Global Metal Apocalypse
Connect With Us
  • Home
  • News
    • Alternative Music News
    • Metal News
    • Live News & Reviews
    • Other Music News
  • Reviews
    • Alternative Music
    • Film Reviews
    • Metal >
      • Metal II
      • Metal III
  • Interviews
    • Alternative Music Interviews
    • Metal Interviews
    • Music Related Interviews
  • Metal Scenes
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • North & Central America
    • Oceania
    • South America
  • Blogging
  • Extras
    • GMA Awards
    • GMA In The Press
    • Projects
    • Testimonials
  • Contact

Interview Interrogation: Blind Channel (Finland)

16/10/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture

     Eurovision was a big moment for Blind Channel, the sextet from Oulu secured 6th place and cemented themselves in a line of successful rock and metal bands to have graced the Eurovision sphere. The rollercoaster did not stop there as they signed with Century Media, performed sold-out shows across Finland and are now planning on their first major European tour with many shows looking set to sell-out also.

     Aptly dubbed 'Finnkin Park' (even though their 'Violent Pop' sound brings together a variety of rock and metal genres), Blind Channel released a music video for their latest single 'Balboa' (released back in August), echoing the core story of the Rocky films i.e. getting up and taking the fight head-on.

     Blind Channel's Joel Hokka spoke to Global Metal Apocalypse about their journey since that evening in Rotterdam and how one of Finland's most successful musicians Lauri Ylönen (The Rasmus) came in touch with Joel about doing a special cover of 'Dark Side'.

Picture

 Blind Channel gained overnight international success after the Eurovision 2021 finals, talk us through the emotions on that night. Additionally, what was it like signing with Century Media? 

     “Yep it happened pretty quickly with 'Dark Side' & the whole ESC thing. To be honest we didn’t expect that kind of success at all. We were thinking that if we hit the finals it’s already a win for us, and then we ended up in 6th place. But the real victory happened the day after when we saw that 'Dark Side' was #62 on the international Spotify global charts. I think we’ve been hyped up since that night until the last live shows of the summer ended last month. Century Media feels a great home for us. We want to be a massive alternative music outcome and CM / Sony has a great platform for us to be who we are without selling our souls!“



Your achievements have given bands not only in Oulu, but other Finnish cities too, hope that they can break out internationally. Thinking back to when you first started out, did you ever imagine you would be where you are at now?

     “We always wanted to make it big internationally. There was no other choice. We were always looking up to Finnish exports like HIM, Children Of Bodom etc, and we thought if those guys can make it so can we! So yeah, we were pretty sure since the start!“



You released your new single / video 'Balboa' last month, first impressions are that the song is to do with the 'Rocky' film franchise, is this true? Either way what was the inspiration for 'Balboa'?

     “Balboa is an anthem for the underdogs. It’s simply about getting up again and again. That’s how we’ve felt with our career for past 8 years. And yes, Rocky is the ultimate example of an underdog!“



Assuming 'Balboa' will be included on your forthcoming album (due out 2022), how far are you in the album creation process? When will the next single drop? Will this album be the darkest you've ever done?

     “The album is right now in the hands of Dan Lancaster who will be mixing the whole thing next month. After that it will mastered in the US. The next single… hmmm…. maybe soon. The album itself will be the purest Blind Channel ever. We’ve gone through a lot while writing & recording this so there’s a LOT of stories to tell. Of course there’s always the darkness in our music. We come from the North. It’s in our DNA.“


​
Will the new album be released on vinyl? Will there be special, limited editions released? Maybe a mini-documentary of the band's rise from humble origins to international success?

     “There will be many different forms of physical album. Vinyl's for sure for example! We’ve already documented a lot of stuff during 2021 but of course there’s a lot of things still to show for people so let’s see. Hopefully!“

Picture
Now you did a live duet with Lauri Ylönen (The Rasmus) on the song 'Dark Side', tell us how that came about? Could we see Blind Channel tour with The Rasmus in times to come?

     “Lauri called me (Joel) and told me about the idea. I was blown away ‘cause Lauri is one of my childhood idols from early 2000’s and I really love The Rasmus. I really hope we can tour together ASAP! Maybe next year?“



Speaking of tours, you recently finished a string of dates across Finland, talk us through the logistics and emotions. Your next tour in early-2022 will be with Eskimo Callboy and fellow Finns One Morning Left; assuming you will be playing songs from the new album?

     “The shows in Finland have been incredible. Thousands of people every night, pure insane adrenaline all the time. We played over 16 shows and had the best times of our life. The tour with Eskimo Callboy is something we really look forward to now. We will be playing brand new songs but also classics. Our set will be around 40 minutes per night so we need to be smart with the choices when it comes to songs!“



Regarding next year, are you looking to secure slots at festivals across Europe? Could we see Blind Channel at Download or Bloodstock in the UK?

