V: Yeah! Press has taken it pretty well! Good reviews around the world. Although I had some worries about it because songs were mostly written in few months. That's really fast songwriting for SM! Usually only few songs a year. And also new drummer had just entered SM's grim world. But youngster did fine job! Also I was concerned a little 'bout the soundworld because we recorded Forward in our rehearsal cave with Teemus computer system in very short time. Actually in one weekend! So it has been great to see that people has seen thru' little poorer production and have noticed that songs are still good. Former demo, Demo 2000 has been made in real studio and it reveals SM soundworld better.

T: Not yet, because it is a small recordlabel and maybe they concentrate to one band at time. (Reverend Bizarre)

T: Hope so.... Hope to hear from Mastervox / Sinister Records soon...

V: Still delays after delays but there has been discussions that full lenght cd should come out this spring .... We'll see...... Sure thing I'll let you know the news when there's something more to tell!

V: Well, I have known V-M by his reputation since -98. I heard so many stories of great young drummer in band called Athmosfear that one day I just went to see what's going on. The kid played fine but the music was not my "stuff". Still V-M was marked man from that day on. When V-P decided to leave drum seat I remembered V-M at once. I wasn't sure if his style was right to SM but anyway I just phoned him. Couple hours of training and I was convinced that he is SM's new drummer! Never really talked about with him howcome he decided to join us but I'm glad he did! Well I have to say that he is real musician if you compare him to rest of us. Actually it is good for a band to have one musician in line up!

J: Well, most of bands look like they want to get out from stage. We are old men that we don`t have to think or care any more how we look, we just go there and play it loud.

T: Maybe people like when they notice that we show how like what we are doing. Some people don't seem to like when were not "doom enough" but we like to have in the set list somekind of variation, ie. slow song-faster song.

V: First of all, for me live shows are the thing to me in music. I enjoy being on stage! To feel and see audiences reactions ....... You kinda live from it! It works both ways you know? Shows are actually very intensive and we have more versatile songs than usually doom bands have so nobody gets bored, I hope...... SM is massive band and I guess people remembers us although they wouldn't like songs much!

T: Heavy. Very heavy.

V: Yes, heavy is the word, man! Kinda dark, doomish, did I say heavy yet? Tales of dark indeed with metal influences...... but heavy anyway.......... Heavy...... Close your eyes and think about herd of rhinos running towards you ..... massive sound they make I guess....

T&J: We don`t know... Shit happens...

V: What that supposed to mean? ..... heh he he ..... Actually I have known original SM trio ( T,J,V-P) since the day one. Always hanged around in same rehearsal places and so on. That's a bit of mystery to me howcome I haven't try to sing in SM untill 1999. Always liked the stuff these godzillas were doing ..... but better late than never! Actually M.Ketola who engineered Demo 2000 once asked me, in a bar naturally, why I don't sing in SM? There was singer in SM that time but anyway I got the chance to try and so it started. I felt at once that these songs are for me! They chose me to sing and dumped the other guy off...... Shit happens indeed!

Jussi; I speak only about SM music.

Teemu; very much black metal and fucking nu-metal. Couple of good bands, like Timpe and Niskis.

V: Nowadays there are so many excellent metal bands in Finland: Stratovarius, Nightwish, Sentenced, Timo Rautiainen & Trio Niskalaukaus, Reverend Bizarre and so on.... Scene looks very good right now. Back in late '80 and early '90 situation wasn't so great. Nobody respected you when you say that you play in metal band. Bands have to gain some popularity first outside Finland and then they were noticed in Finland. Nowadays situation is fortunately changed. Well, we have so long and cold winter so the basic elements for heavy music is there naturally.

J: Technique is not important, it is just tool to make good music, it is not main thing to us.

Rehearsing is important, especially when we are working with new songs. We try to keep the songs as short as possible but we arrange songs to the point that everybody in the band is pleased with them.

V:We rehearse , you might say play, about once a week. It's very important for me just to play and play.... We compose songs actually quite thoroughly. Play and play variations of songs or parts of the songs because it's important to us to reach certain feeling in a song. In our kinda music you just don't know how the song feels out if you have some chords or notes on paper. Actually V-M is the only one of us who can read notes, I guess! At least I don't know shit about notes and I don't care! We just play and play untill everything goes right and sound like the rhino, you know?

Of course you have to have some kind of playing ability. But techniques is not main thing in music, not even close, it's only a tool. Music is only mathematics if you don't have any feelings involved. There are so many metal bands which can play everything inside out up or down and reverse but they music, sad to say, only smells like dentists waiting room. So clinical and boring! I hate 'em. Music for musicians. Gotta have law against them! So I said earlier that V-M is our only musician and he have great technique. But it has been great to see that he kind of loses every now and then, piece by piece, unnecessary "stiffness" and "by the book playing" and plays the songs more like SM songs should be played. With dark and grim heavy feeling...... So what can I say more..... better to be bad musician with lots of feel and vision and sense of style than be a excellent one and don't have a clue what the point in music!

Jussi; I speak only about SM music.

T: Black Sabbath, Venom & Celtic Frost. Finnish short but cold summer. Kobe Tai of coz.

V: It's great that we all have different "fave" bands. Everyone of us gives something different to the band. For me Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and of course Jim Morrison has been always there. And of course blues! Blues is about pain, you know? My big bro taught me that!

T: Try to get in touch with our music, its worth of it.

V: Just wanna say that when we make our debut cd run to the record shop and buy it! And one for your friend too!

Interviewed by Federico Marongiu

At The Halls of Death -demo 1990

Demo 94

Demo 96

Demo 97

Ars Moriendi - CDR - 1997

Demo 2000 - 2000

Forward To The Battle - 2001

Vesa Lampi - vocals

Teemu Maijala - bass, percussion

V-P Rapo - guitars

Jussi Maijala - guitars

Veli-Matti - drums