K.K. DOWNING STEEL MILL :: Keep Feeding the Flames!

Fatal Frame
---

Bloodred Hourglass
---

Portrait
---

Vigilia Septima
---

back to interviews

PART 4

FATAL FRAME

"Songs from the promised land of cold and despair"

Interviewed and photographed by Ismo Korhonen / September 2009


Where from: Kuopio, Finland	Formed: 2007
Style: Doom metal with melodies	www: http://www.fatalframe.org http://www.myspace.com/fatalframeband
Line-up: Jarkko Korhonen (vocals, guitar), Hemmo Holopainen (guitar), Mikko Paananen (keyboards), Jarno Laitinen (Fender bass), Jukka Hintikka (drums)
Releases: Mirror Images EP (2008), Winterstate 66 EP (2009)

Ismo: The mastermind behind Fatal Frame, Jarno Laitinen - as a composer and songwriter could you first tell briefly Fatal Frame's story from past to the present?

Jarno: The band was formed in early months of 2007 by myself. I was studying in music college of arts at Orivesi and decided it was time to put together a new band since our previous project Diffusion had been terminated a few years earlier. After the line-up was complete we rehearsed for about six months until we booked a studio and recorded our first demo “Mirror Images” in April 2008. It received high praises, though references to (finnish band) Swallow The Sun were great. The following year consisted pretty much of making new songs and doing some live sessions until April 2009 it was time to make our second recording “Winterstate 66”. And here we are.

Was it immediately obvious that you are going to start creating doom metal?

Well, yes and no. At 2007 I went through all the songs I had written during the time at Orivesi, and figured they all had something in common; they were all metal, but not so aggressive as Diffusion was. I was big fan of Swallow The Sun and since I hadn't heard any bands like that, I somewhat decided to start from their footsteps. The other point was to start a band which could work as a therapy project to me. Kinda like Strapping Young Lad for Devin Townsend, expect not in form of hate, but grief.

The debut EP “Mirror Images” had much more gloomier material than the latest “Winterstate 66”. The new EP is much more melodic than the first one and yet it made a meaningful difference to your musical doomsday neighbour, the aforementioned Swallow The Sun. How tough was it to make the latest songs to fit the shapes they are in now?

I think the major difference is Jarkko's vocals. At first I thought the vocals were going to be only growling with perhaps a few clean parts here and there. So at first ‘Winterstate 66’ was 70% growling and 30% clean vocals. Jarkko expressed that he would like to sing more cleans and I was more than fine with that. So at 'Winterstate' it's 70% cleans and 30% growls. It's a good balance.
Concerning the music I wouldn't want to make the same song over and over again, and the references to “StS” were very clear at early times. So I guess it was just natural for us to start finding a little bit of ourselves. So no. It wasn't a tough task at all.

It has been only a several months since you finished recording “Winterstate 66”. Did things go better than over a year ago during the first EP recordings?

Actually no! It was a bit chaotic… you know... the schedules are always destined to fuck up. On Friday we were supposed to start recording drums and bass around six P.M. Well, it went so 'well' that we started at midnight. At 3:30 A.M. the drums and bass were on the tape. And I believe the next day went pretty much the same way - though we started a bit earlier... perhaps around ten P.M.

The original idea was to record four songs, but we were constantly running out of time so one song had to be left ashore. But I believe we played a little bit better this time, and Jukka Ruostila (the producer who recorded the EP at Adamantium Studios, Tampere) had really good ideas concerning the vocals and harmonisation. In overall, it went pretty fine.

Musically which bands and artists have been the biggest influences in your case?

I love music in all forms; jazz, funk, rock, punk, classic, metal… everything goes as long as it grooves! But if I had to name a few favourites the first one would most definitely be Lauri Porra (Stratovarius, Warmen, etc). The guy's a fucking genius. One day he plays metal with full heart and the next day he's grooving with some other group. I want to be like that. I want to be able to play everything with a full heart. I don't want to be best in everything, just pleased with my doings. Another major influence would be Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers: “Fuck everybody - I will play like I want!” Best attitude ever and some seriously great playing. And about the bands…well. Amoral, Opeth, Amorphis, Katatonia and Magyar Posse would be the driving forces behind Fatal Frame nowadays plus every chord you hear that blows your mind.

Which kind of things in general inspire you to compose the music and write the lyrics?

Again, everything. Inspiration can hit you in a second when you're drinking milk from the fridge or something. In general, I always try to be open to everything. Sometimes I just listen to what my heart plays. I know it sounds like a cliché, but I always try to make the music sound just right. It's difficult to explain, but when I compose, I know when something is “right” - I get that feeling inside me. It's a sunset at one high place near my home…. It's always that. And when it's that; it's me. Not making sense? Should I take my pills doctor? (laughs) And the lyrics… I usually write them after the music has been done. I listen to the song in endless repeat, and yet again; try to hear what my heart wants to say. Sounds pretty, aye? That's the way it is.

