Hautajaisyo Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
We started the year 2016 by adding a second guitarist for our band. V.Moisanen (from Sinmate band) joined our band and played his first gig with us at 01.01.2016. We have been working on new songs and have made 4 new songs that are ready to play live. This year we are also releasing another video from the first album and are planning to record second album.

2.In October you had released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
Basic of the music is in death metal and we mix some thrash metal elements to our music. You can also find some black metal influnce in our music because 4/5 of us listen to black metal. Our music is depressive, melancholy and aggressive at the same time. We try to keep it simple, but still make some groove in the songs. Its hard to desciribe our stuff and its has been fun to read reviews where people try to make us fit in one genre. We have been using "Melancholy thrash & death metal" to tell people of our musical style. Our bands demo years (As REDEYE) we have made few other big chances.  Me and S.Leinonen are only original members over 10 years ago. From the beginning we were more thrash and punk influnced, but with S.Pirskanen joined the band for the 3 demo we turned our music more to death metal and less punk. Our last ep as REDEYE was called "Violence" and it has lots of similiar elements as Hautajaisyö has. So its has been a evolution of music, as members chance we try to take the music to a next level.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
Death, despair, misery and life. I write stuff that happens in my life, but in really pessimistic way. Inspiriration of the songs have come from few of my friends divorce, suicides, fear of death, nightmares, mental breakdowns and terminal illness. Some of the lyrics are straight from the source, like "Päänsärkijä" (head breaker) that has final words of my dead friend in the lyrics.

4.Originally the band was known as 'REDEYE', what was the cause of the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Hautajaisyo'?
Well it was a sum of a lot of things.  We had new bassplayer S.Kettunen, we chanced the our tuning of guitars, we chance vocals to finish and new songs were more death metal than before. Finally our record label "Violent Journey Records" quit. We felt that now it was the time to start again from a clean plate. The band name "Hautajaisyö" is taken from a same title song from Horna. It means "funeral night" and with more death related lyrics i thought it would fit our new sound and looks. REDEYE was a great band, but some remember us from our two first demos, that are totally different than newer stuff. So that is the reason for the name chance.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Our stage show is aggressive. Live we give out 666% of ourself and we want that people will remember us after they see us live. But we still have fun on the stage. Best shows we played was this summer at KuopioRock Cock, we played in the official after show there and it was awesome. Lots of people were watching and we got good feedback of the gig. We were playing with our good friends Omniversum. Omniversum vocalisti Tomas sings clean parts in our album so it was fun to get him to do his parts live.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Well hope so, but now we dont have any gigs ready. Lots of promises but somehow every plan seems to crash. We would love to go outside of finland to tour, but we will also be happy to play few gigs in finland. Well less gigs and more time to make new album ready.

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death and thrash metal?
Really good! One website named our album one of the best metal albums in 2015. Feedback as been really good and i think people like our stuff more out side of finland that in here. Anyways is great to make music that we love to make and other people like it also.

8.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
"Uhriristi" (with me and S.Pirskanen & S.Kettunen) released second album a year ago, new material is ready, but we are not rushing to make new album. "Huoraprinssi" (with me on guitar) we just recorded second ep that is coming this summer. Both our guitarist play in "Unjoyful Play" and they are making material this year. My soloproject "Infected Angel Flesh" is releasing first album this summer.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Well the new songs are even more depressive, but with second guitar on board we can make more diverse songs, but still keeping the songs simple and aggressive. So i believe we continue on the path we have taken and just do music that we like, but still try to get some new ideas on board. So dont fear we are not going softer or more "radio friendly"...with the 4 new songs its just the opposite.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
There are lots of bands that has influenced us. Not directly to the band but more we as a musicians. And our music is mixed by our favorite styles and bands. We raise our fist to salute Slayer, Bolt Thrower, Ashpyx, Napalm Death, Motörhead, Kreator, Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Sotajumala, Horna, Deathchain and many more!

11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Our bas splayer S.Kettunen is a talented photographer and he makes all our promo shoots. S.Pirskanen builds guitar amps and effects, he used his self made amp in our album. I have been writing for reviews, interviews and news for metal zine Kaaoszine.fi for 5 years. S.Leinonen has most metal dog in the world called Eddie. And the usual movies, games and drinking good whiskeys & eating good food. You know enjoying life.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

First big thanks to you for the review and for this interview. Big hailz to all our supporters! Feel free to join our FB-page and ask us anything.
New material is coming so stay tuned! J.Partanen thanks!

