true. I even read in a review of our latest album that we have changed our music style to some kind of doomish metal. It sounded strange to me since in my head I feel have always done the same kind of music whatever you want to call it. Melodic, atmospheric death metal? It is a matter of opinion always, now is it? But I do agree with evolution, I think there is a great difference if you compare any of our albums together, and whether it is a change for better or worse it is up to the listener to decide. I for one think it is for the better. I think the biggest difference is us evolving as musicians and songwriters and of course that there have been some changes in the lineup during this time. 
Despite playing together for five years prior to making the debut album, it is still raw in some perspectives. And in the last five years that was between these two albums we have played forty something shows in Finland and abroad and this has influenced us as musicians. We have learned to write better songs, conceptual lyrics, manage greater orchestrations and broadened our musical perspective, but still keeping the core of what is Soulfallen intact. If you look at our latest album song by song, they can differ from each other a lot. For example the last track At the Heart of Dying is the slowest, longest, doomiest, and saddest in my opinion, song we have ever made and the track before that has some of the fastest stuff we have ever made, but still they all sound Soulfallen. If you know what I mean. We don’t want to do the same album twice, we want to go forward and explore new musical heights but at the same time a part of our music will stay the same. The part that we aimed for, when we started the band nearly ten years ago.











pdn: Who writes the lyrics and what inspires them in general?
Kai: That would be me. Like I said, I think everything you experience influences you in some way. Books, movies, songs, life, everything. Writing lyrics is also something I have been doing for half my life. It is an escape, a way of self-expression and a vent to channel energy. I don’t go beat people up, I write. I am inspired to become a better writer, finding new ways to use language since in it only the sky is the limit. There are so many things you can do with it. All the Soulfallen albums are bound in a certain theme. World Expiration dealt with the end of the world, but I wanted to find a fresh perspective to look at it. Grave New World continued the story with the moment that comes after the apocalypse when there is nothing left to do but face the inevitable.
With the third album I wanted to end the trilogy. It took me about a year to come up with the idea and then another year and a half to write the lyrics for it. I cannot say where the idea came from, though. Just letting your mind work on it and eventually something pops out. The story continues where Grave New World ended in a post-apocalyptic world where the inevitable never came because something went terribly wrong. Life and death become entwined and one could not be separated from the other. Hell as promised by religions never came, but instead the whole world is caught in this limbonic state where even death cannot grant us escape. There are some twists and turns in the story and one can make his or her own interpretations of the story and how it finally ends.
I guess I could say, hopefully without sounding too schmuck, I am also inspired by my own texts to always improve myself. The great thing about being a writer is that you are never ready or complete. There are always new things around the corner to learn. 


pdn: If you could play anywhere in the world, what countries, venues would you gladly choose? And what bands would you like to share the stage with someday, if you could pick anyone? 
Kai: I don’t know if we have any shared dreams or visions about countries or venues. Of course it would be cool to play in all the great places like Madison Square Garden etc, but I don’t think we are very likely to play in any of those very soon or most likely ever. Not with this kind of music. Some big European festivals like Wacken would be a great milestone. We’ll have to see. And about other bands, I don’t think we have a shared dream of this either. Sharing the stage with any of the previously mentioned bands would be an honour. For me personally My Dying Bride would be the one above the others, but that’s just me. We have been fortunate to play with many great bands already and despite being very different in terms of music style opening for Cannibal Corpse in Lithuania a couple of years ago was one of those great moments. 

pdn: What is the band up to this summer? Also, any plans for the near future?

Kai: Next year in 2013 it will be our ten year anniversary and we hope do something special to celebrate it. I won’t tell you yet what it will be, but I hope we get the chance to do it. Meanwhile we released earlier this year a new album out called The Promise of Hell and we wish to promote it to people we would like this kind of atmospheric, melodic death metal. So if you already haven’t heard it, check it out now! You can download it for free from our official website at www.soulfallen.com .
We are also writing new material for our next releases and we have opened a PayPal account for the band where anyone who has enjoyed our music can donate money directly to the band. So if you like the music, but don’t want to give 90 percent of the price of the album to distributors and shops, there is a way to support just the ones who make the music. And anyone who donates two euros or more will have their name printed on the fourth Soulfallen album. But enough of advertising. I guess it is safe to say that naturally we have plans to write and record a fourth album somewhere in the future. And of course we hope to play many shows live next year. 

