ASCENDED (2009)

This interview is dated April ’09 and was intially intended to be featured in the 2nd issue of Consumed by Darkness ‘zine which finally and unfortunately never saw the light of day

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Hello there Lassi, hope you’re doing well right now. I’m really honoured to interview Ascended for our shitty zine. How’s it going in Finland right now?

Cheers, I am honoured to answer your little intie. We’re doing fine at the moment, we’re writing and rehearsing two completely new songs which will hopefully be recorded during the summer and maybe released in a split 7” with an American death metal band Helcaraxe. We are also waiting our EP Temple of Dark Offerings to be pressed and released by Enucleation Records. Hopefully it’s going to be out before autumn.

Well, let’s get to the point. I just stumbled in your myspace page because a guy from Lie in Ruins recommended Vorum and your band as the most promising Finnish bands of the moment. I must now say that he was completely right Lassi. Vorum are really good at it but your stuff is more than awesome, one of the best releases in general I have got hold of in many years. How’d you describe Ascended’s music for those who still have not got the chance to listen to “The Art of Necromancy”?

Well, it’s pure and atmospheric death metal in the vein of bands like Abhorrence, Demigod and Purtenance. So if you like death metal and especially finnish dm from the beginning of 1990’s, Ascended is definitely your cup of tea. Most of our music desecrates in doom and mid-tempos but there are also some hints of furious blast beats here and there. Atmospheric and Eerie melodies and guitar leads play big role in our music.

"The Art of Necromancy" demo cover artwork

How come for some youngsters like you to devote your music to the old-school sound? I assume you didn’t live that time in first person, so what made you follow the steps of old-school bands? I mean, it is commonplace that newcomer bands play a totally different kind of Metal. Some people might accuse you of jumping into the old-school revival wagon (there’re assholes everywhere, you know) but I see a lot of honesty and of course a big deal of skill behind your music

I think that the death metal scene in the start of 1990’s has a very unique sound. There’s so much feeling in the works of those bands whereas new death metal is too often based only on technique. We were never into that “play as fast and complex as you can” type of dm. We wanted to reach the emotion and sound of old bands and I think we have succeeded rather well. Of course it’s not good to play old school style just to sound old school but that was never our intention. When we composed our first songs we didn’t think too much about that “hey, let’s write couple of old school songs now”. We just began to listen more and more true death metal of old and our own music evolved to the same direction. We’re doing honestly and as good as we can the kind of music that we like and appreciate.

I see a strong Demigod influence in your music, even some ‘Demigod meets Depravity’ on your latest stuff, do you agree? What bands do you draw inspiration from? What do you think about those bands?

Yes, I agree. Our main source of inspiration must have been all the great death metal bands from late 80's and early 90's. Few to mention are of course those finnish gods Demigod and Depravity. For us they are definitely some of the most important pioneers in the finnish death metal scene and have influenced lots of newer bands and made the finnish sound so recognizable. Also doom metal has had a really important effect on our music.

How is it for a young band like yours to go ahead playing Death Metal in a small town like Pori? In case you didn’t know it is the hometown of Morpheus and Funcunt too, a couple of old-school bands from the heydays of the movement. Are you giving concerts or something nearby?

We have played only one concert so far and that took place almost a year ago in a bigger city, Tampere . In Pori underground concerts with death, thrash and black metal bands were organized quite often even 2-3 years ago, but now that kind of activity is almost dead in our city. It’s a shame. Maybe we had played more gigs if there were more active underground scene here.

What can you tell us about your musical background? Have you played in any other bands before this Ascended thing or are you pulling off another band, project or whatever at present too? Also, where did you get that Juuso Lautamäki dude from? I almost shit my pants every time I listen to his guitar solos on your first demo and also on the 2 new songs… That guy is a guitar monster, isn’t he?

In the beginning Juuso, Sami and Tuomas used to go to the same school. Sami had been playing drums about half a year and one day they just started jamming in Sami's cellar in the summer 2006. After few weeks they began to look for a rhythm guitarist and I was an old mate of Sami so he asked me if I wanted to join the band. I had no other projects so I decided to step in. I think none of us has played in a “real” band before, though we had some projects of our own before.

Juuso is definitely a great guitarist. He doesn’t think or know too much about music theory, he plays with pure feeling and that’s good. Of course he has trained a lot to achieve his skills. His leads are one thing that is now characteristic to our music.

