Finland has a reputation as being one of the richest countries on earth in terms of its Heavy Metal community. SWALLOW THE SUN stand as one of many examples of Finland's brilliance. Offering a slower style than many of their countrymen and a more melodic sound than their contemporaries in the Doom genre, they have built a rather decent fanbase for themselves over the last decade and recently took part in their third North American tour alongside fellow Finns MOONSORROW and FINNTROLL.

Phil: First off, how's the tour been so far?

Juha: It's been much better than what we expected because it's FINNTROLL, MOONSORROW, this Viking/Pagan Metal and then us; we are quite different from these two bands, so we were a little bit afraid about the audience, that if everybody is coming with the Viking suits [laughs] and waiting for the Battle Metal. But it's pretty good - lots of our fans in every gig so far and it seems that the Viking people can find maybe something from us, too.

Phil: You are going to be playing Israel in June - what are your expectations for that?

Matti: I've heard stories that there are wild, wild things and a good audience, but let's see. I'm looking to that.

Juha: I don't know what's going to happen, so we'll just have to go and see. The crowd seems to go crazy, but who knows, maybe they fall asleep.

Phil: Speaking of Israel, you're going to be touring North America in the fall with ORPHANED LAND from Israel and KATATONIA. What are your expectations for that tour?

Juha: We just toured with KATATONIA in Europe before we came here in America and the tour with KATATONIA was fantastic. It's a really good lineup, KATATONIA and us, music-wise, so I'm really waiting a lot from that tour in the States, too.

Matti: Cool guys, KATATONIA.

Juha: And I've never listened to ORPHANED LAND, so I cannot say anything about that.

Phil: You've toured with KATATONIA once in the States before, correct?

Matti: Yes.

Phil: Okay, that tour didn't come out this way, so I wasn't quite sure. Okay, tell us a bit about the album "New Moon".

Juha: Well, it's different. It's a SWALLOW THE SUN album, you can hear from the first note that it's SWALLOW THE SUN, but I think there's a little bit different stuff there, too this time; a little bit more Black Metal stuff maybe here and there and even more melodic, a little bit more clean vocals, so we've been trying to stretch the limits with every album we do, but still remain sounding like us. So I don't know what else to say.

Phil: Can you tell us what the writing process was like?

Juha: The writing process was like it's always been before. Basically, I do the music at my home, then I go to our second guitarist's home and we do the demos out of those songs, like basic machine drums and all the guitars, the bass and the keys and then we give the CD to all the boys and they do their own magic with the songs. That's how it's been and this time we practiced five days together before we went to the studio. [laughs]

Matti: It was quite tough, but we made it. It was only five days rehearsing.

Juha: We had five days and we even had to play one gig during that time.

Matti: Headlining some Finnish festival, so it was quite (a) tight schedule.

Juha: Usually we try to rehearse at least one month for the album.

Matti: Definitely the best way for us to do the album is like that because we are doing so much gigs and tours, so the demos are already made, so we don't have to go to the rehearsal room and start all over from the first point, so that has been (a) very good way to do the albums and demos so far.

Phil: What was the production process like for this album?

Juha: Well, Jens Borgen was recording and mixing and basically producing the album. He's been working with OPETH and KATATONIA, PARADISE LOST, their latest albums…. Not the latest KATATONIA album, but one before that. So I was really, really waiting for that studio session with him because I knew that he was going to understand the music and he did. But all the songs and everything were all ready and he didn't, like produce that. He was more producing the movements.

Matti: The sounds, but not really the arrangements or anything like that.

Juha: That's the first time ever we used a producer and he was a little bit kicking and giving us ideas and it worked really good.

Phil: What are your favorite tracks off the album?

Juha: For me, the last song, "Weight of the Dead" and maybe "Sleepless Swans", those two songs.

Matti: For me, it's "Lights on the Lake" and "New Moon".

Juha: Yeah, "Lights on the Lake" is my favorite, too. If you listen to that song, if you ask what song you should listen to get some idea of the band, it will be "Lights on the Lake".

Phil: So… I understand that you're attempting to cash in on the "Twilight" fanbase with the title of the album. [laughter]

Juha: Yes, yes - that was the whole plan! [laughs]

Phil: I knew it!

Juha: In fact, I came up with the name on the last American tour. I remember I was lying on the floor of our van, writing lyrics of the new album and suddenly I remembered the old DURAN DURAN song, "New Moon on Monday" and at the same time, I was thinking about a TYPE O NEGATIVE song, "Wolf Moon" and I was like, "'Wolf Moon', 'New Moon on Monday' - 'New Moon'!" And it took like two or three months and somebody said, "By the way, do you know that there's this movie coming out?" I couldn't care less [laughter] - these kinds of movies come and go, but albums are forever, so I have balls enough to keep the name if I like it. [laughter] If some teenage vampire accidentally buys our record, even better! [laughter]

Matti: So that's the soundtrack for the movie. [laughter]

Juha: I wish!

Phil: It'd be an improvement on whatever they probably have it.

Juha: If it would be a soundtrack, maybe I would have an actual home at the moment or money to pay the rent for the home, but I don't.

Phil: How has Kai been working out on drums?

Matti: Awesome.

Juha: Yeah, he fits the band perfectly. He did the first American tour with us in 2007, so it wasn't anything like… a new thing for us. He was the only choice and I'm really glad that he worked out.

Matti: He's got the playing style that we like, you know, it works for us very well. He's a very good drummer.

Juha: And he rehearsed five days for the new album. Straight to the rehearsal room, five days and if you listen to the drums, how well done they are compared to that, then I can dream about the next album if we have more time to rehearse it. [laughs]

Phil: Tell us about other musical projects that you're involved with outside of SWALLOW THE SUN.

Matti: I don't have any side projects at the moment. I don't have the time.

Juha: I've got PLUTONIUM ORANGE; we just released an album one year ago… a little bit less than one year ago. And then I've got TREES OF ETERNITY project with the same singer who is signing on "Lights on the Lake", the female voice, and I hope we can release an album, maybe the end of this year. I don't know if there's time at the end of this year, but maybe the beginning of next year. We are negotiating a deal at the moment; it might take time, but those two other bands I've got. But we are touring so much now that basically the whole year is booked and I really need to relax at some point or I'm going to kill somebody. [laughs]

Phil: I understand you had an acoustic show in Helsinki back in November - has that been recorded?

Matti: There were some plans to record one of those acoustic shows, but actually, it's not the whole group that plays. It's just our second guitarist, Markus, and Mikko singing and Aleksi - it's only three guys. But there were some plans to record, but I'm not sure that they made it.

Phil: Okay, recommend a book to our readers and then tell them why you recommend that particular work.

Juha: Well, I just read "The Hobbit". I bought it for my birthday present and I just took it with me and I read it. That's a great book - I think it's even better than "Lord of the Rings". [to Matti] You're reading of Cliff Burton?

Matti: Yeah, I'm reading the book of Cliff Burton, "To Live Is To Die".

Juha: Good memories of Cliff Burton, I'm hoping. [laughter]

Phil: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Juha: I don't know; what is there to say? Don't let the album name fool you. [laughter] The truth is even uglier 'cause it comes from DURAN DURAN. [laughter] But hey, TYPE O NEGATIVE…

Matti: Rest in peace, Peter Steele.

Juha: I have to say, the most respect to that guy. Without that guy, our music would be quite different, so all hail Peter Steele!

Metal Psalter