TORCHE:
Stoner pop? Beach Boys-like doom? Whatever

COBALT:
I don't really consider us black metal in any sense of what black metal is.

DODSFERD:
Motivated by desolation,
despair, hate, irony, death,
loss, betrayal, etc

PYGMYLUSH:
Between the delicacy of
gorgeous acoustics & the
ugliness of noise rock.

TRACTOR SEX FATALITY:
The most active defunct garage band in Seattle answers our questions.

MERCILESS DEATH:
Thrash metal revivalists  
speak out against false metal .

MORE INTERVIEWS

HEREM:  Finland's latest and bestest  purveyors of downtrodden misery.

Herem’s Pulsa diNura has gained a prime spot in my list of best records of 2008. It’s doom of the highest caliber; tacit yet occasionally colorful guitars, a vocalist more versatile than a lizard, and a solid rock rhythmic base have created one of those highly enjoyable albums of highly morose music. In true team fashion, my questions were answered by rhythm guitarist Juho Laitinen and lead guitarist Patrick Ellison and vocalist Valendis Suomalainen. Read on and spread the word!

- How is the Finnish metal scene? Is there such a thing as a doom metal scene? Any other bands you would recommend?

Juho: I think the doom or sludge scene in Finland is really strong at the moment. Reverend Bizarre may have quit but there are a lot of newcomers that are dooming like hell: Fleshpress, Stumm, Frogskin, Paganus, Lord Vicar, Puritan etc etc.

- Herem is a young band with two demos prior to Pulsa diNura, how does the band come about?

Juho: All of us had experience in other bands before Herem. Me, Tommi and Jani played together at that time and when that band called it quits we immediately had a new plan: to play slow, deep and hard. I knew Patrick and Valendis from years before so it was a really natural choice to ask them to join as well. And thus Herem was born. I think we all share a passion for this kind of music. We may come from different kinds of musical backgrounds but in Herem we all can express ourselves without boundaries.

- Are you guys like-minded musicians?

Juho: In my mind it goes like this: me and Patrick are more stoner/punk kinda guys. Tommi and Valendis enjoy a bit sludgier stuff and Jani listens to John Coltrane. I hope that makes Herem at least a bit unique among other bands. We're notjust a doom band, or stoner or death metal but a combination of all of those.

- Pulsa diNura is a kabbalistic ceremony in which the angels of destruction are invoked to block heavenly forgiveness of the subject's sins, causing all the curses named in the Bible to befall him resulting in his death (thanks Wikipedia!). How does this relate to the album?

Patrick: I was thinking of a cool title for the album, something to go well with the band name. After a short search, lo and behold, the mighty internet provided us Pulsa diNura! So nothing deeper there, although we do feel that the concept of the name does describe the mood of album quite well.

- I was really floored by Pulsa diNura. In contrast to most doom records, it actually seems like it goes by fast. I was happy you guys don't jam out for fifteen minutes per song. Do you songs come out of jam sessions? How do the songs usually take shape?

Juho: The songs usually start with one riff from me, Patrick or Tommi. Around that one riff we then add some extra layers with 2nd guitar and bass. If we feel extra adventurous that day we might even add a 3rd riff in the song. The drums are an essential part of our music as well, in terms of feel of the song. Last but not least come the vocals. I think nowadays almost every song comes to life through jamming. When we started, me and Tommi were the main songwriters but very quickly Herem became a joined effort.

- Valendis Suomalainen, you are an incredible singer. Your range is impressive. Is Herem your first band? How did you develop your vocals?

Valendis: Herem is not my first band, although it is the first of them to actually release some material or play gigs. I've been listening to hard rock and metal since I was 11 or something and I always knew I wanted to be in a metal band. I first got interested in growling around the time Finnish metal band Amorphis released their album Tales From the 1000 Lakes in the early 90's. No one had told me cute little teenage girls can't learn to growl, so of course I tried and have been growling ever since.

- I really enjoy the sounds obtained in the record. Every single instrument has a perfect pitch, how was the recording process and who worked as a producer?

Juho: The recording took place in our own studio, the mythical and magical studio N.I.B. We recorded drums, bass and my rhythm guitar live during a one long weekend if I remember correctly. After that Patrick did his solos and rhythm parts. Then came Valendis and her growls and moans. Personally, I was really pleased of the outcome. Some tempos could have been a bit slower, though. The record was produced by ourselves with Jani being the main man behind the wheel. He had the final saying concerning the takes, tempos etc. The record was then mixed by Santeri Salmi of Drop Hammer Studios. He did a great job of bringing our vision to life.

- One of the best things about Herem are the solos. They really provide a different side to the band, they are usually melodic and a little psychedelic which is something that many downtempo bands don't do. I really like those dual harmonics, what makes a good guitar solo?

Patrick: I think a good guitar solo is something that complements the song rather than the technical excellence of the player. A good soloist listens to the song and the nuances brought in by the other instruments….. and falls into a creative trance :)

- As a guitarist, who influenced you? There seems to be a little of NWOBHM in them, is this the case?

Juho: My main influences in rhythm guitar playing come from the golden 80's. Bands like Twisted Sister, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and Accept taught me a lot of how thing are done. The dual guitar harmonics I had in mind when Herem was taking shape come from groups like Trouble, Crowbar and Warning. Everything I do with my instrument boils down to this: less is more. If some riff feels like it isn't working I always tend to simplify it rather than trying to add more to it. In my mind, that works almost every time.

- It may be too soon to ask this, but do you seem changing its style?

Juho: I don't see any major changes in the future. I hope we can maintain the same level of quality in our future material, if not better.

- I am always looking for new music, please list a few of the albums that have influenced you the most in becoming a musician.

Juho: No big surprises here. I think in Herem we all share a love for Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard, Kyuss and the likes of them. Lately I've been listening a lot of Iron Will by Grand Magus, a great record.

- What's next for Herem? Any upcoming shows/tours?

Juho: A couple of really cool gigs are planned for next year with a bunch of fellow Finnish doomsters. We've been writing new material all along so a few new songs could make their way into our live set by then.

- Last words?

Keep doomin' and gloomin'. Listen to Roky Erickson! Buy our record or download it or whatever and come see us play live.

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Read the Deaf Sparrow review of Pulsa diNura here.