An interview with Jaakko from Marianas Rest

An interview with Jaakko from Marianas Rest

How do you approach songwriting?

We work as a group. We don’t have a single mastermind, everybody pitches in. Usually the process starts with a riff or a single melodic element that some of the axe wielding guys have come up with. Then we just start to figure out how to build the pieces into a song. We start to work on it at our training facilities very early on. The songs get tore down and built up again many times before they are finished. The last touches are made at a training camp which we always do before we enter the studio. We take our stuff to a cabin in the middle of nowhere and play the songs with our producer Teemu Aalto. Usually that is when we figure out if there is something still missing from a song.

How does your new album differ from previous releases?

I think this has more air and a more dense atmosphere. We tried to add more depth to this record, to bring in new elements but at the same time build the songs more coherently than on the previous albums. We made the decision to have less beats and less double bass drum on this one too. This was also the easiest album to make so far. Maybe we know better what we should do and especially what we should not do.

How does your new album differ from previous releases?

I think this has more air and a more dense atmosphere. We tried to add more depth to this record, to bring in new elements but at the same time build the songs more coherently than on the previous albums. We made the decision to have less beats and less double bass drum on this one too. This was also the easiest album to make so far. Maybe we know better what we should do and especially what we should not do.

Are there any themes that you deliberately sought out to explore in this new record?

It is about solitude, about building your life back after a rough patch and about the way this world sometimes distorts reality. I mean there are a lot of things out there that are intended to make you feel disoriented and unsure. It goes with our personal lives as well. Sometimes you think you understand how something works and where another individual is coming from but as time passes you might see that you were completely wrong. It is a funny thing how long you can go making poor judgements based on things that were never there.

How do you plan on promoting the record?

It is not easy without shows. Of course we are hoping that we could get on tour and give the songs a whole new life that way. While waiting for that to happen, we try to be active on our social media accounts. So that is the best way to keep in touch with what we are about to do. One bigger thing that we already know is going to happen is that we are going to play the songs live, record it and put the whole show online. So that is one thing to look out for!

How do you plan on promoting the record?

It is not easy without shows. Of course we are hoping that we could get on tour and give the songs a whole new life that way. While waiting for that to happen, we try to be active on our social media accounts. So that is the best way to keep in touch with what we are about to do. One bigger thing that we already know is going to happen is that we are going to play the songs live, record it and put the whole show online. So that is one thing to look out for!