With „… And Then Came The Dust“, the Finnish death-metal-group MAGENTA HARVEST released a really fascinating second album. Vocalist Mathias Lillmåns, better known as Vreth from FINNTROLL, gave us lots of informations about the album, the differences between both bands and music in general.
Hi Mathias, your new MAGENTA-HARVEST-album „… And Then Came The Dust“ has been released now. How does it feel to have this out, compared with the other albums you did in your career?
I am really excited to get this album out and have to say that is interesting to be part of a rising band. The step that we are at right now with MAGENTA HARVEST is a step in my musical career that totally got past me, since I joined an already established band straight from bands that were about to release their first full length album.
How important is MAGENTA HARVEST for you – is it just a project or a „real“ band?
Maybe in the beginning I looked at this as another side-project, but it has evolved into something much more and is one of my two top-priorities. We have spent so much time and effort that this cannot be called a project anymore. Everyone in the band is focused on making this work!
Are you planning to do some shows or even an entire tour with the album?
Yes, we have some shows here in Finland and some in the UK coming up this autumn. We also got a deal with Dragon Productions earlier this year and we are discussing about some tours and festivals throughout Europe. Things are moving in the right direction!
MAGENTA HARVEST plays very diverse death metal with some black-metal-influences, I’d say. How would you sum up the new album in one sentence?
I guess you summed it up pretty well. Both old-school and modern Death Metal riffs, mixed with some Black Metal and topped off with a melancholic, melodic twist.
How does the songwriting proceed – how does a typical song evolve, and when do you decide what you’re texting about for a certain song?
It usually starts out with Timo K and Timo H jamming together with new riffs, then at some point they rehears together with Janne and the arranging process starts. Then we go back and forth with the songs a couple of times and then the pieces start to fall into the right places. I usually do the vocals last. I write a bunch of lyrics and then start to see to what song which text fits, then re-write some parts to fit the riffs. It’s a long slippery road, but the end result is worth it.
What are the lyrics about and how important are those lyrics for you?
Lyrics have always been very important to me. There are bands that make good music, but with bad lyrics and that has always made it difficult for me to listen to them. I have always found myself writing very personal lyrics. Lyrics about what I feel, what I’ve been through, what I think. But with MAGENTA HARVEST I wanted to write something else, something more “death-metal-like”, something more distant. They have evolved around visions of our demise, the destruction of man. On Wolatile Waters our extinction came through water and ice, On …and then came the Dust it comes through sand and salt.
In this context: What’s the idea behind the bands name, MAGENTA HARVEST?
The name actually comes from the last “real” song on the last …and Oceans album Cypher. The name is sort of a homage to that band, since MAGENTA HARVEST was in the beginning sort of meant to continue the 1995-era …and Oceans. Read the lyrics to the song „Debris: The Magenta Harvest: Liquid Flesh“ and you’ll get the idea behind why we chose the name.
Did you give the artwork-artist any instructions what to do, did he paint it on his own or did you just choose a picture from his gallery for the artwork?
I had the idea in my head what I wanted for the cover. I had the color scheme and everything worked out. Me and Timo K were browsing for artist that would fit our style and ideas. All of a sudden I got a message from him saying “Hey, check this available design out!” and I was immediately like “Yes, that’s it! That’s the one!!!”. So yes, we picked one of his artworks in his gallery and we are so pleased with it.
So, is there any context between artwork and concept?
Yes, there is. The color scheme of course relates to sand, rust and dust. And if you read the lyrics to An Abode of Ashes you can probably figure out what that demon on the front cover stands for.
In most cases, side projects of musicians from famous bands are advertised as „the new project of…“ and so on. Regarding Magenta Harvest, it’s not obvious, that the vocalist of FINNTROLL is involved. Is this done by purpose, or what’s the reason for that?
“I have never wanted get a free ride on my name with any of my other bands, especially when it comes to bands that far away from the style of FINNTROLL. Sometimes, yes, my name can be a bit of a shortcut when needed, but I never really wanted my bands to be associated with each other. I also think it would be weird if people came out to see Magenta Harvest just because I’m in the band. I also guess that a huge part of them would be disappointed, because it’s not funny-humppa-beer-drinking-music.
The styles of both bands are very different – what do you like most in each band?
You are right that both bands are very different. Something that I thalike about both bands is the fact that there is room for experimentation, that you don’t have to lock yourself into a certain box. You can actually do whatever you want and nobody will argue with you that “That isn’t true death metal!!!” or similar comments.
And what style of music do you listen to in your free-time?
I listen to good music, that’s my only criteria. And with good music I mean music that speaks to me. I’m not the guy that turns something away just because “I usually don’t like that genre”. I’ll give anything one try. Right now the favorite genres are probably electronic music, noise and crust punk, but it will definitely change at some point.
FINNTROLL was a very active live-band some years ago – did you join MAGENTA HARVEST, because that changed?
I joined Magenta Harvest way before Finntroll went on this deliberate break that we are on right now. It’s actually a perfect timining, so that I can focus on Magenta Harvest before the madness with the trolls start again!
What can we expect from Finntroll in the upcoming future? Any plans regarding a new album, a tour or anything else?
We have been touring so much the last years that we haven’t had a chance to write new stuff. So when you talked about touring a lot some years ago, but not anymore it’s because we are in writing-mode. A new album is brewing beneath the surface and will be released upon mankind in a near future. That will of course mean lots of touring and travelling.
At Summer-Breeze Open Air you did kind of a special show. I was not able to attend, so: What specials did you realise, and how did it work? Were you satisfied with the show?
It was a cool show. We did a timeline through the whole discography of Finntroll, even starting with a track from the first demo. We also played songs we hadn’t played in a long time. All this was accompanied by really good lights, a timeline LED-screen slideshow and pyros.
Thanks for the Interview – lets finish this with a short brainstorming. What comes to your mind first reading the following terms:
Cannibal Corpse: Hatchet to the head
Germany: Dancing and drinking beer
Festivals: Rain and mud
MAGENTA HARVEST in 10 years: Two albums richer and touring
FINNTROLL in 10 years: Loooots of shows.
Your favorite album in 2017: Ulver – The Assassination of Julius Caesar
Thanks for your time and answers – the last words are yours:
Thank you too! Check out our new album and keep harassing your local promoter to book MAGENTA HARVEST to your town. (laughs)
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21. September 2017 Moritz Grütz