With the release of its first album, Medeia has quickly become one of the strongest bands in the Finnish Death Metal scene. Upon its release, Cult received very good reviews and now Medeia gets ready for a lengthy European Tour, kicking off in the end of February in Germany. In spite of the harsh guitars vocals, the band brings some sense of humor to the typical death metal image like the video for the first single show. Between his IT job and the Medeia tour, guitarist Samuli Peltola presents the band.
The record came out a few months ago, when you listen to it again, do you feel like making some changes?
Actually not. Maybe I would just change some minor things. I have made a couple of records previously with other bands and this might be the first time that I am not disappointed about the album in any aspect. In addition, I am not looking at the songs obsessively, in detail. I’m letting it go.
How long did the recording take?
It went pretty fast. First, during the first week in studio we recorded the drums, the guitars and the piano parts. It took six days and around 10-12 hours per day. After that, we did the bass parts, some synthesizers and vocals. That took about a month. Then mixing took one week and mastering was done in a couple of days. The record was done in about two months.
Did you rework the songs in the studio?
No, the recording schedule was too tight for that. We modified some details in the studio, but mostly everything was ready beforehand.
What are the band’s main influences?
I would say Carcass. They are kind of old already, but everyone in Medeia likes Carcass a lot. Perhaps also Chuck Schuldiner’s Death and the Swedish band Meshuggah.
And your influences as a guitar player?
Dimebag Darrell and Tom Morello, for example. I was a great fan of Rage Against The Machine between the age of 13 and 20.
How did you get together?
In 2002, everybody was playing in different bands. We knew each other, but one day I mentioned on a Internet forum that I would like to have another band, a metal type of thing. Janne, the drummer, replied immediately that he was having similar thoughts, so we soon started to play together. We tried different singers with no bass player, keyboards. Our singer Keijo Niinimaa joined in 2007 and everything took off from there. But it has been a lot of work.
Was it frustrating to play just small gigs for several years?
No, because the band has managed to go forward very fast. There wasn’t a feeling that we are stuck and nothing happens. There was always something new. It was easy to get motivated. Also we hang out together a lot too and that makes things easier. Fortunately too, our original idea and approach to the band remains the same.
How was the experience of opening for a well known band like The Dillinger Escape Plan?
It was crazy. They are pioneers of this polyrhythmic metal music. Their gigs were probably the best shows I’ve seen in my life. The songs are good, they played together so well and they go crazy on stage. The guitar player was climbing, the bassist was jumping to a pretty high bass cabinet. You need to watch some videos.
Did you meet them?
Yeah, I chatted with the guitarist for half an hour. He was a cool guy, very down to earth. It is nice to notice that they are not influenced by their rock start status.
Was it a surprise to sign with Fullsteam Records?
A bit. We started looking for a record company, moving the demo around. We were about to sign with an English label when we went to Fullsteam and had a meeting with Fullsteam’s founder Juha Kyyrö. Nothing was agreed then but then he came to a couple of our shows and decide to sign us.
Finally, I need to ask you about your music video for the song Cold Embrace, which is pretty peculiar.
First go to YouTube and check for the video of the band Immortal. I think the song is The Call of the Wintermoon. They have probably the most ridiculous video. It’s a good laugh. We wanted to make something funny too. We don’t really like the whole black metal thing, with burning churches and so. We want to be more like a happy black metal. The point was to film the video on a sunny day with people eating ice cream in the park.
http://www.myspace.com/medeiaband
European Tour Dates
with The Ocean, Burst, Bison BC
26.02.2009 Germany, Dortmund, FZW
27.02.2009 Germany, Leipzig, Conne Island
28.02.2009 Poland, Warsaw, Progresja
01.03.2009 Czech Republic, Prague, Exit Chmelnice
02.03.2009 Austria, Wien, Arena
03.03.2009 Hungary, Budapest, Dürer Kert
04.03.2009 Germany, München, Feierwerk – Hansa 39
05.03.2009 Switzerland, Zürich, Dynamo 21
08.03.2009 Germany, Karlsruhe, Die Stadtmitte
15.03.2009 Belgium, Bruxelles, VK
18.03.2009 Luxembourg, Esch, Kulturfabrik
21.03.2009 Germany, Berlin, Lido
Photos by Tomi Palsa
Discussion
No comments for “Happy death metal”