Where do you live, and can you tell us a bit about what it's like?

I live in Stouffville, Ontario, Canada. It's a small town with nothing to do besides party and play music. But it's only about an hour away from Toronto. It's very cold in Black Metal Season (winter) and very hot in the summer. I'm indifferent to living here.

What do you do to get money?

I work at a pet store (which sucks), and when my bands play gigs I get a bit of money from that.

Where and how did you first hear Swallow the Sun?

I first heard Swallow the Sun in my friend's van. He had a mix cd with Lights on the Lake, Descending Winters, Hold This Woe and Don't Fall Asleep on it. I loved them immediately. Couldn't wait til the next time I was driving around with him so I could hear the songs again.

What about other metal? Who are your favourite bands?

My other favourite metal bands are Mudvayne, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Pantera, Judas Priest, Death, Down, Barren Earth, Trees of Eternity, and many, many more. I enjoy most music genres. If something is good, I will listen to it, regardless of what it is.

See anyone live this year?

This year I have seen Motley Crue, Amon Amarth, Down (who I road tripped to New Jersey, USA to see), Barren Earth, Judas Priest, and I went to France to go to Hellfest, where I saw dozens of bands.

What's your favourite StS track and why?

My favourite Swallow the Sun song is Weight of the Dead. The beginning is pure black metal. The spoken word part which has all the album titles in the lyrics is so clever. The lyrics overall are great (as they always are with this band). The keyboards/choir at the end of the song is some of the most epic shit I've ever heard. I also think this song overall is one of the heaviest I've ever heard.

My favourite song of all time is Severed by Mudvayne. Great riffs throughout, but mainly it is the lyrics and vocals. Filled with so much emotion. Definitely has gotten me through some hard times.

Funniest thing at a concert you were at?

Funniest concert moment was when some chick drunkenly tripped and fell over a curb and smashed her face off the ground. She then got up and said it would hurt more the next day.

What song do you have in your collection we would poke fun at you for the most?

Turn Me Loose by Loverboy. I listen to it because my bar band plays it, but I've grown to enjoy it because it's so cheesy. And singing it at work pisses off my boss.

Have you seen StS live?

I have seen Swallow the Sun twice. The first time was the 2010 tour with Finntroll in Toronto. The only song I knew was Don't Fall Asleep. But the performance was so amazing (Weight of the Dead being used as an intro was epic) I became a huge fan right away. The other time was the Katatonia 2010 tour, also in Toronto. I met the whole band, got my New Moon cd signed by all the guys, and asked Aleksi if they would play Hold This Woe, which they did. One of the best shows I've ever seen. I look forward to seeing them as many times as I possibly can in the future.

What metal bands do you just dislike and why?

I hate Avenged Sevenfold. Horrible vocals and over-rated guitar playing. Music for 16 year old kids who don't know any better.

Do you have any other hobbies?

My hobbies are music and movies. Music is the most important thing in my life and I'm somewhat of a film buff, so those 2 things take up most of my free time.

I am in a thrash/power metal band called Answer With Metal. We have just got signed by a label and our album should be out late 2011/early2012. Check us out on Myspace or Facebook!

Where do you live, and can you tell us a bit about what it's like?

I come from a small town in Québec, Canada, but recently moved into my own place in Montréal. I absolutely love living in Canada, because every season is stunning (Although Winter gets long near the last 2-3 months) In Summer, it's just hot enough and the sun goes down only at 9 or 10 o' clock. The autumn Canadian landscape is incredible, yet cold. Winter is nearly as beautiful as autumn, yet it can get too cold when it’s negative 30 Celsius. Oh! And the sun goes down at 3-4 o' clock, so spring is always welcome.

What do you do to get money?

You don't want to know! But for real, I am still studying, so my parents pay most of my expenses. However, I will soon start part-time in the army to see if I enjoy it, and to keep me fit.

Where and how did you first hear Swallow the Sun?

I have only been a fan for about 3 years. I remember seeing the cover art for “New Moon” and thinking it was one of the best I had ever seen. When I got home I watched the video for “Descending Winters”. The next time I stopped off at my local record store, I picked that CD up right away and have been listening to it ever since (my last.fm profile says I've listened to “New Moon” over 125 times, and that I have 2,300 plays for StS). It was the first and only time I was interested in Doom metal.

What about other metal? Who are your favourite bands?

I listen to many genres, but since the winter is coming back, I'm starting to get into Metal again, my favourites being;
Kalmah, Wintersun (Kai, tell that Jari to hurry that Sh*t up!, politely though), Insomnium, Opeth, Barren Earth, Amon Amarth, Devin Townsend, Before the Dawn, Black Sun Aeon, Ensiferum, Gojira, Katatonia, Rotten Sound, Anaal Nathrakh, Behemoth, Animals As Leaders, and many many more.

What? You think I'm biased towards Finnish/Swedish music? Absurd! If you are truly interested, just visit my last.fm! http://www.last.fm/user/thelump94

See anyone live this year?

Ready for another long list? Good! Finntroll, Ensiferum, Rotten Sound, Barren Earth, Kalmah, The Black Keys, Opeth, and maybe 30-40 others I will be seeing Priestess, Unexpect, Periphery, The Human Abstract, Textures, Between the Buried And Me, Animals As Leaders, and TesseracT in 2011

What's your favourite StS track and why?

”Fragile” for a reason that I myself would like to know. Of course, I love every single StS song, yet this one calls to me in a way that exceeds all the other songs in the catalogue. I also enjoy the newest album a lot, because it was my first StS experience.

Pink Floyd - Wish you were here. Great song, great album!

Funniest thing at a concert you were at?

The drunk guys are always hilarious, yet I would have to say that the band members themselves always make me laugh the most. Over the years I've had the pleasure to chat with all the guys from StS, Kalmah, Ensiferum, Finntroll, Rotten Sound, Devin Townsend himself and many others.
If you have ever been to a Devin Townsend concert, you know the man is a comedic genius!

What song do you have in your collection we would poke fun at you for the most?

I actually own an Owl City record, but am not ashamed and I don't care what people think. But hey, If you listen to metal, then obviously you don't either!

Have you seen StS live?

Yes, Twice. First time, the Subway broke down and I missed the first song from the set. Man tears were shed that day, but quickly evaporated as soon as StS blew my mind in one of the best concerts I have ever been to. The second time, I brought all my albums (I’'m only missing Hope!) to get them signed. I met all the guys from the band, they signed my CDs, they answered my questions, Markus gave me a drink, and I took photos with them. They may not know this, but me meeting the guys from StS was, without exaggeration, one of the best moments in my entire life. Thank you StS.

What metal bands do you just dislike and why?

All the new trendy and core stuff, no thanks.

Do you have any other hobbies?

Music is the most important thing in my life, and I spend all my money on guitars, amps, CDs, concerts, band shirts, and other stuff. I play in a band, I work out a lot, I hunt if the season is right, I do a bit of Maui Thai (UFC style fighting, but just for fun, no one gets hurt), I play only one video game, but I play it a lot -Starcraft 2-

On top of having met all the StS guys, I also won both the bumper sticker and Kai's broken splash cymbal. I remember receiving that thing in the mail the DAY AFTER getting all my Cds signed at the show. There was no note, and the thing fell out and “splashed”on the floor because I had no idea what it was (It's fine, although it was supposed to be broken). To this day I still wonder if I only got lucky, or if the band really did read the postcard I sent them.

Where do you live, and can you tell us a bit about what it's like?

I live in the North part of Romania, in Iasi. It is very nice here, especially in autumn because there are hundreds of leaves of all colors on the alleys. In winter, on the other hand, it's very cold, and at night the snow reflects the reddish light of side-roads lamps, perfectly doomish.

What do you do to get money?

I ask it from my parents. I'm still studying and they still give me the financial support.

Where and how did you first hear Swallow the Sun?

I was in high-school when I first heard about them; it was on a My Dying Bride forum, someone recommended them. The first song was Gloom, Beauty and Despair; I loved it because it was able to induce a genuine feeling of gloom and despair, something that not many songs can. After listening to the whole album, I was struck it all had the same mesmerizing effect. So Swallow the Sun soon became for me the closest idea of Doom, with lyrics that were able to "speak" to you. I must admit that Doomed to Walk the Earth and Don’t Fall Asleep [Horror part II] and of courseHope were on repeat in my playlist for more than a month. They totally won me with these songs, and with NewMoon, I'm turning into an obsessed fan.

What about other metal? Who are your favourite bands?

I like to listen to Doom mainly, so I also love My Dying Bride, Virgin Black, Katatonia, Remembrance and Officium Triste. I enjoy the combination of Doom and Gothic for The Sins of Thy Beloved and Sabachtani. At times, I go for Gothic: Tristania [with Vibeke], Silentium and Dark Sanctuary.

See anyone live this year?

I am proud to say that I've seen Swallow the Sun. There's also Kamelot and Dark Tranquility. A few months ago, I enjoyed the gig of 2 Romanian bands: Coma and Mat.

What's your favourite StS track and why?

Now there's a long list following: [sorry guys, but I can't choose just one, sure you understand] Hope Don’t fall asleep [pt 2] Gloom, Beauty and Despair, Doomed to Walk the Earth Sleepless Swans New Moon Weight of the Dead

Favorite song of all time by any band?

