Kasper Mårtenson (BARREN EARTH – keyboards): Yeah, there are quite a few.  I can’t really reflect on it myself because I am actually the only one of us who has never played in the US before.  The other guys have said, and in particular Mikko (singer) has been talking about many different places.  He has been looking forward to Austin (Texas) which would have happened yesterday but never did because it was cancelled due to the snow and terrible weather.  That was such a major disappointment because we had heard such high things about Austin.  It didn’t happen because the roads have been frozen.  It has been very difficult for us the past few days because we had to cancel Austin and Tulsa, Oklahoma just the other day.  We had trouble getting here this morning because all the roads were really frozen and we came in really slowly to avoid any serious accidents.

KM: Well, the thing is, in Finland we have this weather but we have special measures which we can prepare ourselves with.  When there is snowfall and ice, we pour salt on the roads.  We also have very efficient plowing systems and methods of sanding the roads.  Obviously it’s also obligatory in Finland to have winter tires on cars during specific months.  For us, driving those slippery roads isn’t that much trouble.  In Texas, we hear it has never happened before.  I think everything is a bit messed up right now.

KM: Yeah, and it looks pretty dirty on the road on the way here.  There were loads of cars spun off the road, and it must be dangerous.  Some look like they flew off the road at a high speed.

KM: Well, there have been a number of different studies on this subject.  One theory is that there is a melancholic aspect to a lot of heavy metal – and in particular that which comes from Finland.  There are a lot of minor harmonies and melodies which are traditionally seen as a very distinctive feature of Finnish mentality and musical preference.  Also because for a number of years I remember there were always talks, or hopes of making a breakthrough of Finnish music in other countries.  It seems at the moment, that when people talk about musical export, it seems that the heavy metal movement is one of the hottest, if not the hottest, Finnish musical exports at the moment.  Bands like NIGHTWISH, HIM, and CHILDREN OF BODOM are doing extremely well, internationally speaking.  Many of these bands have been doing well in other countries before they have been recognized in Finland.  That has been a tremendous boost and is a source of national pride for many of us.  At last, we can be said as being at the very forefront of a musical movement which has never really happened before.  It seems there is a distinct element in the Finnish bands.  I remember several bands that were pop or rock bands that were talking about making a breakthrough.  Many of them, who were quite good, never really had anything truly original to offer.  Many of the current bands, like NIGHTWISH, are very unique and have managed to create a mixture that is very unique.

KM: We come in with songs that are finished.  There are four primary writers in the band.  Most of the guys go as far as producing a whole demo of songs.  Actually, I’m the only one who does not do that, but when I write a song, I come up with a complete idea of a structure.  Then we start playing and arranging.  The arranging process is a collective process.  The main idea and main structure come from the composer, but once we start playing, that’s when other people bring in their input.

KM: No, not really.  We were thinking about what to call the band.  There were all kinds of suggestions coming from everybody.  Really, none of them felt really really good, I thought.  I think everyone else felt so as well because nothing really truly was good about any of those.  I was listening to a band called VAN DER GRAFF GENERATOR, which is one of my favorite bands.  They are an old English band who is still playing, but they made their mark in the 70’s.  They were usually classified as being progressive rock, but that’s not the whole truth.  I love them, and I especially love their lyrics.  Their lyrics are filled with great imagery and visions.  They had a song called “Scorched Earth” and I thought that would be a great band name, but it seems there are already many bands named Scorched Earth.  Then I was listening to another song, I think it’s called “A Place to Survive”, and I was reading the lyrics and there was a line that said BARREN EARTH and I thought that could work.  So I said what about BARREN EARTH and we thought that it’s quite good.  There’s no deeper meaning.  It’s neutral enough to not be too brutal for a heavy band. 

KM: I am happy to call it progressive death metal.  Obviously in terms of progressive music, to me, who is a big fan of the progressive rock movement of the 70’s, our album, although it has progressive elements, it’s still pretty straight forward.  To compare it to other bands I suppose it’s quite progressive though.  There are definitely elements of death metal, so progressive death metal gives a clear enough picture of what’s going on.

KM: I’m sure all of us have listened to PINK FLOYD.  They are one of those bands, love or hate; they seem to be a part of musical education.  As for us, we all love PINK FLOYD.  They are a band you should certainly be aware of.

KM: It was definitely more of just getting together to see what happens.  For me at least.  There are different characters in the band, and each has distinct ideas and strong musical personalities, so I can’t really speak for the others, but I would think that most of us would feel the same way.  Obviously the way the band got started was Olli-Pekka (bass) basically formed the band.  In the beginning I suppose he had an idea of what it should sound like since in the beginning we only had his songs.  Then the whole thing began to evolve because it then transpired that we had a record, and everyone started bringing in material.  It kind of got a life of its own, and it’s an independent beast – there is no single character to say exactly what will go on.