Chad Bowar: Talk about the sound of your new album Swarm!
Jari Laine: Songwise it's very old-school death metal influenced, the actual production is more up-to-date kind of metal sound but the music is pure old-school death metal.
How did Chris Barnes become your new vocalist?
He picked up the news about us having trouble with the line-up somewhere and was interested because of the band name - checked out the website and the stuff we have there and I think he appreciated the tribute kind of sound we had and the history and just thought it would be a cool idea to get in touch with these guys and return the respect.
Were the songs and lyrics already written for the album before he joined?
The music was, but the lyrics were not. It's the thing we have to struggle with the most and his help and work on the album is amazing. Honestly I think we wouldn't have the material even finished by now if it wasn't for Chris' help and he ended up writing more than half of the album. We are totally satisfied with the result and it was a huge honor having him working with us on this, not only doing the vocals.
How has the response been to the album so far?
So far it's been good, better than I expected actually. There are quite a few reviews online already and we're very pleased and happy that even journalists seem to like it.
What are your tour plans for the next few months?
For the next few months we have none. Six Feet Under is going to tour the U.S. Hopefully we'll get something scheduled towards the end of the year.
What was the first concert you attended as a fan?
I think it was some local demo band playing in a youth center. But the first real big one for me was Sepultura in 1992.
How did you get started in music?
I think the reason why I first wanted to have a guitar was when I really got into Sepultura back in the early '90s. I went to one class but stopped when the instructor didn't teach me the cool metal riffs. So I ended up borrowing tab books and tried to play those. My first band was called Anal Masturbation with only me doing guitar riffs and a friend of mine shouting on top of it. Very brutal.
Who were your musical inspirations?
Sepultura definitely. After that it came down to Obituary. I always liked the bands with the heaviest riffs, never the guys who played the fastest solos.
Who are some guitarists you admire?
I really enjoy Allen West's style of writing riffs. The guys from Monstrosity are phenomenal as was Chuck from Death. Those guys are the few guys that can write solos I enjoy. Like I said earlier, to me the best guitar players write the heaviest riffs rather than outplaying every scale there is.
Who are the most overrated and underrated bands?
I don't know about overrated bands, there are bands that are amazingly popular that I can't enjoy one bit like Opeth, but it doesn't mean I feel they're overrated. It's just not my stuff, even if it seems to be popular. Underrated bands are easy: Demigod, Godhate and Monstrosity.
Anything else you'd like to add?
Thanks for the interview, hopefully you'll enjoy the upcoming Torture Killer CD.