The Raven and the Rose- My Dying Bride, Lamenting Kiss- Virgin Black, Evidence- Katatonia

At a Coma concert, there was a guy with a crutch and even though it was crowded he insisted on staying in the front row, at times you could see the crutch raised above the crowd's heads, looked funny and creepy at the same time. 4 years ago, at ArtMania, the Romanian My Dying Bride's fans [me included] wanted to take pictures with the band. We got to talk to them a bit, but when they wanted to go out of the backstage area, the 1st to come was Hamish. Obviously everyone "got" him for pictures, it was a smart move because the rest of the band managed to "escape". Fortunately, in 2009 they decided to stick around and talk to the fans. It was then that Andy asked me if I was ok, he had seen me crying [happiness tears] during the show. At this year's ArtMania, the funniest thing is that StS escaped, next time, I'll personally gather the troupes (of fans) [joking]

What song do you have in your collection we would poke fun at you for the most?

Evanescence- Bring me to Life (don't ask)

Have you seen StS live?

Yes, once, looking forward for the next time.

What metal bands do you just dislike and why?

I don't like Black bands, in general. I used to like Tristania and Nightwish before, with the former female voices, the new ones disappoint me.

Do you have any other hobbies?

Yes: reading books on the Occult, being a model for a friend, corsets- I love corsets! theatre in English, I used to play in a high-school group.

Where do you live, and can you tell us a bit about what it's like?

I live in Eupen, German border of Belgium. It’s a small town, very quiet, clean and green just close to a big natural park. Here people speak mainly German and some, like me, speak French too. I like this place because you’re at the crossroad of many countries (easy to get to many shows dates).

What do you do to get money?

I’m historian but I teach French to German speaking teenagers. I hated the idea to be a teacher but teens tell me I’m doing that well so… and tomorrow I’m going to show them Shaun of the Dead, am I not nice ? lol

Where and how did you first hear Swallow the Sun?

I remember I was still at university (that’s how I say it’s probably in 2005-6, before I finished) I heard it on the web and liked it at once. I remember I went to the only metal music store (doesn’t exist anymore) afterwards and ordered the cds. It took ages before they arrived! No one knows the band here (neither their computer it seems). I shared the cds with my friend, a My Dying Bride fan, and converted him at once.

What about other metal? Who are your favourite bands?

I like different kind of metal but I have to admit that I’m a folk metal fan. Heidevolk and Týr because I have friends in there but Finntroll, Moonsorrow too and some horrible folk finnish band I won’t name. But well, I’m living in a country where it rains all the time with big woods around, so Insomnium, Sins of thy Beloved, StS, Novembers Doom are perfect for me as well !

See anyone live this year?

This year: Heidevolk (3 times), Swallow the Sun (3 times), Paganfest, going to see Týr this Saturday then… some Heidevolk, StS and Insomnium the following months ! I lately invested in a better camera, can be of some use.

What's your favourite StS track and why?

Under the Waves. It’s the first song I heard and fall in love with it at once. I like many others as well but this one goes deeper in me I think. The main theme has rage, despair and sadness and is very melodic at the same time.

Favorite song of all time by any band?

Sonata Arctica – The Cage. (and yes, I assume, I listen to SA. You asked favorite, not beautiful. I would say then Anathema – Anyone Anywhere, Apocalyptica – Farewell…)

It was at Paganfest 2009 in Tilburg (NL). Some band was playing and Christopher Bowes of Alestorm, completely drunk, came on stage by crowdsurfing. Then he started to grab the singer and sing with him, when the big guy of the security came and violently grabbed him and tried to throw him in the public… and you could see this roadie running on stage from the backstage waving and screaming “noooo! Not him!” ^^

What song do you have in your collection we would poke fun at you for the most?

I have some Blink 182 on my pc. Ok, you can poke.

Have you seen StS live?

Many times but not enough, the shows are too shorts!

What metal bands do you just dislike and why?

I like different metal kinds. I just don’t like metal bands who think they are the best in the world and ignore the fans. Children of Bodom for example who didn’t even stop to say “hi” to my friend who was waiting for hours in the cold outside the venue, when completely sick guys (at the time) like Johan Hegg or Tony Kakko took time with us that we had to send them back to their bus. The rest is question of taste/mood.

Do you have any other hobbies?

Yes ! drawing, reading, photographing, doing sport and… I love hiking! I’m the strange girl you’ll meet in desertical (cold) natural parks taking pics of flowers, birds and landscape. To see the Barents sea was one of the best time of my life. When I’ll have a secure working place I’ll buy my tickets for Chile - Torres del Paine and Punta Arenas.

Where do you live, and can you tell us a bit about what it's like?

 I live in a regional town Pskov situated approx between St. Petersburg and Moscow, so to say between two capitals of Russia; the actual capital and the northern capital. The town is quite ancient; it's 1107 years old.

What do you do to get money?

I'm studying at the university at the moment and I'm getting a scholarship. Also I'm working as a translator from time to time and on other various part-time jobs.

Where and how did you first hear Swallow the Sun?

Actually, I don't remember. It's strange, but it's so. The first album I heard was Hope, I think somewhere in 2007. More than that, it turned out that I needed some time for StS music to grow on me. But it did, and now I absolutely love all their albums and even own them on vinyls and not only on vinyls :)

What about other metal? Who are your favourite bands?

It's not the easy to answer question. Actually, many of them. One thing to say for sure, I don't like that new genres in metal that are trendy these days; like mathcore, metalcore, deathcore, etc etc And I'm not listening to metal music only. It's primary for me, but I also quite like jazz, for example. So, to cut a long story short, I don't limit myself with genres or something.

See anyone live this year?

Yeah. Amazing show on New Night Over Europe Tour; Katatonia/Swallow The Sun/Long Distance Calling. It was a long trip from Russia to Warsaw, Poland, but it was absolutely worth it. Also I've attended some shows in my hometown.

The one that impressed me most of all was the show of Chris Magerl. He used to play in Once Tasted Life, the Austrian band. And now he's just doing the acoustic tours. His music is really honest and he turned out to be a very nice guy, we two were sitting and just talking backstage for nearly 40 minutes, I suppose. Check him out if you don't only like the things fast and heavy ;)

What's your favourite StS track and why?

I can't say. I think I can say, that I like them all and absolutely love many of them, the songs are really important and precious to me.

Favorite song of all time by any band?

That's even more difficult than the previous question. I can't point out one song, it's too tough. Maybe I don't even have one that stands that much above all the others at any period of my life.

What song do you have in your collection we would poke fun at you for the most?

Oh, I have no idea. Well, of course, I used to listen to some shit in my childhood ;) But maybe it wasn't too shitty when compared with the stuff the kids usually listen at that age.

Have you seen StS live?

Yeah, on the 1st of April at Stodola, Warsaw, Poland. That was the first and the last StS show for me so far. Looking forward to the next one!

What metal bands do you just dislike and why?

I've already written some words about that above, speaking about metal, some modern genres in metal. And there's a lot of music I simply don't care about. Also I don't like the arrogant bands with the so-called rock star syndrome. Things like that often make fans sad and disappointed.

Do you have any other hobbies?

Yeah, I'm playing acoustic, electric and bass guitars, drums. Hopefully will learn how to play more instruments in the future. Also interested in foreign languages. Travelling is also my hobby. So, anything that I like and what makes my life taste like real life - interesting and special.

Where do you live, and can you tell us a bit about what it's like?

I live in Prince George BC, generally it's a quiet town. I love living here, the cold winters and hot summers make for a nice balance. Our music scene is a tight knit community that has a very friendly, welcoming vibe.

What do you do to get money?

Currently i'm between jobs for the first time in a long time, so in the meantime I commission tattoo flash. If it's in my abilities I will draw it to specifications.

Where and how did you first hear Swallow the Sun?

A good friend of  mine has a vast music collection consisting mostly of Finnish and Swedish metal. I was looking through his never ending library and the name Swallow the Sun jumped out at me. I loaded 'The Morning Never Came'onto my iPod and two days later I was at the mall with 'Hope' and an iTunes card in hand to complete my collection.

What about other metal? Who are your favourite bands?

Tough question, but to narrow it down to the core of my favourites; Dissection, Emperor, Iron Maiden, Goatwhore, Deadriver Wasteland, and of course Swallow the Sun..

See anyone live this year?

Not really. Just local bands and a few out of town bands from the immediate area. On April 18th i'm making the 10 hour trip to Vancouver to see Swallow the Sun, Moonsorrow, and Finntroll on the 22nd.

What's your favourite StS track and why?

It's a tie between These Low Lands, and Psychopath's Lair. It's really, really difficult to choose though. Their music is composed so beautifully, with so much feeling, and integrity.

Favorite song of all time by any band?

Dark Mother Divine by Dissection. No matter what kind of mood i'm in, it's something I can listen to easily.

What song do you have in your collection we would poke fun at you for the most?

I have entire albums from the Irish Folk singer Christy Moore on my iPod, and recently I couldn't get Lady Gaga's song 'Bad Romance' out of my head, so there's that as well and TONS of video game music by composers like Jesper Kyd and Koji Kondo.

Have you seen StS live?

Yes, on tour with Soilwork, Darkane, and Warbringer February 28th 2009.

What metal bands do you just dislike and why?

I really dislike Warbringer's music. I've given it a chance and listened with an open mind but I just can't stand them. I saw them as supporting acts 4 times last year though.

Do you have any other hobbies?

I play acoustic guitar, strung left handed. I love photography, I draw and paint extensively and i'm always writing. I do quite a bit of sewing as well. Modifying men's band shirts to fit me, and patchwork for myself and friends.

Where do you live, and can you tell us a bit about what it's like?

I live in Pioneer, California. Essentially it's a tiny, cold little
town thrown in the middle of nowhere.

What do you do to get money?

I give guitar lessons to large amounts of annoying little kids.

