Using
the most conservative interpretation of the word, how many Metal acts really deserve the revered title of 'Cult Band'? Ten perhaps? Well,
Finnish legends SARCOFAGUS are without a doubt worthy of inclusion on
this very exclusive list of bands. With a private 7" out as early
as 1979 they were one of Scandinavia's first genuine Heavy Metal bands
and with the "Cycle Of Life" and especially "Envoy Of Death"
following the year after, they established themselves as the heaviest,
most sinister Hard Rock band in the world, at least in these earliest
years of the spurring Metal-scene. To this day, their pitch-black 'Egyptology-Metal'
still stand out as one of the most original, disturbing and ahead-of-it's-time
sounds in Metal history, even predating other comparative cult-acts like
CIRITH UNGOL, LEGEND(Jersey) and MERCYFUL FATE.
In 2004 we were blessed with a most surprising and extremely welcomed
return of these Finnish Gods of olde. A new website was introduced, with a promise of a new SARCOFAGUS album in the making.
The Corroseum are more proud than ever to present to you, the first in-depth
interview with the mastermind of one of the most important and underrated
Metal entities ever: Kimmo Kuusniemi of SARCOFAGUS!
You must have been one of the hardest and heaviest bands
on earth back in '79-80. Where did the unique and brutal SARCOFAGUS-sound
originate from? Listening to tracks like "Black Contract", "Megakone"
and the "Go To Hell"-suite on CoL you get the impression that it wasn't
only heavy rock that were spinning on your turntables in your younger
years.
From
the very beginning I’ve always composed my own music. I have never
been interested in learning and playing other people’s songs. I guess
this is the origin of the “unique” sound. Back
in 70’s I listened mainly Heavy Rock (Alice Cooper, Deep Purple,
Uriah Heep...) but also Progressive/Jazz (Mahavisnu, Black Widow, ELO,
Pink Floyd, Genesis...). Alice Cooper’s “Killer” is the
album that got me playing!
The
Egyptian images and sounds have run like a dark, common thread throughout
your old recordings. Ever felt ripped off when IRON MAIDEN and DIO made
billon-dollar tours around the same ideas years later?
No! I actually
liked the Iron Maiden “Powerslave” album cover and the songs.
I’ve never thought that I would have some kind of exclusive right
for Egyptian symbols and mythology. I think the original copyright goes
back at least 5000 years... I just hope if the original copyright owners
(Horus, Seth and Osiris) come to collect their fees they would first visit
the Iron Maiden HQ :). I have also been asked about some Maiden song resembling
an earlier Sarcofagus song, but I have never noticed any similarities
what so ever!
No
matter how brilliant and groundbreaking their old recordings can be, you
still hear how some (ex)musicians violently slag their old records as
"unprofessional" and "underproduced". How do you feel about "Cycle Of
Life", "Envoy Of Death" and "Moottorilinnut"
today?
Hmm! I'm
very PROUD of all the albums! The late 70's and early 80's was the worst
time ever for Heavy. I had to work hard and be innovative to get the albums
done. What I like in all the the early albums is that the songs are still
good and timeless. Most of them could be recorded today and they would
still sound original! A musician friend of mine here in the UK played
the new Re-Mastered Motorbirds to his brother who thought it was a new
2004 album. That's Cool :) From production point of view "Cycle Of Life"
and "Envoy Of Death" suffered seriously from uneven lineups. This was
the main reason for me to get the best Finnish musicians possible, at
that time, to play on Motorbirds album. I also managed to raise money
to get a full album video done. This required a lot wheeling and dealing
as at that time making a TV Production Standard video cost A LOT. All
this took about a year to do as I did most of the stuff myself (producer,
recording engineer, video director etc...), but it was fun. To me there
was a clear progression from album to album. When the Motorbirds was finished
I felt that I have achieved what I could at that time when the international
markets were still closed for Finnish Bands (Hanoi Rocks was the first
one a few years later). It was time to do other things! Musician's and
a fan's point of view is always slightly different and I do understand
that my fans have all the right in the world to decide to like any of
the albums best! We musicians just want to make better albums! It would
be very sad to have produced the perfect first album and no way to match
it up!
