Kiuas feature interview with Ilja Jalkanen, Teemu Tuominen, and Mikko Salovaara
(posted June 2006)
(interview by Andreas Schiffmann)
In the flood of metal from Scandinavia with considerable commercial potential, Kiuas from Finland are a band that stands out. At the moment, mainstream metal from northern Europe seems rather bland to me, because it is too obviously calculated and showing enthusiasm not so much for the music itself as for public success. Not so Kiuas, whose mixture of 90s Nordic fury and 80s hooks is surely meant to be soaked up by a larger audience, but not getting stale at all and audibly inspired. As a result, their latest album Reformation is a positively slick affair - as are the band's answers to my questions.
Hi! I was really surprised by your new record. Not only does it feature a large amount of ear-catching songs which grow with every listen, but it is not easy to categorize either - The ingredients are familiar, but the mix is rather odd. How come?
Teemu: Well that has been kind of our trademark, mixing all the different genres of metal together in a way that's never been done before. It's probably due to the fact that we have played all sorts of music styles before we formed Kiuas. Even though our guitarist makes all the songs and lyrics I believe that he, like all of us, has been influenced by a great variety of different musical ideas from the traditional thrash-, death-, black- and other metal-subgenres to all sorts of music such as jazz, ethnic music, blues, rock and even pop music.
I have noticed that so many groups from Finland have the self-same stock-keyboard sounds - you are not free from that reproach either. Why's that? - Confess!
Teemu: Maybe it's the influence of the bigger bands in Finland that we've been blindly repeating the same sounds that they have previously used. I personally don't think that we are doing it, at least not on purpose. But of course it's easier to tread a path already travelled than bashing through the jungle even though one might find undiscovered treasures... And it is also true that many keyboard players don't really have the courage or imagination to really test the boundaries of their instrument - and I don't mean the technical stuff such as the fast-paced finger exercises - especially sound wise. It's probably due to the fact that in many metal bands the role of the keyboard is to provide the base chord patterns and not to really stand out of the music.
To me, most Scandinavian and especially Finnish metal bands are - notwithstanding their instrumental qualities - too formulaic and calculated rather than genuine and daring. It seems that there are few bands that find their own niche, and what follows are dozens of copycats. Is the wealth of bands displaying good craftsmanship due to the fact that the state invests more into musical education? Do you think the resulting high standards of technical ability somewhat hamper musicians to develop the individuality that makes for real art?
Mikko: Aren't Scandinavian and especially Finnish metal bands doing pretty well these days? Perhaps they are doing something right? Call them copycats, but they are out there touring and selling lots of records. As for Kiuas, name a band that we would be copying directly, or a band that fuses our style of vocals with our style of instrumentation and style of music! As for high standards of technical ability or education hampering individuality, fuck that! It's only the lack of imagination or lack of courage that causes musicians to make uninteresting music. Remember that there are also thousands of extremely boring bands making uninteresting music out there with no technical skills at all. Think about that.
Teemu: As for being too common or everyday I don't think that definition fits Kiuas. And I also disagree that Finnish metal bands are too confined. Of course the bands that gather the most attention in the media are usually the most produced - and usually the most boring as well in my opinion - musically speaking. But there are a lot of really twisted and original sounding bands in Finland that haven't had their opportunity yet to emerge to bigger arenas. And a big part of the failure to hear original metal music is that all the major radio stations refuse to play metal on the air waves, except for bands like Nightwish or HIM. And I believe that the technical training the musicians acquire increases their possibilities to create more elaborate music. Of course it can lead to a competition where guitarists race as in who can pick the fastest, play the weirdest guitar solos and such but it also can widen the range from which one may obtain elements for "real art" as you said. How the musician uses these abilities is a different thing.
Buddy Guy, Jurassic 5 and Johnny Winter are not the usual favourites of a metal musician, especially if he is as young as you. Would you say that these preferences make for your originality? - I can hear some Dio and 80s metal singers in general within your vocal style...
Ilja: I like music, period. We all do. It would be pretty fucking stupid to listen to just metal. Of course everyone tends to have their preferences but hell, there's a world of music out there. Listen and learn. Oh, one additional thing, I don't listen to Johnny Winter.
...and you're covering Jethro Tull for a single, another surprising choice - Any chance to get that tune outside of Finland?
Ilja: Sure, no problem. It's a bonus track on the Japanese version of the record. Travel, it's fun.
What's so great about the word "yeah" to scream it in about half of the new songs? Rather than sounding pretentious, it conveys the impression that you have had a lot of fun in the process of recording, right?
Ilja: It's rock'n'roll, baby. Just slight adlibbing to remind us of our musical roots. Count the "yeahs", there's pagan symbolism there.
Have you been in any incestuous relation with other bands and musicians before Kiuas, and how is the situation today? - Is Kiuas your main focus?
Teemu: Kiuas is the main focus for everybody, even though Ilja (singer) has a roots band that he's very devoted to. And I believe Mikko to have millions of side projects and other musical schemes to occupy his mind as well. They say that the brains of a genius never rest...
Mikko: Kiuas is our main focus, I also play other gigs, teach guitar, and so on, to pay the bills.
Do you gain anything from the single-format in your home country? - We keep hearing about the popularity of heavy music up there, and it seems that for a band striving for success, it is essential to place a hit in the national charts. How's your own band's situation in that respect?
Mikko: I don't think chart success is necessary for a real metal band, but of course it helps. Just for the record, the new album hit at number 21.
Kiuas is fairly unknown in central Europe, your website is only in Finnish, and your forum at Ultimate Metal is not that much frequented either. I think it is high time for you to tour down here - Fans here should go mad hearing your music. Are there any plans to support a bigger band?
Teemu: Actually our web site is both in English and Finnish and partially in Japanese. On the top right you may change the language. You should be a bit more thorough on your research before jumping to conclusions... And believe me, if it would be possible, financially or otherwise, for us to tour Europe we would be doing it right now! But we know we have many fans in European countries, especially in the UK and central European countries. We promise that we will be there one day and all hell will break loose once we get on the stage!
What are your lyrics about? As far as I understand, you have some mythology and fantasy in there, but obviously, there is a natural element as well. Has this something to do with the clichéd view we have down here about the strong relationship of Scandinavian people to their environment?
Mikko: Yes, it has. Most European countries are so populated that people have lost contact with nature. Even the biggest cities in Finland are quite small, so no matter where you are, the woods are just a stone's throw away. Also, nature has always been a strong influence in mythology and pagan religion.
Thank you very much, that's all from my part - Anything to add? Last words?
Mikko: Check out the new album Reformation, stay metal and PALVOKAA UKKOA!!!