1. The band was born in 2012, why did you decide to create the band? What does the name Hiidenhauta refer to and why did you decide to use it?
Tuomas: Our (me and bassist Henri) last band Taivaannaula has just quit, and couple of months after Emma proposed to create the new band. I was immediately in and asked also Henri to join. And then almost accidentally we found Eetu, Otto and Gastjäle very soon. When we thought the name, I said it has to be something new and different, I mean if someone would write it to Google, there are us, not ten similar bands or things. And then Hiidenhauta just came. It means “The grave of the Hiisi”. And Hiisi is some kind of dark power of forest and also an ancient sacred place there.
2. Throughout these years, Hiidenhauta's line-up has remained practically unchanged. Are you a band of friends who enjoy the music they make rather than a business and hence endure over time?
T: Yes, only Gastjäle has left and we didn’t take anyone on his place. We are friends who enjoy the music and only we know what it should be. Of course, there has been lot of problems and issues between us, but here we still are. Music is the most important thing and everyone of us knows that!
3. How was the writing and recording process for Riivin? How is your way of working in the studio? How do you think your sound has evolved compared to your previous album “1695” from a couple of years ago?
T: First four song ideas of the new album were already composed at the same time our last album “1695” was still waiting its release. I think it was fall 2017. And those songs came from our guitarist Otto. They showed us some kind of direction. Then we almost broke up, there was lots of issues and problems. But we got over them, and in summer 2019 we started to write more new material. Our bassist Henri composed four song also and I composed one song. And then I found great theme for the album: “The Devil in the Finnish Folklore.” I wrote lyrics as the songs came ready and when the winter came, we had all new material in our hands and went to the studio. We were there about 4-5 months. This was the first time when we didn’t give any example what we wanted to sound like. Our recorder has been with us in every album so he knew what it should be. And I think we took a big step forward with sounds and atmosphere. And what became “1695” album, now we didn’t use piano as much. It was Gastjäle’s thing, and because he was not with us anymore, there’s not that much piano parts for example.
4. At first your sound can be framed within the melodic black, however in it we can find sounds that we can qualify as pagan / folk metal and above all what makes it unique and different is the voice of Emma that carries your proposal How will you define the sound of Hiidenhauta on this latest album? And what does Emma bring you when defining the sound of the band?
T: Maybe the biggest part of Hiidenhauta, and what makes us a band we are, is our style to do vocals part. I think anything else could change and we can do any kinds of material and songs, but at the end it still sounds us. Emma’s voice and skill to create atmosphere is a huge thing in our songs and albums. I know there are people who always think that this kind of vocals don’t fit black metal, but we don’t care. We know it fits! Our sound on the new album is dynamic, raw but still clear enough.
5. Your lyrics deal with topics related to the customs, myths and legends of Finland. Why did you decide to deal with these topics in the band's lyrics? And what specific themes have you developed in “Riivin”?
T: The theme of the Riivin is “The Devil in the Finnish Folklore”. I quote myself: In the beginning, the idea was to make a theme album about gnomes and such creatures in Finnish folklore, and other perhaps more invisible characters. However, after reading books like “Myytillisiä tarinoita”, “Suomalainen piru” and “Olevaisen yöpuoli”, it was pretty clear that the theme of the album must be the Devil in the Finnish folklore, which at first glance may seem like a rather worn out subject more than the first thought of it. The Finnish Devil is versatile; it can be a moral guardian, vindictive, cruel, helpful, playful, humane, visible, invisible, and everything in between.”
I have written about myths, history, folklore etc. almost 20 years now, it was just natural to bring these themes also to Hiidenhauta’s lyrics. But we still want them to be versatile, so “1695” was historical theme about The Great Famine of Finland, and the new theme was just something very different. I use poetic kalevalametre in Hiidenhauta’s lyrics, so also it makes quite different kind of rhythm to our vocals.
6. With this “Riivin”, do you consider that you have taken advantage of all the possibilities offered by studios like Ansa Studios? How important is it for you to be able to make use of these studios when it comes time to finish shaping the sound of Hiidenhauta?
T: Ansa studio and our recorder and friend Teemu Heinola has been a huge part of Hiidenhauta sound. We have recorded there our every album and every song and it’s like home to Hiidenhauta. I think we wouldn’t be like this if we were recorded our stuff somewhere else.
7. Who was in charge of the album cover design, what does it refer to and how does it relate to the content of the album?