“The Art of Necromancy”, your first demo, is available on CD-R format. Is there really a big demand for it? Why was it also released on tape through Aural Offerings Records? At first sight one might think that format is almost obsolete…

Only analog is real, haha. In the underground scene tape is still appreciated format, not obsolete at all. We have sold or traded or sent over a 100 copies of our first demo, so there has been some demand for it, yes. Aural Offerings offered to release the demo as a tape almost a year ago and we thought that it’s only a good thing to have the demo released in a more decent format than a home-made cd-r. And additionally the tape version looks absolutely killer, haha.

I wonder why there’re so many killer bands out there which still remain unsigned. As far as I know this is your case, right? Have you thought of sending out your stuff to labels for promotion purposes or maybe have you already received any interest whatsoever to put your stuff in the streets professionally?

Well, actually we’re not unsigned anymore. Enucleation Records is going to release our forthcoming EP Temple of Dark Offerings as 12” vinyl and cd and Aural Offerings is maybe releasing it as a tape version also.

As far as I know you’re working on a new release, an EP to be precise. What can you advance about it? Anything ready as regards recording, titles, dates and so on? And most important, what can we expect from the new stuff. The 2 new songs you have uploaded to your webpage are even better (if that’s possible) than the demo songs in my opinion. They have even more obscure harmonies and a bit tighter sound as well in comparison

Actually the recording of Temple of Dark Offerings has been ready for a long time. We recorded the four songs completely during last autumn. There has just been some delay and problems with releasing it. Turkka Rantanen (he has made cover art for example for Demilich) is doing cover art for that one and he has almost finished his work. At the moment our songs are being mastered and test-pressings of vinyls shall be started soon. I hope the release is finally out before autumn. Tracklist for the new EP is going to be: 1. Temple of Dark Offerings 2. Mesmerizing Stench 3. Wedlock of Lust 4. Ascension (Towards Godless Immortality). I think that the two songs in our myspace site, tracks 2 and 3, summarize the sound of the release. General tempo of the songs is going to be a little bit faster than in the first demo, though there are almost none very fast blast parts in the new songs. It’s more mid-tempo stuff and contains even more deadly melodies than The Art of Necromancy did. Sound and the structures of the songs are also better than in the first demo.

Any plans for the short and long term future? I guess you must have in mind some plans to release a full-length soon, or maybe not? How do you see Ascended evolving in the years to come?

Short term plans are to record two new songs which I mentioned in the beginning of this interview. After that there’s going to be a year or something break for Ascended, because three of our band members enter army which is compulsory for every male in Finland . We’ll see after that what’s the future for Ascended.

Lassi, let our readers know how to get their hands on your demo and how to get any information concerning the band and releases

Our myspace page www.myspace.com/ascendedmetal has the updated information about releases etc. You can also contact me through email, my address is lvainio@hotmail.com.

Name your top 5 items of the of the early years (Demos, Ep’s or albums).

Hmm, I could mention plenty of other bands or releases but I think I shall stick to the classic ones: Demigod "Slumber of Sullen Eyes", Demilich "Nespithe", Abhorrence "Vulgar Necrolatry", Purtenance "Member of Immortal Damnation", Amorphis "Privilege of Evil".

Now it's time for a kinda silly time-wasting test:

Favourite band: There are too many to mention. For example all the bands mentioned in this intie.

Favourite song: One favourite song? Uh-huh. Impossible to say.

Favourite album: There are too many awesome old school albums…

Best album cover: Purtenance’s Member Of Immortal Damnation has a killer album cover made by Chris Moyen.

Worst album cover: Some shitty pop-bands cd-cover I saw in a record store the other day.

Favourite food: Kebab.

Favourite drink: Beer.

Favourite country: Finland .

Favourite film: Witchfinder General (1968)

Favourite book: Works of H.P. Lovecraft

Favourite ASCENDED song: Hmm, maybe "Mesmerizing Stench".

Favourite moment of the day: Finally answering to this interview, haha.

Well, that’s all Lassi. Thank you very much for your time to go through my silly questions, keep up the good work and all the best for the uncertain future. Could you please put an end to this telling adding whatever else you want?

Thanks for this opportunity to reveal some facts about Ascended. Keep the old school flame alive!

Cheers,

Lassi / Ascended