So, what’s new since your last tour in France,
in April 99?
We have a
new album out, and since I’ve met you in Strasburg last year, we’ve been to
Australia and New Zealand, and after we came back, we went directly to the
studio. We recorded in Astia studios instead of the Tico-Tico. After that, we
have basically waited for the album to go out, because Fournier, it took him
forever to make the cover (laughs).
When we phoned to Osmose, each time it was ‘No, not ready yet’. But we met this
guy yesterday, and he’s absolutely excellent. He’s got to do the next Impaled
covers!
Yeah, his work on ‘Nihil’ is excellent!
I think that the
new one is great, but the one he did for the new version of ‘Ugra Karma’ is
three times better. This is the ultimate cover for me, I couldn’t believe it
when I got it. I looked at it and thought ‘holy shit, this guy is a genius’.
And what do the lyrics deal with in ‘Nihil’?
Well, it’s
basically a very personal album to make it short. The album has a concept, it
says you close down your emotions, it’s a very angry and misanthropic album.
It’s based on isolation, but that’s hard to explain. That’s total misanthropy.
Still concerning the lyrics, why don’t you use
Finnish anymore, and only English?
Because I
wanted everybody to understand. With the Finnish lyrics that we were used to
have, people thought of us that we were a joke band. And we didn’t people to
laugh at this album, because it’s very angry. So, total English was a good
solution. Maybe you have heard that, but you know, my best friend killed
himself, and that was really painful for me, I had to write about it…
Musically, I think
that this album has some slight touches of all your other albums, don’t you
think?
We kind of
took the best parts of our other albums
(laughs). We have got some reactions to the album: some people say that we
are total shit now, because we are guitar solos, and they don’t like, they
think we are too melodic. But it’s twenty percent of the feedback who say that
we are bullshit now. The eighty percents remaining say YES!!
Is ‘Nihil’ selling well by the way?
I hope so, I don’t know yet.
We’ll see in July when we’ll get our royalties (laughs).
And concerning those guitar solos, how was it
to work with Alexi?
Extremely easy. I
knew what kind of guitar solos I wanted, so I said in the studio, ‘I want you
to play blablabla’, and he played it immediately! So, thank you Alexi!
But how come he’s not with you on this tour? He
had told me he would!
He was supposed to be
with us, but don’t ask! Children Of Bodom have had some problems you know. They
almost split up, but it didn’t happen, though it was very close. We had to find
someone else, and our session guitar player is from Thy Serpent. Two days
before the tour, Alexi showed him the solos, and he followed! He’s a great
guitar player too.
And what are your plans? What are you going to
do right after this tour?
It’s a France tour,
and then we’ll go to Greece and play with Children Of Bodom. We have two shows
there. After that, some summer festivals in Finland, but nothing is confirmed
and we are still booking them. It’s probably going to go the way we’re not
gonna play any shows in Finland, but we are going to play in Columbia and
Ecuador. We are very popular there, we are a cult band for them! These people,
I’ve wanted to meet them for ten years, so when we finally get there, we are
like Metallica. The people are crazy, and that’s fantastic for us. Can you
imagine that feeling? When you are backstage smoking a cigarette, and when
thousand people scream ‘Impaled Nazarene’, it’s a feeling you can’t even
imagine!
Maybe it would be a good idea to play ten shows there
then?
This is what we are
going to do! We will play three or four dates in Columbia, and then we will go
to Ecuador!
And that’s also a good way to get drugs (laughs)!
(laughs) I don’t care about the drugs, but I know this is
gonna be a good country to get some pussy (laughs).
I don’t do drugs anymore, because after we were in Mexico, I took something
that fucked my life for one day, and I said ‘never again’!
Still about those ‘exotic’ countries, you had many
problems in Australia and New Zealand… What happened?
It was still a
fucking great tour. It was only three shits, and most of them happened in New
Zealand. In Australia, there was one show cancelled, but we got another one to
replace it. It was total shit, but at least we had another show. In New
Zealand, during the first show, we have been attacked by Maori nazi skinheads,
with svatiskas… And I was wondering what the hell it was! After that, when we
went to the last gig, we had that fucking stupid car accident! It’s a miracle
that we are still alive! The road was straight, but it had a big turn to the
right; the speed limit was 60 mph, and our driver was at 120, so instead of
turning right, we went straight into the mountain. The next thing I know is
that my leg is bleeding, and I didn’t know what happened! A guy came with his
tractor, asked if we were ok, and when I realised what has happened, my whole
body started shaking, I got an after shock! The crazy thing is that if the car
had rebounded, there was a 200 meter ravine with water! 200 meters and then
total death! That’s something than can happen on tour…
But don’t worry, you’re now on the safe French roads!
By the way, how is the tour going?
I really like the
organisers, Vadurock! If they say that we are going to get something, we get
it! If they promise something, we have it! This is so far the best European
tour for us as far as the organisation goes, this is very professional. I hate
to work with people who never keep their promises! Finally, someone is serious!
They know how much we are selling, how people will come and see us…Trust me,
for every band that has been working with them, they were all happy.
But then, how comes Anorexia Nervosa aren’t on the
tour, due to some problems with Vadurock?
Well, there have
been different things… But I’d better not say anything. I know the true story,
but Nicolas (ndlr: the promo guy in
Osmose) would beat me up if I told you
(laughs).
Finally, the Sodom tribute has been released! What did
you think of it?
What do you think?
Great?
Yes! We were on a
tour in Mexico, and when we got back, I had a message on my answering machine,
from the Sodom management, telling they wanted to get our track on the tribute
album. You can’t believe how happy I was! And it’s a great idea how they did it
(ndlr: it has been released as a bonus
CD for ‘Code Red’), because you can check the new album, as well as old
songs if you’re a new fan. I like the new album a lot, it’s back to the roots,
with that ‘Agent Orange’ feeling!
Are there some covers you like a lot? Or dislike?
The Revenant cover
was…I wanted to kill myself when I heard it! But the best cover for me is the
‘Nuclear Winter’ cover by Krisiun, and the ‘Remember The Fallen’ cover by Dark
Funeral. They are the two bands that made the best, except for us (laughs).
And just to finish, you have been guest vocalist on
the new album of The Crown… How did it happen?
We had been touring
on the No Mercy festival, and we shared the same bus. I love The Crown! One
day, the drummer phones and asks me if I’d like to sing on their new album. And
I was paid. That was an honour for me! So I went to Sweden, I sing, we get
drunk, we have a good time, and then I got home… That was the way it worked.
For me, nobody asks me who is my favourite lyrics writer, but that’s the bass
player of The Crown. He does the best fucking metal lyrics in the universe!
It’s a bit like a punk band playing 200mph!! I was an honour for me to sing on
their album.
Ok, thanks Mika! One last thing you wanna say?
Putain! (ndlr: which means fuck, or bitch in
French)