A bit before the release of Fata Morgana, their third album, I had the opportunity to ask Nico M. (guitar warlock exemplaris) and Jaakko (vocal onslaught overlord) from Marianas Rest some questions.
Hello and first of all thank you for your time. Would you please introduce yourself and Marianas Rest for someone who never heard about the band?
Jaakko (vocals): Hello! Thank you for having us. We are six dudes from the town of Kotka located in the southern shore of Finland. Our music is the kind of metal stuff that evolves without a hurry and builds up as it goes. No easy listening or straight hit material. Usually we try to make the songs so that they have an ugly and beautiful side to them. If you would have to label it, melodic and melancholic Doom/Seath pretty much sums it up.
Where does the band’s name come from?
Nico (guitar): I think it was just trying to find something that reflects our music. Something deep, cold, dark and pressurized. We were circling around the idea of Marianas trench and wanted to find our own twist to it. How we ended up with Marianas Rest, only Bacchus remembers 🙂
Your third album, Fata Morgana, is about to be released, how do you feel about it?
Nico: I guess every band has a similar answer to this question but I honestly think this is the best album we have done. I think we have found our sound and have found the working habits that suit us as a band. I think the album feels more coherent and relaxed compared to the previous ones.
Jaakko: Yeah, this is our best so far but of course we are excited to hear what the listeners think about it. Did I say excited? Meant to say terrified.
What is the story behind Fata Morgana? Is it linked with the mirage?
Jaakko: Yeah, the famous mirage that can be caused by extreme temperatures. On this record it is the cold of the world. The main character on the album has had a bit of a rough ride. He has made mistakes and had a mental breakdown. Now he starts a long journey towards the edge of the world. Along his path he tries to figure out what has led him to be who he is and what caused him to make poor judgements. Somewhere along the way he figures out that his vision has been distorted by cold and he could not see clearly. That is why he made his errors and that is our Fata Morgana.
How does the composition process happen for this album? Was it different from previous works?
Nico: The biggest difference for this album was that our bass player Niko started to bring more of his ideas to the table. On the last album he had just joined the band so he was still settling in. Otherwise I think the composition process was pretty much the same as it has always been. One of us (Niko, Harri (guitar), or myself) brings a demo of an idea for a song and we start working on it. Once we have the idea in any kind of playable form we start figuring it out with the whole group, which is very early on. There on forward we break down and build up the songs a few times, with ourselves. Finally before the studio we retrieve to an isolated cabin with our producer Teemu Aalto and go through the songs and give them a good turnover.
There are two guests on the album, Lindsay Schoolcraft (Antiqva, ex-Cradle of Filth) and Timo Virkkala, how did you get in touch with them? How does your collaboration happen?
Nico: Timo played the cello also on our previous album and I think he did a killer job on that one. So when we started to write songs for this new album we thought about the cello lines already on the first composition stages. The final lines are figured out on the spot, in the studio. I think his playing gives a great new dimension to the music.
Jaakko: The idea to have female vocals on this album came when we were going through them in the pre-production stage. Teemu had worked with Lindsay before and recommended her straight away. Her voice is just perfect for this kind of music. The collaboration was easy, because Lindsay pretty much nailed the whole thing on the first try. Everything went smooth as hell. Be sure to check out her new band Antiqva and solo stuff!
When I look at the lyrics, I see that they mainly are about melancholic topics, sometimes painful moments. They perfectly combine with the music, but is it easy to talk about those topics? What does inspire you to write music and/or lyrics?
Jaakko: The band is a filter to us. A way to handle the negative side of life. Lot of the lyrics have a personal background to them, but we try to build everything in a more general way so that people would have a path to relate to it. Some songs bring back memories that are painful but that’s how it is supposed to be. Part of the healing process.
You first released the song Glow From the Edge with a video clip. What can you tell me about this particular song? Why did you choose this one to introduce your new album?
Nico: When we had the songs ready and started to think about the singles we all knew that Glow From the Edge was going to be one of them. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact reason why that is but I remember we thought that the song has this haunting and captivating atmosphere that we thought would resonate well with the listeners. We also thought that that song captivates quite well what this band is about.
Except the bass player, all the band members are here since the first album, how is it to face a member’s departure, and to welcome a new member?
Nico: It’s weird. In this case the thing that we all, at least sort of, knew Niko before he joined the band made things a bit easier. Also that it was a consensus decision without any fighting or drama or any of that bullshit. However it is heartbreaking when you have to let a band member go. That is why it would be very difficult for us to even think about changing band members for assumed improvement.
Jaakko: We are a tight bunch and we have a very good chemistry so hopefully we won’t have any more changes. Our old bass player Harri is still a very close friend and actually does a part in the South of Vostok video.
