In this
interview, we explore the journey behind Serpent Fire's debut EP Pathways,
delving into the band's origins, their unique blend of aggression and melody,
and the creative process behind their powerful sound.
1.
Congratulations on releasing Pathways! Can you tell us about the journey of
creating this EP and what inspired you to make it your debut release?
Thank you
thank you. It was quite a lot of work, especially for such an amateur who
hasn't been in the music business so long before that anything would have been
published. The songs themselves were created quite easily when you just put a
computer in the background and start riffing. So right at home, I first made
the Demos and then polished them at the training camp and J.K Hel added his own
stuff to them. Some arrangements were also rethought there. Marco came up with
the keyboard patterns at home on top of the guitars. So I didn't have any
melodies in my head, but I made songs as I came up with cool riffs. I first
sent the demos to Jukka M, who made the words and arrangements for them without
any instructions. However, I tried to somehow make the songs so that you can
also sing along to them. Maybe they are not such a match in all parts that it
would be easiest to fit songs to them, heh. But Jukka M. performed the job very
well. Or originally, the intention was to do this with Jukka M together, so that
we would only make a song and publish it through something. But then things
expanded when other guys got involved and for a while we were a real band.
2. Your
music is described as a blend of aggression and melody, capturing the coldness
and melancholy of Northern Finland. How do you achieve this unique atmosphere
in your sound?
Well, it's
probably partly because we have been listening to those Finnish metal bands
since we were teenagers, so I guess those influences somehow come from there.
Even though I listen to lighter music these days also. Says Jukka Piironen. And
yes, where we live near the arctic circle has a lot to do with it. Dark and
cold.
3.Jukka
Piironen, you started Serpent Fire after a long hiatus. What motivated you to
return to music, and how did the collaboration with Jukka Mursu come about?
I can't
really say. I played the guitar with the so-called in a garage band as a
teenager and the only achievement was a four-track demo sometime in -96 or -97.
A bandmate was then badly injured in an accident in the early 2000s, and after
the playing duties ended, i got somewhat bored with the whole thing. I then put
the Marshalls away, I left the guitar, but it became less and less important
and then not at all. And that break then stretched for approx. 20 years. Then I
read the book Alexi Laiho, in 2021 and I started thinking that maybe it would
be nice to learn some songs again. I started to learn to do recordings and make
some of my own songs. Or clips of them. I then asked Mursu if we could try to
do something together...that's where it started. Playing was a bit difficult at
first, but I started to remember it pretty soon.
4. With
members like J.K Hel and Marco Sneck, who have played in well-known bands, how
has each member's musical background influenced the sound and direction of
Serpent Fire?
We all have
experience in many areas, so the sound is formed by everyone playing together.
In general, details are not set in stone and everyone has some own invidual
input and ideas. When songs are born and if we think they sound good, they
start to live their own life.
5. The
track “Disengage” is already resonating with fans, especially through its lyric
video. Can you tell us about the themes of this song and what you hoped to
convey?
The
song tells about an imaginary situation
when it dawns on a person that life continues after death and wants to get out
of this cycle of birth and death. In a way, avoid the whole experience called
life and move forward as far as possible. Skip the lessons, so to speak.
6. Finland
is known for its thriving metal scene. What does it mean to you to be part of
this scene, and what unique qualities do you feel Serpent Fire brings to it?
Yes,
Finland is indeed known for its high-quality metal bands and that makes us work
hard because the level is really high. But we believe that melodies and riffs
never end and there is always something new to add.
7. Your
sound balances aggression with melodic death metal elements. How do you
approach songwriting to achieve this balance, and what themes or emotions are
most central to your lyrics?
Aggression
and melodiousness automatically go hand in hand, and there was no need to think
about them separately. Maybe the subconscious guides you to stay in a certain
route when there is some kind of direction? In the lyrics, Jukka M prefers to
tell something that takes the listener
to a different place than this normal everyday life with all its
problems and maybe to think outside the box.
8. Are
there any particular challenges or rewards that came with working as a
collaborative studio project, as opposed to a traditional band setup?
I have to
say that with the band there are more playing times in a rehearsal compared to
just listening and getting to know the songs at home. I would really like to
find a suitable drummer and bassist, working at home is a pretty lonely job and
it would be nice to be able to perform live as well. The previous drummer quit
the job quite early on and we haven`t been very actively looking for a new one,
we'll see. And there hasn't really been a real bassist the entire time, other
than a few visiting guys, J.K Hel played the bass for the EP, Jukka Piironen
says.
9. With
Pathways now out, what has the fan response been like? Has any feedback or
reaction surprised or inspired you?
Well,
generally quite positive, but there are always plenty of opinions one way or
the other. There's no need to reinvent the wheel here, and you just have to
keep your head and do what feels best.
10. You’ve
mentioned that new songs are already on their way. Can you give us a hint of
what’s in store for
Serpent Fire’s future releases?
Jukka
Piironen has an album's worth of ideas demoed, and at some point we will start
to make more final versions of them together with others. And J.K Hel also has
some of his own ideas, which we can gather up with together. We will probably
continue on this proven path.
11. What
role does visual and lyrical storytelling play in Serpent Fire? Do you see a
theme or concept uniting the band’s identity and future work?
We'll
probably stick to pretty much in the same topics. As we mentioned earlier, we
hardly write about down-to-earth and everyday things. Visuality also goes hand
in hand with this issue.
12.
Finally, for those who haven’t yet listened to Pathways, how would you describe
the EP and what you hope listeners will take away from it?
Maybe something new can be gleaned from there, despite this limited genre. Nice melodic passages and heavy riffs. From the lyrics, you can perhaps reflect something to yourself, that you could sometimes look at things from a different angle rather than only through your own narrow sight.
Serpent Fire (@serpent_fire_band) • Photos et vidéos Instagram
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