SOLOTHUS (2013)

Featured in Supposed to Rot 'zine #4 (2013)

Answers by: Kari Kankaanpää

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Hi there Kari! How's everything going in the Solothus camp these days? Let's start straight to the point if you don't mind; how did Solothus come to life and what does the band name represent (just in case it has any actual meaning)?

Hello! We are doing fantastic at the moment! We started back in 2007 with our former drummer and guitarist Veli. We just really wanted to play music and form a band. So we did. We had numerous different line ups until in year 2010 we got Dario as a bassist and from that on, we have been going full steam ahead! We had few line-up changes during the summer of 2012 when we changed drummer and added a second guitarist to the line-up. The name is a well-kept secret. It has something to do with heaven and hell. He who seeks, shall find.

Having a look at your line-up, and if I'm not mistaken, Solothus is your first experience as a band, right? What can you tell us about your background as musicians and as simple Metal fans? How have you developed a taste in Metal music over the years?

Dario had some cover-bands many years ago when he was living in Ahvenanmaa. Veli used to play in a rock band when he still lived in Valkeakoski. Our new members are playing in Cataleptic. I started singing in a death/black metal band ages ago, but it never actually went anywhere, so we started Solothus. I count Solothus as being my first real band. I used to play bass, but then I got more and more into singing, so I dropped the bass and concentrated on vocals. My history as a metalhead… I am from a small town in coast of Finland, there was basically no one else into metal when I grew up, so I had to find my own way, in a sense. My older sister used to listen to a lot of power metal, so I loaned her cds, but the music was too light. Then somewhere I heard the song from Lake of Tears called “Raistlin and the Rose” and it really woke the metalhead inside of me! I started searching for more music like that. Somewhere I read about them being doom metal or something, so I look up for said genre of music. I found Candlemass and my soul was sold at the exact moment! So heavy and dark music! It was just made for me. From that point it really opened for me. I started looking for heavier metal like black and death metal. Candlemass was the band that really opened my ears.

As it appears on your website you describe your music as epic heavy Doom/Death Metal and I couldn't agree more with that description. Most Doom bands of today tend to stick with this Funeral Doom thing whereas there's a whole lot who refer to simple Doom/Death but usually have no "epic" component on their music. What do you think of these tendencies within the Doom Metal spectrum and what other bands (whether old or new) do you consider as an influence in Solothus?

I can’t really come up with bands who combine the Manilla Road -type of epic metal with death or doom metal. Of course some bands have these “funeral dirges” or other type of “epic” compositions, but not in the sense I am thinking. They try to capture the epic-feeling with keyboards or violins or such nonsense. It is just in the sense of making the riffs, like Candlemass. They always had some “epic” feeling in their music. If you compare to say, Saint Vitus, which is more straight forward and even rocking. There is a lot of bands that have influenced us, but first and foremost Candlemass. Also I would say Black Sabbath, Cathedral, Solitude Aeturnus. Basically good doom metal! If I would say a band, that has influenced us, I would name Runemagick. They are a spectacular band! Real riffs and compositions!

So far your only available stuff is the demo entitled "Ritual of the Horned Skull". It was initially released in 2011 but later on re-released on tape with one bonus song entitled "A Call to War" through Nihilistic Holocaust records in 2013. What can you tell us about the stuff on that demo and what kind of response do you think it has received from the fans?

The first time it was released in 2011, we had been making music for awhile and rehearsed. We entered the studio when the material came up. I think on that demo, we are still bit looking for our sound. It’s a bit harsh. The song “A Call to War” was recorded in 2012 for a split with Cataleptic, but never came out. So Gabriel from Nihilistic Holocaust asked about using that song for the demo re-release. I think that the tape came out perfect! True old school spirit! About the response to our music, we have gathered basically nothing but positive feedback, which is always very nice to hear. The tape also got praises in the media. Lets hope people will like the album too!

How came the approach by Raúl from the Spanish label Memento Mori to sign the band? Did it come as a sort of surprise for you? Had you been moving your only demo to date around in order to look for a label or did his interest in Solothus just show up?

