May The Bridges We Burn Light The Way is the latest album from the Finnish melodic death metal band Omnium Gatherum. I caught up with vocalist Jukka Pelkonen, who gives us the scoop on the new record, touring, the music industry and other topics.
Chad Bowar: The four year span between Origin and May The Bridges We Burn Light The Way was the longest of your career. What led to the extra time between records?
Jukka Pelkonen: Indeed, four years have passed since Origin. Firstly, despite of the pandemic raging on still in 2021, we started immediately touring basically around the world. Of course we had done the same thing with previous albums, but pandemic times had an effect. We do not write OG’s material whilst touring so that is a part of the reason why the gap between these two albums is quite long. I Think the main reason was that Markus, who composes the songs, had done so much music with other bands it took some time to get the OG flow going on again.
Was there anything unique about the songwriting process for May The Bridges… compared to previous albums?
The basic plot was very similar to the recipe we have maintained for a long time when making a new album. We start with demo riffs and songs, which basically I and Markus compile together. Then everyone practices the songs individually. Then we practice the songs with the whole band and hit the studio. Well, in the case of the new album we were in several studios. So the only twist was we used Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki, Finland for drums and bass, Inka Studios in Orimattila, Finland for guitars and Solnasound Production in Stockholm, Sweden, for vocals. The keyboards were done in the keyboardist’s home studio.
What will be your strongest memory of the recording of the album?
For me as a vocalist it is definitely the fact that we made the vocals with a separate vocal producer. None other than Björn Strid. That was truly grand and I am extremely glad we decided to work with Björn. He truly is a professional. Both as a singer and a producer.
What was the biggest challenge in its creation?
I think the biggest challenge this time was the creation of the songs. As mentioned before it took some time to get the train moving again.
How did you come to work with Bjorn “Speed” Strid on the vocal production, and how was the experience?
Well, we have known Mr. Strid from the metal circles for a while and Markus just one day thought it would be cool to ask Björn to collaborate with us. I think Björn immediately said that would be great and from there we booked Solnasound Production in Sweden for the vocal recordings. The great part of that was that the studio is run by Simon Johansson. He is a guitarist in Soilwork and he recorded the vocals and Björn produced them. The overall exprerience working with him was really productive. His insight in the little details in the arragements was a part of the process which gave the vocals, in my opinion, a sharper edge. I was 98 percent ready with the arrangements when I entered the studio to record the vocals. Me and Björn had a good connection in terms of adding some spice here and there to the vocals. Way to go our Swedish neighbor! It was truly a pleasure.
How has your sound evolved from Origin?
The sound always experiences some changes between albums due to the fact that the individual songs and riffs within the album are recorded with varying gear. So we use different cabinets and instruments, for example, to experiment with the sound. There is a certain OG sound we always keep in mind but there are minor tweaks here and there. Both these albums were mixed by Jens Bogren in Fascination Street studios, Sweden. So in that way both do have his style and his vision in the sound and thus have similarity. Still, the style of the songs and the feel of the songs in these albums if compared has differences. Origin is more of a mid-paced album and has a bit of the eighties stylish in it and that short of vibe going on. The new album, May The Bridges We Burn Light The Way is more straightforward and fast tempo album in general. We bared this in mind when listening to the rough mixes and really had a more “in your face” sound and feel to the new album. It is a fine science indeed to have the right kind of sound to each album.
What’s the lyrical thread of the album?
For the first time we had a loose theme in an album. These are stories from the streets. From the people that inhabit this unknown city. They are tales told from different perspectives of the inhabitants of this place. Even the city itself gets a voice. I made a hybrid of a story like telling and non linear telling and was able to create layers and things in between the lines. So the lyrics basically are a mix or a combination of fates of people and the greater messages of life itself. As an inspiration we also used our own memories hanging in the streets as teenagers back in the day. This was done purely for inspiration so these stories in the album are fictional. But the vibes from our experiences are there. The stories vary from an addict’s perspective to the one who climbs to the barricades of a riot. I really enjoyed this theme style of approaching my writing. It challenged me to evolve as a writer.
What inspired the album title?
The story behind the album title began when Markus saw a shirt worn by this dude at an airport in China. We were touring there and at the airport was this guy who had something similar to May The Bridges We Burn Light The Way written on his shirt. Markus thought right away it sounded cool. Later on we came to the conclusion of calling the new album that. Surprisingly the name of the album really fit with the street theme of the lyrics. I really like this story. It felt like a coincidence but also that this was meant to be.
How were the video shoots for “My Pain” and “The Last Hero”?
Long, like always. “The Last Hero” was shot outside and the weather was quite chilly then. So we shot the video and it took like maybe 8 hours or so in that cold weather. That was a bit challenging from time to time. The only thing keeping us warm was the burning oil barrels we used in the video for atmosphere. The cool thing about that video is that it was partly shot in New York. There was a separate session there, where all the non-band member parts were filmed. “My Pain” was much easier because it was shot in this skate park and is a much simpler concept visually than the first video. We just spent the day in the skate park shooting the video. Simple as that. Then the director worked his magic to give it this bit of a ’90s stylish vibe and that was it.
With how much the music industry has changed in your 20 years in the band, how do you go about setting goals and expectations for a new album?
I cannot say that this change of the music industry has not impacted OG at all, but I can say we have kept our vision clear to create interesting new music album after album for both our listeners and ourselves. We have kept a certain style and refined it. So our sound is familiar to people who have longer listened to us but it is still fresh because in a way we avoid certain kind of repetition. Of course the sound is forged by many years of making OG’s music and has it’s melodies and harshness to be expected. Still we want to make interesting songs and create the arch of drama to the whole album. So it is not just random songs one after another. The competition today is really intense and that is also the reason we strive to stand out of the most basic melodic death metal style. It is an honour for us to push the boundaries of our musicianship. So the expectations are really high for each album within the band and I like to think with our listeners, too. The originality of the music is also our way of reaching new people.
You have a North American tour coming up. What’s your favorite part of touring the U.S.?
I really must say we love the whole country and are again excited to tour in the U.S. The country is so big, especially when we come from a much smaller country, Finland. So the scenery visually changes a lot when travelling the whole of the place. And we just love that. If I had to say a favorite, maybe somewhere where it is warm. Because we come from the North far, far away.
Where haven’t you played live that you’d still like to get to?
I think, any place we haven’t visited before. India would be cool. Or Africa. Those would be quite exotic places for us I would assume. I love metal people because they always welcome us kind heartedly wherever in the world we go. That is why there is a similar feeling of unity no matter where you are. And that is truly grand.
What’s the coolest site/attraction you’ve been able to visit while on tour?
Of the bigger ones I think the Great Wall of China was pretty cool.
What are some of your non-musical interests and hobbies?
I personally love to read and play videogames. My favorite genre of videogames is JRPG (Japanese role playing game). In those I can really immerse myself in the story and the audio visuality of the game. With books I like everything from history books to pure fiction. I also love jogging and try to do it as much as possible. Other members have similar and different interests and hobbies. One likes old school American cars and the other likes well aged whiskey.
Who are your all-time top 5 Finnish metal bands?
Stone, Sentenced, Children Of Bodom, Amorphis, Tarot; not in any particular order.
Anything else you’d like to mention or promote?
You are all very welcome at our shows when we start the North American tour on November 15th. Come see OG live. That is how our music is best experienced! See you all on the road!
(interview published November 5, 2025)
Watch Omnium Gatherum – “The Last Hero” Video
