The Finnish modern metal act Luna Kills step into this week’s Meet The Band spotlight. Their debut full-length album is Deathmatch. Vocalist Lotta Ruutiainen introduces us to her band.
Chad Bowar: Give us a brief history of Luna Kills.
Lotta Ruutiainen: Luna Kills was formed in the year 2019 for the purpose of playing live as much as possible.
Describe the songwriting process for Deathmatch.
We made the album in three or four different sessions, writing and recording 3-4 songs each session, because we were touring a lot at that time so we had to really divide our time between those things. We were really focusing on each song to be their own entity so to say, and just wrote music that really resonated with us. It was a long journey with a lot of ups and downs but we’re really happy how the album turned out to be.
What will be your strongest memory of the recording of the album?
The strongest memory might be writing and recording “slay ur enemies” because it really was a fantastic song out of a bad situation. We had studio time coming up and it was the last day before we were supposed to go and record four songs for the album. We had only three completed demos and a lot of concepts that did not sound very inspired to us and we were really exhausted trying to get them into something we could get excited about.
I was so hell bent to get the perfect fourth song that I literally drove myself into a panic attack which resulted in me screaming all my frustrations and inner chaos over a random riff from some other demo and it ended up being “slay ur enemies.” We finished the song by midnight that day while trying to figure out whether we were going insane or that the song was actually shaping up to be a banger.
What was the biggest challenge in its creation?
For us it definitely was meeting all the deadlines during writing. We had so much going on simultaneously that we had to have these assigned few weeks/days here and there to write the songs and hop into the studio. During those weeks we were not always super inspired and sometimes we had such a limited amount of time that it was really tough to get and remain inspired which is something you preferably would like to be when doing creative work. But in the end we managed to overcome those situations and managed to find inspiration from those moments as well.
How would you characterize its style/sound?
The album is alternative metal at its core, but we love experimenting a lot with our sound. We had a lot of inspirations throughout the writing process from nu metal to hyperpop and I think they all shine through in their own way, but I’d describe it as different emotions wrapped up in the context of music. When we write music we really focus on the song feeling like a complete piece rather than trying to make them fit a certain type of genre or sound. Deathmatch is really inspired by gaming so it has this soundtrack type of vibe to it as well.
What inspired the album title?
The album title is inspired from gaming and the lyrical themes within the album. Deathmatch is a gaming mode where you try to take out your opponents as many times as possible within a time limit and most of the songs in the album are about mental health struggles so it kind of references you fighting yourself and your own negative emotions, like having a deathmatch against yourself.
What lyrical topics do you cover?
I usually write about my own life and like mentioned in the previous question for this album it was a lot of mental health related topics. The lyrics offer a raw look into the thoughts and feelings when you live with depression, the moments when you feel like giving up and also the moments when you are fighting your way back to try and find happiness.
How did you come to sign with SharpTone?
We were looking for a possible partner with whom we’d release our album and we reached out to Nuclear Blast first and they put us in contact with SharpTone. We often joke about us manifesting this into reality, because a few years back we were really vibing a band (Don Broco) they had signed, and we had to find out their label because we were dead sure that label would probably get us and our music. So it’s kind of funny that this came to be.
What are your goals and expectations for the album?
The goal is to grow as a band and get our music out there. We really are a live band so obviously we’re hoping to gain a lot of live performances as well. I don’t think we had or have any expectations regarding the release, we are just happy to get the album out.
What has been your most memorable Luna Kills live show?
Tuska 2024 (Finland’s largest metal festival) for sure, the vibes were immaculate. We were performing on an indoor stage and even though it was so hot that you were literally melting the venue was fully packed with the most insane audience ever.
What are your upcoming show/tour plans?
We’re going on a tour the second the album drops! We have a lot of dates in Finland and the EU/UK as well. We also have a lot of summer festivals coming up.
You filmed several videos for the album. Which was your favorite shoot?
My favorite shoot was probably “sugar rush” because it was a very chill couple of days of shooting. We had everything going how we planned, we were not filming inside a moldy basement or anything wild like that and we had our videographers dogs keeping us company throughout the shoot so that was the cherry on top.
Who are your top 5 all-time Finnish bands (of any genre)?
In no particular order:
Kingston Wall: Soulful and well crafted music that I go back to time and time again.
Lost Society: They are one of the tightest live bands I’ve ever seen, extremely talented musicians and all around nice lads.
Lähiöbotox: Really cool heavy metal and rap influenced music that really stands out.
Stam1na: One of the best progressive/alternative metal bands in Finland, I had them on a heavy rotation when I was a teenager.
PMMP: Very influential pop/rock band in the Finnish scene. When they first found their success they had this punk attitude which really drew me in when I was younger.
What are some of your non-musical hobbies and interests?
I’m a big gamer, I spend most of my spare time playing on Playstation or PC. And though I’m a photographer by trade I also do it for fun.
What’s currently in your heavy musical rotation?
I Let It In and It Took Everything by Loathe has been on constant repeat. I found them last fall and since then I haven’t been able to stop listening to that album, it’s so beautiful.
Anything else you’d like to mention or promote?
Deathmatch was released on April 4th, I hope people will enjoy it and hopefully we see them also at our live shows!
(interview published April 5, 2025)
Watch Luna Kills – “sugar rush” Video