pdn: Thank you kindly for your time! Anything you would like to add for your friends, fans?
Kai: Thank you for the interview! I hope we have the chance to play live in new places and countries we have never been to, since we have had a lot of requests from fans all over the world. Hopefully we can make some of them true. But it’s not going to be very easy since we don’t have a big record company or anything like that behind us. We also want to thank you for your support we have received from all of you all these years! We are still humble to learn people in countries we have never been to are discovering and enjoying our music. Keep the flame alive and all the best!

http://www.soulfallen.com http://www.myspace.com/soulfallen
Last.fm

Interview: Janne Perttula (HEROIN AND YOUR VEINS)

   Heroin And Your Veins is the dark ambient brainchild of Tampere, Finland based Janne Perttula since the year of 2006. It is 'music for the sake of music', flowing out of his subconscious, spontaneity being a significant outlet. Janne honored us with his presence on playdeadnation to talk about all this, to explain his influences, feelings, plans and much more!

pdn: Hello, Janne! Could you please tell me a bit about the reason you named your project 'Heroin and Your Veins'?
Janne: Six years ago when I was starting this I spent quite a while thinking of a name that felt right. I liked the word "heroin" and then I ran into this drug propaganda booklet called "Heroin and Your Veins". There's actually a series of them with names like "Speed and Your Brain" and "Cocaine and Your Nose". I can't tell you the exact reason why I liked the name I chose but that's the way it goes with me. If something feels right I don't feel the need to rationalize it. Intuition and spontaneity play big parts in what I do but I also spent three years working on my new album so there's some hard work too.

pdn: What and who most inspires you in the creative process? Also, who would be some artists, musicians that you love listening to?
Janne: Many things I guess but perhaps what inspire me most are sounds and other music. In a similar way how a painter or a photographer can be fascinated by colours I am fascinated by sounds and not just of musical instruments. My new album especially is full of sounds coming from different objects, nature and human body so it's not just a collection of musical pieces. Maybe this is why the words "film music" often come up when people are trying to describe what I do. I don't like that because my intention is that the music stands on its own power and doesn't require moving pictures for support. Perhaps it's just the case of the unusual sounds inspiring listener's imagination.

I'm an ethusiastic music lover and lately I've been listening to some old jazz and my old heroes Rowland S. Howard and Mick Harvey. It would be tough to list all the things I like, but I guess this kind of question is a good way for me to mention contemporary artists who I think deserve to have their albums bought. J.P. Shilo and his former band Hungry Ghosts did something similar years ago to what I'm trying to do now. The way Barry Adamson has done unique albums almost all by himself for over 25 years is very inspiring and encouraging to me. Then there's the atmospheric works of HTRK, Kava Kon, Lilium and Dirty Beaches whom all I find very fascinating.


pdn: When did you start making music and how did it happen? How many instruments can you play at this point?
Janne: I was thirteen when I first picked up guitar and eighteen when I wrote my first tune for a band I played in. I lived in countryside until I was seventeen and before that I never thought playing music would lead into anything even though I liked it. When I moved into a city everything just seemed to happen by itself. I got into a band, loved it and started to work hard for it. I learned a lot from other musicians who were older than I. Every time we were in a studio I just sucked in all the information. In the end I was fired for being so uncompromising with my ideas and I was also bitter about the band's direction. It was frustrating but I vented that into making my own music. Soon I learned that I could do it all by myself and the split-up was a good thing after all. A year later my first album Dead People's Trails was released and if it sounds hurried that's because it is.

I can get a sound out of any instrument but I don't play anything very well. I guess I'm most at home with guitars and other stringed instruments that you can pluck. I'm not afraid to pick up different instruments because I work alone and there's no one to laugh at me. With keyboards it's simply the case of pushing buttons and with percussion it's mostly hitting or shaking things. I think my strengths lay in combining simple things and making most of the skills I have.

