• One of the most difficult things to humans is the strength to admit the wrongs of this world and face reality. Sometimes this is easier accomplished by the use of metaphores. Pessimism and negative feelings covered with a positive, colourful form is what these guys from Finland try to do. However, don't you think that the aggressive side doesn't exist in their music cause you will be surprised...!

• We recorded our first demos in 1992. In 1994 we got a record deal from Adipocere Records (France) and at that point we changed our name from Congestion to Let Me Dream. In 1998 we recorded a Mini-CD for our own label Succubus Records. After the MCD we decided to get ourselves a lead singer (Tuukka Koskinen) & 2nd guitar player (Juhana Stolt). With this line-up we recorded our 2nd album “Greyscales” that was released by Nocturnal Music (Italy) in 2000. Before the album we released a CD-single “The Maze” to promote the second album. Todays line-up are: Tuukka Koskinen – Vocals, Jani Koskela – Guitar, Juhana Stolt – Guitar, Marko Tuominen – Bass guitar, Jari Koskela – Keyboards and Marko Jokinen – Drums. Lately we have been working on our 3rd album that will be released in early 2003. Two new songs are already available in Mp3 at our homepage: http://www.sci.fi/~gore/lmd

• Our music is influenced by reality and every day life. The name, Let Me Dream, is mainly influenced by the style we write lyrics. The lyrics are mostly about negative feelings painted in colourful form. Someone could say that we give pessimism a rosy form. Our music has been atmospheric and even dreamy for long now. So when you put everything together: music, lyrics and the feeling then Let Me Dream sounds good name to describe it. The name doesn’t necessarily tell you that we also have the aggressive side there, but what the hell…

3.AFTER THE RELEASE OF YOUR DEBUT ALBUM, YOU CREATED YOUR OWN LABEL. WHY DID YOU LEAVE ADIPOCERE RECORDS AND CREATED YOUR OWN LABEL?

• We had a deal for one album only. There was talk about making a second album with them but in the end the sales (3000 copies?) of the debut didn’t really influence them to do it. Let Me Dream have never been a top seller, never will be and this one of the reasons why we have formed Succubus Records. In the end we’re the ones who won’t give flying fuck about the commercial side of the recording industry, if we’re releasing our own music. Anyway we still like to use other labels if we have a chance as it gives us better distribution, marketing etc. These are things that give us better chances to get recognition outside Finland and also better changes to do gigs outside of Finland.

• For me they would be Celtic Frost & Fields Of The Nephilim. The favourite albums would be Celtic Frost’s “To Mega Therion” & Fields “Earth Inferno”. Some other bands that give me a special feeling are: Danzig, Candlemass, Morbig Angel (with David Vincent) and few others.

5.WHY HAVE YOU DECIDED TO RELEASE YOUR 3RD ALBUM FROM NOCTURNAL MUSIC AND NOT FROM YOUR OWN LABEL?

• It gives us better ways to distribute our music. Also we’re very satisfied with the way things worked out with Nocturnal Music when we did our second album “Greyscales” with them. We haven’t signed the deal for 3rd album yet, but I’m pretty sure that Nocturnal Music will release it.

6.TO BE HONEST WITH YOU I THINK THAT FINNISH METAL IS GOING THROUGH A CRISIS THES EPAST FEW YEARS. ALL THE BANDS, NO MATTER IN WHICH GENRE THEY BELONG, THEY TEND TO SOUND ALIKE. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THAT?

• Hmm, maybe it’s due the fact that there’s only few good studios here, everybody use the same studios, producers etc. Many bands sound alike because they mix their stuff in the same place. But, yes bands used to sound, also musically, more different in the past. I hope we can manage to keep our sound. Maybe Finnish are now more influenced by the “local” bands. As soon as some bands managed to get more attention from abroad they were also more accepted here in Finland. That started to happen like 10 years ago; maybe it starts to show now. Or maybe it’s a false illusion, the pro-sounding bands get more attention ‘cause they are easier to listen to, or maybe they’re signed to Spinefarm Records and use the same, very powerful, net. People buy products, which in this case is the sound. I mean bands like Morningstar, Skepticism are still here they just get attention the same way as in the past, which is very little.

7.COMPARE YOUR BAND RELEASES. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY? WHICH ARE THE DIFFERENCIES AND SIMILARITIES AMONG THEM?

• Hmm, I think that I have music have always been quite “aerial”. On the first album we had very primitive arrangements and on “Medley Rain” MCD we developed that sound, maybe to little bit more professional direction. Since the second album we have had a line-up that don’t have as many limits as the original four piece line-up. The expanded line-up changed our sound a little bit but basically it’s the same sound and band that recorded the first Congestion demo in 1992, just more capacity and of course it’s 10 years later now. Every recording has something good and bad things on them but if I think how good live shows we can make with today’s line-up and compare it what we did in 1993 – 1998, I definitely prefer this line-up. We always sound better on stage than on the albums. To understand this thing fully you need to see us live with a set that includes songs from all periods of this band.

