The
Finnish Speed/Thrash Metal special (Pt. 1) Featuring interviews with Deathchain, Divine Decay,
Jumalation, Malicious Death, Mokoma,
Pain Confessor,
and WhereVictimsLie
Intro and all the interview questions
by Luxi Lahtinen
I have to say that I have been amazed by the Finnish metal scene since
1987-88 when the Finnish metal scene seriously started to take its first
big steps toward awareness of people outside of the borders of Finland.
Speed and Thrash Metal were especially becoming highly popular amongst
youngsters during the later half of the ´80s. Bands like Metallica,
Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax, Testament, Exodus, Kreator, Destruction, Celtic
Frost and the likes worked as true inspirations to many up-and-coming
Finnish Speed/Thrash acts back in those days.
Some of the very first fruits out of all that Speed/Thrash Metal boom
back then were more or less known names as Necromancer, Oppression,
Protected Illusion, National Napalm Syndicate (or just better known by
their short name N.N.S.), Stone, Airdash, Warmath, Ancient Rotten
Graveguards (or just A.R.G.), Maple Cross, Mengele, Virago, Brainwash,
Lycantrophy, Prestige, Terrific Verdict, The Hirvi to name a few.
Unfortunately, only a fistful of them managed to put out albums because
Death Metal was becoming the next big thing amongst metalheads at the very
end of 80´s. It seemed like labels weren't that interested in signing new
Speed/Thrash metal bands any more as they had in the mid eighties. That
was a real pity for many Finnish Speed/Thrash Metal bands ´coz many of
them deserved to record their full-length debut albums back in those
´good & old Speed/Thrash days´ as many of them had already more than
proven to be very promising and talented bands on their demos.
Unfortunately the whole Speed/Thrash thing, practically speaking, died out
in Finland amongst the metal people by the end of ´92. Death Metal
replaced it as its own strong and popular genre.
It took almost a whole decade until the ol´ flame for the Speed/Thrash
Metal sound to started burning a bit hotter and brighter amongst a new
generation of Finnish metalheads again. Little by little it began making a
second coming, taking short steps toward new and better times. It was kind
of cool to notice that some of those speed freaks and thrash bangers who
happened to be members of some Speed/Thrash Metal bands in the later half
of the ´80s, had also become members of some new Speed/Thrash bands
during the new millennium. Many had completely new line-ups around them
and brought their past valuable experience and knowledge about playing
Speed/Thrash Metal to many of these new so-called ´retro-Thrash Metal´
bands.
Playing Speed/Thrash Metal had seriously become ´a cool thing´
amongst a lot of both young and old metalheads in Finland once again. This
was supported a little by re-union gigs by some ´legendary´ Finnish
Speed/Thrash legends like Stone and Necromancer that kind of wanted to
show younger people how things were done 10 years ago, and how everyone
was supposed have at least a bit of fun when attending metal gigs like
back in those jolly good days.
For quite some time, I had this somewhat unique idea to put 7 new
Finnish Speed/Thrash Metal newcomers collectively sort of in the middle of
crossfire that in my opinion represent some of the best ´Thrash Metal´
stuff from the current Finnish metal scene. Or actually more honestly,
some of them do not represent Thrash Metal (or Speed Metal) in that purest
form of the term to be more precise. However, since they all have some
strong and distinctive Speed, or Thrash Metal, elements in their sound, I
decided to throw them to the field in the middle of the same crossfire
just to find out how they would pass my lil´ test as far as my ´deadly
bullets´ (read: well-thought out questions, ha!) for all of them were
concerned.
Now keep on reading what some of the members from all these 7 talented
Finnish bands had to reveal about their own bands in this interview, the
past - and current Speed/Thrash Metal scene both nationally and
internationally, as well as well as learn a few things about all these
Finnish bands that obviously are more or less obscure and unfamiliar names
to most of you...I think.
Dear fellow speed merchants and thrash bangers... let it be the harvest
time for all of us commence...
Editor's Note:
Luxi's look into the world of Finnish Speed/Thrash metal clocked in at
close to 50 pages(!) when compiled in MS-Word format. Having this
feature on ONE page on our site, along with pics of the bands, would be insane!
Therefore, I've broken the feature down into a series of pages. The link
to read on to the next part of the feature can be found at the bottom of
each page. Thanks to the bands for providing the pics to us (except for
the ones Luxi took himself hehe). While reading along, if you wonder what
band a pic if for, simply hover your mouse over the picture and a handy tool tip
will reveal the band name...enjoy.
Onto
Part 1 of the feature...
