Finland's purveyors of
chaos and wrath, Purtenancefrontman Ville unveiled about their upcoming album,
bands history and many more.On this year Finland based old school death metal
band Purtenance will release their third full length album. Earlier this old
schoolrotten death metal band Purtenance served up some devastatingly
sacrilegious, rotten, phenomenal death metal album, EP.
So recently I’ve
interviewed Purtenance Vocalist Ville. I was very keen to interact with him and
I’ve tried to enlightenon their upcoming new album and tried to explore more
about his bands. Check out the full interview below. Interview done by
SouvikBasu.
1. Hello, how are you
doing today?
Ville : Thanx for asking, I'm fine. I just went back
to work after summer vacation and I must say Purtenance have had keeping me
very busy during my holiday.
2. Purtenance was
formed in 1989 as “Purtenance Avulsion” and later changed their name as
“Purtenance”from 1991,Can you give me a briefhistory of how the band got
together?Had you been in any bands or musical apparition before Purtenance?
Ville : First I have to clarify something. I'm not
part of the original line-up, just because I was 9 years old when Purtenance
started!And I was 11 when "Member..." came out, so I have basically
grown with that album playing in my stereo's! Harri is my cousin,so that's why
I'm here now. But what I do know from the beginning of Purtenance is something
like this: Harri and Juha were friendsand shared the same kind of taste what
comes to metal, so they started to play together and grappedTimoHayrinen for
vocals (and bass at first!).They played and practiced constantly until came
time to make a demo. So they went to record demo with TimoTolkki (yes, the one
and only)and soon after that changed their name to just Purtenance and started
to write material for "Member..." and other members joined them,like
Toni Honkala for instance. They played some local shows and few somewhere else,
with names like Amorphis, Sentenced, Beherit,Convulse and other's just to name couple.
Purtenance was basically their first real band! But when it came time to
"grow up", which means in Finland,you go to military service,
Purtenance went on hibernation, just to awake again in 2011! I've used to play
drums in a punkrock band but it was just a hobby.
3. what bands inspired
the direction that Purtenance took and motivated you? Writers?Visual
artists?Movies?Books?
Ville : Amorphis, Sentenced and other legendary
Finnish bands sure had their influence to Purtenance,but for some reason all Finnish
bands tend to have their own unique style, if you compare to Swedish bands,they
have their HM-2 sound in almost all of them. At least bands from that era.
Horror movies, Lovecraft, Chris Moyen, H.R Giger and many other'sall have had
their art to give inspiration to the chaos of Purtenance. I personally have
been drawing inspirations from the works of Tolkien and Terry Pratchett,so
that's why I might have slightly crazy ideas for lyrics etc. And my musical
background have punk and hardcore in it, so there might be some echoes from
there too.
4. There are two basic
ways of looking at music. In the first, there is a mechanism to the arrangement
of certain tones, musical style.In the second, a narration occurs where a story
is told or a poetic function completed. In your view of compositions, which is
more important?Where were you when you first thought the project had longterm
potential for you?
Ville : It all starts from the soundscape. It lays
the foundation for songs to grow. Stories build up from there, they rise to
their high when all our membersgives their twisted essence to the plot. I think
old members never actually thought that Purtenance would survive through the
times.But for some odd reasons here we are still playing and enjoying what we do!
5. What for you is the
significance of the name, “Purtenance”?
Ville : The name
itself have no deeper meanings. It just happened to pop in someones eye and
seemed suitable for death metal band.So sorry, no supernatural or occult or
blasphemous or anything like that in the name! For myself, Purtenance stands
the fact that Harri have started this, with his friends,long time ago and that
I do respect a lot and thank the opportunity that I can be part of this now.
6. If you could tour
with other bands in metal, who would you pick if you were looking for bands
similar to Purtenance?
Ville : Ouch, though
one, Incantation would be very great band to play with or even tour! But we
donÕt do this for living, you know, so big or long tours are not in our plans.
7. Purtenance released their debut album in 1992. After
that a huge gap Purtenance unveiled their sophomore album in 2014 and the third
one will release on this year.From 1992 Purtenance shaped the style of old
school, rotten death metal music. How do you maintain this consistency yet keep
developing with each album?How do you write your riffs, songs? What is the most
difficult part about composing songs as you do?
