1. Hello my friend, pleasure to have you on Rotten Pages ´zine. How are you doing today? Let us set the scene first. Where do we find you right now? Please describe your surroundings.
Hey there! Thanks for having us on Rotten Pages 'zine. We're doing great, thanks for asking. Right now, you'll find us in our small and crowded rehearsal space. The room is decked out with music gear everywhere—guitars leaning against the walls, amps buzzing in the corners, and a drum set taking up all the extra spaces. Other group behind the wall is rehearsing some country music that we are to constantly witness.. Lovely.
2. We’ve got to start with that great name. What led to your naming the band Wormlord? What was the idea behind it?
"We used to perform under the name ‘Saasta’ (a Finnish word that translates to 'Filth'). However, during the commencement of the 'Open Wounds' recording, we discovered that the name was already taken. 'Wormlord' aptly encapsulates the essence of filth and its putrid nature.
3. Wormlord has been existing for over 4 years now. When you started the band, did you envision you would still be doing it today?
“At least, we didn't initially plan on doing any live shows or interviews, and for me, attempting to do vocals for the records was totally a new experience, heh.
4. The debut album “Open Wounds” is crushing and heavy, from start to finish. But there’s also a great deal of references to swedish death metal sound in the songs. Was that a conscious effort or just something that happened as the songwriting progressed?
“It’s the HM2-pedal that has ‘that’ sound carved into it. No matter what you play with it will sound swedish. Also Peavey 6505/5150 combined could help.. Just heard that the sound is a cocktail of ‘Burzum meets Entombed’. I take that as a compliment.
5. What rules and canons do you follow when writing music? How much is this process free and artistic? Or maybe a more technical and academic approach prevails?
“Only approach I can think of is that we don’t “overthink” the songs. Simple stuff from simple people. Usually one of us has a riff or a mockup that we try to carve out more in the rehearsals. Ear is the best academy, if it sounds ok it probably then actually is.
6. The artwork is gorgeous — who did it? Did you have an idea of what you wanted for the cover or did you just let the artist interpret the title?
“We spotted the magical @biteradiusdesigns in social media, he has done marvelous covers for the big boys - and managed to get him to draw us one too! Thanks Gary!
7. How pleased are you with this record? What kind of responses do you want to get from it?
“The album turned out quite well, Olli (drummer) set up the recording, mixed and mastered it and the sound has the harshness we wanted to achieve. Personally I need to develop my vox for the next one.
“We had quite minor expectations as we only released it digitally to Spotify and YouTube with zero marketing. Somehow the people found it..
8. How hard is it to print a CD on your own and then spread it to the right channels? Is there like a directory you can use to help further your cause?
We are still in that spread phase, as we have no agency. We only have distributed to some Finnish record shops. And people can order it via bandcamp.
9. Are there particular songs that you feel best define Wormlord sound or perhaps ones you find most notable for whatever reason?
“Dismember is at least a very simple and groovy track, it might describe the band's overall idea.
10. What’s your opinion about underground and death metal, underground or not, these days? In which aspects the scene got better and in which aspects did it get worse?
“Among this era of mass-producing new singles and stuff, people are still crafting new DM albums with originality (can’t really say we have anything new to offer, tho). Guts is a fresh example, their debut is insane!
11. Wormlord is not a band that plays live very often, but you are about to play at this year’s Oktobear Metal Fest. Talk about that experience. Any other upcoming shows?
I guess our excuse is that we spend so much time on other mandatory work-life stuff that we don't have time to play gigs or do extra work. The fest and live experience was definitely refreshing, and with people moshing and pitting over Open Wounds’s riffs was definitely worth it.
Encouraged that maybe we can tour more, if extra time is found somewhere. We got some inquiries from central europe, let’s see how that turns out.
12. What is your view on the current state of death metal- it seems to be either old school retro movement or a brutal/fast/technical as possible- is there anything new death metal can do?
I haven’t thought that we should offer anything new. Since other genres are filling the areas, I’m just happy that I can still enjoy some good live death metal shows on a frequent basis.
Of course, by bringing fresh and popular stuff into death metal will bring more listeners - if you aim for that. We don’t.
The masters aren’t getting any younger and we will see them live less and less.
13. Do you support your death metal scene and where would you like death metal to go in the future? How can you, as a band, help in moving the scene forward?
Heh, maybe we show supporting by bringing our stuff to the table. Or it does the vice versa..
Yup, we really support the death metal scene. We want it to keep on growing, stay true to its roots but also evolve. As a band, we do our bit by making music that's pure death metal but with our own twist. We're all about gigs too, even though it's tough with our busy schedules. Also, we're on social media to connect with folks who dig what we're doing. We're all in for supporting other bands and collaborating 'cause that's how scenes get stronger. So yeah, we're just playin' our part in keepin' the death metal scene kicking.
14. I believe the Finnish death metal scene, right now, is quite possibly the strongest, right up there with Denmark, why is this so? How are you different than other fellow bands in your areas and what do you think your band adds to the scene?
At least the scene is quite alive as there are constant live possibilities even for the smaller groups like us. It might help. Although we are not aiming for a tight tour schedule, it's nice to know there are possibilities.
We don’t think we should aim to differentiate from others. We just push our thing, if someone wants to listen to it, then go ahead.
15. To become a musician in Finland where almost everybody plays some musical instrument and has three bands at least – it’s a challenge, or is it something you Finns are predisposed to at birth?
Haha, not really. Classic answer is the dark cold winter that makes people grab an instrument to spend the time.
16. If people from outside Finland would want to travel to a location that has inspired you to write music in your home country, where would they have to go?
Visit the countryside during november, that will help you find the motivation.
17. What do you do other than the band, for fun/work and do you like being in Helsinki?
VL: I'm originally from a small town in western Finland. The capital area is a bit more convenient for everything, considering that, by nature, travel distances are quite extensive. Now, with the possibilities of remote work, perhaps someday I will move back to the countryside to avoid the hassle of the capital.
18. Thanks for taking the time out for this and all the best for the future! Your last Words.
We're aiming to release a new album in 2024. We've got around 8 songs that are already somewhat in the works. It's going to be fantastic. Thanks for the invitation. Kippis!
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