Photo by Markus Laakso
Neon Angel is an up-and-coming Finnish band who will soon be releasing their debut album. To tide you over whilst you wait to hear it, we caught up with them to find out a little more…
Can you introduce yourself and tell me a little about the band?
We are Neon Angel from Tampere, Finland. Our musical style could be described as energetic and melodic hard rock with strong 80s influences, but also darker and more melancholy tones are present.
How did you all meet and decide to start making music together?
Tuomas couldn’t resist the urge to compose some classic 80s style music and made the demo recording and lyrics for a song called Neon Angel. He wanted a strong female voice for the song, so it was kind of an obvious choice to introduce the song to his former band mate Johanna for vocal recordings. From there the idea for a real band instead of a short-lived project began to brew. In joined Tomas, known for his infectious bass lines in StoneGazer. He also brought along his old band mate Albert to pound the drums. Juho, from Tuomas’ other band, Kaarnekorpi, came in to bring some synth wizardry and recording/mixing knowledge to the table. After several line-up (drummer) changes, Johanna’s old band mate Johannes took charge of the drumming duties.
Where do you draw your influences from?
As musicians, our influences come from a broad spectrum, from riff lords of doom metal to contemporary pop singer-songwriters. We all have a metal background, but our love for the good old hard rock sound has brought us together.
You’re currently getting ready to release your debut album – can you describe the writing and recording process for it?
In the beginning of the band, it was mainly Tuomas who made the demos, which were then further fleshed out with the whole band at our rehearsal space. Nowadays also Johanna and Juho contribute in writing their own material to present to the band. Johannes and Tomas then bring their own magic to the arrangements and overall groove. It has been a natural evolution from band practice to studio, with final ideas and polishing touches from Arttu Sarvanne at Studio Watercastle.
Did you run into any challenges or issues whilst creating the album, or did it all go to plan?
The only big issue that comes to mind has been the high turnover rate of drummers. After all, four different drummers in a three-year old band is quite a high number. Of course it has slowed down everything. Luckily we finally have a stable line up, which enables us to focus on the work at hand.
What can fans expect from the album?
Memorable songs, strong emotions and the production to match our style. Fans of over-polished cookie cutter “rock music” could be disappointed though. There will also be a few surprises, even though the main course of the album is 80s style hard rock anthems delivered through a Neon filter.
Moving onto live performances, do you have any upcoming shows in the works?
After all the concentration on studio work, we’ve finally begun booking shows and have locked a couple of dates for winter/spring at our hometown, Tampere. Of course we are interested in reaching even more people with our rockin’. Any booking agents / venue owners etc. with a great taste in music reading this, feel free to contact us!
What can fans expect from a Neon Angel show?
A hefty dose of hard rock delivered with purpose. Stadium-worthy anthems that make you sing along after two choruses at the latest. A neon-gleaming safe haven from the tedious grind of everyday life.
And finally what’s in store for the band for 2020?
Of course the main thing for us now is to get our debut album released one way or another. We are currently looking for a label, but if nothing comes up, the album is going to see the light of day anyway. We are also looking forward to performing these songs live, possibly along with some upcoming material that is currently in the works.