Ville : We are simple
people with limited talents. It is the way we have always been. We just in somehow
seem to find ourselves writing this kind of music and it is all four of us
nowadaysthat came up with songs that have very similar formulas in them as old
ones but still they all have something uniqueness in them.Juha writes most of
the music (we all write something to every release) and rest of us just brings
our own spices to the mix.
8. Do you have a
preference for type of equipment? In your mind, how important is equipment to
the production of music?
Ville : With good
tools you can achieve lot. But with decent equipment and with practise you can
survive. We are not rich people that have lot of money to spend on equipmentso
we use what we can afford. But in the end it really does not matter how good
your equipment is, as long as you have good songs and music to release the
magic is there.Of course if we would follow trends, which we don't, production
should be super polished with squashed dynamics like most modern day acts have.
We are just not in to that.
9. well, now I’m going
to the main point about new album “...to Spread the Flame of Ancients”. Already
we have saw the new album artwork released and the manifestationfrom upcoming
album “Invocatio”. To be honest the artwork and track both is wicked. When were
these tracks written, and how does Purtenance go about the writing process?
10. What's going on as
far as lyrical themes on new album ?
Ville : There is lot
of occultistic stuff in there. Dark stories of mystic things that reflect
modern life through metaphores. I tried to write about things in a way that I
haven't previously done.Some of tunes just gave so much inspiration to write
about and rhytmic elements spawned words in to my head. Of course loose all
around theme circles around Ancients, what of course isstraight from
Lovecraftian novels and stories. I even (once again) wrote one songs in finnish
language, cause it just seemed more fitting to that song, I also wrote the
music to that song.
11. How did you get
into this rotten, old school, heavy form of music and kindly explain about this
music genre according to you?
Ville : Death metal is
the must straight forward style of metal with what you can express yourself in
it's boundaries. Brutal, truthfull, sincere, crushing way to release your own
visions.When I was younger I listened lot of more "easier" music, but
when I got older I started to search something more extreme. Then I found death
and black metal, and for some unknownreason death metal inflicted fierce flame
in to my soul. Maybe it is it's heaviness compared to any other genre. Black
metal also is close to my heart, but it is it's musical side, notthe
philosophical in most cases.
12.How would you
describe the sound of the new album to someone who hadn’t heard it, and what
distinguishes your music from any other act in the same genre?
Ville : Heavy with
echoes from the past. I don't know if we are that different from any other, but
at least we try to keep ourselves honest for what we are doing. We don't do
decisions basedif something would sell or not. We do what we wan't to do.
13. Do you guys have
any official videos coming out soon?
Ville : Aaah, we have
been planning something but in this case we just haven't decided yet should we
do video or not. We have couple of ideas but there is no certainty will we ever
put them on use.
14. How do you explain
the album title “...to Spread the Flame of Ancients”. what it means and the
album art and how it coincides with the lyrics, themes?
Ville : It is sort of
word play with many different meanings. It can be seen that we are old band
that still have the flame of death metal burning in us and we wan't to share it
too. Or it can beseen as a title for the loose theme and story behind some
lyrics, Lovecraft again, anyone? I wan't to give people change to find the
meanings by themselves and not try give too much answers already chewed.
15. Who came up with
the album cover? I personally cherish Purtenance’s each and every album artwork
because those are truly indelible, remarkable, appreciable too.
Ville : As said, Chris
Moyen did the artwork again. And if we can decide he will be making our album
cover's forever. If we ever make any more albums that is. He has kept that
constant high level on hisart through the years and we own him so much for
helping us to have that visual side to our music that seems to fit every time
perfectly.
16. What's the first
gig you ever went to? Have you been to any killer live shows lately?
Ville : It seems that
my first live show experience have been lost in time (or at least from my
memory!). But last killer show I saw was when AnaalNathrakhwere in Tampere,
supported by Mörbid Vomit!Even thou AnaalNathrakh played super fast and
memorable show, Mörbid Vomit played some new songs from their upcoming album,
and I must say they were the best thing that night! Just wait that album!It
won't let you down, I guarantee!
17. In before you guys
performed a lots of gigs so, Which show was the most memorable to you so far?
Do you get a good crowd response? Did you get offers to play in other countries
oranything like that?
