THE RETURN OF THE SHADOW – JYRI VAHVANEN
Art: Kirsi Salonen
I like to bathe in virgins’ blood and eat live bats. I also summon the powers from the ancient Gods and let my astral being ride the ghosts of the archaic dragons. Or… I just find a quiet place, some spare time and a cup of coffee and focus on writing.
Our music is about fantasy and writing; playing it is a great escape from the grey dullness of our daily lives. Making music is a passion for me; it feeds my needs and empowers me. My life philosophy is that “Things tend to work themselves out”, but to achieve something important, you need to work for it. Is anything really worth it without some pain and tears? And if there’s not any, is it really your true passion?
Cult or not, the strong aesthetics is there. “Brothers in metal” and all that stuff. Metalhead uniforms, band shirts, skulls and spiders, pentagrams and devils. For me, it all started when my father bought me a bass guitar. I loved the bands like Metallica, Sepultura, Slayer and Kiss. Then I got familiar with black metal, and the musical influences turned more extreme. Put up a band with my friends, put up another band, tried some different styles, and here we are, still in the same way. Now I am playing in four bands, all doing their own stuff. Too many great albums to mention. Mainly metal, but I am a music digger, so everything goes as it sounds good to me.
I like to read. I like to write up notes and one-liners from tv or life in general. Quite usual for musicians, I guess. Got to trust your vision and hunch. Too many compromises, especially when writing music with a band, can become a disaster if everyone wants to lead and push their views. Been there many times. Follow your vision and stay loyal to it.
I do admire many people outside the metal genre, but I do not keep idols. To be the best possible form of yourself is my lifetime goal. Always try to evolve and make things better. Study yourself and the world. Think a lot and analyse. That’s me.
Music is both entertainment and a spiritual experience, I guess. It depends on the person. I know many people who like to belittle their musical selves when they are with “real musicians”. That’s just wrong. For some, music is just mere entertainment; for some, it is a lifetime journey and everything there is. I am a boring person who likes to spend time alone. Some bands out from the box to check out: Death In Rome, Switchblade Symphony and Kalandra.
https://battlelore.bandcamp.com
