A little while ago, we introduced you to Solacide with our review of their EP Waves Of Hate (which can be read here). They’re currently working on their full-length album, but their guitarist Kimmo took a little bit of time out in order to answer a few questions. Check out our interview below!
Could you introduce yourself and tell us about the band?
We are Solacide, a black/death metal band from Finland. We’ve been together for quite a few years, but we worked under a different name in the late 90’s/early 2000s, then changed the name in 2004 to Solacide.
How did the band get started?
We started to play together in 1996, with Matti Jauhola as the drummer and me as vocalist/guitarist. The first 3-4 years we spent finding our style, and in 2000 we released a demo To Tranquility under the name Dim Moonlight. We did another release with that name few years later, but we thought the band name didn’t suit us at all, so we changed the name in 2004 and at the same time our style changed a bit as well. By that time, we were a two-member band, but in 2005 Sami Tikkanen (bass) and Joonas Vanhalakka (guitar) joined, and later Gökhan Korkmaz joined as the lead vocalist after I decided to concentrate more on guitar.
You recently released your EP Waves Of Hate. Could you tell us about the writing/recording process?
It was written a while ago, back in 2004. We recorded the songs in 2005, but the production was really bad. We made a small print of the release, and it sold out very quickly. We loved the songs though, so in 2012 we re-arranged the songs, and recorded them at our rehearsal house. The songs sounded really good, so we wanted to rerelease them because many people have not heard those songs except in our live shows.
Also we wanted to “wake up” people a bit. We’ve been silent for the last 2 years, and as we are recording our full-length debut album at the moment, we thought of making this EP for the people who are waiting for our album.
Which track is your favourite on there?
I like all of them, but Waves Of Hate is my favourite. The melody lines, the drums, the feeling in the song – everything works in it.
You’re also currently working on your new album. How’s that going so far?
It’s going very well, we have already recorded the drums, the bass and the rhythm guitars. Soon we will continue with the acoustic and lead guitars, solos and finally vocals. It’s the darkest sounding record we have made.
How do you think the your music has progressed since the band first started?
Our first release To Tranquility was a sort of melodic death metal. Then on Pleasure Of Existence we turned more black metal with a really aggressive touch in it. Baptized In Disgust had the same aggressive side, but then the progressive influences came in. With Waves Of Hate, the melodies came in. The new album is a collection of the bands strength in music; it has the aggressive, progressive and melodic sides of our music, combined with something new, which I don’t know how to describe in words.
What’s been your best experience in the business so far?
The making of the new album. The collaboration and the feeling inside the band is better than ever. We’ve also had great shows but I think this band’s story is only starting, so the best is yet to come. The business side in music is the worst experience, I wish it could be only about the music.
If you could play a show with any band or musician, who would it be?
If I could go back in 1993, it would be Sentenced on their North From Here era. Nowadays, it would be great to play with Emperor, Morbid Angel, Keep Of Kalessin, Nile, or Meshuggah. You can always dream!
What’s your favourite song to play live?
Disgust and Waves Of Hate.
Do you have any interesting or amusing anecdotes about any of the shows you’ve played?
Well, in 2010 we played in a club ran by mafia guys in Moscow. After the show, they immediately threw us out of the club and because we weren’t Russian, the other bars refused to serve us so we had to wait for our train to St. Petersburg outside. The next day, we got to St. Petersburg and the local promoter served us a breakfast – 2 bottles of Vodka. The “za vashe zdorovie!” toasts kept on coming! After emptying the bottles, we got to the train back to Finland, and the conductor didn´t seem as happy as we did.
And where do you see the band in five years?
Making our third album and booking a European tour.
Solacide: Facebook