Where and how did you first hear Swallow the Sun?

I was first introduced to Swallow the Sun by a friend of mine, he let me borrow a copy of The Morning Never Came and Hope, along with Funerals From These Wounds Cd. It was my first experience with doom metal and I became attached almost immediately, downloading Ghosts of Loss along with Cd's from several other similar bands.

What about other metal? Who are your favourite bands?

As a musician, I listen to about anything. My favorites are probably
Swallow the sun, Draconian, October Tide, Daylight Dies, Skepticism, Opeth, Dark Tranquility and Katatonia. Along with BFMV, A7x, Pink Floyd etc. But pretty much anything playing I'll enjoy.

See anyone live this year?

Not yet, waiting till April 24th to see sts play in San Fran :p Can't wait.

Funniest thing at a concert you went to?

My friend was punched in the kidney by a fat Mexican at Taste of Chaos, thats about all i can think of.

What's your favourite StS track and why?

Id have to say either Out of this Gloomy Light or Falling world, both are incredible melodies. I love the way the songs are set up, mournful,
beautiful, and yet at the same time dark and crushing. They did an incredible job.

Favorite song of all time by any band?

Same as above, Swallow the Sun has probably created my favorite
compositions. The arrival by Skepticism and Inside the particle Storm by Dark Tranquility are both there too though.

What song do you have in your collection we would poke fun at you for the
most?

Um... I have Boston on my Ipod, and Paramore for some reason :o I honestly dont remember adding either of those, yet somehow they're there.

Do you have any cool tricks/bend parts of your body funny ways/other such things?

Actually yes, im double jointed in my arms, and can bend them around my body, it can be amusing at times.

Have you seen StS live?

Not yet, will in April though :p

What metal bands do you just dislike and why?

AC/CD, for sure. They've been playing the exact same song for
the past twenty years, just ever so slightly changed :/ And about half of the other bands from the eighties, no originality or skill whatsoever.

Do you have any other hobbies?

Pretty much just chillin with friends and playing my guitar. Music is
pretty much my life, all my free time is put towards that. Either learning new songs or composing my own.

Anything else we should know about you?

Absolutely nothing, that I can think of anyways.

Where do you live, and can you tell us a bit about what it's like?

I live in Vancouver, BC, a fairly large Canadian city. However, there are mountains and the ocean nearby so there is a good balance between living in a city and being near nature as well. (There are bears in my backyard sometimes =x) I find it very beautiful, and from skiing to going to the beach, there certainly is a lot to do!

 What do you do to get money?

 I live at home and am a full-time student, so I only really work in the summer. I worked at the Citizenship office last summer, but I’m not working right now. I want to travel a lot so I have a feeling I’ll need to work more during the semester too. No luck at the moment though =(

Where and how did you first hear Swallow the Sun?

I post on an Extreme Metal forum and they were recommended to me, by Colony from these forums actually. This was last summer so I haven’t been a fan for an extremely long time but they became one of my favorite bands almost immediately. I believe the first Swallow the Sun song I ever heard was either “Don’t Fall Asleep” or “Swallow”. What about other metal?

Who are your favourite bands?

I will limit my favorites to the top 3, which would be Dark Tranquillity, Swallow the Sun and Insomnium. Other bands I really like are: Mirrorthrone, Wintersun, Zonaria, Novembers Doom, The Fall of Every Season, In Mourning, Anaal Nathrakh, Forest of Shadows, Mourning Beloveth, and Draconian. In general I mostly listen to death/doom, funeral doom, melodic death, and symphonic black metal, but my tastes are fairly eclectic metal-wise.

See anyone live this year?

I just saw Swallow the Sun (with Warbringer, Darkane, and Soilwork) twice a few days ago =) I also saw Amon Amarth with Ensiferum, Belphegor and The Absence a few months ago.

What's your favourite StS track and why?

Well it doesn’t help that I’m very indecisive and all of them are amazing, but I will try my hardest =P I would probably choose Through Her Silvery Body because no matter how often I listen to it, the beginning always gives me shivers, especially as it starts off quietly and the main melody leads into the song. I need to mention The Morning Never Came for the same reason – the contrast between soft and hard vocals brings out the melody and helps to create the moody atmosphere. I am also quite attached to the lyrics, haha. I can’t exactly say anything about the lyrics for Through Her Silvery Body, as I have yet to decipher them completely, but if someone happens to know them it would be appreciated ;)

Favourite song of all time by any band?

Again, the indecisiveness kicks in, but I’ll have to say In the Groves of Death by Insomnium. It’s a beautiful song, and the lyrics always make me feel better on days that are not so good.

What song do you have in your collection we would poke fun at you for the most?

I’m slightly ashamed to admit it but when I was younger I used to listen to Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync, Britney Spears and whoever else was popular in ‘99 so I have a few of those CDs. Does anyone remember Eiffel 65? I have one of their CDs too, haha.

Have you seen StS live?

Yes, twice this week. It was undoubtedly the best concert experience so far =D

What metal bands do you just dislike and why?

I don’t really like judging bands just because I don’t like their music, but what really irritates me is when a band is playing live and you can sense them trying to be cool or something others expect them to be by swearing to an extreme, acting overly arrogant and being involved in general gimmicks.

Do you have any other hobbies?

I’ve been playing the piano for about 14 years, although after starting university I’ve had less time to practice. Sometimes I try to play some parts of metal songs by ear, but mostly I play classical music. I really respect people who are able to compose songs because even after playing for so many years, I cannot for the life of me come up with anything. I’ve also always enjoyed writing, and I write poetry mostly. However, one year for an English class one of the assignments was to enter a writing contest where we had to write a 50 000 word story within one month, so I can safely say I have written a novel, no matter how amateur =P

Do you have any cool tricks/bend parts of your body funny ways/other such things?

I always thought being double-jointed would be cool, but sadly I am not. I can do the splits - that’s about it. Some “tricks” that most people can do and I always wanted to do was whistle and wink, but for some reason I can’t do either of them properly.

I live in Woodley in the UK. It's about half an hour away from Reading by bus, which is where everybody escapes to for some unnecessary shopping :).

Woodley is home to many unwanted chavs and drunken teenagers: it doesn't get better than that!

What do you do to get money?

I pester my parents ;). I'm still at school, you see.

Where and how did you first hear Swallow the Sun?

Very recently. I'd heard their name mentioned a few times before, and then at their gig in Oxford on 2/12/08 (supporting Apocalyptica), I was there and I fell in love straight away.

What about other metal? Who are your favourite bands?

I like a lot of bands. My all time favourite is Apocalyptica, and I also love metal bands such as Metallica, Turisas, Children of Bodom, Swallow The Sun (of course), Opeth, BFMV etc.
I have a strange love for Kings of Leon that I've had since I was young.

See anyone live this year?

Not yet. In February I'll be at Children of Bodom, and in March I'll be seeing Nightwish for a second time. Then hopefully it's Reading Fest, and Metalfest (purely for StS). (:

Funniest thing at a concert you went to?

When Paavo Lötjönen from Apocalyptica ripped open his shirt on stage and so many girls screamed in amazement. Then after the show he told us that it was the first time he'd ever done that and he didn't particularly enjoy it. :)

What's your favourite StS track and why?

At the moment I'm completely in love with the entire Plague of Butterflies song. Each section just hits me emotionally. Like I lay in bed listening to it one night in a really melancholy mood, and hearing Mikko's voice at the beginning of Losing The Sunsets set me off crying.
The whole song just sounds so much more beautiful when you really pay attention to it and are in the mood for it. It also helps to pass the time in my maths class ;)..

I also can't get enough of Descending Winters (because it was the first song I heard of theirs) and Don't Fall Asleep (because the music is really nice to hear =]).

Favourite song of all time by any band?

"Plague of Butterflies" by StS - explained a bit in the previous question, but it's just beautiful. I love a lot of StS's songs, but this one conquers all. It ties in so much emotion in 3 sections which I find simply breathtaking.

"Use Somebody"by Kings of Leon - this song gets me every time. Caleb's voice is pretty amazing. If you don't mind a bit of indie/rock now and again, I strongly recommend it.

What song do you have in your collection we would poke fun at you for the most?

Haha, there's lots. A couple I can reveal without destroying ALL my dignity are:

Wham! - Freedom
UB40 - Red, Red Wine
Rod Stewart - Baby Jane
Prince - Purple Rain
I have A LOT of Green Day on my playlist. A LOT!
The rest, I shall leave as a mystery to you. ;)

Do you have any cool tricks/bend parts of your body funny ways/other such things?

Well I can interest people with the fact that I was born with nerve damage in my right shoulder, so this pretty much means I can't lift my right arm up very high. I can't do much with it in general. It is quite amusing to see the shock on people's faces when they say "lift your arms up", and I say, "I can't"

Have you seen StS live?

Yes, twice. The first time, mentioned before, was in Oxford 2/12/08. The second time was in London 12/12/08.

What metal bands do you just dislike and why?

I really hate AC/DC. They are so annoying! Seriously. I also hate Airbourne (if you call them metal at all) because they sound exactly like AC/DC.
I don't particularly like Satyricon either. Annoying, mindless scream that gets stuck in your head and won't go away!

Do you have any other hobbies?

I love being with my friends just hanging out, drinking and occasionally smoking. I also love going for walks and not coming back for hours, or sitting in a park alone just thinking.
Another of my hobbies is just going to metal gigs. If I could, I would go to one every day. I love the smell, the screams, the music, the way the drumbeats seem to hit you in the chest, the aggression, and the friendly people. :)

Anything else we should know about you?

