Sear
Sear is the new sensation
in the death metal scene and will offer you a hell of a time! Just do yourselves
a favor, buy their album, play it in your CD player and everything will
take its course!!! Helle and Laaksonen, two of the band members are here
to answer to our questions and present Sear's vision of how honest death
metal should be played!!!
1. FIRST OF ALL CONGRATULATIONS ON “BEGIN
THE CELEBRATION OF SIN”! IT’S A GREAT ALBUM! HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT?
ARE YOU CONTENT WITH THE FINAL RESULT?
Helle:Thanks! All the bandmembers are more
than satisfied with the final result. Everything went better than
we expected and the feedback has been very praising even though we had
so little time in the studio! Now we are just waiting for the European
tour and other gigs!
Laaksonen: We´ll try to start rehearsing
again and write new material. 2-3 songs are pretty ready and they are very
promising so far. Actually I´m VERY excited about them.
2. COULD YOU PLEASE PINPOINT THE MOST IMPORTANT
ACHIEVEMENTS OF SEAR TILL NOW AND PRESENT THE CURRENT LINE UP TO THE READERS?
Helle:Absolutely! The biggest achievement
was when we got a record deal and found the right bandmembers. Also I am
satisfied that the album sounds great to my own ears.
Current Line Up:
M.Helle-Quitars/Songstructures/Compositions
L.Laaksonen-Drums/Song structures
S-Wass/Quitar
M-Nieminen/Bass/Lyrics
T.Kuusela/Vocals/Lyrics/Compositions
3. “BEGIN THE CELEBRATION OF SIN” IS YOUR DEBUT
ALBUM AND IN FACT YOU ARE A QUITE NEW BAND. SO, THE AMAZING THING TO ME
IS THE FACT THAT NOT ONLY HAVE YOU MANAGED TO CREATE CATCHY AND GREAT COMPOSITIONS,
BUT YOU HAVE ALSO CREATED A VERY GOOD AND POWERFUL PRODUCTION. SO, WHO
HELPED YOU TOWARDS THIS DIRECTION? DID YOU HAVE ANY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE?
Helle: All the band members have much of experience
with other bands (nothing to mention) and we gave lots of time to the songs
to develop them before we recorded them. The album has also four songs
from our first demo so we had lots of time to play them and find the right
riff structures before recording them again. Our idea was to make a record
that we wanted to hear ourselves or buy from a store so our demanding level
about the riffs and songs was very high. And when it comes to production
we also recorded our demo in the studio Daunless and the mixer is our good
friend (Santeri Salmi) so he knew perfectly what sounds, etc. we were looking
for. Starting from the first day in studio we had quite a good vision of
how should the album sound like. We also used lots of time to achieve a
natural sound to the drums and other instruments. We wanted every instrument
to sound like they actually were played by a human, not a computer. We
also recorded demo versions to our rehearsal place so the songs and arrangements
were quite finished before entering the studio.
Laaksonen: We were absolutely sure about how
we wanted our debut album to sound like and how to make it happen. We talked
with Santeri quite a lot about the optimal sound and feeling that we were
trying to achieve even before the actual recording sessions.
4. YOU HAVE MANAGED TO INCORPORATE IN YOUR SOUND,
IN A FLAWLESS WAY, AGGRESSIVENESS AND BRUTALITY WITH MELODY AND DARKNESS.
HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO ACHIEVE THE RIGHT BALANCE OF THOSE CONTROVERSIAL
ELEMENTS? WHAT KIND OF PROCEDURE DO YOU FOLLOW?
Laaksonen: It all comes naturally. We don´t
actually see those elements as many different styles but as metal. If it
sounds and feels good when playing it, that´s enough. I am very surprised
when reviewers see us as a hybrid band. I just don´t get it. We are
what we are and I never could “label” us because our songs come out so
naturally. About melodies…. Melodies are good addition when trying to put
your feelings in a song but there is one thing we all agree on: NO
happy Göthenburgish “I love you baby” –melodies! Haha.
5. IF YOU WERE TOLD TO REVIEW “BEGIN THE CELEBRATION
OF SIN”, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY, TRYING TO BE AS OBJECTIVE AS POSSIBLE?
