English speaking interview of Hyrde from Finnish metal band Stam1na

1. Interview with Hyrde from Stam1na
1) What is the concept of the SLK artwork ?
Hyyrynen: This time we wanted to take out all the colours. Last years it's been all
about colours, our 5th
album being really coourful and having it all highpoint in our
last summer's tour... We had plastic palm trees, inflatable beach toys and hawaji
shirts onstage. It was time to fade to black & white.
2) To my ears, I would say that SLK is darker and rougher than most of your
albums,especially Nocebo. Is their an explanation ?
Nocebo album was about immortality. SLK is admitting our mortality as a fact. There
is a rough consept of a story behind the lyrics. In short it says that everything comes
to an end.
3) Is there a musical leader in Stam1na? ( mean somebody that gets most of his ideas
incorporated in your albums, and more than the other guys. )
There are three main composers in our band. Usually it tends to be me who is behind
the big picture, as a writer and as a artistic director if you will. It is just how it has
been. I summ everything up always with all of the lads but being in the middle with
the record label, the graphic designer and the band is my job.
4) It seems some of your albums are concept albums ? Which one should be considered
as such.
I'd like to say Uudet kymmenen käskyä, Viimeinen Atlantis and our latest SLK album.
They have a sence of a consept in a form of lyrical comprehension. Excluding the self-
titled debyt album, all of Stam1na albums have a ”topic”. I write about it in every
song on that record. There are also some musical sides on this one, some musical
themes repeat here and there.
5) Of course, your non finnish audience doesnt understand a bit of your lyrics. Have you
noticed a difference in the way they perceive your music ?
Not really. It is weird but non-finn-audience do not seem to mind the fact they don't
know our language. It must be the power of the whole show that explains itself. But I
also transalte the lyrics almost every time in English. Some of this is available in our
forum.
6) And I think Hyrde stated on the official forum that non Finnish listener seem to grasp
some details in your music better than Finnish fans. How would you explain that ?)
Yeah, exactly! They listen to the music, not just the words. They connect their own
feelings and interpretations of the content, not just try to figure our what the fuck am
I writing about.

2. 7) To finish with the lyrics, what would be the most used lyrical themes by Stam1na ?
Death, of course. It is heavy metal you know! Besides that things gather up with the
themes of atheism, anarchy, self-violence, general pessimism and medical science.
8) Does it include political statements ?
Not clearly, no. I am not up to teach people who to vote. Not by names, anyways, but
I have been always angry. Every time we open up the TV it's shit pouring down on us.
The people in charge seem to steer us all in only one way. That is to make them
maintain their leadership and wealth and make us others to fight for our grip on
things. And rights.
9) Except for a tour along with Apocalyptica, Stam1na doesnt do much touring abroad.
Why is that so ?
We haven't had a proper possibility. It takes so many pieces to connect in that puzzle.
My main explanation, at least for myself is that we have basicly been so fucking busy
here in Finland. But the whole touring problem's gonna change in the near future I
believe.
10)It seems that Stam1na has always been very careful with everything surrounding your
music. For instance, you put a small comic book in the Vimeiinen Atlantis special
edition. What is the story behind that bleak comic book ?
There was a clear story behing that album, it seemed suitable to have an comic artist
Markku Metso to picture it. We did not have space enough in our normal CD so we
ended up printing that in our special edition. The graphics were also included in our
promotion work via Internet, there was some nice bubbling among people when that
shit went online...
11)You also have always pretty worked and original videos. How do you come up with
the ideas behind each video ?
Maybe somebody delivered us the right drugs... Heh. No, we just like to have fun.
Why not do video art in a different & easy way?
12)As you don't tour abroad much, how would you describe the life of a band in finland ?
Is it easy ?
Finland ain't that big country you know, these tours are quite short drives. Usually we
give shows on weekends, maybe four shows max in one week. As a musician it is hard
to make your living only playing live or only selling albums. We are superbly lucky to
have this Stam1na thing going on right now. Actually, I am writing this interview on
my laptop in our new tour bus... We're heading to Pori today!

3. 13)Even if Stam1na has a pretty unique sound, some bands must have influenced you in
your artistic endeavor. Who are they ?
As a list it would be: Stone (a Finnish legend speed metal band from the 80's),
Sepultura, Slayer, Pantera, Dream Theatre, Steve Vai, Children Of Bodom, Soilwork,
YUP (a Finn rock band) and Meshuggah. Atleast these.
14) In an interview with Eicca toppinen, he told me that he participated to the financing
of Nocebo. Does that mean that your albums are all indepedently financed ?
Eicca saw potencial in the collaboration with us and Joe Barresi, the producer. To
make that happen, to have us working together, he was willing to join in in our
production management. We have been working with our present record label Sakara
Records for a deceade now, this was the biggest project so far. We all did our best!
15)What are your plans for the future ? (tour abroad, side projets , etc…)
Hope to see you in France soon! We're building up some secret connections. Hope to
have a fucking killer year, we're touring in Finland until the end of the summer, then
there will be some nice new things. Tell you all about it later!
16)Do you have a word for your French speaking fans ?
I do not know how to spell it write but my good friend Jean-Eric told me to say ”ze zu
oui örö”. It is suppose to sound like ”I am happy” in your language.