1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Crowen is metal band from Finland and the music is kind of folk/black/death metal. I'm still fine tuning the style because I like different styles of music.
2.Recently you have released an ep, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?
I didn’t really have a plan when I was making the songs, I just created whatever came out. I was actually surprised about the folk style myself, but I think it sounds good. The process felt natural, and I enjoyed it and just kept on going.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?
I spoke with Nina Kärki who wrote all the lyrics, expect for one song (Black), and said to her that I wanted the songs to have a Viking theme, so Nina focused on that. I wanted the songs to capture the feeling of Vikings in a battle. For example, the song Exosus is about a person who is hated by others.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Crowen'?
It comes from the words “Crow” and “Raven”. For me it's somehow mythical.
5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover?
I talked with my old neighbor Minna Heikkilä @minzkiva who is a professional photographer and asked her if she could take some promo pictures of me for the EP cover. We were hanging out in a forest in Tampere, Finland and listened to some terrible Viking music. Then we realized how bad it really was and just had a lot of fun doing the shoot. That way she took a lot of good pictures and a few of them ended up on the cover.
6.Orignally the band started out as a solo project but now has a full line up, what was the decision behind bringing in new members?
Actually nothing has changed. Crowen is still my solo project, but for live shows there is a line up.
For future live shows I need good and talented people to play with me, and a new guy Mikko Merilinna was perfect for Crowen. He plays the other guitar and all the lead parts as well.
The song making process is still the same. I still work in my studio where I make new songs and record everything by myself. That’s my thing, and that’s what I love to do. Sometimes it's hard to hear if all the parts like guitars, bass, vocals etc. sound right. So, Samuli Peltola from the band Medeia is the other producer who always listens to my songs and tells me if something should be changed. Usually he tells me to move the guitars about 5mm back or something like that. He also checks some mixing stuff as well. He’s a very talented musician.
7.has the band done any live shows or open to the idea?
We haven't done any live shows yet, but we will in 2022.
8.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of melodic and extreme metal?
I have no idea!
9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
Mikko Merilinna plays in the band Khroma, and Teemu Hauta (drummer) plays in the band Nummirock.
10.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
This is hard. Maybe next year or later. I was thinking about a few singles and another EP for next year. I already have two songs ready, which are coming out next year. I have a song with the working title "Nameless" which is very dark but slowly transforms into a beautiful song. I’m planning to make a very deep, beautiful and dark music video of the song with the model Kirsi Muukkonen @kkinsi. There will be a lot of blood, of course, and we will die in a beautiful way, haha. The other song has a folk, death, black style, and I'm focusing on that direction with future songs as well.
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Well, it’s hard to speak for others, but I like Behemoth, Septicflesh and Finntroll.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
People, go to FB and Instagram and follow Crowen, thank you! You can find more news about Crowen online and listen to the Prophecy EP from Spotify. See ya!
- Esa Uusimaa, Crowen
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