I read on your website that all 3 SARCOFAGUS
albums were critically acclaimed by both fans and media at the time. How
many copies were made of each LP? How much did they sell?
The
copies of albums made is a mystery to me... The record company had their
own Compact Cassette Duplication Unit so I have a feeling there where
plenty of unaccounted copies around. Quite a big portion of the albums
went for International distribution. I received a fair amount of letters
from around the world. The albums were played in Campus Radios in USA.
Motorbirds was played and reviewed in Holland and we received letters
asking when the English version is coming out... From media point of view
we got a lot attention. As the Lonely Warrior of Heavy Metal I did many
radio interviews about Sarcofagus, explaining metal to cynical reporters
:). Sarcofagus was in all TV music shows at the time and all the main
newspapers/magazines did articles about us. I have a thick scrap book
from those years. As I mentioned earlier the early 80's was the worst
time for metal ever. I received letters from fans in Finland saying they
were happy that there were other metal headz around :) Due to the stage
show (flame thrower guitar, pyrotechnics, pyramids and makeup) we also
attracted people who came to see the show, even when they weren't metal
fans.
Several
old band members have died an unnatural and untimely death through the
years, and the band was even blamed for a suicide of a young fan. Care
to elaborate? Is there a curse on SARCOFAGUS?
Perhaps this
is due to the Egyptian copyright issues mentioned earlier :) Yes, it is
true that 2 drummers, and 1 bass player have died. People die which is
unfortunate but I'm sure there is no curse on Sarcofagus! I received a
letter from a parent accusing Cycle Of Life album for her child's suicide
(the theme story on that album was about reincarnation). People want to
find somebody to blame. I think this was prequel to what happened to Judas
Priest in USA.
>When
looking at your 3rd LP you get the impression that MOOTTORILINNUT is the
name of the band and not the album title, since it's written with the
same font and style as the old SARCOFAGUS logo (and that's how you usually
find it listed). On the back it says Kimmo Kuusniemi Band. Kinda confusing.
Which is it? (I might need to correct my old review;)
The
band was Kimmo Kuusniemi Band. The album title was "Motorbirds". It should
have been Sarcofagus but there were a lot of record company politics and
at that time it was easier to sell it as Kimmo Kuusniemi Band to separate
it from Sarcofagus. Something new for the record company... As Sarcofagus
has always been my "creation" so this album should have also been Sarcofagus.
I have now fixed this with the Re-Mastered Internet release of Motorbirds
with the cover design as it should have been and under Sarcofagus name!
The new cover is the one that I should have done for it the first place.
The original cover is seriously bad! It got through as I didn't have the
balls to decline the Artist's work.
How
did you get the Babitzin-siblings involved with doing some of the vocals
for "Moottorilinnut"? From what I've heard they're million-selling superstars
in Finland today. Think they're proud of their contribution? (They should
be!)
Kirka is
very happy about "Motorbirds" album. I met him 3-4 years later and he
was just making a Heavy album. This he said was a result of the "Motorbirds".
When I approached Kirka about singing on Motorbirds, he was instantly
in. When the album was about to be released Kirka's Record Company CBS
phoned me and said they didn't know about Motorbirds and that they had
an exclusive deal with Kirka. Luckily they were really cool about it and
gave the permission without any fees! I asked Kirka if he would like to
sing as a guest star on the new album "Core Values". He was very enthusiastic
but unfortunately his record company wasn't flexible this time. I think
involving his sister Muska might have been Kirka's idea in the first place.