If you ever meet me I'm rather shy at first. And I swear too much.

Where do you live, and can you tell us a bit about what it's like?

 I live in Newcastle Upon Tyne on the North East coast of England. People from here are known as Geordies (pronounced “jeeordees”) and we are known as friendly, welcoming folk, with a strange accent who are crazy about our local football team Newcastle United!

 We are within 10-15 minute drives from beautiful countryside in the county of Northumberland and gorgeous coastlines with lots of sand, although it’s usually a bit cold to sunbathe!

What do you do to get money?

I am a lecturer in music and am in charge of a course for about 60 16-19 year olds who all want to be the next big thing in all different kinds of popular music.

I also play piano for a large choir, teach piano, do choral arrangements of everything from jazz to metal (I did some arrangements of Sonata Arctica tracks that Tony Kakko came and performed earlier this year – there are some clips on Youtube if you search for my username – Zoid1892), and sometimes go and play piano for posh parties!

Where and how did you first hear Swallow the Sun?

I heard the song “Swallow” on a free Terrorizer magazine CD and have been hooked ever since. Something about the music just hits my button!

What about other metal? Who are your favourite bands?

So many. Literally hundreds. My big favourites range from Alice in Chains and Faith No More to Isis and StS, through to Misery Index and Bloodbath, Darkthrone to Wolves in the Throne Room, Scar Symmetry and In Flames to Sonata Arctica and Frank Black. I could go on and on and on…

See anyone live this year?

Er…This year I’ve seen Misery Index, Cult of Luna, Nile with Grave, Belphegor and Omnium Gatherum (great show!), Earth, Frank Black, Seasick Steve, Dillinger Escape Plan, Megadeth, Velvet Revolver, Nightwish, Sonata Arctica, Nachtmystium, Levellers, Ministry, Queensryche, Ben Folds, Meshuggah and the Wacken Festival! Phew! Didn’t realise there were so many.

What's your favourite StS track and why?

Unbelievably difficult question. “Swallow” because it was my first StS track and sent shivers up my spine from the first time. I even remember where I was driving when it first came on the sampler CD.

“The Justice of Suffering” for Jonas Renke’s stunning contribution.

“Silence of the Womb” as it was the first time that I heard Mikko’s clean vocals on my first listen through TMNC and realised that this was even more of a special band.

“Evael” is also astonishingly beautiful.

But perhaps the favourite is “Doomed to Walk the Earth”. Two thirds of the way through, the heart-breaking clean melody, then the build, and then the same tune with everyone going at it – 6:27 to 6:51 blows my mind, the first chord change is literally one of my favourite moments in music history: Tear in my eye or shiver down my spine EVERY time.

Favourite song of all time by any band?

Goodness me… Alice in Chains – Man in the Box

Wolves in the Throne Room – Behold the Vastness and Sorrow

 Wintersun – Winter Madness

Pantera – 5 Minutes Alone

Isis – The Other …amongst thousands…

What song do you have in your collection we would poke fun at you for the most?

Oh there’s probably loads. I have a secret love of Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine… Her Homecoming Concert video from the late 80s gets a play every now and then…

Have you seen StS live?

Once – at Wacken 2007. Only a half hour but a treasured memory. I spent it with my hands on my head and a tear in my eye. Maybe sad but true.

What metal bands do you just dislike and why?

Iron Maiden. Shocking to many I know, but just eternally boring to me. How many bloody “woah oh oh” singalong sections do we need?

Do you have any other hobbies?

As I mentioned earlier, Newcastle United – my local football team – is a major passion. I have a season ticket. And even though we are pretty rubbish most of the time, and never win anything, they will always be “my boys”!

I got an e-mail or two asking me to turn the tables and fill this out myself, so here it is! I don't envy any of you filling it out; it was tough!

Where do you live, and can you tell us a bit about what it's like? What does SEM mean?

I live in San Diego, California though I am originally from Bedford, England; I moved here about 8 years ago with work. I think San Diego is the most beautiful place in America. The people are kind with a great sense of fun, and there is so much to do here. Mexico is only 40 minutes away, snowboarding and skiing just to our north, and then the most beautiful beaches right on our doorstep while we are surrounded by mountains. The weather here never changes - warm all year around which I like. You can keep your snow!

SEM - My initials/nickname.

What do you do to get money?

I work for a video game company; a great place to work if you enjoy the same passions as me. I listen to music all day long, decorate my office in crazy stuff, and work with dorks all day! I would like to tell you that I make the tea as my job because I am British and everyone expects it, but I'd be lieing ;)

Where and how did you first hear Swallow the Sun?

Someone told me to listen to Plutonium Orange, and from there I found StS.  I am not the biggest fan of death metal vocals and so it took me some time to get into it.  A friend kept trying to make me listen to other bands like CoB and I just couldn't get into it. I kept going back to StS though because of the melodies; I thought the music itself was just so beautiful to listen to. I remember playing Out Of This Gloomy Light a lot, and it's still one of my favourite songs. Eventually something just clicked, and I appreciated the vocals and that was it. I think Mikko has something about his voice that just fits perfectly and really makes him stand out.

What about other metal? Who are your favourite bands?

Iron Maiden are my all time favourite band.  Of course then it is Swallow the Sun. Then it would be Megadeth, Plutonium Orange, Apocalyptica, Machine Men, Metallica (I didn't buy the new album yet), Bruce Dickinson. I am getting into CoB more and more too!  There's some others I like, but those are the main ones.

I'd love to tell you I am a fan of Manowar, just for laughs but again I would be lieing; they made the second best album covers though!

See anyone live this year?

Children of Bodom twice, Finntroll, Iron Maiden three times, Apocalyptica, Megadeth twice, Nifelhelm, and I will see StS and Apocalyptica December 4th in England!

What's your favourite StS track and why?

Hope. When I put the album on for the first time the intro gave me shivers. I could, and did, play the song over and over and over until any normal person would want to stab themselves in the ears.  I love it.

Favourite song of all time by any band?

Hallowed Be Thy Name - Iron Maiden. (I have the opening bars to the song tattooed on my arm)

A Tout Le Monde - Megadeth (original) (I have the chorus tattooed on my wrist)

Hope - Swallow the Sun.

What song do you have in your collection we would poke fun at you for the most?

In my collection there are way too many, so I checked my ITunes which only has what I listen to regularly and here's what I found:

I have Aerosmith - I don't wanna miss a thing because I'm a girl, and girls are soppy. David Gray - White Ladder - I love that album especially Sail Away! Def Leppard - me and two of my friends made a pact to see them every single tour and we do! I have a Whitesnake album there too...David Coverdale was dreamy ;)

Have you seen StS live?

Yes. In Corona, CA last year. It was fantabulous.

What metal bands do you just dislike and why?

I don't want to sound like my dad, but, there's some bands that personally for me sound all the same. Hehehe. I like music with feeling and thought that you can almost touch. However, if you wanted to lock me in a room with nu-metal or Britney Spears playing on repeat all day, I'll take the first every time.

Do you have any other hobbies?

I have two big passions - music, and football (soccer for the Americans), and I am a big Tottenham Hotspur fan.  Since I was 11 years old they have been my team, and it's one of the few things I really miss from England.  My friends keep me up to date though and are regularly on hand to tease me when we lose.

I like to surf though I'm not very good at it - good at falling down and drinking a lot of salt water. I have recently learned the rules of American football and have season tickets to the San Diego Chargers - it's a great few hours on a Sunday.  I read ever such a lot - I know people always say they read, but I truly do!  I enjoy going to the movie theater too - and want to see the new Guy Ritchie movie, Rocknrolla that came out here Friday and the new Bond looks great!

I also go spinning for an hour three times a week!  Great fun. San Diego has a lot of mountains, and I wish I hiked more - that's something I will set about to do. I love shopping too - I spend far too much money on clothes, and stuff. (Stuff is the girl word for unecessary crap/shoes)  Of course finally, and most importantly, I run this site in my spare time :)

If you are still reading this, you're a freak!

Where do you live, and can you tell us a bit about what it's like?

I live in a small town in Norway. So there is a lot of mountain around, the sea, actually very beautiful north nature.

What do you do to get money?

At this moment I don't do anything

Where and how did you first hear Swallow the Sun?

A few songs I have listened only because StS should play before
Amorphis gig in their Silent Waters tour. I think it was something from Hope album. But StS I had started to listen only after I had seen a band live, but I don't remember anything from this gig:)

What about other metal? Who are your favourite bands?

I don't know how about metal, but I have 3 most favourite bands -
Amorphis, HIM and Swallow the Sun. And also my favourites are Fields of the Nephilim, My Dying Bride, Before the Dawn, Ajattara, Type o Negative etc.

See anyone live this year?

Only HIM in Sweden and StS in Jyvaskyla. So I'm already long time without concerts...

What's your favourite StS track and why?

Very hard question actually... But I can try to call pair songs from each album. So there are Swallow, Out of this gloomy light, The Giant, The Ship, Psychopath's Lair, Don't fall asleep, Hope, Too Cold for Tears, Doomed to Walk the Earth, Plague of Butterflies...oh, no I can't stop really, I love each song. And
why? It even more a hard question, I cannot answer.

Favourite song of all time by any band?

It's a lot...ok:

Nightwish - The dead boy's poem

Amorphis - Alone

HIM - Circle of fear

Nightwish - The dead boy's poem

Amorphis - Alone

My Dying Bride - The dreadful hours

What song do you have in your collection we would poke fun at you for the most?

In my collection a lot songs you would poke fun at me:)

Have you seen StS live?