pdn: Is there anything you can tell us about your upcoming release?
Janne: Well it's longer and bigger than anything I've done before. I worked on it for three years and during quite a turmoil in my life. I can hear the memories in the album. I think in the end it got too long and too versatile to be just a pleasant listen all through. It's just that the music being so personal is the reason why this time I couldn't give in to the urge of pleasing listeners. This is my most serious work yet. Getting someone to release it ended up being quite a pain but it's finally coming out through Australian Pimpmelon Records on 26th October. It can already be ordered at http://pimpmelon.bandcamp.com/album/regret,

pdn: The other acts you are involved in, Ultranoir and Piss Ennui...what are they doing at the moment?
Janne: Nothing actually. UltraNoir is actually the band I mentined earlier and which I was fired from in 2006. Since last year I've played with them once again but with a different attitude. It's not really my band and I just play guitar not caring if I don't get to express myself. With that band things happen very slowly and we haven't played together in over six months. Piss Ennui is an album that I recorded with UltraNoir's vocalist in 2009. It was never meant to lead anything more than that and I think the tongue-in-cheek attitude makes it quite a good album. I usually don't work like that. It can be listened for free here: http://pissennui.bandcamp.com/

pdn: Have you ever played with the idea/ thought of including vocals in your music, or you think it would limit the freedom of interpretation, mindtravel of the listener?
Janne: Yes I have but not very seriously. Once I tried to write songs with a very good vocalist but our personalities clashed in a bad way. I guess I can be a pain to work with when I'm taking it seriously. At least when it's a democracy and it's not clear who has the final say. When I'm alone it's easier for me to concentrate anyway and get my mind into the place which is required for creating.

I don't have presumptions about what goes on in listeners' heads as my guideline. Making instrumental music just is a natural thing for me. Words can be very dominating and I don't want there to be clear ideas like that flowing over the music. I prefer the music to float free in space without those kind of restrictions. Also a weak vocalist can ruin the whole song no matter how good the music is while a strong vocalist can force the whole song into a certain idea. I don't want either to happen to my music. I can't imagine there to be that kind of dominating human voice but I've recorded some people when they were not aware. I also feel that I'm being most honest when there's no words involved but that's something I can't really explain.

pdn: You've performed live with other musicians until 2011. Are you intending to play more live shows in the future? And any other plans for Heroin and Your Veins?
Janne: I won't be playing live for now. The idea of it doesn't feel good anymore. It's more difficult preparing for concerts with a set-up like Heroin and Your Veins and it's not really worth the trouble if you don't enjoy it and feel that it's important. I used to think that I'm supposed to perform live to promote the albums but it never sounded as good as I'd want it to sound. This just isn't the kind of music I'd like to play in the surroundings of a normal live music venue. Instead I work hard to make my albums just as I like them. They're full of details that I wouldn't be able to reproduce live. For listening I would suggest some solitude and a good sound system or a pair of good headphones.

pdn: Thank you so much! Is there anything you would like to add for the fans, readers? :)
Janne: It means a lot to me when somebody writes to me from some far away place and tells me that my music has touched her or him. Little messages like this are vital to what I do as I know that my music can't ever become very popular. Even though I'm not trying to please anyone but myself when I'm making music I don't think I would do it if I knew nobody would listen. This is communication after all and I'm glad I'm not shouting into silence.

http://www.heroinandyourveins.net/
http://www.last.fm/music/Heroin+and+Your+Veins
http://www.myspace.com/heroinandyourveins

Interview: Justin Sullivan & Ceri Monger (NEW MODEL ARMY)

   Post-punk/ alternative rock band founded in 1980, New Model Army have a rich history so far and more to be written! Constantly clashing with the authorities and ongoing numerous line-up changes, their fountain of energy has always been bottomless! After finally seeing them at Peninsula Festival this year, playdeadnation had the honor to talk about the band in detail with singer and founding member Justin Sullivan and bassist Ceri Monger!

pdn: Greetings, Justin! What was it that led to founding New Model Army in the first place? Also, how did the whole musical activity start for you, personally?

Justin: Hi, Laura. When I was growing up, music saved my soul! It made sense of the World when the voices of grown-ups, logic and words alone did not. I think we started the band simply for the joy of playing! Not much has changed in that respect. 

pdn: NMA had some obstacles because of the political and humanitarian subjects. Were they difficult to overcome? Please tell me a bit about this.