Concerning the lyrics. Yours are once in a while quite poetic and easy-going, but it's obvious that there are definitely more meaningful thoughts hidden beneath the text. Am I right?

It's pretty funny, but I believe the writer isn't responsible for his writings! The meanings are in the mind of the reader. You can write four pages about a phrase “this shit sucks ass” making all kinds of hidden meanings. They are there - if you find them. As I mentioned earlier, part of this band is that it’s some kind of therapy to me as well as frigging fun.

At Winterstate the songs “Doom The World” and “Lead The Fire” are pretty obvious cries for a lost love. But there are of course some parts where you could find something about my view of the world. I try to keep my music and writings personal. If they touch me, they can touch someone else. The opening song “The Reverse Will” is a bit more philosophical observation about how we are afraid of monsters in the dark when the real ones walk in daylight.

What does the future of Fatal Frame contain - at least hopefully?

A lot of gigs and that god damn full length album someday! We have about ten new songs and more come in frequently. From China. As a home delivery (laughs). At least a few gigs before the new year... we still have some issues concerning our live performance... It's pretty hard to mosh when the tempo is 45 bpm! But in general we're starting to find our own sound, and the references to those previously mentioned will diminish even more, I think. To the point when some band will be referenced as “This band sucks, because they sound just like that gay band Fatal Frame.”

For which kind of people it's necessary to cross ways with Fatal Frame's atmospherically fascinating world of doom metal?

I would recommend us to the fans of Amorphis, Opeth, Katatonia, and Swallow The Sun. Even if you don't like the previous bands... if you love music in which every single note is played with a full heart, I think you would find us most interesting.



FATAL FRAME: WINTERSTATE 66 (2009)
From last winter's snow it's easy to start building the upcoming period of frost and snow. As a first blow of cold breeze from the deepest depths of Finland – the case is called Fatal Frame – ”Winterstate 66” EP. Their previous ”Mirror Images” EP didn't make all that huge impact over the local population, but the chances for even an international breakthrough are much higher this time – let me explain why. Fatal Frame's musical landscape is basically based on slow tempo doom metal. The band might not yet be on the same musical level as the local big metal names such as their musical mates Swallow the Sun and Amorphis – still these bands do carry the very same beautiful sadness called Finnish melancholy. Fatal Frame's core consist of lots of beauty, but as a counterpart this entity does have the outer shell of a hideous beast – and we are not talking about the guys physical looks, rather the musical ones! The singer/guitarist Jarkko can unleash growls which are gathered from the stages of hell and is still able to lay off his horns and sing catchy and charming clean parts. As the battering ram duo - drummer Jukka & bassist Jarno make every wall fall down before them, as they command the tempo of the damned. Keyboardist Mikko is taking care of the oppressive ambience in places where necessary and guitarist Hemmo controls the strings chaos, which leads the masses either into a totalitary depression or an absolute peace of mind. ”The Reverse Will” is the beginning of the road, which will lead to ”Winterstate 66”. Therefore the song might be one of the most oppressive songs in the band’s discography. Jarno's lyrics show their brilliance immediately as the symbolical texts passes by. As a waypoint; ”Doom The World” shows the softer side of the band – at least for a moment. Later on the groove of doom continues stampeding until the last track ”Lead The Fire”. This last stirring flame leaves a burning scar to the listener's mind, and will lead to another round upon the wheels of ”Winterstate 66”. The band has made their way settled and it seems that the guys have much more to offer in the near future. As a modern day doom metal act the band does have a lot of potential to wipe out other opponents in the long run. For those who want to struggle their way to the victory – I highly recommend to spend some time with the EP, so the arms of Cold can catch you and take you to a place where the winter is everlasting. - Ismo Korhonen

GRINDIN' LIVE:
FATAL FRAME
@ K-KLUBI, KUOPIO, FIN 29.8.2009

The summer's gone and the darkness has prevailed over northern Savonian region. Still heat of the night keeps thoughts warm, while a shady beauty named Fatal Frame played blackened down tempoed melodies for the masses. Even if the K-klubi is small as a common flat it's this element which made the atmosphere dense and intensive. While the band was acting casual as always, the show emitted mesmerizing light which kept the band and also the audience focused on the music. The songs from the released EP’s (”Mirror Images” & ”Winterstate 66”) worked perfectly in a live situation, but the highlight of the show was a new song ”Faces of Me”, which proved that Fatal Frame has improved a lot in their melodic ways.

The singer/guitarist Jarkko's vocal work made a huge impression and the other string instrumentalists Hemmo and Jarno also proved that modern day doom metal can be catchy and tempting. Keyboardist Mikko and drummer Jukka made the entity sharp as a buzzsaw, which would shred apart all the suspicions concerning the band’s live condition. Therefore, as the gig ended the lust for more begun to grow. I’d like to see this band in a place where the darkness and the audience could merge into one and let Fatal Frame show their full capability to doom the world.

- Ismo Korhonen