Yes, 3 times. Only:)

What metal bands do you just dislike and why?

Marilyn Manson, Slipknot.

Do you have any other hobbies?

Music, long walks, I like to photograph, but I'm not so good photographer :)

Where do you live, and can you tell us a bit about what it's like?

I currently live in a small town in Nova Scotia, Canada. Just moved here about a year ago actually. It's quite nice and it's pretty calm but very boring. I'm usually just inside listening to music and talking to friends. And there's not many concerts or anything to go to, metal-wise that is so I'm having to save a lot of money to travel so I can see metal bands.

What do you do to get money?

I currently am employed at my Uncle's Hot Tub and Pool business whereby I help install pools and hot tubs. That's how I get my money that I mostly end up using for CD's and band merchandise. It's hard work but the money is REALLY good ;)

Where and how did you first hear Swallow the Sun?

The first time I heard Swallow The Sun was at home while I was on the forums for gametrailers.com. I'm in a group that is all about Extreme Metal and every week there is a VS competition between bands. One week, Swallow The Sun was one of those bands (they won ^_^) and so I listened to them. At first, I didn't like STS at all. But a couple weeks afterwards after I had gotten a little more use to Doom Metal and such I fell in love with the band. I didn't become a die hard fan or anything (I am now though) but I did thoroughly enjoy their sound and am always listening to them.

What about other metal? Who are your favourite bands?

I listen to pretty much anything now. I use to only listen to Melodic Death Metal but I have grown into all types of metal. I've become more diverse in my taste which is a huge plus to me since I get to find amazing bands every week.

Some of my favorite genres include Folk Metal, Doom Metal and Melodic Death Metal. My favorite bands always change (except for some like STS who always stay up there) but my current favorite bands would be Opeth, Dark Tranquillity, Swallow The Sun, Wintersun, Moonsorrow, Ensiferum, Zonaria, Transcending Bizarre?, UneXpect, Diablo Swing Orchestra, Woods Of Ypres, Vehemence, Novembers Doom, Katatonia, and well, I could go on for ages but I think we're good.

See anyone live this year?

Well, really only local bands but they were pretty good. I saw Blinded By Faith with Thine Eyes Bleed and Hellacaust which is a local Black Metal band.

What's your favourite StS track and why?

This may be the toughest question I have been asked. I think the only way I can safely answer this without regretting it later is to name my favorite track off each album.

And those would be 'Through Her Silvery Body' from The Morning Never Came because it is the first STS song I got into, 'Gloom, Beauty And Despair' from Ghosts Of Loss because of the really creepy feeling I get from the beginning and the crushing atmosphere it presents through most of the song, and finally 'Don't Fall Asleep (Horror Pt. 2)' from Hope because of how melodic it is. I especially love the lyrics to it and think they are sensational. Not to mention those clean vocals that Mikko uses that are breath-taking to say the least.

Favourite song of all time by any band?

This one, no matter how much I like STS, has to go to 'Sadness And Hate' by Wintersun. It is one of the most energetic and beautiful pieces of music I have heard in my life.

What song do you have in your collection we would poke fun at you for the most?

Well, I guess the one song that I like that would make me embarrassed would be 'Icky Thump' by The White Stripes. It's so catchy though!

Have you seen StS live?

No, but if you're willing to somehow get me to see them live then that would be greatly appreciated =)

If you could meet one famous musician and ask them one question, who would it be and what would you ask?

Once again, no matter how much I would like to ask any member of STS a question, the one musician I would ask a question to would be Jari Mäenpää and the question would be 'How does it feel to be a god?'

What metal bands do you just dislike and why?

Slipknot. Way too many failed attempts at being heavy and they try too hard to look BRUTAL that they end up looking like clowns.

Do you have any other hobbies?

Other then listening to music, I enjoy playing video games (Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion!), playing Basketball, doing digital artwork such as making custom album covers, forum signatures and wallpapers for the computer, writing lyrics and chatting away on the forums. Those would be my main hobbies, and all I can think of right now.

Do you have any cool tricks/bend parts of your body funny ways/other such things?

Well, let me think. I can play Guitar Hero on Expert really well :P But no, I think the only thing that I can do that would be strange or cool or any of that would be that I can eat REALLY spicy foods and feel little to no effect. I'm talking Suicide Sauce on some hot wings and not sweating at all.

Where do you live?

I currently live in Sydney, Australia, though Hong Kong is my home (Yep I'm Chinese). Sydney is a well known city, but often mistaken as the capital due to its worldwide tourist attractions.

How do you make money?

At the moment, I'm a full time graphics and photography student. I'm currently unemployed, but ever since I turned 16 I've been financially supported by the state government because my family is considered to be living below the poverty line, thus my parents couldn't afford to support me?

How did you get into metal?

For as long as I remember I was very big on classic rock, classical and symphonic music; parental influence. It wasn't until I was about twelve that I wanted more or rather a change in my musical taste. After experimenting and becoming disappointed with mainstream music at the time, an older family member sat me down and played me their Arch Enemy CD. Needless to say, haha I loved it!

What about Swallow the Sun?

Ok, if I remember correctly a friend of mine who back in 2004 (?) Was listening to Swallow the Sun's first album. I was interested purely because he got me into Opeth a while before then. I bought myself a copy, and I've pretty much been hooked since.

Who are your favourite other bands?

I would say I have a pretty diverse taste since I support a band not just because they sound pleasing, but also because they are 'musically intelligent' for various reasons that I cannot explain without writing a 50 page essay. These include: Arch Enemy (back then), Opeth, Nightwish, X Japan, Electric Light Orchestra, Within Temptation, older Children of Bodom material, DarkTranquillity, Forest of Shadows, Daylight Dies, Eternal Tears of Sorrow, Lilitu, Sonata Arctica, Yoshiki, Malice Mizer, Ludwig van Beethoven, and last but definitely not the least, Swallow the Sun.

Favourite song of all time by any band?

 Hmm I'm stuck between 4:

Arch Enemy - 'Silverwing'

Arch Enemy - 'Burning Angel'

Eternal Tears of Sorrow 'The River Flows Frozen'

Nightwish - 'The Poet and the Pendulum'

What band do you dislike the most in the metal genre?

Well, I generally don't hold such grudges against bands in metal (I basically ignore, forget), but one that has disappointed me the most as far as I remember would be… Slipknot (not that you can call them metal anyway).

Have you seen StS live?

Nope, but I would LOVE to.

Do you have any weird talents?

I'm double jointed in every part of my body… that I have experimented with so far. I can also tie a knot with a jelly snake using only my tongue in about 5 seconds. I don't get drunk on beer, or vodka – it takes more than half a bottle of spirits in an hour to screw me over.

If you could meet one famous musician and ask them one question, who would it be and what would you ask?

'Tuomas Holopainen' TUTOR MEEE!?!?!

What concerts have you been to/gone to this year?

I saw Nightwish earlier this year, and I will be seeing Opeth in a few months time. I'm not too big on the whole gigging scene; it's rare for me to attend more than 2-3 gigs per year.

Any hobbies? Things you do in your spare time?

I'm a musician with a shitload of theoretical knowledge from all the tutoring in the past 15 or so years I've been studying it. I play several instruments; the piano, and guitars are my majors. I'm generally the composer (songwriter + lyricist) in a band, but everything's on hold for now. As I said earlier, I'm a graphics and photography student, so I love photography, yes LOVE; I'm also keen on photo-manipulation and the like. I love discovering new and abandoned places, I love my car, and I love to sleep.

What song and by whom is on your Playlist/Itunes/Ipod that we would tease you for?

I'm constantly teased for my Asian, Classical and Symphonic music, but so far they're all ignorant remarks. Though one artist I must admit to loving is Amiel's 'Lovesong'… I can't get enough of it. I know, I know. Shut up. Haha

Anything else you want us to know?

I don't care if C is for Cookie, just give me the fucking cookie.

Where do you live?

In a small village near Jyväskylä.

How do you make money?

I'm studying at the moment and unfortunately don't get paid for it...

How did you get into metal?

Years ago I was visiting my cousin and heard him listening to "some music" that sounded pretty good to me. (= Children of Bodom, which once was my favourite...) I asked if I could borrow an album and since that day there hasn't been a single day without some kind of metal in my life.

What about Swallow the Sun?

I saw them live in 2004 if I remember correctly. I remember thinking "This is pretty good..." but I didn't actually go crazy because of them. "Out of This Gloomy Light" was the first song that really amazed me and probably that's why it has been my favourite StS-song right from the start. The true love towards their music woke up when Hope was released and I went to see the release gig at Lutakko. Since then I've been completely enchanted by all of the albums.

Who are your favourite other bands?

I mainly listen to power metal but my all-time favourite is Type O Negative. The other bands are for example Dragonforce, Moonsorrow, Blind Guardian, Good Charlotte, Shade Empire, Pain, Twilight Guardians, Turisas and of course Swallow the Sun.

Favourite song of all time by any band?

Type O Negative - Anesthesia.

What band do you dislike the most in the metal genre?

Well...When it comes to genres, I don't like music that doesn't have a clear melody, so for example these "True Norwegian Black Metal" bands are usually not my favourites.
But if I have to name a band...at least System of A Down. I can't stand them.

Do you have any weird talents?

Probably no...

If you could meet one famous musician and ask them one question, who would it be and what would you ask?

This is the one question that simply is too hard to answer!

What concerts have you been to/gone to this year?

Most of this year's gigs are still waiting to be experienced but...at least Mokoma, Stam1na, Amorphis, Dark Tranquillity, Good Charlotte, Swallow the Sun and so on...