Justin: We've had a few issues over the years with authorities. We weren't allowed into America for a long time and have had a few dramas like that. It is to be expected, though, that if you say and do things that 'power' does not like they will censure or hurt you. I have lots of respect for Pussy Riot for pushing at authority (and respect for that fearlessness of youth) but I am not surprised at the jail sentence and neither should they be. You can tell how much Authorities feel threatened exactly by how much they react.

pdn: Seems like you've toured with more than five members pretty often. Why was that, was it for diversity, small changes in the 'recipe'?

Justin: There is no 'recipe' - just a sense of making music that is 'true' and has real emotional content. The various changes over the years have been good for this with each new member bringing a new energy and then moving on when they felt it was time.

pdn: Your fans, people that can truly feel the meaning of your music are collectively called 'The Family', is that right? Some believe it's an elite of some sort, gang, club, sect and whatnot. To shed some light on the not very well-informed, how would you briefly describe this Family and how does it manifest, if such?

Justin: This 'family' is a loose group of people for all different countries that have been brought together by the band. They may see us often or may never be able to see us and they come from all different walks of life, different opinions, different everything. It's not a 'gang'. Anyone who feels that strange special bond with this music is already a member. 

pdn: What do you think about the direction music industry in general is heading nowadays? Since you've been around for quite some time, do you happen to sense that music today should be more exigent?

Justin: I'm afraid I don't understand the word exigent. But as for where the music industry is heading, I don't really have any idea. Even though, since the sudden death of our long-time manager three years ago, we have been managing ourselves, I don't find it difficult to separate 'music' from 'the music industry'. Beyond the need for us have places to live and food on the table I don't really care about the industry - only about the music.

pdn: Three decades of existence in 2010 - Congratulations! Any plans for the near future regarding tours, new material?

Justin: Thank you. We're currently hard at work on a new album - something a bit different - for release in early 2013. 

pdn: Ceri, please tell me, how long have you been a NMA fan, and what did joining the band feel like?

Ceri: I've been into NMA for a long time, since I was a child basically. A friend of my family introduced them to my brother I think and I heard them through him. The music was right up my street and I really loved the passion and emotions you get from listening to NMA. Joining the band felt incredibly surreal but in the most comfortable way possible, great vibes from the start!

pdn: Which were your favourite venues so far with NMA?

Ceri: One of the great things about being in NMA is that, there's a huge variety in the gigs we play. Having just joined the band in April, i've only played the festivals over the summer and a few warm up shows, and the different types of venues and festivals we've played has been great, each one a different experience. There's obviously a few gigs that stand out for me for personal reasons, my first show with the band at The Robin 2 in Bilston, playing in NMA's hometown of Bradford and playing Beautiful Days festival, i've always loved that festival and been going there nearly every year so, to play there was amazing.

pdn: Were you involved in any other bands/projects? If so, do you still keep contact with them, know what they are up to at the moment?

Ceri: I was in a metal band called Dark Era before I joined NMA. Unfortunately I felt it was best that I left them though. They're a great band and really deserve all the success in the world and I thought it would be unfair to hold them back from being away a lot with NMA. They were all really supportive of me and understood so, I definatly thank them for that! I stay in touch with them yeah, my brother is their drummer so obviously i'm very close with him and i've been friends with the other guys for years too so it's all good. Since I left they've been concentrating on writing an album that they should be recording soon! 

pdn: What were your main influences growing up (musically, personally), and practically growing into the world of music?

Ceri: Music has been my passion since I was very young, it's always been what i've worked towards doing for the rest of my life. I was brought up on a lot of Irish and Scottish folk music. My parents were really into the folk scene and took me to lots of folk festivals and ceilidhs, I would join in with the sessions and loved the feeling of playing alongside other musicians. I then got into metal and grunge, I was still quite young but really connected with that stuff. I'm a big fan of 90's metal, I do like and listen to more modern metal too but, the bands that came out of the 90's are definatly the ones that stand out for me! I like a lot of different styles of music really and I could spend days listing the bands and musicians that have influenced me in one way or another!

pdn: If NMA were to share the stage with any band(s) in the world and you'd have to name them, who would you choose?