Helle:I would give it 9/10. In my opinion
the album is very interesting from its start to end. There are lots of
little tricks and lots of dynamics and all the songs are individual. I
also think many nowadays death-metal bands are quite boring so if you have
heard three songs you have heard it all. In Sear there are lots of great
elements that I think other people outside death or black metal will also
like. For example L.Laaksonen plays really great beats on the album. Also
the band has possibilities to improve its own style, because of the young
age of the band. And the playing could be a little bit better and
more accurate on the next album..
6. WHAT’S THE BEST AND WHAT’S THE WORST PART IN
YOUR MUSIC, ACCORDING TO YOU? WHAT NEW DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE TO OFFER TO
THE SCENE?
Helle:We have not tried to invent wheel (or
something) again hehe, but we don’t think too much about the music or the
riff styles, we just make music we would want to hear ourselves, so everything
comes straight from the heart. In our compositions we have never htought
“now we have four death metal riffs and now we have to make three black
metal riffs and then it’s done”…We also have so much different styles inside
every track and I think this ”hybrid” really works...And the most important
thing is that we haven’t used any computers to fix the tracks if there
is a mistake then it’s there. I think that every musician should be honest
to him/herself, if you can’t play some song/part live then you shouldn’t
record it in the studio either.
7. IS THERE A FIELD OR ELEMENTS YOU’D LIKE TO
EXPERIMENT WITH OR ADD IN YOUR MUSIC IN THE FUTURE?
Helle:It would be great to make longer “slow
parts” into our songs, like in monument..Lots of crazy effects and screams
of despair but I think the basic idea stays the same as now. But we’ll
try to make even catchier songs in the future (I don’t mean using a pop
formula hehe) and harder playing. It would be great to do some doom songs
but I think I have to find a new band if I want to do that hehe.
Laaksonen: Yeah, I can easily imagine what
our next record will sound like. I have my visions and Helle has his own.
And they are quite similar ones, I guess. More crunchy parts, more death
and destruction. More control (and lack of it when done intentionally).
More interesting and clever songs. I´d say that we might slow down
a bit. Maybe 1,5 %. Hah. I personally try to think my drum patterns more.
So no “err… I don´t know what to play so I´ll just kick those
bassdrums fast” or “uuh.. I don´t know, maybe I´ll grind and
let´s see what comes after that”. Double bass patterns and weird
rhyhtms. No “experimentation” with electronics or such stuff. It would
be nice to have some very grim and haunted sounds somewhere to create even
colder and twisted atmospheres.
8.NOW LET’S TALK A BIT ABOUT THE LYRICS. WHO IS
RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM? WHY DO YOU DEAL WITH ANTI-CHRISTIAN AND BLASPHEMOUS
TOPICS? DO YOU WANT TO PASS ON A CERTAIN MESSAGE?
Helle: M.Nieminen and T.Kuusela wrote all
the lyrics on the album. We got a great inspiration to the lyrics
about all this hasling around the old pope and all the pedofil priests.
Also all the fanatic Christians in the streets of Helsinki and Jehovas
behind our doors fed the anger agaist them!! We don’t want to pass any
certain message with the lyrics and they are not political in any way.
Our lyrics are basically blasphemous stories about different things/places.
It’s great when we play and I listen to the lyrics, it makes me smile always,
if you have read them you know what I mean…
Laaksonen: I see our lyrics as an attack against
everything “holy”. Against everything that is based on abuse of power,
imaginative story chararcters and their mindless worshippers. Not just
“our” god but every deity as well.
8. DON’T YOU THINK THIS KIND OF LYRICS HAVE BECOME
A BIT OLD FASHIONED? IN FACT FOR THE KIND OF MUSIC YOU PLAY I’D SAY THAT
SOCIOPOLITICAL ISSUES OR EVEN DARK FEELINGS WOULD BE MORE SUITABLE. I SAY
THAT TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THE LYRICS OF MOST BANDS IN YOUR GENRE OF
COURSE… PLEASE COMMENT ON THAT.
Helle: We don’t mind if someone thinks that
our lyrics are ”old fashioned” because these lyrics make us play even harder.