     “We’d LOVE to play some big European festivals but right now we don’t know about them yet. Only thing we know for now is that there will be MASSIVE festival slots in Finland for sure but Download, Rock Am Ring, Bloodstock, Reading etc. is always good for us!“



What plans do you have for the year ahead and into 2022 other than your tour supporting Eskimo Callboy?

     “Album 4. Hell a lot of touring in EU / FIN (Hopefully US as well), new videos, cool TV things and tons of empty white wine bottles!“


Do you have any greetings and thanks that you wish to send out to friends, family, fans, etc?.

     “Greetings if you read this whole interview! We really respect that a lot, and also thank you for all the support. Without you (the people and the medias) we’d be nothing. See you at the shows!!“

https://www.facebook.com/BlindChannelBand
0 Comments

Interview Interrogation: Toxic Roulette (Yemen)

16/10/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture

     The fact that metal music is a global phenomenon has been established since the turn of the millennium and as such is no longer a secret, this is a music genre that has traversed the world across all factions and even to this day, more and more bands are forming and scenes being established, leaving lasting legacies not only just in the metal community, but in their own national community also.

     The challenges metal music poses vary from country to region and seeking resolutions have not always been easy, but the spirit of devotion to arguably the world's most connected genre lives on and so will the people behind it.

    Yet ironically where it is no surprise that metal exists in every corner of the globe, the fact that new scene discoveries are so fascinatingly exciting just underpins the gravity of why global metal music is a treasure to behold.

     Enter Toxic Roulette, the first metal band coming from Yemen. The band spoke exclusively to Global Metal Apocalypse about their origins, the possible emergence of a Yemeni metal scene; the challenges that will come / are coming with it and how they are perceived by the Yemeni people. 
​

     For some bands it was relatively easy to establish a scene, for some it was the choice between life and death. For Toxic Roulette, their emergence was thanks to meeting in a talent competition, and that they discovered metal music through various means as they go on to explain:-


     "Heavy metal came to Yemen mainly because of the people who lived abroad, they came back with guitars and metal CDs, and the second reason is the internet. There was a small talent show and we gathered from different places. Some of the talents had similar taste of music and we thought why not make a metal band. It was a pure coincidence."


     Much like when Morocco went through a period of censoring metal music, jailing metalheads and labelling it as Satanic music, Yemen could enforce a similar if not the same method of constraining a harmless 'threat to cultural norms'. For now it seems that metalheads in Yemen are wanting the music to remain ironically underground and not gain a wider national interest, maybe the values presented in Sharia law outweigh the freedom of playing metal music and so would rather keep it hidden in secrecy until open dialogue is established – look at Creative Waste playing their first open air concert in Saudi Arabia for example....



     “The general perception of heavy metal in Yemen is very bad, they think it’s only related to Satanic rituals. But at the same time the majority of people are yet still to know more about it. Heavy metal in Yemen is still not well known enough, and the authorities are not well informed about it, but if more people follow heavy metal, then the authorities will ban it 100%.”


     This view then begs the question of what the bandmembers families think of metal music, naturally it's expected for family members to be supportive of what their relatives undertake within reason (no prizes for coming up with any suggestions of what is not appropriate). Also, as the band mentioned earlier, the importation of metal CD's were a fundamental resource in building up a metal community in Yemen, they go on to explain who they got into first:


     “We got into heavy metal after listening to great bands like Metallica, AC/DC and Megadeth. Also, we loved the sound of electric guitars. Our parents thought it sounds loud and doesn't make sense, but they too love guitar solos.”


     Forming a band and releasing music is one thing, forming a band with no pre-existing scene and then looking to release music is an entirely different challenge in itself. For Toxic Roulette, the latter applies as they go on to explain they are only doing covers for the time being, with 2022 aiming to be the band's first time creating original material:


     “We are still yet to release a demo. We mainly play covers of famous metal songs, but hopefully we can release a demo next year.”


     We look forward to the first ever metal release to come out of Yemen, but like the rest of the world this is not the biggest challenge being faced... in 2019 a then-unknown pathogen emerged out of Wuhan, China which later came to be called 'COVID-19', plaguing the world in a battle and race against time to suppress this lethal killer. Since then vaccine developments have been heralded as major step in attempting to limit the long-term damage of the disease, however a whole host of countries (chiefly those of the Third World) are yet again being left behind by the First World. It is no secret that Yemen has suffered years of famine and poverty and still continues to suffer, to coin a phrase it's like 'kicking a man whilst he is down'. So how has the country dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic and what limitations have been posed?


     “COVID-19 didn’t have much effect in people's lives in Yemen, since the authorities didn’t do much to protect the people. We are not under a lockdown.”
​
Picture
Sanaa, Yemen / Source: Daily Sabah

     As mentioned earlier Toxic Roulette are the first metal band from Yemen, so with no pre-existing scene the challenges are exceptionally difficult - let alone not performing outside of Yemen. One such challenge is equipment sourcing and so they have to rely on travellers to carry out favours for them:

​
     “Obtaining good equipment is always a challenge in Yemen. We rely mostly on people who come from abroad to provide us with good instruments.”