Ceri:  Haha, wow, another one I could probably spend days listing! To name a few....Machine Head, Biohazard, Rammstein, Fear Factory, Tool....If we're including bands that have now split up then also, Pitchshifter, Sikth, Strapping Young Lad, Nine Inch Nails, Type O Negative....the list could go on and on!

pdn: What is your favourite part in belonging to a band? Live shows, studio sessions, afterparties?:P

Ceri: They're all great in their own ways! Playing live is the most amazing adrenaline rush you can get I think, simple as that. I also love recording and writing and just being creative in general musically, I find so much satisfaction in sitting down, writing something, recording it, and coming away proud of it. I love how a basic idea can evolve into a song, and I enjoy hearing how other peoples influences on a song can take it into a whole different direction. And I like socialising and meeting new people so, it's nice to go and hang out and have a few drinks with people who have stuck around after a gig!

pdn: Thank you kindly for your time and patience! Any words you would like to add for your friends, fans, Family?

Justin: Good Luck... Keep faith! 

Ceri: Not a problem! I should say a big thank you to everyone for welcoming me with such open arms since I joined! Everyone has been so kind to me, I know it's going to be a hell of a ride haha!

www.newmodelarmy.org/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Model-Army/21413299856

http://www.last.fm/music/New+Model+Army

Interview: Sotiris Vayenas (SEPTICFLESH)

    Embracing mythological, occult and other monumental elements, Septicflesh is a melodic death metal band from Athens, Greece, that absorbs you, taking you into another world through the whole structure of their divine sound and lyrics. Sotiris Vayenas, clean vocalist and guitarist of the band is here to talk to us about his solo project, general details, and of course, news about Septicflesh.

pdn: Hails, Sotiris! Please tell me, how did the band get the name SepticFlesh to begin with? Just curious, since sometimes band names have an interesting story behind them.
Sotiris: The name was given from a friend of Seth and Chris, just before I joined the band. To tell you the truth I was never so enthusiastic about it, as I felt that it was more fitting for a grind death metal band while our music has a wide diversity of moods and speeds. However, at the time of our formation the audience had no problem with simple names “reeking death” , quite the contrary. 


pdn: Who writes the lyrics and how did you pick the obvious general topics as inspiration, both for the lyrics and visual elements?
Sotiris: I am responsible for the lyrics of the band. So the thematology is always about my point of view and about things that excite me as science, mythology, the occult etc. Also it is very important for us to try to combine in the most fitting way, emotions with sound and meaning. In that way the result is more powerful and you can “sink” deeper into it. As for the visual elements, I always discuss the symbolism of the songs with Seth before he starts creating the proper images that will dress the layout of an album. 


pdn: When did you start creating music and what was the first instrument you learned to play?
Sotiris: I started playing music when I was 8 years old and my first instrument was a violin. Actually, I continued playing violin for several years, until I fell in love with the electric guitar. 


pdn: Who was/were some important influences that helped form you as a musician and just as a person?
Sotiris: Concerning music, I loved bands as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Celtic Frost, Mercyful Fate, Dead Can Dance, Paradise Lost, Death, Bathory and many more. As a person I was greatly influenced from the ancient Greek philosophers. 


pdn: What are some other passions, tasks you're focused on, besides your bands?
Sotiris: I like to search and learn about the human past. Also I systematically explore the altered states of consciousness and that is why I experiment with techniques as lucid dreaming for example.


pdn: What can you tell me about your solo project Aenaos, how did it come to exist? Did you feel like you had something more to 'say' outside of your main band?
Sotiris: The music I have created under the name Aenaos is more heavy metal, than Septicflesh although at the same time the atmosphere of the songs is still dark and melancholic. One of the main characteristics my solo project is the dominating presence of the clean vocals, as there are no brutal vocals at all. I started working theses kind of ideas at the period when Septicflesh was inactive and developed an autonomous musical personality. 




pdn: Also, what are your nearest plans for this project?
Sotiris: I have no fixed plans for Aenaos, as I have limited time and always my priority is Septicflesh. However, I want sometime in the future to release a full album as Aenaos. 


pdn: And what about SepticFlesh, what is the band currently doing? Any upcoming tours?

Sotiris: Well, there are some upcoming shows in Slovenia, Finland, Slovakia and France for August. Then there are plans for a headlining North American tour in October with Krisiun / Melechesh / Ex Deo / Inquisition as supporting bands.


pdn: Thank you so much for this chat! Any final message you would like to add for your fans from all over the world?
Sotiris: Thank you for your support, keep the dark flame burning !




www.septicflesh.com


www.last.fm/music/Septic+Flesh


www.myspace.com/septicfleshband


www.facebook.com/septicfleshband