Any hobbies? Things you do in your spare time?

Listening to music, jogging and browsing different forums on the Internet are the ones I enjoy the most.

What song and by whom is on your Playlist/Itunes/Ipod that we would tease you for?

Probably everything under the name "Good Charlotte" since I have all of their albums and music DVD's and such. :D

Anything else you want us to know?

No, I think that's all.

Where do you live, and can you tell us a bit about what it's like?

Well, I live at this moment in a small town, Queluz, it's near the Portugal's capital, Lisbon. It seems to be quiet, but it's not, because the criminality is high but apart from these bad things we have some nice places to go for a walk, like the garden near the National Palace, where many people go for jogging.

Usually I don't care that much cos I stay at home and normally go out to work, shopping, movies, concerts or visit relatives. Nothing special, I'd say.

What do you do to get money?

At this moment I have a part-time job at the supermarket, working as a cashier and occasionally I write/take pictures for a Portuguese metal webzine.

Where and how did you first hear STS?

Through the Sentenced forum, some users were talking about 'Hope' album two years ago and that made me curious and weeks later a friend of mine from Finland offered me the cd, I know I got them really late, but better late than never, at least we are into music.

Tell us about when you met them last year.

Ok, let me see if I remember something cos I'm getting old and I can't enter into details :D hehe...Well, it was on the 2nd November 2007, hours before their gig in a small venue near Lisbon. I was the first person to arrive there (no, I'm not joking), and as it was really early, about 5 p.m., I carried a book with me and could go on reading it, so I sat near the artists entrance and began to read.

Minutes later I realized that STS were doing sound check as I recognized the first notes of 'These Hours of Despair'. After a while, some of them went outside and I decided to be quiet ;) until some of their friends came and sat near me. Suddenly I noticed the familiar language (yes, Finnish - I studied it for 3 years at the University) they were speaking and one of them pointed at my necklace (it's the famous Finnish lion) and I replied to him in Finnish.

He was so surprised and I explained how I had learnt it. Then Juha came out and this friend introduced me to him, nice boy.. :) and we had a small talk. Later my friends arrived and also the gig time, we enjoyed a lot these magic moments but the best was to come in the end, when we reached all the band members for pics and autographs, ok, I bought all their albums that were missing in my collection plus a nice girlie shirt and a patch at the merch stand.

The first member I stopped for a small talk, autographs and some pictures was Aleksi, then Matti, Markus, Pasi and at last Mikko. All of them really kind and friendly people, now I miss them and hope to meet them again someday, maybe after the plague's arrival ;) who knows?

What about other metal? Who are your favourite bands?

My favourite kind of metal is the gothic/doom ones. Uh, it would be a long list, but I'll just say some of the names that are coming into my memory now...Amorphis, Sentenced, Moonspell, Swallow The Sun, Saturnus, Anathema, The Gathering, Nightwish, Within Temptation, Desire, Poisonblack, Insomnium, Charon, To/Die/For, Katatonia, Opeth, Amon Amarth or Apocalyptica.I also like non-metal stuff, like Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Sarah Brightman, Emma Shapplin, Andrea Bocceli, The Mission, Joy Division, The Cure, Madonna, Vaya Con Dios, Tori Amos, Kate Bush, Tenhi.

See anyone live this year?

Yes, I will see Nightwish, Pain, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Saturnus, Moonspell, Apocalyptica, Metallica, Within Temptation, Leaves'Eyes, Evergrey, Poisonblack and many others, if they will appear...;)

Funniest thing at a concert you went to?

Well, I was attending at a Moonspell gig years ago, I was standing in the front row, was singing and enjoying, but was so distracted that for a moment I couldn't see what was in front of me, then suddenly a hand came in my direction and touched me in my head like a priest exorcizing a demon from someone, I was so surprised :O hehe

It was Fernando, the vocalist that was doing his performance and I was one of his 'victims', and in the end my friends were joking with me, saying that ' now you are a possessed one' :D

What's your favourite StS track and why?

 My favourite track is 'The Justice of Suffering' cos it's very personal for me, in a way that reminds me some of the remembrances from my childhood/youth, there's still some pain inside me so maybe it's always fair all this suffering. And Mikko's lyrics and voice are fantastic plus the special voice from Jonas Renkse (Katatonia), but this one touches me so particularly in the bottom of my heart.

What song do you have in your collection we would poke fun at you for the most?

Err...probably that kind of German disco-pop from the 80s, I have some LPs from Modern Talking and Sandra (yes, the one from 'Maria Magdalena') but now the song...might be 'You're My Heart, You're My Soul' from Modern Talking, it was the first one I listened to.

Do you have any cool tricks/bend parts of your body funny ways/other such things?

No.

What metal bands do you just dislike and why?

Hmm...I'd say the nu-metal stuff because it doesn't have anything to do with my mood.

Do you have any other hobbies?

Yes, photography, listening to music, going to the concerts/movies, writing, traveling, cooking (yes, I like to try new recipes in the kitchen), collecting stuff from my fave bands, collecting guitarpicks and setlists.

Anything else we should know about you?

 Ok, if you see me anywhere, just say 'Hi!'

Where do you live, and can you tell us a bit about what it’s like?

I live with my husband and 5-year old son in The Netherlands, in a small town approx. 30 minutes from Amsterdam. There’s not much happening there, but I kinda like that; I value my peace and quiet.

Even though I’m not too fond of Dutch people, I do like living in The Netherlands; it’s as liberal as it can get over here and generally speaking, people will leave you alone. I’m not much of a people’s person, so I do like it that way.

What do you do to get money?

I’m in QA (Quality Assurance) in an international operating company and that means I’m responsible for setting up working procedures, maintaining them and make sure people live and work by them.

I also handle all (internal and external) complaints; if my colleagues screw up, I get to tell them that, make them revise their working methods by implementing corrective measurements and make sure they won’t screw up again. Basically, I’m a professional bitch: I’m being paid for nagging : )

Where and how did you first hear STS?

Early 2007; one of my best friends sent me an e-mail (he’s Finnish, so we mostly communicate by e-mail and MSN) in which he told me he recently had bought an album of which he thought I should listen to as well.

He said he’d sent me the entire album on MSN, track by track, since he thought it was *that* great and I wouldn’t understand the greatness of the album if he’d just send me a track or two. So it went like that; he sent me the album while we were on MSN and while downloading them, I listened to a couple of tracks.

I liked what I heard, but I wasn’t as impressed as he apparently was. I put all of these songs onto my iPod and a couple of days later I had some time on my own so I decided to lie down a bit and listen to this album, which of course was ‘Hope’. From the moment the title track started to play, I got completely sucked in and I forgot all about my surroundings until the last notes died. Couple of weeks later, I’d bought all three albums.

What about other metal? Who are your favourite bands?

I do listen mostly to metal nowadays and the bands I listen to most often (apart from StS), are Ensiferum, Finntroll, Hanging Garden, Novembers Doom, Amorphis, Amon Amarth and some Slayer and Iron Maiden.

My favorite non-metal bands are Pearl Jam, The Doors, Queens of the Stone Age, HIM and Guns N’ Roses. Led Zep’s another favorite, but I never know if I have to place them in metal or non-metal section.

See anyone live this year?

This year has been a slow year, concert wise; I only saw HIM on February 28th but it was too fucking annoying – not the band (‘cause they were actually pretty good), but the audience was majorly pissing me off.

I mean: I did expect having to deal with a bunch of hysterical girls in there, but I never ever expected them to be *this* annoying. I was so pissed off, that I walked out on the damn thing.

 Funniest thing at a concert you went to?

I can’t recall any specific funny things. When I’m at a concert, I usually pay attention to the music only.

What's your favourite StS track and why?

That’s an easy one: ‘Hope’. Because the lyrics and the music fit together so perfectly, it always manages to get under my skin. Every damn time I listen to it.

What song do you have in your collection we would poke fun at you for the most?

LOL. Probably something cheesy like a Chicago song or something tacky like an ABBA song.

Do you have any cool tricks/bend parts of your body funny ways/other such things?

I don’t think so. I’m still working on burping the alphabet!

What metal bands do you just dislike and why?

Bands like Reverend Bizarre or Sunn O))). Everybody’s raving about them, but I just can’t get into them. I probably don’t ‘understand’ them, ‘cause I can’t see what’s all the fuss about. And I passionately hate nu-metal.

Do you have any other hobbies?

Reading, watching movies, having sex, going out for dinner with a bunch of friends – eating good food and drinking some fine wine always make me happy.

Anything else we should know about you?

I’m usually quite shy when I meet new people, but when I feel at ease, I tend to talk a LOT. Of course, with the right amount of alcohol in me, I consider about everyone my best friend(s). I swear a lot., but not in front of my kid (at work, I do make up for that though :-p). I’m terribly lazy.

Where do you live, and can you tell us a bit about what it's like?

I live in Bloomfield, New Mexico, USA. It's a small town outside Farmington, and Albuquerque is almost 300 miles to the south. We have very hot and dry conditions here during the warmer seasons. Winter is usually fairly cold and dry, but this year there's been more snowfall than I've ever seen here.

This area could be referred to as desert, I suppose. There are endless hills with nothing but dirt, rocks, weeds, and cedar trees. It's not so bad, though. :)

What do you do to get money?

I am currently unemployed, but I occasionally sell items on eBay. I'm almost done with my final year of high school, so I'm trying to focus on my studies and maintaining a decent GPA.

Where and how did you first hear STS?

I was browsing music at our local Hastings, and the cover art of The Morning Never Came immediately caught my eye. That was the only copy, and since then, they haven't had any other albums there. I feel very lucky to have found it.

