Get ready for some heavy fire!
Finnish metallers Ghost Guard released their debut full length album, entitled 'Hollow Be Thy Name', in the last quarter of 2007. This young band, started in 2004, released two demos prior to the album. The band's fast growth is not a miracle, because there is veteran metal musicians in the band. AM contacted the band after hearing the debut, and guitarist Anssi Hyvärinen provided the answers for the e-mailed questions.
AM: Hails from a bit lower of Finland's westcoast. Is there good skiing weather in Vaasa, and I don't mean water-skiing?
Anssi Hyvärinen: Hail! Here in Vaasa we're going down a slope with water-skis into trees all over the year. Regardless of weather!
AM: Congratulations for a good debut album fellas. How's it been received? Have the customers found independently released 'Hollow Be Thy Name' from the shops?
Anssi H.: Thanks for the compliment. We're happy about how the album is selling, especially when remembering that actually it was released independently. Local label Woodcut Records' Mikki Salo has been invaluable help, having distributed the record. As it is difficult for a band without a record deal.
AM: Ghost Guard are a young band, but many of its members have a long career in metal music. Could you shed some light over the history of the band?
Anssi H.: The Ghost Guard thing started in 2004, when Mikko Hannuksela and myself got together to play. We had known each other for a long time and digged what other was and had been doing, but we had never played in a same band at the same time. We though that let's make a couple songs and maybe a demo or something like that, and see if there's some powder left in us. Well, Mikko had some songs already done and it didn't take long before the first demo 'Throw the First Rock's guitar parts were completed.
We didn't have to persuade Harri Kessunmaa (bass) and Karri Suoraniemi (the vocals on the debut demo) very hard when they heard our stuff. That was it: they joined us. And when we got really lucky and got the drummer Sami Latva enthusiastic about the drummer's vacancy, we thought that now we had a fantastic line-up. In summer 2005 we did this first demo and it was well received by the metal music fans. Karri had to leave after that, because Enochian Crescent took more and more of of time and energy. After Karri the mic was taken by Junnu and he's been hanging on it since then.
In summer 2006 we made made the demo 'Hate Yourself Dead' with our current line-up. It was again received with enthusiasm but no offer was received from any record label. Flared up because of it we decided to do the full length album 'Hollow Be Thy Name' all by ourselves, perkele!
AM: In consideration of the guys' earlier doings with metal music, the metal of Ghost Guard sounds surprisingly North American, or do I hear it all wrong? At least workmanship can be heard. I expected some kind of Wings/Enochian Crescent/Cartilage style mixture. Okay, there's death metal in the music, but let's pass the chance to speak to perpetrator himself.
Anssi H.: Yes, might be so, that one riff sounds North American and the next one Swedish! Of all feedback I've got I feel every listener have their own opinions about Ghost Guard's music, which absolute chief architect is Mikko. That guy doesn't run out of riffs! Then we work out and elaborate ideas, that usually conveniently wriggle into different directions. We make music we all want to play. It doesn't matter that much what musical style they represent, if they give a sturdy kick to the nuts. Influences and ideas come from here and there and all of us have their own tastes for music, which of course affects to the birth of the music and especially to the compositions. Usually there's very different riffs and beats in one song. It is the wealth of the band and it also keep up the interest to play. There is no mold, how a song should be built and that does it hard to categorize Ghost Guard. And that's good. Fire at will!
AM: Also the cover art provoked the same feelings; I waited for something different. There was no lyrics on promotional copy. My bets go for themes blasphemy and survival on this globe, or am I totally lost?
Anssi H.: Yeah, the cover is pretty peculiar, when compared with musical contents. The artwork portrays the Dark Ages, as well as the intro on the album can signal that the music inside might be some kind of gothic metal or even true black metal stuff. I don't think Junnu thought about this when he was creating the covers, but the artwork loosely hints the lyrical theme of the title track, which is critisizing organized religiousness. The "official" version does include the lyrics. Junnu writes all the lyrics and he is very much free to express himself in the way he wants to. And those themes you named are included some way. We don't deliberately mock any religions, but we do critisize, because religions usually are more or less unsuccesful attempts to explain the real life and an excuse for many to stay away from their responsibilities of their doings. Junnu writes on quite a personal level, especially about things and injustices that annoy him! Human stupidity is an inexaustible source. For him, Ghost Guard is sort of a decompression valve. And you can hear from his voice, that he's not singing about flowers in a meadow. Junnu's lyrics fit extremely well with musical explosion. Quite often Junnu knows the song's lyrical theme when he hears its framework.
AM: The drummer Sami Latva also plays in Havoc Unit and Rotten Sound. Do other guys have any other bands under way? How you handle the gig side?
Anssi H.: We have some kind of small experiments going on, but we are strictly focused on Ghost Guard. Gigging works nicely, all the things and schedules are negotiable, there's always free time for gigs, althgouh Sami plays in many bands.
AM: The production of the album glows of your seriousness. Have you sent 'Hollow Be Thy Name' to any record companies? If yes, have you heard any feedback?
Anssi H.: Good production is our matter of honor and noone can't stand cheap sound. We've promoted the new album quite a lot, so far without result. Common comment is "you're bloody good, but no thank you." What should we conclude about that then? It might be, that we're continuing independently. It has good sides too: We can do whatever we want to do without demands and obligations. A record deal isn't an automatic grace. A band can vanish in a big label's bowels or get kicked out fast, a small label might not have resources to finance a band properly. Both are bad options. It is sure, that we're not done yet.
AM: What's the latest Ghost Guard news?
Anssi H.: We have many new songs ready, which we'll soon start recording, so Ghost Guard do not grow tired! Welcome to the gigs: 7.3.2008 Helsinki, Night Life Rock with Murdershock, and 8.3.2008 Riihimäki, Kellari with Murdershock.
AM : Now is your chance to speak out.
Anssi H.: Buy the new album, don't download it. This way you're guaranteed to get more Ghost Guard sooner than you even feared for!
AM: Thank you for the interview, Anssi and good luck with the next recording and finding a reliable record label.
(translated by Lane)
02/04/2008 20:23