1. Greetings to Finland! Most of the following questions will be about work, so lets start a little easy asking what do you do in your free time/vacation? Actually, how do people in Finland mostly spend summer (vacation) since the typical middle-European ideal of sunny beaches is rather unreachable?

Well, in the summer we do actually the same that people do everywhere. Since in the summertime it's very beautiful out here we pretty much hang outside, you know. We don't have that much sandy beaches by the sea but we have couple of those good 'ol lakes..

2. In Finland metal music is quite popular also in mainstream. What is your attitude to this? Do you think it’s better when people listen to bands like Nightwish or Lordi, which deforms their knowledge of extreme music? Was rock and metal music mainstream also in your childhood years? How did you get to metal music?

I personally was first into Kiss, Black Sabbath, Ozzy, Iron Maiden, Dio, etc. I mean those were the ones which led me into more extreme, or more metal music you might say. Metallica, Anthrax and Slayer were pretty common bands to be found in the mid/late eighties. Even though I would not say that metal in general was mainstream back then but those kind of bigger bands were pretty easy to find and absorb. For me it's actually pretty much the same if metal is mainstream or not. It's easier to find different kinds of metal music nowadays. Sometimes it can maybe be too easy, if you know what I mean. There's a bit of an oversupply going on. From time to time that can make you get a little bit fed up with the whole scene. For example, if you're listening the same bands with your mom, it should make you wonder where the hell is the danger and rebellion from metal these days...

3. Let’s discuss the recent album “Until Fear No Longer Defines Us. I guess that after “Isolation Songs” came out in 2009 you were flooded with fans and promoters interest, am I right? When did you compose this album? Can we say that you were making music even during a tour? I’m asking because I think this has to be really difficult, but maybe I’m just wrong.

Well, not flooded but we did get some positive feedback and some connections too. In Ghost Brigade the writing process is always the same and never takes place within time period specified in advance. Songs just build up when it's time, no matter if we are on tour or not.

4. The new album came out two years after the aforementioned “Isolation Songs” which is an optimal interval. Have you felt differently when you composed “Until…” compared to “Isolation…”? Did you have a clear concept how the album should sound?

Like I said to the question just before, writing process is always the same, natural period of time. So the feelings that grip into the music and lyrics are always different. This time maybe a bit more positive or should I say a bit more hopeful than earlier albums. The sound of new album developed same time with the songs. Of course we had something in mind but the overall sound defined itself in terms of the songs.

5. In my opinion is the new album quite similar to the previous one but it offers a new elements which you have never used before. What do you think about “Until…” as its creator? Can we consider it to be something substantial in your biography?

Of course. Every record is substantial as itself. The new one is equally significant because of it's more fearless feel and it's strong, more diverse song material.


6. Have you met with comments telling that the new album is only an expansion of the previous one, that it offers nothing new and that you have become a band which is favoured by a “bigger amount of listeners? I did :)

Yeah, actually, I think I heard or read something like that. That's pretty basic feedback, ha ha. For us this record is more developed, a bit more mature and a way more comprehensive than earlier records. If we like it, it's enough. You make a record and you stand behind it forever and throw it to the lions. Every time you'll notice that you just can't please everyone. That's the way it goes. If natural development is just an expansion of the previous one which makes more people like our music, then we must have done something terribly wrong...

7. Your lyrics are full of despair, internal conflicts and hatred. Can we understand Ghost Brigade as your way to express and discharge those feelings? How important are lyrics for you? Do you write them in a more traditional way after you write the music or do they form simultaneously with the music? Do you write them together?

Manne writes most of the lyrics and Wille writes some too. I think there's not a specific way how they write the lyrics. Sometimes they might come along with the music and sometimes after, I'm not sure about their writing methods or processes. Lyrics are of course very important. What you sing is always a part of the musical atmosphere. Lyrics of Ghost Brigade are always personal too, so they definitely are a way to express a feeling, mood or vision.

8. There is animated music video for the song “Clawmaster”. Whose idea was it? Please, could you shortly describe how it was created and what was cooperating with Fursy Teyssier like (how did you get to him?)? When can we expect to see it?

Well, it's been online for a while now. You can see it here . We had discussed with Fursy with couple of years ago I think. At the time making animated music video was too expensive for us. I don't actually recall whose idea it was at the start but I know he was very enthusiastic to co-operate and so did we. We really like what he does, both musically and as an animator.

9. Day before the official release of the album appeared at Soundcloud for a week to stream in its whole. What led you to this step? Was your intention to discourage potential listeners from downloading the album from illegal sources? What do you think is the future of music in digital world?

We did the same thing with earlier albums also. It's just the way it goes nowadays. I think it's good thing and pretty fair deal. I mean, you get to listen it for free before you purchase if so. I don't know about the future of music, it's very hard to foresee in which direction the whole business is going. Of course music is easier to move around the globe when it's just files, but the deftness of music in that form doesn't make music itself more valuable. What can I say, let's just believe that rock n' roll never dies, If you know what I mean.

10. You recorded in Seawolf studios for the third time now. I guess then that it completely suits your needs and expectations for a recording studio?

Yeah, definitely. It's a great place to really concentrate on what you do. It's on an old fortress- island outside Helsinki so the landscape with sea- view can be very inspirational sometimes. Also the temptation to go hang out downtown every night is pretty small because it's a bit complicated to go back and forth with a ferry and stuff..especially in wintertime it sucks because of the cold weather. It's not impossible that we'd use some different studio in the future but for this record Seawolf was again automatic choice for us.

11. Let’s have a think about the possible future of GHOST BRIGADE. Have you thought about it? Can we somehow predict in which direction you might evolve?

Even though we don't do exact plans about the future we surely give it a thought from time to time. It's more like thinking about how things that you do now might evolve, not that much in which direction we would go. Just let the good times roll and see what we want to do next.


12. I think that you achieved a great position and not only in a Finnish metal scene. Do you feel, as the musicians, any tension or do you simply enjoy the fact people love your music?

Well, both I think. But I wouldn't call it tension or pressure or anything negative. Of course we enjoy if someone just loves what we do, and that is one equal thing that makes us always to do our very best and nothing less.

13. I guess that is all from us. So let’s cut this short before it becomes boring. Thanks a lot for your answers and the new album. We will closely follow the next steps of GHOST BRIGADE in the future. Take care.

Ok, thank you very much! Take care. Peace.