SoulRelic [english original]
After the debutalbum of the finnish band got full points, of course there had some questions to be followed...
Here you can read the result of the e-mail interview...
Hi
and thanks for answering my questions. Would you mind to introduce
the band to the readers?^
Soulrelic was formed back in 2003 by
Jay Hölli, the keyboardist. He started to look for suitable
members and found Antza Talala, the first guitarist. Antza knew the
rest of us and suggested Jay to give us a try. So here we are.
Who
came up with the idea for your bandname? Does it have a special
meaning?
The name was invented by the first
singer, Otto Iivari. We liked it so we decided to keep it. I don't
know if it has any special meanings...
What
about parallels to bands like The 69 Eyes, Sentenced, Charon, HIM and
so on? Are they idols for you or do you just play the same or similar
style of music? How do you handle comparisons to them?
I like Sentenced and Charon, and I have
nothing against those comparisons. We're all standing in the
shoulders of giants.
How
did you generally came along with making music and founding a band?
When I was a teenager, my first real
girlfriend left me... It broke my heart and I thought that when I'm a
rockstar, I'll get her back! The sad thing is that this IS actually
how it happened. Well, people grow up and now I do it just to satisfy
my need to create something.
Let's come to the album now.
How were the press reactions in general?
Good
and bad. Could've been worse but could've been better. Well I think
it's a damn good album, and as long as we're happy with it, it
doesn't matter what someone who hates us thinks about it.
I
read much good feedback in your guestbook. Did you expect so many
good reactions from fans?
Yes!
You
were on tour in Germany before anything was released. How and why did
this happen and how was the tour for you? Was it helpfull for the
release?
We
had just signed a deal with Spinefarm and they asked if we'd like to
join To/Die/For on their field trip to the Central Europe. We had
great time, and ended up as alcoholics. It thought a lot to us, so I
think it helped us. And we also made a few new fans, so it was a win
for us.
What are albumtitle and lyrics in general
about? Who writes the texts?
I
wrote the lyrics except for the songs Dying Angels and Still
Breathing, which we're written by a guy called Otto Iivari, the first
singer of Soulrelic. Tears Of Deceit was co-written by me and Antza.
On my behalf, it's a sort of a theme album, as the lyrics we're
written when I was going through a rough period in my life.
Do
you handle with personal stuff in the lyrics?
Yes,
most of the time, but sometimes I just let it flow, as it is with the
lyrics I'm writing for the next album.
How
do/did you approach songwriting in general?
Jay
writes most of the music and he handles me the keyboard-based songs
and I start to work on with the lyrics. When the song has some
lyrics, we start to rehearse it as a band.
![](/images/interview/soulrelic3.jpg)
Will
there be any touring in Germany again in near future? Hopefully!
Do you strive to play on
summerfestivals?
We
would play if someone would want us.
What are your
plans for the future in general? What do you expect from your career?
Ah, this is more like a hobby to me. I
expect a long career and many albums, some touring of course.
Do you have special hobbies?
I
used to practice jiu-jitsu, but I quit. I'm thinking about starting
it again, but I'm usually so tired after I come home from work, and I
just go straigth to bed...
What's your attitude
towards internetmagazines and the internet in general?
Internet
is a great source of information, true and false. Internetmagazines
save the trees.
Finally some brainstorming (just
what comes in your mind when you hear/read it)
- Ringtones: A
stupid sounding version of „Master Of Puppets“.
- Koskenkorva:
Chopping wood for the fireplace in the depths of forest and yelling
„Perkele!“. Sauna, laying down the fishnets from the boat, fall
from the boat, drown... A traditional Finnish summer.
- Soccer:
Fun to watch, fun to play. I'm waiting eagerly for the World
Cup!
- Wacken Open Air: A big festival, waking up in a
hang-over, trying to find some salty bratwurst somewhere...
Thanks!
The last words belong to you!
Don't
burn the CD's, burn the record store!
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