After all these years, we really have to admire Rotten Sound‘s ability to deliver viciousness in such an effortlessly manner. Pick whatever angle you prefer, the Finnish have been a dominant force in grindcore for two decades now, delivering that sharp HM-2 guitar sound in a really nasty, punk way. At this point, they’ve mastered all crafts – “Abuse To Suffer“, which is out today in Europe via Season Of Mist, really is one their best full-length efforts to date, so much that we had to ask some questions to Keijo [vocals] and Kristian [bass] about it. Read the conversation and, of course, catch them on the road if you have the chance to.
Ah, fuck, I really thought you were out of the ‘business’, so it was with a sort of relief that I’ve read the news about your upcoming record. Right after the release of “Species At War”, you mentioned that you already had written 20 songs, more or less. That was in 2013, now it’s 2016. Why did it take this long? I’m aware that Morbid Evils and Nasum happened in between, though.
Kristian: Time flies fast. We toured a lot in 2013 and everybody had a lot of other things going on too. We still kept writing new stuff and started recording in January 2015. We had a lot of songs to choose from and we wanted to take it slow this time without too much stress.
Keijo: Well, like you said, Nasum and Morbid Evils kept me busy, but they really were “just” something else and did not more the schedules at all. We simply did not want to set a deadline and this is what happens: we have relaxed time with better quality of songs and production.
I’ve listened to the new album’s singles and, yes, good ol’Rotten Sound is back with some nasty twists. I mean, there’s not that much room to try something different in what you do, but a track like “Cannon Fodder” shows how much you really dig Swedish DM stuff. Is there something in this record that you would differentiate from everything else you’ve done?
Kristian: I think it’s really angry and a little bit more aggressive album (as a grindcore album should be haha) than for example “Cursed” is. And yes, there are many kinds of influences, some are more hidden than others.
This time, you recorded everything in Finland. Why was that?
Kristian: Actually every album after “Exit” have been recorded here in Finland. This time, the album is really DIY, we just rented a studio for drum and guitar recordings. Sami (our drummer) did the mixing and mastering.
The hate is still there, the world is even more fucked up. What a great time to write angry stuff, isn’t it? Is it still what fuels you?
Kristian: You’re right, every day I read something new that really pisses me off. I guess that is at least one of the fuels that make me want to play, write and listen to angry and twisted music
Shitty times we’re living in, really. I’ve read about these neofascist vigilantes patrolling Finnish cities. You were writing about how fucked up we are as a race back in the day with “Murderworks” and even before that… And if I asked you if you still had hope for mankind in 1998, perhaps you would have said yes. Is it possible to say ‘yes’ today?
Keijo: I’m saying no hope for mankind, we’re all doomed. That’s a fact by so many measures. The good thing is that we still have some decades to go and fail all the plans, but greed will win for sure. My advice to everyone is to live fast, don’t make any more children and try to help each other when things start to really go wrong. Finnish “Soldiers of Odin” are a fucking joke just like some people who tolerate pretty much everything that is done in the name of religion, claiming that it’s a culture. Wrong, religions are mass-illusions and cause violence and madness and we don’t seem to find a way to abandon them before it’s too late.
So, all we’ve left to cope with reality is alcohol and heavy music. Do you still have the same fun playing live this fast music for the slowest people?
Kristian: Playing shows and touring are definitely the best part of all and I know all the guys feel the same way. It is also escaping from everyday lives with jobs and problems.
Talking about slow, I really, really enjoyed the first Morbid Evils LP. Is it a project that will keep releasing stuff in the future?
Keijo: Thank you very much! You should check out also Coughdust, the “slower band” of Sami. We are in the studio right now and have more than an album worth of music. Some bass tracks, lead guitars, samples, (parts of) album concept and lyrics are missing, but I hope that we manage to get it done before the summer despite my Rotten Sound tours. We also got a new bass player few weeks ago.
I’ve had recently the chance of listening to this split between O and Flauros, some raw black metal stuff. Is Mika or anyone in Rotten Sound still interested in this type of music or not so much?
Kristian: I don’t think any of us is following what’s happening in black metal. Mika and Sami used to play in some “blackish” bands but not in many
I have a Portuguese friend who will soon move from Scotland to Oulu, to work in a bar. Is it a good place to live or can I openly mock him for doing it?
Kristian: Oulu is dark and cold place as it is quite far up north, but I don’t think it’s the worst place in Finland at all. Quite interesting decision though, haha.