Kiuas
Kiuas is an oasis in
the contemporary Finnish metal scene. Their mini cd "Winter In June" is
an excellent piece of work that amazed me and I think many of you out there
will be astonsihed too. I must also mention that this was a really interesting
and informative interview. I enjoyed it a lot! lThe answers come from the
band's guitarist, Mikko Salovaara, so let him speak...
1.HELLO! MY CONGRATULATIONS FOR YOUR VERY
GOOD MINI CD “WINTER IN JUNE”. I’D LIKE YOU TO TELL ME, WHEN WAS THE BAND
FORMED AND WHAT KIND OF PERSONALITIES ARE KIUAS? WHAT DO YOU LIKE DOING
IN YOUR FREE TIME?
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Thanks! Kiuas was formed about three years ago.
Our personalities...well, I can mostly speak for myself only, but basically
we are hard working, ambitous, and proud pagan warriors, of course!!! My
time is almost entirely dedicated to the fine arts of writing music and
playing guitar. I also lift weights and try to learn a little bit of piano.
Every now and then, especially on gig-nights - or if the stars are correctly
aligned - the members of Kiuas perform a finnish drinking ritual which
includes some eccentric behaviour!
2.WHY DID YOU SELECT AS A DEBUT RELEASE
A MINI CD AND NOT A FULL LENGTH ALBUM AS IT IS USUAL? WAS IT PERHAPS A
TEST TO SEE THE REACTIONS OF THE FANS AND PRESS AND THEN PROCEED TO A FULL
LENGTH CD?
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Our record company Rage of Achilles wanted to
release our last demo, but we wanted to record the songs again and added
a new one - the title track. It also draws attention and serves as a good
introduction to what we are about. When the debut album hits the stores,
people will have some expectations and we will have established ourselves
as a new...well, let them decide. And yes, it is nice to see some reactions,
and since they've been really good so far, we feel quite confident at the
moment because we know that the full-length album will be at least twice
as good as the Ep - I can guarantee that!
3.SO, MY NEXT QUESTION IS OBVIOUS. HOW DID THE
FANS AND PRESS ACCEPT THIS FIRST ATTEMPT OF YOURS? HOW DO YOU REACT WHEN
YOU DON’T GET A GOOD REVIEW?
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The fans were already familiar with three of the
songs and after an mp3 clip of "Winter in June" was put on the web, we've
seen some people singing the lyrics in the front row on our last gigs -
including one we did in Estonia. So I think the fans are pretty satisfied.
As far as the press is concerned, the reviews so far have been really good.
I don't mean to say this in a bad way, but mostly reviews tell more about
the guy who reviewed it than about the actual record! And this is especially
true about some metal journalists, who are quite narrow-minded. So when
I'm reading a review, I consider it to be good if it gives a general idea
of the style and performance of the band, not a general idea of the journalist's
musical taste! Whatever weaknesses our band has, we definately know them,
have analyzed them, and are doing something
to get rid of them. So when
a journalist mentions a weakness that we know to be true, we accept it
calmly. If a journalist writes something negative that is totally based
on his or her own taste, or is just total bullshit ( for ex. "Motley Crue
didn't have any attitude" or "Dream Theater can't play their instruments"
) that makes you feel offended. Considering the Ep, I admit that the production
could have better, but we sort of ran out time and weren't able to make
the final touches. Musically, I can totally stand behind all the songs
I've written and I'm willing to sit down and discuss any matters considering
the music.
4.IN YOUR FUTURE PLANS THERE IS A SCHEDULE TO
RELEASE A FULL LENGTH ALBUM IN LATE 2004. CAN YOU GIVE US SOME MORE INFO
ABOUT IT (HOW IT SOUNDS, ITS TITLE, ETC.)? WILL YOU INCLUDE ANY SONGS FROM
THIS MINI CD AND YOUR 2 DEMOS?
-
Aaah...our baby! It will be called "The spirit
of Ukko" and will contain 8-9 songs including two from the Ep, which will
probable be re-recorded partially. As all finns know, Ukko was the supreme
god of our ancestors. Pagan mythology is an important part of Kiuas, and
the title sums up a lot our style and attitude. We are already working
on the sound, which will be much heavier and more massive than on the Ep.
5.I THINK IT’S EASY TO NOTICE A DARK EPIC ATMOSPHERE
IN YOUR MUSIC. WELL, HOW DO YOU PERSONALLY DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND? DO YOU
AGREE WITH THE TERM EPIC DARK POWER METAL? WHICH BANDS AND ARTISTS INFLUENCED
YOU?