It was a rainy day and I was about to go to Hammer Open Air-festival, when I checked our facebook-page and he offered us a deal. It came as a total surprise! We were thinking of recording another demo or an ep, but when this great opportunity rose, we had to take it! I had done a lot of promo work around the demo. I sent it to a lot of places. I heard that his friend Dave in By This Axe I Rule-zine had hinted about us.

What can you advance about the first full-length, is there any release date, any title or artwork ready yet? What can we expect from your first album musically speaking?

Drums and guitars have already been recorded. We aim to release it during early summer. Artwork and most lyrics are already done, some minor stuff with the “outer musical”-things. Perhaps I can announce the title here, we haven’t told it anywhere else yet. We named the album “Summoned from the Void”. It is more of everything. More death metal and more doom metal. We added faster and slower parts. Without forgetting the amazing solo-work of Veli. We dropped the tuning also, so it will be heavier! Also with the two guitars, more heaviness. Our new drummer is a real drum virtuoso, so his drum-work is top notch! About vocals, its more diverse too, not just deep grunts, but some higher and even blackish shrieks! I bet people will be pleased with it. At least we are!

In relation to the former question is there any kind of noticeable progression as regards song-writing between your first demo and the new album? What musical path would you like to follow in the future?

As said earlier, we have evolved our sound a bit. Not too fancy, we didn’t add any flutes or bagpipes! Just more mature. Some really slow stuff and some relatively fast parts too. I think we have somewhat reached what we wanted with the album, but the “evolution” is never done. We already have some ideas for the next release too. We will stick to the epic-solos and riffs, for that are basically what we aimed for and it came naturally.

Raúl from Memento Mori told me your new album will be produced and mastered by Greg Chandler, member of Esoteric. At first one might think you were looking for a guy who really knows what this Doom/Death Metal thing is about, so maybe that's the reason why he will be the producer... Any idea about the way you want the album to sound like? I think Solothus music shows itself as heavy yet "understandable" (that is, it doesn’t sound as a mess or noisy) and that's a plus in my opinion...

You nailed it! We want the music to be clear but heavy as hell. Solothus is not some cellar black metal project, but we don’t want the music to be over produced either! Raul introduced us to few options about the mastering, since two of members of the band have toured with Esoteric and I really love their stuff, it wasn’t hard choice to pick Greg! Only thing I want from the album that it sounds majestic, oppressive and heavy!

How's the song-writing method in a band like Solothus? Is everything riff-based or it depends on the nature of each song? Also, is there any mastermind as regards the building of songs or do you all contribute to it?

Veli, our guitarist is the mastermind behind the music. He composes everything by himself. In rehearsals we might add or suggest something, but basically, he comes with the riffs and vision. I write the lyrics and make the vocal arrangements. Also Juha did his drum parts himself. Juha and I both have open hands, for we know our instruments better than Veli, hehe.

If I'm not mistaken there's a also a Split EP with the band Cataleptic in the works, so please tell us anything about this new release...

There was… It was supposed to come 2012, but never happened because of the label wanting to release it. After time of fighting on it, we decided to trash the idea. Not it would be pretty pointless, since two members of Cataleptic play in Solothus. Also we got the record deal with Memento Mori. We would like to do an split with some band in 2014… We shall see about that…

Well, it's time now for some short and straight-to-the-point questions. Could you please give me your opinion about the following?

-Best recent record you have got hold of:

Just got the new Krypts album. Really heavy as fuck stuff! Surprised me!

-Metal style you listen to the most: Doom metal or old school death metal.

-Esoteric: A band I really loved in my teenager years. Haven’t checked the new albums.

-Evoken: Band that I never have gotten into that much…

-Skepticism: Simply the best funeral doom metal band EVER. Also magickal live band!

-Reverend Bizarre vs Lord Vicar: Reverend Bizarre by far! But I really love Lord Vicar too!

-Candlemass: The best band ever.

-A record of your collection you would never trade in (not even for millions of €):

Candlemass Epicus Doomicus Metallicus or Nightfall. Could be Lake of Tears’ Crimson Cosmos too…

Ok Kari, I'm done with the questions now. Please feel free to add anything to our readers and let them know how to get in touch or have updated news about Solothus. Thanks for your time and kindness. All the best! Eduardo