A Dirty Dozen with SPIRITUS MORTIS – September 2022

According to a recent press: “Finnish Heavy Metal legends, Spiritus Mortis unveil a grand–scale epic of antique Doom on 16th of September via Svart Records. Erecting a new monolith in the halls of Doom Metal history with their fifth album The Great Seal, Spiritus Mortis certify true classic status as one of the scene’s modern greats. There are few modern-day bands that can be uttered under the same breath as the giants of Traditional Doom and Heavy Metal like Spiritus Mortis. Formed in 1987 as Rigor Mortis they can firmly attest to having been “the first Finnish Doom Metal band”, uncovering hallowed ground before the later imitators. Carrying the banner of powerful true Metal, the likes of which stands proudly next to the masters such as Dio era Sabbath, Solitude Aeturnus and Trouble, Spiritus Mortis have established a tradition of catchy song-writing and consummate knowledge of sacred riff-craft. The Great Seal is a colossal album which Spiritus Mortis describes as “a rite of collective suicide and an orgy of self-immolation” and plumbs the depths of epic sorrow with gargantuan slabs of igneous riffs and emotional vocals.” We get three of the band members to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through? Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Kimmo: The new album is more bombastic and melodic. I think there are some hidden nuggets. Haha

Jussi: Our new album The Great Seal will be released 16.9.2022.  After our last “ultimate doom album” The Year Is One, we want to make more groovy, rocking even melodic album with SM style. ” Hidden nuggets” you will found in guitar and specially  vocal melodies. Lyrical “pearls”: theme of The Great Seal is religious lunacy, great, weird, strange, sad stories,  fact-based stories of witchcraft, self-immolations, mutilations, suicides.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

Kimmo: My dad and neighbor. My dad gave me my first cassettes and vinyl.  They were Dio, Kiss, Judas Priest, Scorpions, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden records and an own made cassette compilation which included various 80’s heavy bands. I was very interested about my neighbors playing; I saw pics of him on their wall where he’s on stage with his bass guitar. He’s the guy who inspired me to start playing. I got my first guitar at the age of 9. Fun fact, nowadays this neighbor plays bass in my other band Masquerage. World’s a strange place. You never know what might happen.

Jussi: well, playing metal was in style 1987 (yeah, I and my brother started SM 35 years ago). “Those boys in Venom and Black Sabbath sounds so good, let’s try it ourselves.”

Teemu: Heh, Jussi said it all.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

Kimmo: Yes. Iron Maiden – The Number Of The Beast, Helloween – Keeper Of The Seven Keys Parts 1 & 2, and Dio – The Last In Line.

Jussi: Beginning of Accept’s “Fast As A Shark,” you know, it starts with German folk song, then Udo screams his lungs out. It was my baptism to metal.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

Kimmo: Jon Oliva of Savatage. He’s one of my biggest musical influences as a songwriter.

Jussi: Tony Iommi and Leif Edling, maybe I could learn some tricks from Old Masters.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

Kimmo: I love a lot everyday life, I love to have good time with my son and spend some time in nature. I also like movies, video games and collecting cd’s and vinyl’s.

Jussi: Movies and shooting.

Teemu: Building plastic models and shooting sports for Reservist Associations.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

Kimmo: Heavy / doom. Personally I haven’t kept SM as a 100% doom band ever. I hear lots of 70’s and 80’s heavy and rock influences.

Jussi: I personally usually start “you know band called Black Sabbath”, in Finland they usually know. ” cringe or you disagreed with”, not really, sometime critics wrote “SM sounds like this and they have listened that” and then it is interesting to go and really first time ever listen that band. In our new album is unique song ´Martyrdom Operation´, to critics it has sounded like „AC/DC on Doom“. Also they have mentioned “ZZ Top,  Mötley Crue and southern boogie”. To us it is “SM meets Accept” and in the beginning it was ” SM goes thought Gates of Babylon.”

Teemu: Heavy yet melodic music with great vocals. Yeah, in some review we were compared to Grand Magus. I KNEW them but I haven’t listened them at that time. Ok, now I own all their albums.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a sing-along?

Kimmo: When we are eating together, it’s mostly at gas stations during the road trip to gigs, Haha. Maijala bros. has summer cottage. We are surely hanging out there more in the future hopefully, haha.

Jussi: “SM well-being at work” in our summer cottage incl. serious drinking 🙂 And last time we make some songs too for this The Great Seal album.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

Kimmo: Can’t remember who was the last.

Jussi: This summer CZ Shadow2, last autumn Citroen C5.

Teemu: Essi!

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

Kimmo: I love the freedom of creating music and the feeling when you get your own album ready for printing factory. I probably would like to be a photographer or work with kids in someway. Or be a storm chaser, haha.

Jussi: Get something eternally lasting made.  Organize concerts or shooting drills.

Teemu: Playing live, see enthusiastic fans. Dream job, anything after winning 90mill Euros on Euro lottery!

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

Kimmo: “What is your musical goal” None. I love writing and playing music without limits. I love freedom. I’d hate to be a puppet in a music industry.

Jussi: You have already asked good and different questions. ” tired of answering”: “you are so old band”, yes yes yes, that’s very correct, but I can understand it is “WtF ” to most people and interesting detail.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

Kimmo: Looking back at my 28 year old career as a musician, there are some “downs” but the good thing is that I’ve learned something from them.

Jussi: maybe years 1990-2000, we should have be more active, but in the other hand what can you do here in “little Alabama” without e-mail, internet or contacts.

Teemu: Well,  I started to take SM more seriously back in 2000 when Vesa Lampi joined as vocalist and kicked our asses. So, more seriously a lot  of earlier.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Kimmo: King Diamond – Them. The way how the album sounds doesn’t make justice for the song writing in this one. I’ve always hated how it sounds.

Jussi: some Metallica studio sessions “guys, are you really serious about bass/mastering/drum sounds.”

Teemu: Yeah. Metallica …And Justice For All, drum sounds are ok with me but  lack of bass prevents me even from listening the whole album.

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Category: Interviews