Ville : Well to this
day, we haven't played that many shows, but two shows have been most memorable.
Our first show in 20 years at Steelfest Open Air in Hyvinkää, Finland and
Ritual Zombi Fest atMadrid, Spain.Both in 2013. They might not been our best
shows, what comes to performance, but still they were something so
unbelievable, that they can't be forgotten. Usually we have had decent response
from the crowds, nobody have beaten up us, yet! From time to timewe get
requests to play outside of Finland, but to this date, nothing has ever really
happened. We don't know why, 'cos we don't even ask that much from coming to
play, but for some reasonsthese things just don't seem to happen, even that the
promoters and fans really would like us to play in their places.
18. Do you study other
bands music to come up with ideas?
Ville : Simply,
no.Cause that would just end in, us taking too much things from them. We of
course listen music a lot and we can't help if our subconsciousness takes
influences, with we try to do our musicjust by ourselves. What really can't be
done, because Black Sabbath have already made all the best riffs.
19. Your vocals style
is raspy, aggressive,tortured and raw. appreciate your vocal style. how do you
prepare your vocals before the studio or especially for live performances?Did
any band in particular inspire you in the shrieking department?
Ville : I don't
prepare! We just have rehearsals so often that my voice is practiced there
already. TimoHayrinen might have the voice that I have listened and drawed
influences the most. After all,I must have had listened "Member..."
at least thousand, if not more, times! Or do you mean the screaming stuff? I
have listened lot of Norwegian black metal through the years, so from
therecomes that.
20. Is there a
difference in the band’s sound as compared to the EPs and full length album
you’ve released in the past?
Ville : Well of course
there is. It is partly because we have different members now and different
amps, guitars, pedal etc. We also play with different tuning than guys used to
play back in the days.For some reason we still manage to sound slighty the
same, no matter what year it is, or at least we think that it is like that.
21. XtreemMusic has been a great supporter of extreme metal,
you’re signed to them now. How did this happen?
Ville : Story that has
been told so many times but here it is again... Dave originally released
"Member..." through his Drowned Productions. Guys kept in touch with
him and in 2011 when Dave heardthat Juha and Harri started to play again
together (I have been playing with Harri since 2006 in a different group), he
proposed that if he would release "Member..." again for it's 20
yearof existence and that if Purtenance would rise from the grave he will make
a contract with us. So we released "Sacrifice..." in 2012 and
"Awaken..." in 2013. "... to Spread..." is actuallyour last
album within this deal, so we have to see what future brings to us...
22. What do you do as
individual band members to relax, when not working on music? Do you have jobs
or business?
Ville : Somethings is
just best to keep private, but yes, we all have our day jobs. Purtenance does
not bring food to our tables!
23. What albums are
you listening to lately or just the bands and albums in general you're really
digging right now and tell me about your anticipated album of this year?
Ville : Lately I have
been listening lot of Tau Cross. I'm a huge Amebix fan and especially enjoyed
their last album "Sonic Mass" and when I heard that Rob Miller has a
new band,I was really excited! For this year I'm really waiting Mörbid Vomit's
debyt album!
24.last one question,
what are your future band goals & tell us
something about upcoming tour. Lastly, a lots of teenagers aim to be
full-time musicians.Many of them might be without any proper guidance, any
words of wisdom for them?
Ville : We don't have
any plans after confirmed shows this year and 2016 spring. We have to sit down
and think what we are going to do... We are really waiting the Finnish Death
Metal Maniacs Festthat is happening next week,TimoHayrinen will perform with us
for the first time in 20 years and probably for the last time ever! Well we
don't do this for living, but couple of good tipscould be that never stop
believing in yourself, always respect others, don't talk shit about others and
lastly, if you don't know something, ASK nicely and you will have answers.
25. That's all I've
got right now. best of luck for upcoming release. This album is one of my
anticipated release of this year. thanks a lot for enduring this torture
haha.Any final thoughts, comments for the readers? If I forgot anything, please
insert it in here.
Ville : Thank you and
hopefully you don't disappoint to "...to Spread the Flame of
Ancients". Haha! I will end this like we always end interviews, STAY TRUE,
STAY BRUTAL!
Interview done By - Souvik Basu. Published on 02/09/2015.
