Several months ago I was pretty surprised by the debut album of Breamgod, a metalcore band from Finland. So when I got the opportunity to have an interview with these guys I didn’t have to think twice. I quickly made up some questions and mailed them forward. What I didn’t know was that it would take a few months before I could finally post the interview due to several PC problems. But in the end it all turned out right and here it is. A mail interview with Jussi the drummer of Breamgod. 

First of all, can you give a small introduction about yourself and Breamgod?

‘Hello I’m Jussi a 25 years old fat-ass hardcore kid from Pori and I’m responsible for the beats in Breamgod. Which is a group of five guys from the forests of Pori a.k.a Beartown. Ville, Rami, Lauri and I have been playing punk- and hardcore music together for ages. We got our debut album, brutal in-your-face-style metallic hardcore, out in last summer and think y’all should check it out and start waiting for the next album! We got new bass player, Marko, just few months ago. He has acculturated to our group better than fine and
everything considering the band looks great’.

Listening to Breamgod the connection with Hatebreed and Born From Pain
is easily made. Are those bands also an influence to Breamgod ?

‘I think from those two bands Hatebreed and especially Satisfaction IsThe Death Of Desire and Under The Knife albums were a huge source of inspiration for me and I won’t lie much if I say that rest of the guys feel quite the same about that. Born From Pain haven’t been around so long that they reach to make a big influence to us. I think they have a lot of the same influences in music that we have so it’s very easy to find some connections between ours and their music’.

You've released your debut album last year but I'm still curious what the
reactions are on it so far?

‘Reactions had been really great so far. I’ve heard lots of compliments about that record especially from middle -Europe. And from Finland too, of course. We also got lots of good and great reviews around the world and I’m very pleased about that. Who wouldn’t?’

 

How did the recording process go ? Was it great fun ?

‘Recording process went very well. We recorded our album in little bits mostly at evenings after our jobs and schools. Jori, former Mors Principium Est guitar wizard who recorded this shit, did already know what we were looking for and he did a good job. We had much fun during the sessions, but like almost every band we also had some depressing moments when you think that nothing would be as you wanted them to be and everything sucks cock big time. But we get over those shitty moments very quick and as a whole, it was great fun.’

 

The production sounds great, especially for a debut album. What is your secret?

‘Thanks man. Our secret is me, haha! Seriously, it’s a sum of good work of everyone who has been involved on this recording and mixing session. Like I said, Jori knew what to do and I just stood on listening and working on a little things and improvements. We’ve done our last demo with Jori in 2004 and the sound I like cleared and got familiar to him back then and during that session, he asked me if he could work with us when we would record our first album. So it was very easy to start working with him again.’

 

You've been together for nine years and you've only released one album so far if I'm correct. What have you been doing in the mean time?

‘You’re right. We’ve released only this one album so far but now we are on fire, and the next record is planned for next year. I think the biggest reason for this quite slow working tempo on writing is that we all go to school or have a regular day job. We don’t practice so often anymore and that, of course, effects the amount of new material. Most of us have lot’s of other things to do at our spare time besides this band, so we can’t spend it all to this band, and we are keeping it only fun and as a hobby even for now, you know.’

 I believe the hardcore scene isn't very big in Finland compared to the metal scene. But more and more hardcore bands are getting a name outside Finland. Is there a specific reason for this ?

‘Yes, we have very strong metal scene here in Finland, but the hardcore scene is growing all the time. That means more kids in the scene but that also means more fake and trendy posers in it, which sucks major cock. I think it’s way easier to spread a word about your bands or your labels bands nowadays and that’s because of internet. It is a big and very useful way to get heard outside of your own area for smaller bands. One major reason for Finnish hardcore bands getting more attention outside Finland is simply that we have so fucking awesome bands here nowadays!’
 

Doesn't it irritate you that Metal is much "bigger" in Finland ?

'No it doesn’t irritate me at all. Very big part of this Finnish Metal scene are just fucking posers who think a little too much about themselves and their band. They think that you are getting piles of money and tons of stadium gigs when you can play ‘Enter Sandman’s’ intro with your guitar. It’s also a bit narrow minded what becomes on this redneck metal audience in Finland. On the otherhand I see an opening and there has been more cooperation between the influential persons in both, hardcore and metal scenes. Things might be very different in few years. Ok. To be honest I have to say that there is still lot of "true" and honest bands and guys involved in the metal scene who do their work with attitude and from the heart and I really appreciate them.’ 

 

Last year Lordi won the Eurovision Song Festival for Finland. What is your point of view about it ?

‘There is both, good and bad, sides in that episode. First of all it’s nice to see that the jury in European countries doesn’t shun and mark as Satan worshipping all the music with distorted guitars and heavy beats. And the other side is that hard music is losing its tone when it is going more trendy. They wouldn’t play hard music in shopping malls or at prime-time on radio, but Lordi is still everywhere. And when you see any gig on TV or Idols finals or something cheesy like that, there is now always those teenage groupies in the front who are showing "The Horns" on camera everytime it turns to them and that’s a fucking insult straight to Ronnie James Dio's face. What I try to say is that something which wasn’t acceptable before turned out to be so fucking cool and awesome and everyday to people who were against "us" before.’

 

Nowadays many hardcore bands plays some sort of metalcore that looks a
lot like Hatebreed. Why do you think Breamgod will stand out of the masses?

‘I really can’t say a specific thing about that. I know that this sounds very corny but people should listen to it and make their own opinion and see if it does stand out or not. There is as many different ways to hear the music than there is listeners.’

 

I have the idea Breamgod is mainly lots of fun with five guys. Did you set any goals for yourselves or are you sitting back and enjoying the ride?

‘Your idea is right. Like I said before, we try to keep this simple and as a hobby for now. We haven’t set any major goals to our band and we just do things we feel right and comfortable and see what happens. This record was a huge milestone for us because everyone started to think that it would not see the daylight ever. And they started to think that way years ago I think. It was a cool surprise we released that album. And oh, we do have a goal to reach! We must write enough new material for next album!’

 
What will the future bring for Breamgod?

‘Shit load of gigs on huge stadiums and millions of money, tons of models, sports cars, muscle boats, drugs, own clothing collection and so on. You know what recording rock-artists get and do. No, we try to do all the gigs that are offered to us, maybe get even more of ´em , and write new material so we can release a new brutal album by maybe next year.’

Any plans for touring throughout Europe with this album?

‘We haven’t decided yet if we are going to Europe in this year or next. It’s very hard for us to do longer tours, because of those day jobs and schools which I mentioned before. We really want to do gigs in middle- and south-Europe but it’s so damn expensive to fly somewhere to do just one or two gigs and then fly back home. If somebody is ready to pay for our flights, food and overnight stay, we will come to play even in your living-room.’

What about that name Beartown what does it stand for?

‘We have this Finnish Beer called "Karhu", which means "bear" in Finnish, brewed here in Pori. There is also picture of bears head in the crest of Pori, so "Karhukaupunki", which means "Beartown", is like an official nickname for our hometown. Got it? Though nobody has used that nickname in English before we invented it. hah!’

‘Thank you for showing interest in Breamgod. I too hope that we could get a little tour as soon as possible and get to all our fans in Europe. And I want to say that you musn't take everything literally and drop by your local record dealer. If he or she doesn’t have our record force him or her to get it for you. Peace out.’