Unveiled

Instigated by Maija The Goatess ~ Answered by Infection of Unveiled
photos by Chris Slack
February 2009

Dear reader,
Hopefully the shit-mas holiday didn’t kill you, draining you of all blood & leaving you a withered up corpse. For this month I have for you an interview with the man behind one of my long time favorite bands: UNVEILED! Since I never seem to know what’s popular nowadays... or really ever for that matter, I’m not sure how many of you know of them. But if you haven’t heard UNVEILED’s “Anti- God Behavior”, you deserve a slap upside the back of your head and your drink stolen right out from under you! I feel Infection needs little introduction, so what more can I say? Pour yourself that drink that you know you are dying to have, and let me introduce you to one of my favorite Finns.

In the meantime, I have a quiet & romantic date with (a 5 liter box of) Peter Vella (burgundy). Happy hunting!

Hails and thanks for taking the time to answer this interrogation. We’ll start this off on the lighter side before delving into all of the more ‘fun’ topics. You mentioned earlier that UNVEILED has been inactive for quite some time due to time and other obligations. But would you consider it over for good or are you just on a break?

I would not want to say that it is over for good but still I don’t see any recording happening in near future... Never say never so time will tell what happens... Reason for this inactive “mode” is ´cause of all other bands, work and simply lack of time. The flame is still alive but it burns through different ways. Now I’m involved in Sotajumala as a singer, Horna as a guitar player and obscurant as a singer/lead guitarist. So quite a lot is going on...

To quote my brother, heh, you sound busier than a 10-peckered goat! Speaking of Horna, when you came to the U.S. back in late October to tour, what was your impression of the US? Was it everything horrid you expected it to be?

Well, the U.S. is totally different than Finland I must say... Everything is bigger and “better”... But I had a blast during the tour, met many great people and hammered shit loads of king alcohol! Cheers to Bloodstained Dusk, it was great to tour with them! Road tales, hmmm... I don’t recommend South Central LA to anyone who is bald, tattooed and white (like I am). Didn’t make many friends in there amongst the locals... But the gigs and the audience there was great though...

The U.S. could really do a lot more to warn kind foreign visitors about such bad areas! I feel compelled to compliment your vocals. Vocals, as most of my readers know by now, are what make an album great or make it fail. You have great inflection/vocal range – even the clean vocals (really fucking rare). Did you have to go through any vocal training? Or is just how it comes out?

Thank you very much. I haven’t had any proper singing lessons nor training. Everything I can do I’ve learned by myself, by just singing/screaming and tormenting my neighbors. Of course it’s the result of years of training so it didn’t happen in few weeks or months. And my technique isn’t that good considering breathing and all that. And when I recorded the vocals for Antigod Behavior, I did it all within about six hours and spat blood for the next two days... But I’m satisfied with the result and that is what counts.

Over however many years you’ve been ‘publicly’ and artistically involved in the Black Metal community, have you any regrets?

We started Unveiled in 1996 and before that I’ve listened to BM for several years. But I don’t want to see myself as part of a herd who follows everybody else. I want to see myself as an individual who can think by Himself without any rules or guidelines which someone has invented. That’s why I don’t give a fuck what everyone else thinks of me. That’s a cliché but still... And why spend your time regretting something that you have done in the past ´cause it doesn’t do any good or make a difference. I try to focus on this day and future.

You said that you don’t give a fuck what everyone else thinks of you. I’m just kind of curious if over the years people have thought poorly of you simply because well, you’re not a herd follower? It seems people (of all clicks/ scenes) tend to think you have to be an exact certain way or you’re just fucking out-casted, which I find terribly ridiculous. I mean hell, I’m crazy about Black Metal, but that’s not my whole life/the whole picture.

Well nothing like that ever happened to me but I know exactly what you mean, and I think that it’s fucking stupid to judge someone if he/she can think by them selves and doesn’t follow what everyone else does... Be wolves not sheep... And I don’t understand why you should act a certain way to please someone. Fuck that! And if I’m outcasted because of that so be it, I do not fucking care!

EXACTLY! I guess we’ll delve into religion for a moment. With an album boldly titled “Anti God Behavior” & an album cover to match, heh, it’s safe to assume you aren’t a christian. But what religious category would you file yourself under? What do you think of religion as a whole?

I think that it’s my own personal hell and doesn’t belong to no one else. Let’s say that I’ve made my decision. Some people do need religion to bow down to something. Something that gives them advice ´cause they don’t know how to think themself. Something that they can rely on in the moment of distress ´cause they are weak. To those people I can say only this, knock yourself out, but don’t assume that I want to hear it or share your opinions and weaknesses.

I must admit I have a real fascination with violence and violent tendencies. So, if you knew you wouldn’t be caught and/or suffer any ‘legal consequences’, would you willingly murder as many people as you could?

Of course! Why wouldn’t I? ´Cause I think that it’s the one and only time you can really see life, when you take someone else’s by looking in his eyes. And from the chef’s point of view I would also taste human flesh. That has been on my mind since I went to cooking school, but haven’t had the chance to try it...yet...

You went to cooking school? So, I guess all you need now is the body ‘donation’ and you’ll be ready to have a barbeque? Let’s hope I am ‘conveniently’ visiting Finland that day.

Being a chef in á la carte restaurant was my day job for four years so I guess I know a thing or two about cooking. And now days I’m working as a bartender so a bloody mary could work as an appetizer.

One thing that really caught my eye with the “Anti God Behavior” layout (again: fascination with VIOLENCE), was the photos with the guns. Are you a gun/weapon enthusiast? Or was it just a cool staged photo idea? I fucking love guns and knives! Six months in the army was quite great in this point of view. I borrowed all the guns from my friend who is a drill sergeant in the army and he is also one of the disciples in the back cover. I would love to have my own piece but it’s so fucking hard to get a gun in Finland because of the school shootings and all the fuss around it. And with my records it’s impossible to get one and illegal firearms are also quite hard to get in here...

Did you get into some sort of legal problems there? What would we find on your criminal record?

Nothing that serious but let’s say that it is impossible for me to get a gun permit.

Speaking of my (many) fascinations: I always wonder what makes people want to be vocal, start a band, publicize their thoughts, etc. I have my reasons for everything I have done. So... when was the 1st time you decided to emerge from the shadows and why?

Well, I think it was one way to express my own feelings and release all the hatred inside. Actually those are the main reasons why I still do it nowdays.

Does it work as a release for you? Me for example, if I didn’t write, whether it’s lyrics or stories, etc., I would have snapped a long time ago and many a people would probably be dead by my hands. So, I guess to make my question more precise, do you feel less hatred?

Yes it does help, to a certain point. Also live shows are great stress relief. The hatred doesn’t end or become less strong but I can control it through music and channel it out in a “good” way. I also have a punching bag at home which comes very handy almost every day...

With so many great Finnish bands, Finland has got to be a Black Metaller’s (wet) dream! What do you think of the scene there? I know it’s a very vague question, but I mean, do you think there’s comradery there?

´Cause Finland is so small country, many of the guys playing in different bands know each other and are involved that way together. I think there are lot of great Finnish BM acts, for example Behexen, Sargeist, Enochian Crescent, Ajattara, Havoc Unit, Black Dawn just a few to mention...

I thank you once again for answering this interview. Without creatures like you, my column would be nothing more than crazy drunken ranting. We are now at the ‘money -shot’ question: your last words? A contact for the curious?

Thanks for the interview! Keep the flame alive! Hail Satan!

www.sotajumala.com
www.myspace.com/sotajumala
www.legion-horna.com
www.myspace.com/thetruehorna
www.myspace/obscurantband
www.obscurant.info