Muska took some time to be convinced to sing on "Motorbirds" . She had
moved on from being a singer into being a music agent. I haven't spoken
with her after the album came out so I don't know what she thinks of her
contribution. I personally think she has a great rock voice. As a kid
I had been listening to both Kirka and Muska so it was really cool to
have them on board! I think it would be fair to mention here also the
third singer Jukka Ritari (John Knight :). He is great singer who back
then was totally unknown but since then has been earning his living as
a pro in the mainstream music.
The
EXCITER - "Automania" 12" of '86 was quite a funny chapter in the history
of SARCOFAGUS & Co. Musically I think it's not that far away from the
early stuff ("Home Made Hero" is a great track!), but the cover art and
new wavey vocals of Tanja were perhaps a bit, well, odd. Your own thoughts
on the music? Do you think of it as a SARCOFAGUS-release?
Nope! This
doesn't have anything to do with Sarcofagus. This "band" was called Exciter.
Tanja and I made a TV Series called "Automania" for Finnish Television.
We wanted to do the funny rock title song and few other songs for it.
The rest of the music was from other bands including a new band called
Tarot (late 80's Finnish Metal worth checking!). Automania was also a
funny rock video which was shown in movie theaters as a ad for the TV
Series. Home Made Hero was also used for another Movie Theater short film.
This music is what I would call "commercial" music. It was made to promote
the TV Series. The singing style was influenced by Nina Hagen. We wanted
to do something wild and weird but on the rock department rather than
metal. Tanja has an extremely versatile voice so doing 'Nina Hagenisms'
was easy :) However we did one track called "Under My Heel" which did
not end up on the Single. This is a very metal, in your face song. Future
release on the www site? (Oh yes. Very yes. Very much yes indeed./DaN) Juha "Pulla" Kiminki from Sarcofagus was also playing on this! I still
like Automania; it is funny and it rocks... That was the goal! If you
compare Automania with Motorbirds (5 years a part), Automania sounds very
80's but Motorbirds remains more timeless....
What
was the "Automania" TV-series about anyway?
It was a
series about car crazy Finns! We met and filmed all kinds of VERY car
crazy people; their cars and opinions. It was a funny and entertaining
series....
What
was your reaction when Mellotron records offered to re-release your 2
first albums on CD? Were you surprised by the interest in the band? Are
you pleased with the result?
Well... Actually
I found out about these re-releases through a friend of mine! I had to
buy copies through Internet... The good old Finnish Record Company :)
keeping me informed. I was REALLY pleased with this re-release! I only
wish that the Record Company would have informed me so that I could have
done a re-mastering to enhance the experience! COOL!
The
only old SARCOFAGUS-recordings not yet re-released in any way is the impossibly
rare "Go To Hell" debut 7" and the '78 demo tape. Any plans to share these
recordings with your fans? I imagine plenty of reissue labels would be
dying to engage in such a project!
HAH HAH HAH!
I have 7 (nice biblical number... 7 deadly sins..) copies of The Single
and the Demo tape is here on my computer!!! (more evil laugh..) Yes....
To promote the new album I'm planning to create a competition with the
main prize: THE SINGLE! I have been receiving a surprising number of e-mails
where people offer their soul, granny or even money to get a copy of The
Single! The plans for what we do with the single and demo tape are still
open. They might end up on the Sarcofagus Motorbirds DVD as bonus material....
I was back in Finland this August and I recorded the guitars for Got To
Hell and Astral Flyer. When the new album is done and dusted the plan
is to make 2005 versions of these Golden Oldies! So the diehard fans will
have the original and the not so diehard fans the new 2005 versions to
listen to! Something for everyone :) In the end there will be the demo
version of "Go To Hell", Single Version re-mastered, and a 2005 version.
The
instrumental "2nd Coming" available for download is a fucking killer track!
Is it representative of the rest of the album? Can we expect more doomy
& experimental songs a la "Black Contract" etc? Who's doing the vocals?
Thank You!
The Internet Instrumental is just an early demo! If you like the demo
you will love the final one! So what to expect? This new album started
to occupy my mind in 1992. The working title was "Chemical Sunglasses".