You guys come from Finland, and we all know at least one or two finnish bands into Metal universe. I always feel that finnish Metal has some coldness that other bands cannot reach, maybe you also have this feeling?
Nico: Well if I look out the window while writing this, I can see where it comes from. It’s not necessarily conscious but it would be weird if the dark and cold winters didn’t have any effect. I also think that the coldness comes through in all Finnish music whether it is Pop, Rock, Metal or something else. It’s in our DNA I think.
Do you remember the very first time you picked an instrument up? When and how was it?
Nico: As a teenager in my friends basement. I just had a natural interest in playing guitar but somehow never thought of actually playing it until that point. Never looked back…
Jaakko: I was lured into the scene by a childhood friend at the turn of the century. Had no clue what I was doing back then but I remember trying to shout as loud into the mic as I could. Something about it felt right straight away. It takes your mind off everyday things in a way nothing else does. Nowadays it is hard to picture life without some sort of band to vent your desperation.
How did you discover Metal music back in time? Do you only listen to Metal?
Nico: Some Iron Maiden song played on the radio and I thought it was cool. That is how I got my first introduction to Metal. As a kid there were a few years when I almost exclusively listened to Metal but over the years my music horizon has broadened up to a point where I couldn’t care less what the genre of the song/album is as long as it’s a good song/album. I still find myself gravitating towards Metal, but it definitely is not the only genre.
Jaakko: My two uncles got me started with their record and cassette collections. Iron Maiden, Metallica and Alice Cooper were the first bands that really took me to strange new places. I listen to a lot of different stuff though. Pop, Rap, Progressive stuff, Punk, Metal… If it is good, I have no problem listening to it.
Can you now live with your music’s incomes, or do you still have a dayjob? How was it at the beginning of the band?
Nico: We all still have our dayjobs and can’t really imagine a point where music could financially support us. It would be great though. But who knows, stranger things have happened.
Do you have any hobbies aside from music? What would have been your dream career if you didn’t begin music?
Nico: I think this takes so much of my freetime there is no room for another hobby. Does crippling alcoholism count?
Jaakko: I am still clueless why anybody hasn’t offered me a professional football contract. At a ripe age of 38, me and my biogenetic knees are better than ever.
I know that covid fucked a lot of things up last year, and this year too, but how did you face the situation as a band? And how did you face the situation personally? Did it also affect the new album in any way?
Nico: As a band I think we could pretty much operate normally except for having no gigs. Compared to many other countries, the situation in Finland has been quite good (at least so far), so we have been able to rehearse and have band meetings pretty normally except for last spring when we had some lockdowns here as well. When making the album we had some luck as we had the songs ready before the lockdowns and the studio was booked so that the lockdowns had been taken down. We just had some safety measures (ex. only a couple of us in the studio at the same time) but otherwise were able to carry out the recordings as planned.
What is your best and your worst experience as a musician ever?
Nico: Best: I would have to say any show, big or small. Can’t really put them in order. Worst: I don’t really know, hangovers after the gig nights?
Jaakko: I love being on stage. After a good show you feel sort of light, it clears your head. The worst moments have to be the ones where I screw up in a way or other and the whole band suffers because of it. I have gotten ill a few times while we have been in the studio and the whole production has been halted because of it. Even though it really isn’t anybody’s fault, it makes you feel like dirt.
Maybe you already heard about the french Metal scene? Which french bands do you know?
Nico: Alcest and Gojira come to mind. Would like to be introduced to the scene a bit better.
Jaakko: Alcest, Goijra, Regarde Les Hommes Tomber… They all are great but probably I missed a ton of other good bands.
What if I ask you to compare Marianas Rest’s music with a dish? Which one and why?
Nico: We have had a lot of discussions about this one and usually those arguments turn into fist fights. There are different ways to approach the matter. In every presented interpretation there are strengths and there are flaws. However. Our official statement is Strudel; Soft, flakey, buttery and sweet.
Jaakko: Just like us.
Last question: which bands would you love to tour with? I let you create a tour with Marianas Rest and three other bands!
Jaakko: The first pick would be Paradise Lost. A very important band that has influenced a ton of younger groups such as ours. I hear they are very nice guys too.
Nico: The second pick is: Katatonia. Such an awesome band!
Jaakko: The third one is Lana Del Rey. Otherwise we would never be able to convince our other guitar player Harri to join the tour.
That was the last question for me, thanks a lot for your time and your music, last words are yours!
Nico: Stay strong. This shitshow will pass, gigs will start happening and beer will flow. See you all somewhere out there!
Jaakko: And remember to purchase Marianas Rest brand products. We need every penny to achieve our goal of total world domination.