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"Epic dark power metal"? Hmmm...that's...pretty
accurate. Some of the themes are really "epic", and since we have clean
vocals and fast tempos, we are called power metal. But even so, I hope
people notice fast that we are very far from bands like Stratovarius and
Helloween, which are more sporty and gay,...I mean happy. (oops!) Yes,
a dark epic atmosphere is always present, and some elements from black
and death metal help to create that. There are so many influences that
it's hard to name just a few, because that will easily give a false impression,
but I'll try. The power metal influences are a mystery, since I don't listen
to a lot of power metal. Blind Guardian would be a band that has been one
of my favourites, so maybe they've had some kind of influence, and maybe
Symphony X. Maybe the power metal elements are also present in the more
technical guitar stuff - although on the full-length album, I'll try incorporate
more styles in my playing, like some bluesier stuff. The thrash elements
come from your basic trash icons like Pan tera and Slayer. And I've also
tried to write some eerie melodies and chord progressions which borrow
something from bands like Dimmu Borgir, Emperor or maybe old Covenant.
But this is just scratching the surface. It would take a day to try to
explain the writing process and speculate what comes from where. Anyway,
at this point, the music of Kiuas is expanding stylistically, and the album
will be quite diverse, hopefully in a way that doesn't mess up the general
feel.
6.KIUAS I THINK IS A FINNISH WORD OR NAME. AM
I RIGHT? WHAT DOES IT MEAN AND HOW DID YOU CHOOSE IT?
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Yes, Kiuas is the thing that heats the sauna,
you know? A metal container with hot rocks that are heated with wood traditionally.
And when you throw water on the rocks they release steam, which temporarily
raises the temperature giving a quick "heat-spike". Now the sauna is an
extremely important part of Finnish culture, and since the word Kiuas means
a source of heat, it felt like a good title. To a finn, the sauna and kiuas
conjure images of finnish nature, and reminds of older times. This can
be easily associated with the bigger picture, like our history and ethnic
origin, and therefore is also linked to other traditions and the Kalevala
- the finnish epic saga. The word also has aa humorous overtone. Since the
sauna is a place where people go naked, maybe drink a beer or two and tell
jokes etc. the sauna tradition symbolizes also the most basic and primitive
elements of finnish culture...now this is hard to explain if you are not
a finn! You have to experience it! Come to Finland, go to the countryside
and have a sauna-evening with some finnish friends, and you'll understand!
Anyway, it's funny to play heroic music with a title that's associated
with naked people sweating in a small room - and at the same time, that's
exactly what the ancient finns, or the mythological finnish heroes did
- they fought battles and when they came homme to their village they sweated
togethe r in that box and drank beer!
7.IN THE BIO YOUR LABEL SENT ME, I READ THAT YOU
LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THE TRADITION OF YOUR COUNTRY. IN “WINTER IN JUNE”,
FOR WHICH TRADITIONAL THINGS DID YOU SPEAK FOR?
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Continuing from the previous answer, themes from
the Kalevala and folklore are present in some of the lyrics. Some of them
also describe finnish nature, and some are more about reality and everyday
feelings. As far as the finnish mentality goes, there's always a humble
and quiet attitude. A finn doesn't want to make a fuss about anything.
Where a typical american describes the smallest positive event with words
like "great", "fantastic" or "awesome", a typical finn doesn't consider
things to be much more than "ok", unless something exceptional happens.
There is often a dark atmosphere in the minds of finnish people! That's
why a lot of finnish music deals with dark emotions like depressi on, and
that's also why Finland is one of the main centres of metal music!
8.THERE ARE SOME BIG LABELS, LIKE FOR INSTANCE
SPINEFARM, IN FINLAND, BUT YOU DECIDED TO SIGN WITH RAGE OF ACHILLES, AN
ENGLISH LABEL. SO, WITH WHAT CRITERIA DID YOU SELECT THIS LABEL?
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Spinefarm didn't contact us! Well, it's their
loss. Even if they had, the deal Rage of Achilles proposed to us was absolutely
fantastic! ( And that's a lot said from a finn! :) ) Some other companies
including Limb music offered to make a deal a bit too late - just after
we had signed with ROA. But we are totally satisfied with the deal we have.