Then we moved from Finland to UK and the album had to go into back burner
as the new life assimilated us... Around 2001 I started to actively think
about this album. I spent the next two years going through a lot of guitars,
pickups, pedals and recording systems to find the right combination. This
might sound weird to music listener but the SOUND is the most important
thing to a guitar riff based Metal Band! So in the beginning of 2004 I
had mastered the the new Sarcofagus SOUND! Next phase was to decide which
songs... I have always loved Black Contract. I think it was a turning
point in Sarcofagus history. I and Esa Kotilainen made the decision to
change the drummer at the last track of the Envoy Of Death album. Ronnie
Österberg (Wigwam) was a great drummer and he had an important part to
make this song as the best song on this album. Unfortunately this was
the last recording he did :( Rest In Peace Man! So I recycled the two
first riffs of Black Contract and added new riffs! => 2nd Coming This
was the working title for this album but it has now changed into "Core
Values". 
All
the other 10 songs are brand new! During the years in "exile" I never
quit being a musician. During the past 20 years I have done 1000's of
film sound tracks! The good thing with commercial music is that you can
reach millions of people with one piece of music, you get paid (most of
the time:) and you have instant feedback. This is great but in the long
run the "real musician" in you urges you to make music that is personal
and original... Also when you are working around the world for the big
global corporations you start to realize there is plenty wrong in this
society! So this is the mental background for this album. 20 years of
bottled up rage! Perfect for Metal! I called up Juha "Pulla" Kiminki and
Esa Kotilainen to ask if they are interested in doing a new Sarcofagus
album (the real original members of the Sarcofagus). Both Juha and Esa
were instantly excited! Juha flew right away here to UK to do the 5 string
bass tracks and Esa agreed to record his keyboards in his studio in Kuusankoski,
Finland. The strange thing was that after these 20 years we might be older
and slightly wiser but in a bizarre way nothing had really changed! We
have been having really good times making the album. We had a video/photo
shoot for the new album in February 2005. I don't remember the last time
I've had so much fun! The result?
Kimmo - post modern progressive metal sound & riffs
Juha - 5 string booming bass
Esa - The Original Hammond B3, Mellotron and Minimoog (Mellotrons rock!/DaN)
Tanja - Strange & Dark Progressive Vocal themes
= The 70's meet the 2010 in unique and original way! Your "easy listening favorites" on the website include some rather controversial bands, nu-metal/neo-thrash acts like SYSTEM OF A DOWN, KORN, FEAR FACTORY, MACHINE HEAD, CLAWFINGER etc. Not exactly the kind of stuff any SARCOFAGUS-fans would get off on. Is there an influence of this more mainstream music in the new album? If so, does the likely negative reaction of all of those who have worshipped and cultified your old material worry you?
NO!
There is none what so ever influence from the bands I listen to on this
new album! Like I said before I don't learn other band's songs or try
to copy them... I have my personal private song farm to chose from:) This
album started without any "commercial" ambitions. The driving force was
to make a kick ass Metal album we want to listen to! Then if other people
like it is a welcomed bonus! The main thing is that Sarcofagus doesn't
have any pressure what so ever on this project! No record company to dictate
and influence us. The music comes from the heart.
With
the new album soon coming out, "Motorbirds" re-released and the website
up and running, the next miracle would of course be to see a SARCOFAGUS
reunion gig. Where and when? (Old-school festivals like Keep It True and
Headbangers Open Air would hardly say no;)
No miracle
needed! This album is not a one off thing! This is the 2nd Coming or the
new beginning! We are not talking about one song wonders or boy bands
here! Sarcofagus is the real thing. All of us are really excited to get
on stage and do a proper stage show! We'll take one step at time and the
gigging is still few steps ahead.