All Out War/Dying Gods/Organized Crime Records/2015 EP Review

  All  Out  War  are  a  band  from  New  York  that  plays  a  very  aggressive  and brutal  form  of  hardcore  with  a  touch  of  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their 2015  ep  "Dying  Gods"  which  was  released  by  Organized  Crime  Records.

  A  very  hard,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  along  with  some  aggressive  screaming  vocals  that  also  border  on  death  metal  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  acoustic  guitars  before  adding  in  more  of  an  aggressive  New  York  hardcore  style  sound  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  this  recording.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  they  also  mix  in shouting  vocals  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  bring  in  an  old  school  extreme  metal  sound  to  the  bands  musical  style  and  there  is also  a  brief  use  of  spoken  word  samples  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  riffs  also  bring  in  a  touch  of  thrash  and  the  last  track  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  female  vocals.

  All  Out  War  plays  a  musical  style  that  is  mostly  rooted  in  hardcore  but  also  mixes  in  the  aggression  of  thrash  and  heaviness  of  death  metal  which  also  makes  their  music  stand  out  a  bit  more,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  the  corruption  of  organized  religion,  ecocide,  and  the  degradation  and  exploitation  of  the  weak.

  In  my  opinion  All  Out  War  are  a  very  great  sounding  hardcore  band  with  a  touch  of  thrash  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Vengeance  Reigns  Eternal"  and  "God  Is  Dead".  8  out  of  10. 

Druknroll/The Loop Of All Creation/Metal Scrap Records/2015 EP Review

  Druknroll  are  a  band  from  Russia  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  pays  a  mixture  of  melodic  metal,  hard  rock  and  death  metal and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  ep  "The  loop  of  All  Creation"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Scrap  Records.

  Dark  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  ep  and  they  use  a  variety  of  many  different  sounding  keys  and  also  mix  in  with  the  heavy  guitars that  kick  in  a  few  seconds  later  and  after  awhile  aggressive  yet  melodic  melodic  vocals  and  death  metal  growls  make  their  presence  known  on  the  recording  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  melody.

  Elements  of  modern  groove  metal  can  be  heard in  the  bands  musical  style  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  you  can  still  hear  elements  of  traditional  metal  and  hard  rock  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  the  music  sticks  mostly  to  a  mid  paced  direction  while  some  fast  parts  can  be  heard  and  they  close  the  ep  with  a  cover  of  In  Flame's  "Minus".

  Druknroll  continue  the  melodic  metal,  hard  rock  and  death  metal  mixture  of  previous  recordings  while  also  going  into  more of  a  heavier  musical  direction  this  time  around,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Russian  and  cover  real  life  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Druknroll  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  band,  you  should  enjoy  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Minus".  8  out  of  10.  

      

 

Destroyers Of All/Bleak Fragments/Mosher Records/2016 CD Review

 Destroyers  Of  All  are  a  band  from  Portugal  that  plays  a  progressive  mixture  of  death,  thrash and  groove  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2016 album  "Bleak  Fragments"  which  will  be  released  in  March  by  Mosher  Records.

  Radio  sounds  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  classical  guitar  playing  a  few  seconds  later  which  also  leads  up  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  that  also  introduces  old  school  metal  style  solos  onto t he  recording  that  also  use  a  good  amount  of  melody  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  going  for  more  of  a  melodic  thrash  direction.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  that  are  very  easy  to  understand  and  back up  gang  shouts  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  melodic  vocals  and  clean  playing  are  also  added  into  certain sections  of  the  recording.

  When  synths  and  operatic  female  vocals  are  utilized  they  give  the  music  a  very  symphonic  feeling  and  some  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  also  mix  in  progressive  elements  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  spoken  words  and  classical  guitars  also  make  a  return  on  later  songs  and  one  track  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  saxophones.

  Destroyers  Of  All  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  death  metal  and  groove  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  modern  thrash  and  progressive  metal  and  a  touch  of symphonic  music  to  create  something  very  original  sounding,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  spirituality,  inner  struggles  and  corruption  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Destroyers  Of  All  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  mixture  of  death,  thrash  and groove  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hollow  Words"  "Death  Healer"  "Speed  Of  Mind"  and  "Day  of  Reckoning".  8  out  of  10.         

    

 

Roadkill XIII/Triskaidekaphobia/Satanath Records/Rebirth the Metal Productions/2014 CD Review

  Roadkill  XIII  are  a  band  from  Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death,  thrash  and groove  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Triskaidekaphobia"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Satanath  Records  and  Rebirth  The  Metal  Productions.