All I can say is that even though Roa isn't a major label ( yet, wait till
our records are out! ), it seems like the perfect company for us.
9.A BIG TREND IN YOUR COUNTRY IS THAT ALMOST EVERY
MONTH WE SEE BANDS POPPING OUT THAT DO NOTHING MORE THAN COPY STRATOVARIUS,
NIGHTWISH AND C.O.B. WHAT DO YOU THINK AND HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT?
-
Haahaa!!! That's exactly what I've been saying
for sometime now. I don't want to mention any names, but there are too
many new Finnish power metal bands that sound exactly like the bands you
mentioned ( many of them a lot worse ) and have absolutely nothing original.
The records even sound the same since they are engineered by the same people.
These engineer-guys are brilliant and I have nothing against them, it just
seems like Spinefarm or someone else wants the bands to sound the same.
I hope this is a trend that will pass soon, and more original bands will
be given a shot.
10.YOU ON THE OTHER HAND ARE FAR AWAY FROM THIS
TREND AND SOMEHOW I HAVE THE FEELING THAT A BIG PART OF THE NEW FINNISH
BANDS TRY TO ESCAPE THIS TREND. AM I RIGHT? IS THERE A HOPE WE’LL LISTEN
TO SOME MORE BANDS FORM OVER THERE THAT WILL HAVE A PERSONAL SOUND?
-
Thanks! Yes, we are conciously trying to avoid
sounding like certain bands, even though we are often compared to some
of them. There are definitely good new Finnish bands that are escaping
this trend, and without trying just to promote us and our company, Rage
of Achilles has struck a gold mine signing several new and innovative Finnish
bands including us.Anyone interested should also check out bands like Elenium,
Omnium Gatherum and Manitou for some fresh Finnish metal sounds.
11. EVERY ARTIST WHEN HE STARTS HIS CAREER
HAS AN AMBITION, A “PLAN” THAT WANTS TO ACHIEVE REGARDING HIS ART. SO,
CAN YOU SHARE WITH US YOUR AMBITION AND DREAMS?
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Basically this is the ideal situation to start
in. I'm writing exactly the kind of music I want to hear and play at the
moment, and someone else seems to be liking it too! I have a constant desire
to evolve as a player, a writer and overall musician and performer, and
that's all possible. Of course, for any musician it would be more than
necessary to achieve a financial status which would allow him to concentrate
fully on music. So, of course we'd like to earn some money while doing
this stuff! But artisticly, as I said, this is in many ways an ideal situation.
12.ANOTHER POINT I WANT TO STAND TO IS THE BEAUTIFUL
COVER ARTWORK. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR IT AND HOW IS IT CONNECTED TO THE
WHOLE CONCEPT?
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It is by a finnish artist called Jarno Lahti.
We wanted the cover to have some of the themes I mentioned earlier, like
finnish nature. And winter was also an important theme. Also the fire element
is linked to our name and the energy of the music. We gave him some guidelines
and mentioned all this stuff and we are pretty pleased with the result.
13.IF YOUR MUSIC WERE AN EMOTION, WHAT WOULD IT
BE? IF IT WERE A PAINTING, WHAT WOULD IT SHOW?
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It couldn't be described with just one emotion...a
spectrum of emotions can be found in the music including hate, despair,
frustration and sorrow but at the same time a love of life and desire to
conquer one's inner demons, to evolve and excell. Maintaining ones inner
strength and integrity, and striving for progress while facing the challenges
and battles in life could be one of the main themes and philosophies of
Kiuas. Well, I'm not a painter, but the painting would show the same things
as the music, maybe in a different way. It would have a general feeling
that would take you to a primitive, mythological and timeless level. On
the foreground would be strong and aggressive elements, and the colours
would show an icy, cold world, with would be contrasted by bright fiery
colours symbolizing the perseverance of a strong individual. Something
like that, among other things.
14.WHICH IS, ACCORDING TO YOU, THE BETS AND WHICH
THE WORST PART IN YOUR MUSIC? WHICH IS YOUR TRADEMARK?
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I couldn't say there are best and worst parts.
All parts are meant to support the whole. If there's a bad part, it's taken
away or used in another song where it fits. Our trademark? No long hair,
two bald guys? Bad answers in interviews? I think that will be up to you
guys to decide, I dare not say yet.
15. THANK YOU! THESE LINES ARE YOURS…
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You're Welcome! Everybody, come to our gigs and
buy our records!
Nikos "William_Kidd" Parastatidis
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