Interview with Paul
Q>>
I've always wanted to learn how to say "Hello guys, what's up?" in
Finnish (to impress the ladies when I'll go to Helsinki). Please help me...
:)
A>> Okay here it is:"Vitun kusipaat, haluutteko turpaan?" Or
you can say alternatively:"Haluutko nussia mua perseeseen tana yona?"
Welcome to Hellsinki…
Q>> I've
listened to "Maximize The Misery" a couple of times already and it's
pretty obvious that Divine:Decay is a band that stakes on straightness and efficiency
in the first place... Is there something you'd like to add?
A>> Our drummer likes AC/DC and Danzig a lot so it's up to him how the
songs will go on. He doesn't play any double-bass drums or perform any fills
so it's basically really straightforward with this album.
Q>> Three
guitars... You guys wanna play Maiden or what? ;-)
A>> First of all, I think Janick Gers doesn't fit in Iron Maiden at all
and our point of having a 3rd guitarist is because he can play solos. Alec or
I can't. Plus we can do lots of extra harmonies with 3 guitars…Of course
everyone compares us to I.M. but we REALLY need the 3rd guitar live on stage
to do the things we wanna do.
Q>> I couldn't
find a single ballad on your album... Only "Black Hearted Angel" has
a more "airy" refrain... Do you plan to record a couple of slower/lighter
songs in the future or will you stay true to big fat metallic riffs only?
A>> Ballads!? Why? Most of "Metal" ballads suck big time so
let's have other bands do the ballad shit. It doesn't suit us. If we wanted
to do ballads, we would do the Simon and Garfunkel kind of music or Death In
June, instead of playing Metal ballads…
Q>> Do all
the members of the band like the Bay Area Thrash equally? What good old bands
do you still listen to nowadays?
A>> Yes, we all like old Bay Area stuff but we like newer Metal a bit
more. I could give you a list of every good album and band that we like but
it would be endless….Here are a few examples of "good old" albums
from the eighties that I'd wanna have with me if I were struck on a desert island:
"Reign In Blood", "New Order", "Master Of Puppets",
"Under The Influence", "Forbidden Evil", "The Ultra-Violence",
"Handle With Care".
Q>> You've
been in the mixing room with the mighty Mikko Karmila. Happy? Tell me something
about your collaboration with him...
A>> He mixed our first album too and we have known him since the early
nineties. Mikko is kind of a nice guy and he knows how to mix Metal so he was
kind of the obvious choice for us. But I think we might use other guys for producing
and mixing the next album, simply because we want some variety for the sound
politics. We are really happy with how the "Maximize" went but we
might be in for a change. Or maybe not. Who knows even if we will do a next
album under the name of Divine:Decay….
Q>> Many
people told me that, in Finland, they have a very particular musical taste,
even in Metal. How true is that in your opinion?
A>> I think that the trend in Finland is now with bands like Children
Of Bodom, Nightwish and Metal with Finnish lyrics. A band called Kotiteollisuus
(Metal with some Rock attitude) just made it to number one in the Finnish top-40
charts and they sing in Finnish. Also, a label called Spinefarm has all those
"favorite" Metal bands in their catalog so people are very keen to
know what label you are on. A stupid but kind of safe thing from an album buyer's
point of view. We are not a "Spinefarm band", so our album doesn't
get as much "hype" as Spinefarm-labeled bands get, you know. Sad but
true.
Q>> Are you
glad you got a deal with Osmose Productions? Did you know the label well before
signing with them?
A>> Yeah, we are happy that we could make our first and second album with
Osmose but I really don't have any idea where to go from this point. I'd really
like to see Osmose continue our contract but you never know what may happen
in the near future. If they don't wanna renew it, we'll have to search for a
new home. But then again, who knows if we might make a next album at all! Big
questions in our little Metal brains…
Q>> Last
rites, fucks and hellos...
A>> Nice interview indeed and good luck to you and your zine!!! Hope you
understood everything I said with my sorry-ass English…[Note from editress
Fae to Paul: no problem, man - you did fine!]
RNO