     Since 2019 air travel has been at an all-time low and as such many destinations were off-limits or strongly advised travelling to, but under normal circumstances the band recommends visiting the historic sites Yemen has to offer including old Sanaa (Bab Al Yemen).

     Naturally the global metal community is a tight-knit one and it's considered the norm to herald any major achievements by bands from the lesser known metal scenes. Of course it's great hearing bands like Ghost getting a GRAMMY award, but what about Orphaned Land (Israel) and Khalas (Palestine) touring together? Considering their two nations are against one another, that milestone is something that should be celebrated more than winning an award no?

     The MENA (Middle East-North Africa) metal scenes have come a long way and are making sensational progress in establishing themselves, it's inevitable that more and more entities within the Western music industry will pay more attention to bands from this region... it's got to happen, there is so much talent being overlooked just because the next Swedish export so happens to be the next Amon Amarth per se, Europe is no longer the big boy on planet metal and it's about time we accepted that.


     “We think that heavy metal has made great progress in the MENA region despite all of the obstacles and challenges. We have seen many great metal bands from Jordan and Egypt get noticed.”
​

     And so where does Toxic Roulette go now as we head towards the end of 2021 and welcome in 2022?

“Our plan for next year is to make original heavy metal music.”


https://www.facebook.com/OutOfTheCave/

0 Comments

    © 2011-2022
    Global Metal Apocalypse



    If you enjoy reading this content, please consider a donation

    Donate


    Archives

    September 2022
    August 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    October 2021
    August 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    March 2012
    December 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011

    Categories

    All
    Albania
    Algeria
    Alternative
    Atmospheric
    Australia
    Bangladesh
    Beautycore
    Belarus
    Belgium
    Bhutan
    Black Metal
    Bloodstock
    Brazil
    Brutal Death Metal
    Bulgaria
    Burma (Myanmar)
    Cambodia
    Cameroon
    Canada
    Cello
    Celtic
    Chile
    China
    Christian
    Cinematic Metal
    Classical
    Colombia
    Costa Rica
    Croatia
    Crossover
    Crust
    Cuba
    Cyber Metal
    Cyprus
    Czech Republic
    Dance Metal
    Dark Metal
    Deathcore
    Death Metal
    Denmark
    Djent
    Djentcore
    Documentary
    Dominican Republic
    Doom Metal
    Drone Metal
    Dsbm
    Ecuador
    Egypt
    Electronic
    England
    Epic Metal
    Estonia
    Eswatini
    Eurovision
    Experimental Metal
    Extreme Metal
    Faroe Islands
    Female-fronted
    Festival
    Fiji
    Film Score
    Film-score
    Finland
    Folk Metal
    France
    Funeral
    Gabon
    Germany
    Gibraltar
    Glam Rock
    Golden Gods
    Gospel Metal
    Gothic Metal
    Grindcore
    Groove Metal
    Grunge
    Guam
    Hardcore
    Hard Rock
    Hard Rock
    Heavy Metal
    Horror Metal
    Hungary
    Iceland
    India
    Industrial
    Instrumental
    International
    Iran
    Iraq
    Ireland
    Israel
    Italy
    Japan
    Jordan
    Kazakhstan
    Kenya
    Kosovo
    Kuwait
    Label Video
    Latin Metal
    Latvia
    Liechtenstein
    Lithuania
    M2TM
    Madagascar
    Malawi
    Mali
    Malta
    Medieval Metal
    Melodic
    Metal
    Metalcore
    Metal Hammer
    Mexico
    Modern Metal
    Moldova
    Music Video
    Namibia
    Neo Classical Metal
    Neo-Classical Metal
    Nepal
    Netherlands
    New Caledonia
    New Zealand
    Nicaragua
    Norfolk Island
    Northern Ireland
    Norway
    Nu
    Nu Metal
    NWOBHM
    Operatic
    Oriental Metal
    Pagan Metal
    Pakistan
    Panama
    Parody Metal
    Peru
    Pirate Metal
    Poland
    Pop Metal
    Portugal
    Post Hardcore
    Post-Hardcore
    Post Metal
    Power Metal
    Prog Metal
    Punk Metal
    Ragga Metal
    Rapcore
    Record Label
    Rock
    Romania
    Russia
    Samurai Metal
    Scotland
    Screamo
    Serbia
    Shred
    Singapore
    Slam Metal
    Slovenia
    Sludge Metal
    South Africa
    Southern Metal
    South Korea
    Spain
    Sri Lanka
    Stoner Metal
    Suriname
    Sweden
    Switzerland
    Symphonic Metal
    Syria
    Taiwan
    Technical Metal
    Thailand
    The Bahamas
    Thrash Metal
    Tour
    Trance Metal
    Uganda
    UK
    Ukraine
    USA
    Vanuatu
    Vatican City
    Vedic Metal
    Vietnam
    Viking Metal
    Violent Pop
    Visual Kei
    Wales
    Yemen
    Zambia
    Zimbabwe

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly