Finish band GRINISTER has surprised all critics and reviewers with their debut album Unleashed. Because first it is a cross over metal band from Finland what is kind of a novelty and second, this band quite knows how to stand up to all these common Nu Metal bands from the USA. Reasons enough to sound GRINISTER out with some questions. Shouter Aki Hakkinen has taken much time to answer very detailed.

Dajana: Your debut album Unleashed is in stores now. As far as I can see, you got positive responses without exception. How are the things going at the moment ?
Aki: Things are looking pretty well actually. We have had the chance to tour around Finland and show the people what we’re really about. At the moment we’re doing a demo for the second album between gigs and we’ll start actually recording for the second one pretty soon. We’ve also played some new songs on our gigs and the feedback has been amazing. Our album was released in Europe only a few months ago (it was released 30.3 in Finland) and as you said the positive responses has been great. We also got a distributor in the USA and the album will be released there as well. We’re hoping to get a tour in Europe and we’ll be in some festivals next summer if all goes well.

Dajana: Surely you have to put up with comparisons with all kinds of American Nu Metal bands. Or even you will be lump together with them. How to deal with that ?
Aki: Surely when you start a band you will be compared to something without exception. People can hear our influences from our music but our background affects as well. We all have our own influences which sums up as GRINISTER sound. I believe no one can really compare us with one other band but a bunch of bands which have something in common. What comes to the term "Nu-Metal" I’d have to say that it’s ok when people use that term when they are talking about the original "Nu-Metal" like Fear Factory, Korn, Deftones, Faith No More, Sepultura and Soulfly for example. Nu-Metal as a term is now being used when referring to Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach and Linkin Park which are more closer to rock/pop music. I would like to categorize (if it has to be done) us with a term "cross-over metal" because we use a lot of different elements combined with metal.

Dajana: It is pretty unusually to deal with a „Finish Nu Metal band" at all. It attracts attention? Are there special reactions, astonishment or anything like that ?
Aki: Oh yeah, we’re not exactly the most traditional Finnish metal. There’s only a couple of signed alternative metal bands but there’s an underground movement coming up strong. We like to use local bands as our support and there’s some really good ones waiting to get their chance. The most surprising thing is that the traditional metal bands give amazing feedback as well when usually there are big gaps between different genres. I believe we have brought different genres closer together in Finland and we will keep doing so in the future for example Sentenced’s vocalist Ville is featuring on our next album. People in general have been positively surprised to found out that finally Finland has some great cross-over metal to offer it never had before.

Dajana: In the future you have to hold your own exactly against this market. Do you think you will make it? I mean, not to go down within all these 08/15 bands?
Aki: Time is our weapon in this battle. There are lots of bands that come up fast and go down even faster. Our goal is to keep on going no matter what. If we keep on doing this no matter what the people will finally find us. Of course good songs and amazing live performances gives us credit. When people get fed up with all those American bands they start looking for some exotic new ones…what’s more exotic than Finland ... heh?

Dajana: In the meantime you are pretty popular in your country. When we get you on stage in Europe?
Aki: We almost got there already last summer on some bigger festivals to fill in for some bands but things didn’t go as planned. We are planning on a tour and I’m 99% sure you’ll see us on festivals next summer. Things are looking good and you might see us sooner than you think…just beware.

Dajana: Unfortunately I don’t know your demos. Has your music changed really such a way after the first demo, that you needed to found a new band?
Aki: Music used to be a bit darker and the drummer we had back then used a lot of "double kickers". I didn’t actually sing then, only shouting and I did some aggressive rapping which didn’t sound like rapping (something like Biohazard does for example). Our music was closer to late Sepultura and had something in common with Stuck Mojo. Our music started to develop more to a form you can hear it now and our current drummer wasn’t really the best for our new style (a good metal drummer however, greetz). After labels started to show great interest towards us our former guitarist wanted out. He didn’t want in to the big leagues so we found a new guitarist. Vesa also changed from bass to guitar and a new bassist joined in. So basically everything else changed except me. Finally we had to change our band name because there was already a band called Drop somewhere. We invented a term which doesn’t really exist, GRINISTER. (Grinister = "grin" + "sinister")

Dajana: 11 tracks are quite a lot for a debut album in my opinion. Wouldn‘t it been better to put the demo tracks as bonus tracks maybe on 2 albums ? I think, now the album is too long and acts overload.
Aki: Some people have been criticising the length of our album (mostly critics). We wanted it to be this long because we know people want something back for their money. The other reason is that we wanted to clear the table before producing new material so that our current history can be found in the same CD. Some of the songs are from years back and it means a lot to us. I think also that the album isn’t that overloaded because the material is quite dynamic and there’s different types of songs in it. This album also leaves a door open for us and nobody can expect what is coming on the second album. We don’t want to make the same song all over again but to keep on developing our thing. We actually cut 2 songs (Talking To Me?, Have You Ever) from the album which were released on our single and we wanted it to remain as a collectors piece.

Dajana: You are still a young band and first at the beginning of your career. How do you see your real musical future in these times and business ?
Aki: I believe we will never be one of those mega-monster bands but I know we will always keep on doing our thing no matter what. We’ve done this for 14-15 years now so I can’t see why we should stop. We’ll see after another 15 years where we’ve ended up and did we make any dollars so far. No-one can really tell what the future brings but things are improving all the time for us. Finland is doing well in the music business so the future is looking pretty ok. Let’s hope things keep going to the same direction.

Dajana: In comparison to other bands, you got really fast a record deal and in general you are doing well. Other bands need way more time to reach a similar level. What do you think is the reason for that ?
Aki: There’s only one reason: HARD WORK! We had a goal and we fought for it and got there…pretty fast, well, it took 14 years to get a record deal!! We build our own little studio during the years so we could record our stuff when we wanted to. We made demo after demo and of course the material and the "know-how" improved all the time. Everything clicked somehow after we gave birth to GRINISTER and we made 3 demos with GRINISTER before getting signed. We have also always been very active show band and people know that our live shows are pure headbanging- hardcore. I also did all the gig bookings, tour arrangements and got our sponsors. And not to mention that we produced and recorded our album almost by ourselves! Not too many bands can do all this so it’s a big plus. Most bands tend to sit and wait for someone to find them…we give our everything and that’s the only way.

Dajana: Please explain the „aggro" part of your music :-)
Aki: Well, music is our way of let off some steam. I carry a lot of hatred with me and I need to explode somehow every once in a while. Our show is the best way of doing that and some people have said I’m pretty scary on stage. I also love to jump in the pit and step up a bit in there. It’s not also rare to see me or one of our members bleed during a show…the going is wild indeed. My lyrics and expression is pretty aggressive and there comes the aggro part :-)

Dajana: You have decided to choose artwork by Travis Smith for your cover. Why he of all ?
Aki: Travis has amazing eye for beautiful evil. I’m a big fan of horror movies and Travis has something in common with them. I wanted Travis’s work on our cover and by the help of a mutual friend Travis postponed all his work for doing our piece (Amazing!). I had an idea of what it could be (a killer clown from hell could be the incarnation of GRINISTER) and you can see his vision on our album cover which looks perfect I might add. I hope Travis does our next cover as well.

Dajana: Describe your country in this way, that I don’t have a chance than to pack my case and to start immediately to discover Finland.
Aki: Finland is the land of the thousand lakes and home of the Santa Claus, few bigger cities but mostly nature. The land is beautiful and clean. Finland is almost a 50-50 country 50 for the summer and 50 for the snowy winters. Days are long in the summer (in mid summer there’s no dark at all) and the winter is very dark and cold (and people ask why so many metal bands *lol*). Finnish people are well known for being hard drinkers and in my opinion pretty ok bunch of people overall. Finland is also pretty small country (only 5 million people). What more can you hope for when you have Scandinavian girls and a lot of good metal bands?! (After this you’ll probably pack your pack and start a discovery trip…hehe).

Dajana: Finns are known to be completely mad and crazy and spacy and freaky and at all. Doing loads of nonsense when they are unleashed, especially when they are drunk. Are you like these weirdos (here I have especially members from other Finish bands in my mind *lol* ) ?
Aki: Heh, I’m even weirder than most Finnish freaks because I don’t use alcohol at all but still I’m even crazier. People tend to thing I’m insane and wasted when they see our shows and are very surprised when they hear I’m a straight edge (I used to be one of those toxicated bastards though some years ago). Our other members like to use those damn chemicals ;) and we have a lot of funny footage from the road and we’re making a road movie from it…you’ll see then.

Short Cuts:

• favourite drink: Dr. Pepper

• best dish you are able to cook: Burritos with everything ... I love hot and spicy food

• favourite toy: Harley-Davidson

•favourite occupation in lonely northern winter nights: Building H-D’s and banging head

•what you would teach aliens first when they are coming and ask for representative lessons regarding the population on this planet ( or about finish people respectively ): People fear what they don’t understand

•bands, special artists, musicians ( dead or alive ) with them you would like to share the stage in any way: There’s sooo many but to mention some bands (my selections): Slipknot, Biohazard, Machine Head, Meshuggah, Deftones, Refused, Jimi Hendrix, Lynn Strait (from Snot R.I.P.) and so on…

Last Words, things people should know or you want to tell them :

Check out our album and our website (new edition is on the way) and leave your bookmark there. Don’t use drugs, you don’t need that shit…you have the chance to die later!