Unshine

  Finnish druid metal quintette UNSHINE has now offered their ancient receipt of celtic metal and (despite of their name) have become one of the shining new stars in their northern home country.Harri Hautala (guitar, synth) gives an interview to subexistance.

Tell me what was the motive to form the band?
Unshine was formed around 2001. Basically, we wanted to create good songs! At that time I had cherished a hope for a band with female vocals. At those times, I was very much into bands like No Doubt and Garbage (of course, they are still good:)). In our former band, all of our lyrics were in Finnish and I had translated some of those in to English, so we also wanted to change language, for curiosity. When Susanna joined the band and sang the first song in the rehearsals, we knew that this was it.
Which are the band members and how each one of you take part in the music composition and lyrics?
Susanna (vocals), Teemal (bass), Stibe (drums), Harri and Jari (guitars). Most of the songs, usually around 9 out 10 are done by me, also Susanna has composed and written lyrics in to our albums. We have a bit different styles and that brings variety in to our music. Of course, all of us together create the final exterior of the songs, we rehearse songs a lot before going in to the studio.
Your music has a unique atmosphere and mix a lot of music elements can you tell me more about your sound and your influences?
Thanks! It is modern metal music, but our influences are very varied, but also a bit strange. As I compose the most of the songs, naturally everything I listen, affects the songs. I'm (and have always been) very much into 70's stuff and I do not listen very much modern metal. In my very youth, however, I adored also bands like Iron Maiden, Metallica & The Scorpions.:) Nowadays I'm into folk and kraut rock and synthesizer stuff, quite odd and outdated things, somebody could say.
Your latest release was "The Enigma of Immortals"in 2008.What was the comments you get from the press and the fans for this release and are you completely satisfied with the result?
The album took us much actually much further than we thought, it brought us for example airplay abroad, including BBC, an European tour and very good feedback from the press and individual people. We are very much satisfied with the result. However, I personally think that in the end the album sounded much calmer and peaceful than we initially thought it was going to sound like.
Tell me about your live shows?What is the feeling play live your songs in front of a crowd?
We love playing live, the best thing in live shows is when the band and the audience connect in some mystical level. What you give to the people, they give you back, the constant recycling of magical energy. The worst thing is the eternal waiting that is the mandatory giveaway with this business.
Are there any plans for a new release?
Yep, we are doing it at the moment! Shortly, we are in the middle of recordings of the 3rd album, which by the way is going to be a theme album, a quite dark one.
You say that your music is druid metal.Can you explain me that?
We have not just thrown out one day that 'let's brand us somehow, let's call us whatever metal'. There's much more deeper meaning in it. We think that our music represents sort of a nature metal or celtic metal. Druids were the ruling social class in celtic Europe and they were (and still are) the priests and priestesses of nature, interpretators of mysteries of life. We love a thought that we are somehow a part of this continuum in the modern times. Personally, I'm very much into history stuff and I have also graduated in natural sciences, which is affecting our music.
What things inspire you the most?
Wandering in nature wondering mysteries of life, reading good history books, visiting places with intense history, hearing a great song, seeing a child marveling a butterfly.
In your opinion what makes a band successfull?Is it only hard work?
The old classical rule: Believe in yourself and in what you are doing, it will get you through grey stone (or a dolmen in our case:)). I also believe that the band chemistry develops better the more you rehearse and spend time together with your band.
A message to all the people that support the band all these years?
Thank You, without your support we would not be here, or at least we would be a very different band.:) Stay iron!
Kostas Sotiriou