There
has been some speculation on SARCOFAGUS' influence on other "extreme"
and ahead-of-their-time Metal legends like MERCYFUL FATE, HELLHAMMER/CELTIC
FROST, VENOM, DEATH SS etc. Did you ever get any fan-mail from these or
other bands and future musicians back in the days?
Back in 80's
we didn't have the Internet so information was hard to get! If Sarcofagus
has influenced these bands: I'm honored! New bands have contacted me telling
about how they've been influenced by Sarcofagus. This is great!
Immortalize
yourself with some final words of wisdom to the Heavy Metal kids of today!
Don't believe
what people tell you! In 70's a lot of people were saying that Heavy is
just a phase in music which will disappear. My parents told me I will
get over Metal but I have proven them wrong! I still love Heavy Metal
and I always will! Metal is not a fashion thing, it is a state of mind!
From
the very beginning I’ve always composed my own music. I have never
been interested in learning and playing other people’s songs. I guess
this is the origin of the “unique” sound. Back
in 70’s I listened mainly Heavy Rock (Alice Cooper, Deep Purple,
Uriah Heep...) but also Progressive/Jazz (Mahavisnu, Black Widow, ELO,
Pink Floyd, Genesis...). Alice Cooper’s “Killer” is the
album that got me playing!
The
Egyptian images and sounds have run like a dark, common thread throughout
your old recordings. Ever felt ripped off when IRON MAIDEN and DIO made
billon-dollar tours around the same ideas years later?
No! I actually
liked the Iron Maiden “Powerslave” album cover and the songs.
I’ve never thought that I would have some kind of exclusive right
for Egyptian symbols and mythology. I think the original copyright goes
back at least 5000 years... I just hope if the original copyright owners
(Horus, Seth and Osiris) come to collect their fees they would first visit
the Iron Maiden HQ :). I have also been asked about some Maiden song resembling
an earlier Sarcofagus song, but I have never noticed any similarities
what so ever!
No
matter how brilliant and groundbreaking their old recordings can be, you
still hear how some (ex)musicians violently slag their old records as
"unprofessional" and "underproduced". How do you feel about "Cycle Of
Life", "Envoy Of Death" and "Moottorilinnut"
today?
Hmm! I'm
very PROUD of all the albums! The late 70's and early 80's was the worst
time ever for Heavy. I had to work hard and be innovative to get the albums
done. What I like in all the the early albums is that the songs are still
good and timeless. Most of them could be recorded today and they would
still sound original! A musician friend of mine here in the UK played
the new Re-Mastered Motorbirds to his brother who thought it was a new
2004 album. That's Cool :) From production point of view "Cycle Of Life"
and "Envoy Of Death" suffered seriously from uneven lineups. This was
the main reason for me to get the best Finnish musicians possible, at
that time, to play on Motorbirds album. I also managed to raise money
to get a full album video done. This required a lot wheeling and dealing
as at that time making a TV Production Standard video cost A LOT. All
this took about a year to do as I did most of the stuff myself (producer,
recording engineer, video director etc...), but it was fun. To me there
was a clear progression from album to album. When the Motorbirds was finished
I felt that I have achieved what I could at that time when the international
markets were still closed for Finnish Bands (Hanoi Rocks was the first
one a few years later). It was time to do other things! Musician's and
a fan's point of view is always slightly different and I do understand
that my fans have all the right in the world to decide to like any of
the albums best! We musicians just want to make better albums! It would
be very sad to have produced the perfect first album and no way to match
it up!
I read on your website that all 3 SARCOFAGUS
albums were critically acclaimed by both fans and media at the time. How
many copies were made of each LP? How much did they sell?
The
copies of albums made is a mystery to me... The record company had their
own Compact Cassette Duplication Unit so I have a feeling there where
plenty of unaccounted copies around. Quite a big portion of the albums
went for International distribution. I received a fair amount of letters
from around the world. The albums were played in Campus Radios in USA.
