Ghost Brigade – Fear Is the Key, You See
By: David E. Gehlke
Blistering.com: Was it different for you to compose an album that you knew would have such expectations around it?
Naukkarinen: No. This was the easiest album to write and record, actually. I don't know why though, must be one of world’s great mysteries he-he
Blistering.com: Being that you had so much success with Isolation Songs, there surely was some type of impetus to make Isolation Songs Part II, but clearly the new album is not like its predecessor at all. Did you have to take any time away from the previous album to get your head around on composing the new one?
Naukkarinen: We actually started writing this new one right away. I think we had one or two songs ready at the time the previous record one came out. But that's how we work, we never stop writing. I already have loads of ideas and skeletons of songs for album #4, so things are on the move already. And about making IS #2: I have to say that we all are people with strong opinions so I don't think it would've been even possible to do IS #2 and get away with it. If I had brought songs to them that reminded them too much of IS, they would've for sure mentioned about it a million times, then made some fun at my expense and the song would've been thrown into trashcan right away. So no thanks, I try to avoid doing part two’s ha-ha.
And myself personally, when I write songs, I always try to avoid repeating myself because repeating something you've already done once is boring and totally unmotivating. I rather try to do something fresh to keep things interesting for myself and to others also.
Blistering.com: As a composer, are you finding that Ghost Brigade's scope is becoming as wide as ever? Is there nothing you're not afraid to try now?
Naukkarinen: Record after record I feel more adventurous which sometimes is a scary thing. I mean, we should and will explore and try out new things but at the same time, I think that we should stay inside certain frames with Ghost Brigade. I don't want to go too far from home. Exploring is good but remember your roots, that's my view on this matter. If you want to do something totally different, there are side projects that serve that purpose.
Blistering.com: As for the new album, it sounds like Manne's [Ikonen] vocals are very much in focus. He must be a nice asset to have, right?
Naukkarinen: Definitely and that's something we also noticed during the writing period. I also think that he has so much more to offer vocal-wise than you guys have heard so far on these three records. He's a very good singer and can sing anything from pop to black metal-ish stuff so I am sure that's a territory that will be explored even more in the future.
Blistering.com: "Clawmaster" is an absolute gem. It's one of those songs that totally encapsulate your sound. What made it the right choice to be the first real "heavy" song on the album?
Naukkarinen: I don't know, to be honest. It was just one of those things that everyone agreed on when we did the tracklisting to this album. We knew that “In the Woods” would be the opener and “ “Clawmaster” would follow and “Soulcarvers” would be the last song.
Blistering.com: The decision to open with "In the Woods" was a bold one. Why open the album with such a laid-back song?
Naukkarinen: Why not?
Blistering.com: Do you think you'll see an increased workload in terms of touring for Until Fear?
Naukkarinen: We have decided that we will be always doing this as a hobby so we have very limited possibilities to tour. Families, children and day jobs take most of our time so I don't think there will be any more touring than there was for Isolation Songs.
Blistering.com: Finally, what's on the agenda for the rest of 2011, going into 2012?
Naukkarinen: This year we're doing a few more shows, then in early 2012 we have this new release coming out on Season Of Mist. Can't tell you yet what it is though. Then I think in the spring we do one more Euro tour if everything goes as planned and we already have a few bigger festivals booked for summer 2012. That's about it I guess. And of course keep writing new songs all the time.
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