  Dark  sound  effects  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  more  of  a  heavy  thrash  metal  direction  and  once  the  screams  and  death  metal  growls  are  added  into  the  music  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  in  the  faster  sections  of  the  music  and  the  music  also mixes  in  a  lot of  mid  80's  and  early  90's  influences.

  When  solos  and  leads  are  added  into  the  music  they  remain  very  true  to  an  extreme  death/thrash  metal  direction  and  spoken  word  along  with  movie  samples  can  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music starts  incorporating more  old  school  groove  metal  elements  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  one  of  the  tracks  is  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  Roadkill  XIII  plays a  musical  style  that  takes  death, thrash  and  groove  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  hate,  anger,  social criticism  and  horror  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Roadkill  XIII  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death,thrash  and  groove  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hunt  And  Kill"  "No  Salvation"  and  "Inferno".  8  out  of  10.    

   

Kadar/Essence/Metal Scrap Records/2015 EP Review

  Kadar  are  a  duo  from  Kazakhstan  that  have  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays a  progressive  mixture  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review of  their 2015  ep  "Essence"  which  was  released  by  Metal  Scrap  Records.

  an  acoustic  guitar  intro  starts  off  the ep  giving  the  music  more  of  a  progressive  feeling  with  its  mixture  of finger  picking  and  full  chords before  going  into  more  of  a  melodic  and  heavier  thrash  metal  direction  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  the  solos  and  leads  also  demonstrate  a  great  amount  of  melody,  talent  and  skill.

  Elements  of  groove  can  be  heard  in  the  music  at  times  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  death  metal  growls  and  when  the  music  speeds  up  a  small  amount  of  blast  beats  can  be  heard  along  with  the  riffs  getting  more  catchy  while  the  music  usually  for  the  most  part  sticks  to  more  of  a  mid  paced  musical  direction  and  the  last  track brings  in  a  touch  of  jazz  and  they  close  with  an  acoustic  outro.

  With  this  recording  Kadar  plays  a  style  of  death/thrash  metal  that  is  still  very  progressive  while  being  more  guitar  driven  this  time  around  and  dropping  the  keyboards  that  where  present  on  previous  recordings,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Kadar  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  progressive  death/thrash  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  ep.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Night"  and  "Black  Train".  8  out  of  10.

        

  

   

Revolted Masses/Age Of Descent/Inverse Records/2015 CD Review

  Revolted  Masses  are  a  band  from  Greece  that  plays  a  progressive  mixture  of death  and  thrash  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2015  album  "Age  Of  Descent"  which  was  released  by  inverse  Records.

  Clean  playing  starts  off  the  album  and  after  a  few  seconds  the  music  starts  going  into more  of  a  heavier  direction  as  well  as  adding  in  aggressive  screams  that  also  have  a  death  of  death  metal  to them  and t he  solos  and  leads  also  mix  in  oriental  style  scales  while  still  being  very  melodic  at  the  same  time. 

  A  lot  of  modern  thrash  elements  can  be  heard  in  the  bands  musical  style  and  growls  are  also  mixed  in  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  whispers  and  spoken  word  parts  while  the  riffs  also  mix  in  a  decent  amount  of  melody  and  clean  playing  also  makes  a  return  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  some  songs  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  atmospheric  elements  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  clean  singing.

  When  the  music  speeds  up  a  great  amount  of  blast  beats  and  tremolo  picking  can  be  heard while  one  track  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  war  samples  and  some  of  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  when  female  vocals  are  brought  into  the  music  briefly it  gives  the  music  more  of  an  esoteric  and  ethnic  feeling  that  also  shows  up  in  the  short  acoustic  instrumental  before  the  music  returns  back  to  a  heavier  direction  on  the  following  tracks. while  some  songs  mix  in  a  little  bit  of  that  exotic  style  which  also  adds  more  of  a  progressive  touch  to  the  bands  musical  style.

  Revolted  Masses  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  the  modern  forms  of  death  and  thrash  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  prog  metal  and  a  touch  of  oriental  music  to  create  a  style  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  political  themes  

  In  my  opinion  Revolted  Masses  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  mixture  of  death  and  modern  thrash  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Slave  To  the  Media"  "Bloodshed  In  Eden"  "Severed  Aphrodte"  and  "Murder  ex  Machina".  8  out  of  10.