What about other metal? Who are your favourite bands?

 I prefer music that focuses on more gloomy subjects, nature, and fantasy. Doom metal is my favorite. Swallow the Sun, Sobre Nocturne, Woods of Ypres, Empyrium, Draconian, Poema Arcanus, and Virgin Black are some of my top bands of that genre.

Orchestration is almost always a plus.With Black Metal, my choice bands are Funeris Nocturnum, Bloodline, Catamenia, Alghazanth, Dawn, and Thy Serpent.

 Others, since I don't want this list to go on forever, are Satariel, Arch Enemy, At the Gates (I'm stoked about their reunion!), and countless more.

See anyone live this year?

The most memorable was the Live Consternation tour. Swallow the Sun was amazing. I was anxious to buy a shirt before they sold out, and right when I was about to pay, they started playing Descending Winters; I hauled ass back to the stage and was right in front of Juha the entire time.

Other than the bands that played that show, I saw a few bands in the Death By Decibels tour: Abigail Williams, Cattle Decapitation, Malevolent Creation, and Vader. I've seen some local bands, as well, but not much else. There aren't many big bands that come near here.

Funniest thing at a concert you went to?

 Ah, at Live Consternation, my friend Joseph was wearing a shirt that didn't smell too pleasing... Haha! Well, there were these cool South American guys there, and when we were by the stage, one of them standing next to Joseph asked, 'Why does it smell like Italian dressing in here?' We had a great laugh over that!

Apart from that, I'll never forget the vocalist of Cattle Decapitation spitting loogies up into the air and catching them back in his mouth on-stage. One of Malevolent Creation's guitarists looked like Jeff Daniels, too.

What's your favourite StS track and why?

This question is so hard to answer! I have always loved Hold This Woe. Everything about it is perfect. The lyrics, the spoken vocals, the beautiful guitar work, and of course, Pasi's awesome drumming!

On Ghosts, I'd say Gloom, Beauty, and Despair is my favorite. When people ask what kind of music Derek (the vocalist in my band) and I play, we simply respond with those three things.

On Hope, Don't Fall Asleep always amazes me. In the middle of the song, when Mikko does the really low grawling, I love it! But then it just gets better when he does the higher-pitched grawl! Juha's tapping, too! I'll always remember seeing that live!

What song do you have in your collection we would poke fun at you for the most?

I have a few songs that some would probably be embarrassed about, like Tarzan Boy by Baltimora. Haha! That song IS the 90's!!

Do you have any cool tricks/bend parts of your body funny ways/other such things?

Nope. At least, I don't think so.

What metal bands do you just dislike and why?

 I don't like metal bands that use shock to gain popularity. Granted, it gets them famous, but it's just filler for gaps in talent. Marilyn Manson and Slipknot immediately come to mind. I wouldn't even classify them as metal, anyway, but I thought I'd mention them.

Do you have any other hobbies?

I play music, usually, whether it be guitar, drums or some other percussion, or keyboard. (Check out my band Methuselah Burning. We're on myspace. ;) )

I also love exploring out in the wilderness. Hiking, camping, rock climbing, snowboarding, and meddling in water, even though I'm a terrible swimmer.

I love the outdoors, but I'm more likely to spend my time with friends, either hanging out at The Triangle Cafe (our local favorite), recording music, or terrorizing Farmington.

Anything else we should know about you?

 I'm going to Munich on March 25. Look for me in the clubs!

Where do you live, and can you tell us a bit about what it's like?

 I live in Jyväskylä, Finland. Jyväskylä is in Central Finland and has the population of ~84 000 people. I like living here, because the Finnish climate is, or at least was, various and beautiful. This city is good for me, because it's not too big and not too small either. Finland in common is nice too, I like traveling here. We also have lots of lakes, vodka and violence. And metal music.

What do you do to get money?

 I'm a full-time student. Hopefully someday I'll be paid for writing.

Where and how did you first hear STS?

 My friend played The Morning Never Came for me in 2003. Then I saw my first gig and it was StS in December.

What about other metal? Who are your favourite bands?

Yeah, I like metal music. Actually music means like a world to me. My favorite (metal) bands beside Swallow the Sun are Mustan Kuun Lapset, Katatonia, Anathema, Moonsorrow, Bathory, Armour, Before the Dawn, Ghost Brigade, Silentium and some black metal bands every once in a while. I also like some other-than-metal bands like PMMP, ShamRain and Varjo, and artists like Nancy Sinatra and Johnny Cash.

See anyone live this year?

Want a list? ;) Yeah, I'm hopefully seeing great gigs again this year. Already seen some African drumming, Before the Dawn and Dismember. Maybe I'll see StS if they play here.

Funniest thing at a concert you went to?

Well, one gig has made its way to my top list. It was Anal Cunt's Seth Putnam in January 2007. That man rocks, he wasn't in his greatest shape, but still made it through. I almost couldn't breathe while waiting when he's going to fall off the stage. Warmer bands were also funny as fck. Best StS gig for me was probably last year's Tuska Open Air opening party. They played Silence of the Womb. Ok, I didn't answer the question...

What's your favourite StS track and why?

I have to say that I love Fragile and Silence of the Womb. Maybe it's the atmosphere in all cases. I also like both's lyrics a lot. And Mikko's voice is great, too. Others I'd like to mention are The Morning Never Came and Don't Fall Asleep (those female vocals fit perfectly in.)

What song do you have in your collection we would poke fun at you for the most?

Phil Collins... PHIL FREAKING COLLINS. My friends have usually asked me, "why on earth, why?" I don't know the answer, but I like the song Long Long Way to Go.

Do you have any cool tricks/bend parts of your body funny ways/other such things?

My left wrist lives its own life, it kind of seems like it's dead or something. I can turn my thumb to touch my wrist. It's not that special, though.

What metal bands do you just dislike and why?

 I can't stand music with no feeling. I prefer honest attitude and atmosphere over perfect technique skills and flawless sounds. Especially Children of Bodom has never been my cup of tea. As a friend of lyrics I don't like songs with nothing in the lines. So I need to mention Children of Bodom again... I don't like most of the proge, power and rap metal bands either.

 Do you have any other hobbies?

Well, I write a lot. Mostly short stories of things like violence, mental disorders and Satan. I also sing, but haven't taken lessons. My biggest dreams are to sing on tape and to publish a book someday.

Anything else we should know about you?

Not actually. :P

Where do you live, and can you tell us a bit about what it's like?

I Live In Canberra. It's the capital of Australia. It's a small city full of people who work for the government. The whole city was planned out before it was built so there is lots of open space and trees. All the streets are circles with interconnecting straight roads so it looks very cool from the air. The ski resorts are only three hours drive away which is good in winter for snowboarding. Sydney is three hours drive in the opposite direction which is good for seeing international bands because they never play in Canberra.

What do you do to get money?

I'm a full time photography student. I'm just about to graduate. At the moment I work part time for an indoor plant hire company. Basically I drive around to offices and water plants. It's a good student job. I don't have to talk to anyone and I can listen to whatever I want while driving.

Where and how did you first hear Swallow the Sun?

I used to lurk on the Opeth forums a lot. Someone had a signature that said:

"SWALLOW THE SUN ARE FUCKING MINT"

(yes the text was that big)

So I downloaded The giant and thought it was great. I got the two albums for my birthday not long after.

What about other metal? Who are your favourite bands?

My favorite band is Tool. Other than that I like doom, prog, melodic, speed and a little bit of black metal.

See anyone live this year?

Have I ever;
Dead Letter Circus, *Cog* 22.11.2007
White Rose Movement, *Nine Inch Nails*  15.9.2007
White Rose Movement, *Nine Inch Nails*  16.9.2007
Serena-Maneesh, *Nine Inch Nails*  9.5.2007
Serena-Maneesh, *Nine Inch Nails* 13.5.2007
Fearscape, Astriaal, *Arcturus* - 30.3.2007
Laura, These Arms Are Snakes, *Isis* - 3.2.2007
Shapeshifters, *Tool*  31.1.2007
Big Day Out, *Tool*  28.1.2007
Big Day Out, *Tool*  25.1.2007
*Tool*  24.1.2007

Funniest thing at a concert you went to?

Nine inch nails are well known for picking really bad support bands. In 2005 NiN picked this local band called Bird Blobs for the Melbourne show. The vocalist was getting angry because the crowed was just standing there. At the end of their set he walks up to the mic and tries to say "fuck you" to the crowd but the mic is turned off. The whole crowd laughs.

What's your favourite StS track and why?

Probably Silence of the womb because I think Mikko has one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard and he really shines on that track.

I also really like The giant, Fragile, The ship, Hold this woe, The morning never came, The justice of suffering and Doomed to walk the earth.

You made some amazing tee-shirts that are displayed on the Fan Art page, and your wallpaper, can you tell us about those?

I made the wallpaper because I was board. It's basically just a photo of the band with a filter over it and the cover of The morning never came in the corner. All the graphics on it are just bits of the logo cut up at stitched back together.

The t-shirts were made for a competition about a year ago on the sts
website. All the photos used were taken by me.

What song do you have in your collection we would poke fun at you for the most?

TexANS - Who Leads You

Do you have any cool tricks/bend parts of your body funny ways/other such things?

I can spit cherry pips very long distances with a fair amount of accuracy.

What metal bands do you just dislike and why?

Nu metal bands. They sound so simple and repetitive.

Do you have any other hobbies?

I snowboard a lot.

Anything else we should know?