These dark feelings and sociopolitical lyrics are more appropriate for
gothic and hardcore bands. Lots of gore and you can play with a huge grin
on the face hehe..And hey we have also lots of old school spirit in our
tracks also!
Laaksonen: We don’t care. Oh, by the way I
quite like some hardcore/Grindcore lyrics.
9. BY THE WAY, WHY DO YOU THINK METAL DEALS SO
MUCH WITH THE OCCULT, RELIGIONS AND SUCH STUFF?
Helle: Doesn’t each music deal with religion
and such stuff in a way or another? I also think that these ”themes” are
very good sources of inspiration too and people are very intrested in these
things. If someone sings about flowers and human relationships, I haven’t
got the interest to listen to them hehe. These occult and religious stuff
are also a very good way to blow some steam off!!
10. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COVER ARTWORK?
WHY ARE THE BLACK AND RED COLORS SO DOMINANT HERE? WHAT DOES IT EXPRESS
AND WHY DIDN’T YOU PUT A BLASPHEMOUS IMAGE INSTEAD?
Laaksonen: I am responsible. That´s
exactly why. Everybody is expecting some gore and inverted crosses. I decided
to do it different. I thought it was a very interesting idea to have an
abstract front cover and more graphic pictures everywhere else. Kind of
a middle finger actually.... The dominant colors are thought and planned
very carefully. I didn´t want to have millions of different colors
and lame photoshop effects everywhere so I chose those two main colors
(black and red) intentionally and designed the covers using only those.
Grays are more black metallish, raw and heh, colorless. Red is the blood
and gore and rapture of death metal.
11. WHAT KIND OF FEEDBACK HAVE YOU RECEIVED THIS
FAR? WHAT WAS THE BEST AND MOST FLATTERING COMMENT YOU RECEIVED AND WHAT
DID YOU READ THAT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU AND YOUR MUSIC?
Helle: Mainly the feedback has been very praising
and good. Few reviews have said that ”we have heard this thousand times
and there is nothing original in Sear”, but I was expecting these comments
anyway hehe…The best comment was that our music sounds like Linda Blair
with a huge cough and hangover hehehe! And the worst was that the guy who
reviewed the album didn’t like death-metal at all...He said that he had
pimples as soon as the singing started!
Laaksonen: Yeah, mainly good reviews. I was
expecting much worse and I am quite surprised how well this album has hit
the scene. Almost 50% of the reviews started by stating that “I have
never heard about this band and I don´t have any expectations but
hey this is fucking good”. That´s the best thing I could imagine.
We didn´t really promote our demo/promo at all. Actually we never
sent it to any labels or sold it to private persons so there were no-ones
to hype us. And that´s a good thing in my opinion.
12. DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR LIVE SHOWS? WHAT
DO YOU HAVE TO OFFER TO THOSE WHO WILL ATTEND THEM?
Helle: At this moment we don’t have any special
live show, just tight and good playing! In the future if we have bigger
live budgets we might have some stage show but not any “Rammstein show”.
Just honest deathmetal live act!
13. LET’S SUPPOSE THAT YOU WERE GIVEN A HUGE BUDGET
TO SHOOT A VIDEO CLIP. WHICH SONG OF YOURS WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND HOW DO
YOU IMAGINE IT TO BE?
Helle:I think the song would be “Lobotomy
With A Crucifix” and we would shoot it in a monastery and the scene would
be very rotten and bloody, the rest you can figure out by yourself hhehe…Also
an old song “Weeping Flesh” would be great to shoot, lots of torture devices
and endless screams from the depths of catacombs. You can hear the song
on our second album someday!
14. IF YOUR MUSIC WAS AN EMOTION, WHAT WOULD IT
BE? IF IT WAS A PAINTING, WHAT WOULD IT SHOW?
Laaksonen: Images from the cover art of Begin
the Celebrations… Grayscale (or black and white) rudeness with crimsom
aggression and bloodlust. Easy answer because I tried to express the main
feeling of the album in a cover artwork.
15. THANK YOU! IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE
TO MENTION AND I FORGOT TO ASK YOU? LEAVE A MESSAGE TO THE READERS…
Thank you! Buy the album it’s great and maybe
we will see you on a gig!
Christine Parastatidou
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