A figurehead of Finnish industrial metal, Shade Empire are set to release their first full length in almost 5 years Omega Arcane not long after signing to notorious metal label Candlelight Records. Ghost Cult caught up with drummer Erno Räsänen to find out how life in the fast lane is treating the band.
You’re just about to unleash you’re new album Omega Arcane. How excited are you about this record?
Very excited. Our previous album Zero Nexus came out in 2008, so five years has passed by since then. This album is also way more professional than others we’ve made; there are proper orchestrations and compositions. Naturally, as this is our first album on Candlelight Records we’re very eager to see how things evolve.
What were you main influences when writing Omega Arcane?
Difficult to tell any specific influences, but let’s just say the things, happenings and sounds among us.
Omega Arcane will be released via Candlelight Records. How does it feel to be part of such an illustrious record label?
It feels stunning. When OA was ready we approached a few labels that we would have liked to work with. Candlelight was one of them and we are more than happy that they wanted to collaborate with us.
What do you aim to achieve with Omega Arcane? What are you touring plans for the album?
Well I guess broadening our fanbase is our target. Here in Finland we’re already quite a well known band, but abroad we would like to be better known. As for touring, I can tell you that we are planning to do so, but at this stage that’s all I can reveal.
How do you feel your sound has progressed since Zero Nexus?
It has progressed in every way. Nowadays it’s much more mature and multi-dimensional than it was on Zero Nexus. Even I like Zero Nexus quite a lot I still think that there’s much more diversity on this new album.
Do you feel that your image is an important part of you music, especially during live shows?
Of course image is an important factor. You can’t dress like a hobbit when you go on stage.
Finland is well renowned for having a huge metal scene, do you think this has helped you in terms of gaining popularity?
Sure, metal music is such a mainstream thing in Finland nowadays that it’s much easier to get gigs and also get some visibility in the media. It’s not so objectionable, for example, to perform a gig where the musicians are covered in blood. Some years back that would have been front-page news for sure.
How do you feel metal music has changed since you formed in 1999?
It has changed into more “listener friendly” music, and also in the past it was much more “one genre oriented stuff”. It was black metal, death metal or thrash metal, not black/death, death/thrash etc. These so called hybrid metal bands were quite a rare sight in those days. Certainly it’s obvious that things live and evolve.
What are your impressions of the wider metal scene? Which bands currently stick out in your opinion?
I don’t really care about today’s metal scene – lots of shitty bands everywhere making the same crap over and over again. One of the few newer albums I like is Cult of Luna‘s Vertikal. That’s a great album. Otherwise, I prefer older bands like Morbid Angel, Dismember and Rotting Christ.
James Williams