Line Up:
Sami Aleksanteri Vuorenheimo-Vocals
Saalas Ruokangas-Guitar
Allan Valimaa-Guitar
Vaino Huhtanen-Bass
Sebastian Nyandoto-Keyboards
Akseli Aalto-Drums
Well,Friends of Aristocracy!
We speak again of our newsroom, where we will have in a little while and in all its emotions, the interview 186 of the Aristocracy.This time, we'll talk to a band that makes its debut work. A Finnish band that is dedicated to making a melodic sound, but very well structured and worked and full of dynamics. We hope that the band continues to impress us, because if we judge by the first album, we got a good taste of what they are capable of. They tell us a good story, but it's best we let them explain it to us better. Inverse Records, which presented us with this beautiful work. Let's go to one of their songs so that this unprecedented interview with the Brazilian press can take place.
A1:Composition work in Plains Of Oblivion?
Blackment:All the songs were composed as individuals in a longer period of time.
The songs weren't originally made for one specific album, but we found ways to make them work together and form an album.
A2:What kind of dynamics did you want to bring to this album?
Blackment:'Plains Of Oblivion' is a groovy, diverse and dynamic experience that encaptivate in many ways.The album was created as a diverse journey that goes through many emotions and stories.
A3:What kind of fear does the band address in the ninth song?
Blackment:The atmosphere of this song isn't particularly about fear, but how the audience in fact perceive it. Indeed there are some elements that include anxiety, courage and the will to overcome anything in a modern or perhaps near future era. Hope is perhaps the main theme in 'Maw Of The Dread'.
A4:Some literature or film inspire the band?
Blackment:Overall inspiration thrives from self-reflection, philosophy,mythologies and stories.
'His Dark Materials' book series has also influenced some of the lyrics,but even on those lyrics the main theme delves deeper.
A5:What atmospheres did you want to bring on this album?
Blackment:The album is really about creativity that has no genre restrictions and at the same time respecting the unique sound that Blackment is all about. Being able to give all those different emotions that 'Plains Of Oblivion' has to offer.At the end of the journey a question may rise, will the stories end here, or will the subjects and worlds created by this album continue in the next one?
A6:Can we say that the main character of your story seeks a new world?
Blackment:There may be more than one story.A story line indeed visits from one world to another, but to keep the mysticism alive,we can't help but to create more questions in this answer.Are there parallel timelines and are they in the same timeline or universe at all? Maybe it all lines up in the future, who knows!
A7:What composure do you refer to in the fourth song?
Blackment:Stillness and peace regarding the environments we are living in.There is poverty, hunger and all these problems in our world, but there are also survivors and stories about how a person can do such great things if they breathe through it and focus on the stillness within, the 'Composure'.
A8:Why does the band have this name?
Blackment:Funny story,we agreed on making a short name,easy to remember and we had this combination of subjects.One of those is seen in our symbol and this might be a long shot, but black works perfectly with any color and symbolically,maybe this reflects our non-genre restricted approach in our music.
A9:What´s the idea behind artwork´s album?
Blackment:Cover art ties basically to 'Plains Of Oblivion' and a couple of songs on the album.
The shipwreck in a dry ocean may reveal more about the title song and it perfectly describes the loneliness and vulnerability that person is going through.Single arts also fit very well with the songs and their lyrics. Thanks again Joel Lehtinen!
A10:How did the band arrive to Inverse Records?
Blackment:Inverse Records was the best choice for this album and they had good services we could rely on.
A11:Before this album, the band made an EP.Can we say that the stories of the EP and this album are continuities or are they not related?
Blackment:'In The Dark' is not related, but as you can see,'Remnants Astray' got some serious upgrade with the sounds and the lyrics had some minor adjustments as well.
A12:How is Blackment different from your previous bands?
Blackment:For most of us, this was our first band that actually had plans for the future.
A13:Is this album conceptual?
Blackment:Plains Of Oblivion' is more or less conceptual.Though some parts focus very well on the real world's issues, many stories are solely or combined with abstract subjects that can be perceived very differently by the audience.
A14:What kind of subject don´t deserve a Blackment song?
Blackment:Blackment doesn't approve racism or inequality,so anything that treads these issues positively doesn't deserve our attention.But raising awareness of these things is definitely worth spreading. However, in creating the songs we don't like to get too political. A15:Is this oblivion that the band refers to something that happened to a member?
Blackment:The Title song is somewhat based on personal things,but expanded in a more abstract,empowering way.Oblivion refers purely to the abstract part of the story.
A16:What kind of lighthearted and light energies did the band want to bring to this album?
Blackment:We wanted to bring all kinds of emotions as we created this balanced structure for the album,so that there may be some of those lighthearted moments as well as the heavier side of the album.The main energy again is multi-interpretable,but the themes are meant to give every listener a unique approach to how they react and perceive them.
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