Motorbirds was played and reviewed in Holland and we received letters
asking when the English version is coming out... From media point of view
we got a lot attention. As the Lonely Warrior of Heavy Metal I did many
radio interviews about Sarcofagus, explaining metal to cynical reporters
:). Sarcofagus was in all TV music shows at the time and all the main
newspapers/magazines did articles about us. I have a thick scrap book
from those years. As I mentioned earlier the early 80's was the worst
time for metal ever. I received letters from fans in Finland saying they
were happy that there were other metal headz around :) Due to the stage
show (flame thrower guitar, pyrotechnics, pyramids and makeup) we also
attracted people who came to see the show, even when they weren't metal
fans.
Several
old band members have died an unnatural and untimely death through the
years, and the band was even blamed for a suicide of a young fan. Care
to elaborate? Is there a curse on SARCOFAGUS?
Perhaps this
is due to the Egyptian copyright issues mentioned earlier :) Yes, it is
true that 2 drummers, and 1 bass player have died. People die which is
unfortunate but I'm sure there is no curse on Sarcofagus! I received a
letter from a parent accusing Cycle Of Life album for her child's suicide
(the theme story on that album was about reincarnation). People want to
find somebody to blame. I think this was prequel to what happened to Judas
Priest in USA.
>When
looking at your 3rd LP you get the impression that MOOTTORILINNUT is the
name of the band and not the album title, since it's written with the
same font and style as the old SARCOFAGUS logo (and that's how you usually
find it listed). On the back it says Kimmo Kuusniemi Band. Kinda confusing.
Which is it? (I might need to correct my old review;)
The
band was Kimmo Kuusniemi Band. The album title was "Motorbirds". It should
have been Sarcofagus but there were a lot of record company politics and
at that time it was easier to sell it as Kimmo Kuusniemi Band to separate
it from Sarcofagus. Something new for the record company... As Sarcofagus
has always been my "creation" so this album should have also been Sarcofagus.
I have now fixed this with the Re-Mastered Internet release of Motorbirds
with the cover design as it should have been and under Sarcofagus name!
The new cover is the one that I should have done for it the first place.
The original cover is seriously bad! It got through as I didn't have the
balls to decline the Artist's work.
How
did you get the Babitzin-siblings involved with doing some of the vocals
for "Moottorilinnut"? From what I've heard they're million-selling superstars
in Finland today. Think they're proud of their contribution? (They should
be!)
Kirka is
very happy about "Motorbirds" album. I met him 3-4 years later and he
was just making a Heavy album. This he said was a result of the "Motorbirds".
When I approached Kirka about singing on Motorbirds, he was instantly
in. When the album was about to be released Kirka's Record Company CBS
phoned me and said they didn't know about Motorbirds and that they had
an exclusive deal with Kirka. Luckily they were really cool about it and
gave the permission without any fees! I asked Kirka if he would like to
sing as a guest star on the new album "Core Values". He was very enthusiastic
but unfortunately his record company wasn't flexible this time. I think
involving his sister Muska might have been Kirka's idea in the first place.
Muska took some time to be convinced to sing on "Motorbirds" . She had
moved on from being a singer into being a music agent. I haven't spoken
with her after the album came out so I don't know what she thinks of her
contribution. I personally think she has a great rock voice. As a kid
I had been listening to both Kirka and Muska so it was really cool to
have them on board! I think it would be fair to mention here also the
third singer Jukka Ritari (John Knight :). He is great singer who back
then was totally unknown but since then has been earning his living as
a pro in the mainstream music.
The
EXCITER - "Automania" 12" of '86 was quite a funny chapter in the history
of SARCOFAGUS & Co. Musically I think it's not that far away from the
early stuff ("Home Made Hero" is a great track!), but the cover art and
new wavey vocals of Tanja were perhaps a bit, well, odd. Your own thoughts
on the music? Do you think of it as a SARCOFAGUS-release?
Nope! This
doesn't have anything to do with Sarcofagus. This "band" was called Exciter.