8.WHY HAS JANNE YOUR PREVIOUS DRUMMER LEFT THE BAND? ARE YOU STILL FRIENDS? CAN YOU COMPARE THE OLD AND NEW DRUMMER?

• Yes, we’re still friends. We’re going to play a show in our hometown in few days and he called me today that he’s willing to come to help us out to build our gear. So this band means still a lot to him. He left because he (and also we) didn’t have enough time to concentrate on rehearsing and it started to show in his playing. Janne wasn’t the best drummer around, none of us are the best players, but he had his own style that helped to create our bands style. Our new drummer is very good technically and he has given us new opportunities, he’s not the best drummer in the town but he’s one of the coolest guys and that’s what counts. One big difference is the fact that now we can go on tour to foreign countries. Janne didn’t really have possibility to do that because of his day job.

9.HOW ARE YOU PLANNING TO PROMOTE YOUR WORK? WHICH ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?

• The first thing that we’re going to do is to go to play live in Belgium & Germany, which will be in 2 weeks. In 2003 we release the new record and then tour as much as possible, like I said we’re at our best on stage. We’re working with small (but growing) label so there is of course something that we cannot do the same way as the big labels & bands do it, but we still do what we can. We are definitely willing to do more interviews that we have got in the past.

10.HAVE YOU DONE ANY LIVE SHOWS? CAN YOU DESCRIBE A TYPICAL LET ME DREAM LIVE SHOW?

• Yes, we have done about 100 live shows, most of them here in Finland. Besides Finland we have played in Russia & Estonia. The sound we get is pretty close to what we had on second album, but more energetic, raw & heavy. So you can hear pretty clear what we play. In Finland we usually play for 100-200 people and in Russia & Estonia it has been between 300 & 400. Sometimes it’s a bit difficult to find bands to share an audience with; there are people who don’t want to give us a chance. But if we do a typical or better show, they will definitely get a good reason to shut up.

11.WHICH SONG OF YOURS DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST IDEAL TO REPRESENT YOUR WORK?

• That’s a hard thing to choose. I think that “City Of Snow” from “Greyscales” album shows pretty well that we have a melodic/atmospheric side and an energetic/aggressive side, and it’s a good track. But still, it doesn't include it all.

12.IF YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO COMPOSE MUSIC, WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO?

• If that would happen now, then I would probably still write lyrics & poems or at least toy around with my thoughts & look into my inner self in order to develop spiritually. I'm interested in soundengineering and that's what I'd like to more, especially multitrack stuff.

13.WHICH IS THE WORST AND WHICH IS THE BEST REVIEW YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED?

• When I hear something bad about us then the answer is in most cases different attitudes towards music, that doesn’t move me much. We definitely have left a lot of weaknesses on our records that people can criticise, but I trust that we still have an ability to progress and make things better every time we do something new.  Good reviews tell me that there are people who share our ideas. Can’t really remember what would be the worst & best reviews. Terrorizer(UK) wrote pretty good review of our debut album, you couldn’t really tell if they were praising it or joking about it. J “Black metal with brains”.

14.WHICH IS THE BEST PART IN YOUR MUSIC AND IN THE BAND IN GENERAL AND WHICH THING DO YOU THINK YOU SHOULD CORRECT? WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU NEED IMPROVEMENT?

• The best thing is definitely the (live) sound and the feeling that you get from playing & creating this music. Getting a good production has always been a problem. We haven’t been able to capture the whole magic on the records. When we started and still when we did the first record, we didn’t know a shit. However, we have always been very proud of the music that we create and I think that we have always been quite original.

15.WHICH IS MAN'S BIGGEST TEMPTATION?

• The need to have more than you need to have.

16.IF SOMEDAY YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO MEET THE CREATURE THAT CREATED THE UNIVERSE, WHICH WOULD YOUR BIGGEST QUESTION BE?

• Do you believe in god? Naah… maybe it would be something too big to understand as we are just a tiny but arrogant piece of nothingness in the universe. Maybe "Can I go home?".

17.IF TIME TRAVEL WAS POSSIBLE, WHICH HISTORICAL PERIOD WOULD YOU LIKE TO VISIT AND WHY? WHAT WOULD YOU MISS THE MOST FROM OUR TIME?

• I like the present time, I would definitely miss Finland the way it’s now and way it’s been my whole life.

18.WHAT PROLOGUE AND TITLE WOULD YOU LIKE THIS INTERVIEW TO HAVE?

• Only the good die young.

19.THANK YOU!HAVE I FORGOTTEN TO ASK YOU ANYTHING AND YOU'D LIKE TO MENTION?

• Yeah, you can go to our homepage & download 2 of our new songs. Don’t let the circles fool you, there are more good music than just the latest trend. Everything dies and reborn.
• LET ME DREAM homepage:
• http://www.sci.fi/~gore/lmd
• info: [email protected]