In January I'm going to Europe for 5 weeks of snowboarding.

Where do you live, and can you tell us a bit about what it's like?

I live in Stow, Ohio. It's not the most exciting place, but it's friendly and everyone knows everyone, it seems.

What do you do to get money?

I work at Audio Technica, which is an audio "factory", I guess. I package and assemble audio equipment for 3.5 hours Monday-Friday, it's pretty nice.

Where and how did you first hear Swallow the Sun?

I first heard Swallow the Sun from my brother and I thank him for it, hah. Unfortunately he sort of drifted away from the band, but I managed to stay a fan, talk to Mikko, and finally see them in the US in Cleveland!

What about other metal? Who are your favourite bands?

I'm actually very musically open, I guess. I'll listen to just about anything, but I really enjoy Swallow the Sun, Psyclon Nine, Katatonia, Graveworm, etc.

See anyone live this year?

I saw Swallow the Sun this year with Katatonia and Scar Symmetry and it was the greatest night of my life! I got to talk to Mikko most of the night, he signed my cigarette pack, since that was all I had, AND he remembered my name from a Myspace message I sent him months before the show, which was awesome. I also saw Psyclon Nine and Mushroomhead for their Halloween show, which was great. Other than those two, I can't think of any really good shows I've attended recently.

Funniest thing at a concert you went to?

During Scar Symmetry, a random chick put her arm around me and like..held me. And during Psyclon Nine, Nero Bellum, the lead singer, screamed "LOOK AT MY BALLS, ELLIOTT, LOOK AT MY BALLS!". And there was a drunk guy sitting next to my dad that just passed out and everyone was fucking with him, that was entertaining, yet I felt bad..Oh man, I also can never forget Devin Townsend and the shows he puts on, he ALWAYS makes me laugh!

What's your favourite StS track and why?

Hmm..I'd have to go with their newest one "Hope" because I like the way they kept their style from the previous albums but also added more singing to some of their songs like "Don't Fall Asleep". But I'm really pleased with all of their albums, they've never let me down :]

You met the band this year on their NA tour, can you tell us a bit about that night?

Like I said earlier, one of the greatest nights of my life. After StS played, I got to talk to Mikko during of the night. We took a lot of smoke breaks, hah. But we also discussed them coming back to the US for another tour and, I don't know if I should tell anyone yet, but he gave me an idea of when that might be. I also got to hug him a lot, get him to sign my cigarette pack, and took a picture from my cellphone of me, Mikko, Aleksi, Henrik from Scar Symmetry and I guess one of Mikko's friends Kai, haha. It was really a great night. We still message each other every now and again, so that's nice too.

What song do you have in your collection we would poke fun at you for the most?

Probably Celine Dion's Greatest Hits, hah. Like I said, I'm all over the board when it comes to music :]

Do you have any cool tricks/bend parts of your body funny ways/other such things?

My pinkies don't straighten and haven't really been straight since I can remember..but other than that, I'm not talented with any sweet tricks or anything like that, it's a shame.

What metal bands do you just dislike and why?

I don't listen to any metal bands I don't like after I conclude that I don't like them, aaand I can't recall the last time that's happened..but let me think, I'll get back to you! OH wait, I got one..that would be Metallica. They just sound horrible to me. Sorry Metallica fans :

Do you have any other hobbies?

Listening to music is my major past time, it's with me wherever I go. I also like to read, I'm currently on Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. And I seldom cross-stitch..yyyup. I'm also a partier, not gonna lie..but I don't let that get in the way of my school work or anything, I'm responsible :]

Anything else we should know?

I love Mikko Kotamaki and everyone else in StS and I want to fly to Finland sometime and hang out with them..it's a goal of mine, hah. I'm also very outgoing, so if I ever see anyone sweet at a show, we'll probably become friends. I can't think of anything else right now, which is sad..but thank you for this opportunity and I'm proud to be a StS fan!!

Where do you live, and can you tell us a bit about what it's like?

I live in a small city in Ontario, Canada called Willowdale. It is 40 Minutes away from Toronto. Its nice, lots of trees, good places for hockey. It is really easy to get to the big city from there. In Toronto there is lots of cool places to be. Lots of good bands come by too, so I like it. I have lived in other places, but Ontario is my home for now.

What do you do to get money?

I am a full time student. I make my money during summer by working construction and doing interlocking. Sometimes I do some work during the winter, but there is less of a need.

Where and how did you first hear Swallow the Sun?

I first heard Swallow the Sun before I went to Finland for Tuska 2006. I checked out all the bands before going and heard them. I knew definitely it would be a good show.

What about other metal? Who are your favourite bands?

I love metal. All of it. Death and Power metal are my two favourites though..
Amorphis, Paradise Lost, Withering, Noumena, Augury, Bolt Thrower, Edge of Sanity, Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius, Kamelot, Axenstar, Falconer, Edguy, and Freedom Call, Woods of Ypres, Reverend Bizarre, Witchfinder General, Saint Vitus, Candlemass, Thunderstorm, Impaled Nazarene, Celtic Frost and much much more.

See anyone live this year?

Oh yeah. Toronto gets a fair share of concerts so I go to as many as I can. This past few months was Paradise Lost, Sonata Arctica, Katatonia, Swallow the Sun, Kamelot, Skinless and more.

What's your favourite StS track and why?

Through Her Silvery Body becase its the first song I heard the the opening keyboard is just so haunting. Its a great song.

You're on the Fan Pictures site with the band, can you tell us a bit about that night and the pictures?

Yeah, ofcourse. Obviously I went to the show. I met anothet guy on fan pictures (Mike) there. We saw the Swallow the Sun show and it was awesome. Short set but they were easily the best live show of the night. I brought a camera to take photos of the show and the band. First we met Matti, and when we tried to take the photo, my camera wouldnt work. So we talked for a bit and met this other person and had to use their camera the rest of the night and take down their email. It was weird because my camera took great photos of the actual concert.

We hung out with the rest of the band (except Pasi), and they were really cool. I told them about seeing them in Tuska and how I would be moving back to Europe next year. Juha was interested in Mike's tattoo and even took a photo with their own camera. Really interesting guys, as Aleksi even remembered that Burst came on after them at Tuska and how he wanted to see thier show but was too drunk, but I told him that I met Burst later that night at my hotel. The night finished with Mikko giving me his email and telling me to send him a shout when I get to Finland next year.

What song do you have in your collection we would poke fun at you for the most?

Aside from the obvious laughs, which is my extensive power metal collection, I would have to say I have a fair bit of funny stuff in my collection. A little bit of Madonna and some Boney M, to some very little Norwegian dance music. Plenty to laugh at there.

Do you have any cool tricks/bend parts of your body funny ways/other such things?

No, but I wish I did. I would be quite the entertaining drunk.

What metal bands do you just dislike and why?

I dislike a few bands, but its more for their attitudes than for their music. If you dont like a band's music, you simply just choose not to listen to it. No need to hate them. Band's whose attitudes I dont like are Metallica, Dragonforce, Slayer, Pantera and a few others I cannot remember at the moment.

Do you have any other hobbies?

Yeah, I do. I love sports. I keep up with football teams from Europe. I love Man U. I also like Basketball, Baseball, and Hockey. My favourite Hockey team is the Montreal Canadians! I like world events and history, and that is what I am sutdying. Politics are interesting to me. I play music and write some. I am between bands at the moment though.

Where do you live?

Carlsbad, California.

How do you make money?

Work; I love my job though. I work in the video game industry and can listen to metal 8 hours a day. Everything is alright with a bit of metal.

How did you get into metal?

I had an older sister who I thought was the coolest person in the world growing up. She was into metal in a big way. She listened to Stryper, Def Leppard, and Van Halen. While I didn't get into those bands specifically it started me on my path. My very first concert was Guns 'n' Roses and that was all it took to seal the deal.

What about Swallow the Sun?

My boss at work, she started talking about them a while ago. We normally don't agree on metal bands, but in this case we are both big fans. With the exception of Megadeth, whom we both like, StS is the only other band we agree on. Swallow the Sun to me has every element in metal I look for. The vocals are amazing and the songs are each unique and have a life of their own. My personal favorite is "Out of the Gloomy Night".

Who are your favourite other bands?

Anthrax, Pantera, Megadeth, Sepultura, Mudvayne, Disturbed, Killswitch Engage, Otep, Arch Enemy, Guns 'n' Roses, Rob Zombie..too many to list.

Favourite song of all time by any band?

Toss up between two songs to be honest:

Cemetary Gates - Pantera, and Paint it Black by The Rolling Stones.(Although I have liked all remakes of it too, including "The Three Sixes" rendition) 

What band do you dislike the most in the metal genre?

I have to say three bands come to mind, but all because I think they have no depth and seem to put out all the same crap over and over with the same name. Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach, and Rage Against the Machine.

Do you have any weird talents?

I can move my eyes seperately.

If you could meet one famous musician and ask them one question, who would it be and what would you ask?

Gotta go with Rob Zombie. I want to discuss Horror Flix with him for a while. I don't think there is anyone in the world with a bigger collection than him!

What concerts have you been to/gone to this year?

Swallow the Sun, Drowning Pool, Megadeth, Flogging Molly, Rob Zombie, Powerman 5000, Static X.

Any hobbies? Things you do in your spare time?

Anything to do with the ocean, fishing and surfing are the top. I am a theme park enthusiast and love roller coasters. Horror flix too.

Can you speak Finnish?

No, but thanks to Swallow the Sun I wish I could.

What song and by whom is on your Playlist/Itunes/Ipod that we would tease you for?

Black Betty by Spider Bait