T: Our cover artist and friend Jamppa Lamminpää has made our every album covers, photoshoots etc. and so this time also. We gave him our songs, lyrics and thoughts and then it came like this. Perfect as always!
8. Have you ever considered taking Hiidenhauta's proposal to a stage to be able to offer a concert one day or, on the contrary, do you not contemplate it?
T: Sometimes we talk about it, but we’ll see. Maybe.
9. You come from the Finnish region of Satakunta, how is the extreme metal scene in your region? How do you see today the health of Finnish black metal compared to a few years ago?
T: There are some bands, but actually we don’t know. We are not a part of any scene or community so these are just guesses. But I think new bands have took bigger role last couple years.
10. How were your beginnings in music: first concerts you attended, first albums you bought? What did you do in your lives that made you want to dedicate yourself to music?
T: Tough question. I started to play guitar when I was 12 years old. But before that there has been a dream about own band, so it has been very long time with me. The first real concert was maybe Nightwish or Tehosekoitin somewhere end of 90’s. And first bought album was Nirvana – Nevermind when I was like 10 or 11. And that’s where it started. But I think I’m poet primarily and lyrics are the biggest thing I can give to Hiidenhauta.
Otto: The first album I bought was Follow the Reaper from Children of Bodom.
Henri: The first albums I bought was Black Sabbath from Black Sabbath and Virtual XI from Iron Maiden.
Emma: I’ve been singing my whole life, as long as I remember. I even got my first microphone when I turned 3 years old! Singing is something I’ve born to do; it makes me happy and is a way of expressing my feelings. At the age of 10 I stole my big brothers metal records, (including Nightwish, Finntroll, Children Of Bodom etc.) and basically sold my soul for metal and music. I even played my big brother’s electric guitar in his room, when he was not home. (Shh, don’t tell him!) As a teenager, my biggest dream was to sing in a metal band, so I think my dream has come true! When I was 16, my grandma and I used to go to our local opera several times, and oh boy, that was something; to hear Queen of the Night aria live was simply magical. I even wanted to study classical music, but the music theory was too much for me to handle, haha! Can’t really remember any first important gigs, but Finntroll was awesome live.
Eetu: As a little boy, I banged all kinds of pots and saucepans I could find and made a lot of noise. My parents rented a drumset for me, and noticed that I played them all my freetime, so they bought me my first drumset. Music is my hobby; it has always been that way, and I find nothing else quite as interesting. To be honest, I haven’t bought many records, except a couple of vinyls!
When Otto and I were in elementary school, we listened to Children of Bodom, Ensiferum and Wintersun. They were pretty badass. And I found some Cradle of Filth from my big brother’s record shelf, it was pretty interesting too.
11. For the release of the new album you will have Inverse Records again, are you satisfied with the work done by Inverse in terms of promotion and editing? Has there been interest from other labels to release the album in other formats?
T: We have been very satisfied with Inverse. Our experience is that our deal is quite good, and everything has gone well, so yet we didn’t have reasons to find another label. Of course, if someone will propose with a new and maybe better deal, we are interested.
12. Which album represents the essence of black metal for you? What albums have you bought most recently?
T: There are lots of awesome albums. I still think the best black metal albums are Verisäkeet from Moonsorrow and Lammendam from Carach Angren. But for example, Bathory and Windir are very important bands to me. Last album I bought was Reguiem – Pianissimo from Virgin Black.
Henri: I think the best black metal album is Filosofem. But most recently I bought Ofnir from Heilung and second-hand pile of Slayer and Death!
13. In a year as complicated as the last due to Covid-19, you have managed to carry out the edition of a new album, how do you think the situation has affected you? How have you managed to keep in touch with your fans?
T: It has not affected us as a band. We keep in touch with our fans via social media as always, so nothing has changed.
14. What more immediate future plans do you have for the band? Are you already working on new songs?
T: Next year Hiidenhauta will be 10 years old, so we hope there will be a new album then and hopefully something special also. We’ll see. But new music definitely.
15. Thank you very much for the time dedicated to Black Metal Spirit, if you want to add something for Hiidenhauta fans this is the place. I hope the questions have been to your liking.
Thank you. Beware of a man.
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Nacths – Frau Brimkmann 4,99 €
Edition of 100 copies in tape
The lyrical concept of "Frau Brinkmann" is based on the short story "Kammann und Soddemann", published in the german literature magazine "Abweg".