Tanja and I made a TV Series called "Automania" for Finnish Television.
We wanted to do the funny rock title song and few other songs for it.
The rest of the music was from other bands including a new band called
Tarot (late 80's Finnish Metal worth checking!). Automania was also a
funny rock video which was shown in movie theaters as a ad for the TV
Series. Home Made Hero was also used for another Movie Theater short film.
This music is what I would call "commercial" music. It was made to promote
the TV Series. The singing style was influenced by Nina Hagen. We wanted
to do something wild and weird but on the rock department rather than
metal. Tanja has an extremely versatile voice so doing 'Nina Hagenisms'
was easy :) However we did one track called "Under My Heel" which did
not end up on the Single. This is a very metal, in your face song. Future
release on the www site? (Oh yes. Very yes. Very much yes indeed./DaN) Juha "Pulla" Kiminki from Sarcofagus was also playing on this! I still
like Automania; it is funny and it rocks... That was the goal! If you
compare Automania with Motorbirds (5 years a part), Automania sounds very
80's but Motorbirds remains more timeless....
What
was the "Automania" TV-series about anyway?
It was a
series about car crazy Finns! We met and filmed all kinds of VERY car
crazy people; their cars and opinions. It was a funny and entertaining
series....
What
was your reaction when Mellotron records offered to re-release your 2
first albums on CD? Were you surprised by the interest in the band? Are
you pleased with the result?
Well... Actually
I found out about these re-releases through a friend of mine! I had to
buy copies through Internet... The good old Finnish Record Company :)
keeping me informed. I was REALLY pleased with this re-release! I only
wish that the Record Company would have informed me so that I could have
done a re-mastering to enhance the experience! COOL!
The
only old SARCOFAGUS-recordings not yet re-released in any way is the impossibly
rare "Go To Hell" debut 7" and the '78 demo tape. Any plans to share these
recordings with your fans? I imagine plenty of reissue labels would be
dying to engage in such a project!
HAH HAH HAH!
I have 7 (nice biblical number... 7 deadly sins..) copies of The Single
and the Demo tape is here on my computer!!! (more evil laugh..) Yes....
To promote the new album I'm planning to create a competition with the
main prize: THE SINGLE! I have been receiving a surprising number of e-mails
where people offer their soul, granny or even money to get a copy of The
Single! The plans for what we do with the single and demo tape are still
open. They might end up on the Sarcofagus Motorbirds DVD as bonus material....
I was back in Finland this August and I recorded the guitars for Got To
Hell and Astral Flyer. When the new album is done and dusted the plan
is to make 2005 versions of these Golden Oldies! So the diehard fans will
have the original and the not so diehard fans the new 2005 versions to
listen to! Something for everyone :) In the end there will be the demo
version of "Go To Hell", Single Version re-mastered, and a 2005 version.
The
instrumental "2nd Coming" available for download is a fucking killer track!
Is it representative of the rest of the album? Can we expect more doomy
& experimental songs a la "Black Contract" etc? Who's doing the vocals?
Thank You!
The Internet Instrumental is just an early demo! If you like the demo
you will love the final one! So what to expect? This new album started
to occupy my mind in 1992. The working title was "Chemical Sunglasses".
