The Finnish death/doom metal band Swallow The Sun just released their latest album Shining. Founding guitarist Juha Raivio updates us on the new record, touring and other subjects.
Chad Bowar: Was there anything unique about the songwriting process for Shining compared to previous albums?
Juha Raivio: Not really. I don’t touch the guitar or record anything for months and months unless we are touring. New music always plays in my head 24/7 and I just always let it pile somewhere back in my mind and then suddenly one day something forces me to take the guitar and open my studio program. Then I always know that the new album will write itself out and it happens very fast, usually then it takes about 3 weeks to a month and everything is ready. I have written all the albums like for the last 15 years at least, and I don’t remember almost anything afterwards writing the music. It is very powerful and strange when the music just writes itself out like that and I tend not to touch on anything afterwards so the music would stay pure from that moment.
After mostly self producing your last few albums, this time you worked with Dan Lancaster. How did that come about, and how was the experience?
It was amazing experience to work with a world class producer like that who has worked with names like Muse and BMTH and so on. When we started to think about a producer for this album our only rule was that who ever it would be, it would not be some metal producer who has done same kind of style thousand albums before. We wanted the producer who has 100 percent fresh ears and approach to the music, someone who can really take us out from our comfort zone, and he really did.
What will be your strongest memory of the recording of the album?
It has to be recording Mikko’s vocals and Dan’s vocals for this album in London. Dan is such a uplifting and crazy person that he really kicked this band’s ass to the moon and back. We are miserable Finnish bastards from the forest and it’s amazing to be around that kind of a person who has no limits how music should be, no rules as the Windows 95man sang in last Eurovision competition for Finland.
What was the biggest challenge in its creation?
Only challenge was for me was sleep for a couple weeks in a small studio sofa in Finland recording guitars and bass. I’m an old man and should not sleep on the fucking sofa at this age!
How has your sound evolved from Moonflowers?
We have always been very melodic band and the band has always had a huge range from very minimalistic acoustic songs, through electronic touches to funeral doom, but this time the melody took even bigger role in the music compared to before.
What lyrical topics do you cover on this one?
This is very much a self mirroring album for me. I been trying to understand my behavior and also trying to forgive myself a bit and the world around me. It is very easy and almost safe to stay and sleep in and under the massive weight of the world, sadness and melancholy surrounding within and out there. It takes a lot trying to reach back to the surface from the bottom of the raging sea.
With the state of the music industry, how do you go about setting goals and expectations for a new album?
Only thing that matters is that you do and release an honest album that you wrote only to yourself. Bands, styles and music come and go, but honest albums are for forever.
How much attention do you pay to reviews?
The beautiful thing about the honesty of the music is that it always will be perfect, to yourself at least, and then the good or bad reviews are basically meaningless. Of course it is always nice to see if the music resonates with people. But to be honest I’m still not sure if I should even be happy if our music holding this much weight and pain resonates with someone. I wish there would not be any reason to write this kind of music in this world. But it seems to be a quite healing thing for people who love the band. I’m happy about that.
How was the video shoot for “MelancHoly”?
We wanted this “Finnish David Lynch” feel in the video and it worked out perfect. Vesa Ranta is amazing video producer and he always gets it done.
How important are videos in the promotion process these days?
I have no idea actually. I guess before they were much more important because TV and no Internet. These days there must be million new videos coming up in YouTube everyday so you just hope for a lucky strike among all the shit. Thats the way of the world these days.
The album is available on vinyl. Are you a collector?
Yes I am a bit. I have hundreds of vinyls, but I used to be more of a Rush and Iron Maiden collector when I was young. But collecting Iron Maiden is a never-ending story and you have to be a millionaire to be able to get everything.
You have a 2025 North American tour scheduled. What’s your favorite part of playing over here?
I love the travelling around North America so much, love the highways, mountains, lakes, huge forests, snow and deserts. I love that doing a tour in North America is like going through 10 different countries.
Where haven’t you played live that you’d still like to get to?
I would love to go to Australia and New Zealand for sure.
What’s the coolest site/attraction you’ve been able to visit while on tour?
Burger King, unfortunately. It is always such a busy schedule that there’s hardly any chance to go and see something special. But sometimes you have a day off or something and you can go and see like Niagara Falls or the Empire State Building or something. Mostly its Walmart, truck stops and Burger King, nice.
What are some of your non-musical interests and hobbies?
UFC, Formula 1, taking care of my horses and cats.
What’s currently in your heavy musical rotation?
As its October its been my favorite one, Type O Negative of course.
Anything else you’d like to mention or promote?
The lineup of this upcoming North American tour In Febraury and March is actually amazing as its Swallow The Sun, Harakiri For The Sky, Ghost Bath and Snakes Of Russia. It will be an amazing lineup musically, a true night of of gloom and doom for sure. Hope to see you there, friends. Thanks.
(interview published October 18, 2024)
Watch Swallow The Sun – “MelanHoly” Video