Then we moved from Finland to UK and the album had to go into back burner
as the new life assimilated us... Around 2001 I started to actively think
about this album. I spent the next two years going through a lot of guitars,
pickups, pedals and recording systems to find the right combination. This
might sound weird to music listener but the SOUND is the most important
thing to a guitar riff based Metal Band! So in the beginning of 2004 I
had mastered the the new Sarcofagus SOUND! Next phase was to decide which
songs... I have always loved Black Contract. I think it was a turning
point in Sarcofagus history. I and Esa Kotilainen made the decision to
change the drummer at the last track of the Envoy Of Death album. Ronnie
Österberg (Wigwam) was a great drummer and he had an important part to
make this song as the best song on this album. Unfortunately this was
the last recording he did :( Rest In Peace Man! So I recycled the two
first riffs of Black Contract and added new riffs! => 2nd Coming This
was the working title for this album but it has now changed into "Core
Values". All
the other 10 songs are brand new! During the years in "exile" I never
quit being a musician. During the past 20 years I have done 1000's of
film sound tracks! The good thing with commercial music is that you can
reach millions of people with one piece of music, you get paid (most of
the time:) and you have instant feedback. This is great but in the long
run the "real musician" in you urges you to make music that is personal
and original... Also when you are working around the world for the big
global corporations you start to realize there is plenty wrong in this
society! So this is the mental background for this album. 20 years of
bottled up rage! Perfect for Metal! I called up Juha "Pulla" Kiminki and
Esa Kotilainen to ask if they are interested in doing a new Sarcofagus
album (the real original members of the Sarcofagus). Both Juha and Esa
were instantly excited! Juha flew right away here to UK to do the 5 string
bass tracks and Esa agreed to record his keyboards in his studio in Kuusankoski,
Finland. The strange thing was that after these 20 years we might be older
and slightly wiser but in a bizarre way nothing had really changed! We
have been having really good times making the album. We had a video/photo
shoot for the new album in February 2005. I don't remember the last time
I've had so much fun! The result? Kimmo - post modern progressive metal sound & riffs
Juha - 5 string booming bass
Esa - The Original Hammond B3, Mellotron and Minimoog (Mellotrons rock!/DaN)
Tanja - Strange & Dark Progressive Vocal themes
= The 70's meet the 2010 in unique and original way! Your "easy listening favorites" on the website include some rather controversial bands, nu-metal/neo-thrash acts like SYSTEM OF A DOWN, KORN, FEAR FACTORY, MACHINE HEAD, CLAWFINGER etc. Not exactly the kind of stuff any SARCOFAGUS-fans would get off on. Is there an influence of this more mainstream music in the new album? If so, does the likely negative reaction of all of those who have worshipped and cultified your old material worry you?
NO!
There is none what so ever influence from the bands I listen to on this
new album! Like I said before I don't learn other band's songs or try
to copy them... I have my personal private song farm to chose from:) This
album started without any "commercial" ambitions. The driving force was
to make a kick ass Metal album we want to listen to! Then if other people
like it is a welcomed bonus! The main thing is that Sarcofagus doesn't
have any pressure what so ever on this project! No record company to dictate
and influence us. The music comes from the heart.
With
the new album soon coming out, "Motorbirds" re-released and the website
up and running, the next miracle would of course be to see a SARCOFAGUS
reunion gig. Where and when? (Old-school festivals like Keep It True and
Headbangers Open Air would hardly say no;)
No miracle
needed! This album is not a one off thing! This is the 2nd Coming or the
new beginning! We are not talking about one song wonders or boy bands
here! Sarcofagus is the real thing. All of us are really excited to get
on stage and do a proper stage show! We'll take one step at time and the
gigging is still few steps ahead.
There
has been some speculation on SARCOFAGUS' influence on other "extreme"
and ahead-of-their-time Metal legends like MERCYFUL FATE, HELLHAMMER/CELTIC
FROST, VENOM, DEATH SS etc. Did you ever get any fan-mail from these or
other bands and future musicians back in the days?
Back in 80's
we didn't have the Internet so information was hard to get! If Sarcofagus
has influenced these bands: I'm honored! New bands have contacted me telling
about how they've been influenced by Sarcofagus. This is great!
Immortalize
yourself with some final words of wisdom to the Heavy Metal kids of today!
Don't believe
what people tell you! In 70's a lot of people were saying that Heavy is
just a phase in music which will disappear. My parents told me I will
get over Metal but I have proven them wrong! I still love Heavy Metal
and I always will! Metal is not a fashion thing, it is a state of mind!
