ANTIHERO: You’ve emphasized the importance of maintaining rawness in your recordings, avoiding too many takes to capture the essence of Satanic North. Could you share how this philosophy influenced specific decisions in the studio, perhaps affecting the arrangement or delivery of certain tracks? How do you believe this approach enhances the connection with your audience?”
SATANIC NORTH: Hails from the North! We wanted to keep the sound as raw as possible to have that 90`s feel what we so adore. Just guitar and bass creating the music and harsh vocals bringing on the atmosphere and drums to dominate it all. That way we were able to have this brutal and clear sound on each instrument and vocals throughout the album. So far it seems that people are very much liking about what they are hearing on today’s metal scene.
ANTIHERO: Your commitment to reintroducing blast beats and discarding midtempo rhythms marks a deliberate shift towards revitalizing black metal’s intensity. Can you discuss the musical or cultural reasons behind this decision? How does this evolution challenge or complement the genre’s traditional elements?
SATANIC NORTH: Fast blast beats belong to black metal same as brutal vocals and evil riffs and those are the things what we want to bring back. Also, those are the traditional elements so kind of nothing new but still yeah. Keyboard has always been a strong atmospheric instrument in black metal so we thought about having it but decided against it cuz it would have changed the band’s sound completely from what we wanted to do.
ANTIHERO: After the profound experience of ‘staring into the abyss,’ how did this existential engagement directly inspire the album’s lyrical themes or musical motifs? Are there specific tracks where this influence is most apparent, and can you describe how it shaped their development?
SATANIC NORTH: Lyrical themes goes from hatred towards religious control from horror stories to just being fucking pissed off. In the song “Kohti Kuolemaa” you can hear the Finnish melancholy as its best and on “Hatred and Blasphemy” well I guess the title already tells you what’s what.
ANTIHERO: Recording during an ‘unholy Summer’ provides a vivid backdrop for the album’s creation. Could you detail how the atmosphere and conditions of this period contributed to the album’s mood? Were there moments of spontaneity or unexpected inspiration that steered the album in a new direction?
SATANIC NORTH: We had the songs very much ready when we started the recording process, we didn’t have a strict deadline, so we had some time to try out ideas what came up during the recordings and some were good ones and some not so much. We knew in the early days of the band what is our direction so that did not change during the recordings.
ANTIHERO: Having a rich background in the Finnish metal scene, how did your previous experiences with bands like Ensiferum and Warmen influence the dynamics of creating Satanic North? Was there a blending of styles or philosophies, or did you find yourselves venturing into uncharted territories?
SATANIC NORTH: Uncharted territories guided me more into find out what’s there musically with a new instrument, it was hell of a lot fun to figure out how to play and what can be played with the bass to these songs and can’t wait to get to play these songs live too.
ANTIHERO: The collaboration with Samuli Ponsimaa brought forth striking cover art that encapsulates the essence of Satanic North. Beyond its initial impact, is there a deeper narrative or symbolism you aimed to capture? How does this artwork speak to the themes explored in the album?
SATANIC NORTH: Samuli was the perfect guy to create this artwork for our album. He is a black metal fan and always liked the black metal album covers about their details etc, we told him just few guidelines and the lyrics from “Satanic North” and he knew exactly what we wanted. Satan on his throne, dark kingdom filled with demons and corpses on the ground.
ANTIHERO: Naming the album after the band signifies a strong statement of identity. What does ‘Satanic North’ represent for you beyond a mere title in terms of personal beliefs, musical direction, or ideological stance? How does it serve as a manifesto for the band?
SATANIC NORTH: Metal music to me is the freedom to play and express yourself in a more aggressive way. In Satanic North’s music we can do whatever we want, and also lyrical points are not tied up to a single topic and view. Satanic North is freedom to us.
ANTIHERO: Considering this as just the beginning for Satanic North, how do you envision the band’s sound and lyrical content evolving in future works? Are there themes or musical styles you’re particularly eager to explore?” The raw energy captured in your recordings sets a high bar for live performances. How do you plan to bring this unfiltered intensity to the stage? Are there elements of your live setup or performance style designed to enhance this energy for your audience?
SATANIC NORTH: We have already started to work with new material and so far, we picked up where we left off when we started the recording process. If there comes up something new to try, then we will but for now no. What comes to live shows we deliver a brutal strike on the audience’s face, focusing on the music and dark visuals.
ANTIHERO: The notion of a new Satanic Panic suggests a provocative and aggressive stance. How do you anticipate audiences and the wider metal community will react to your music and thematic provocations? Are there specific discussions or reflections you hope to trigger?
SATANIC NORTH: We really don’t care what people think or say about us. There will be haters and likers as always.
ANTIHERO: In describing your music as an ‘extreme approach to black metal,’ you’ve set Satanic North apart from contemporaries. What do you consider the most radical or unique aspects of your sound, and how do you hope these will influence or challenge the genre?
SATANIC NORTH: Our raw sound and our way of writing our songs are the strongest aspects. We follow our gut feeling a lot when we sit down to check out new material and that has proven to work perfectly for us, keeping the spontaneity involved at all times. I think a lot of bands would benefit from this style in their songs since it’s getting more and more that someone in the band is writing the material at home alone instead in the rehearsal room with the band and that should work as an influence and a challenge as well.
ANTIHERO: The Finnish metal scene is renowned for its depth and diversity. How has this rich cultural backdrop influenced the Satanic North’s identity and sound? Are there aspects of Finnish metal or cultural narratives that you find seeping into your music?
SATANIC NORTH: Finland is one of the metal capitals in the world so of course it has influenced our sound and style but mostly about how we don’t want to sound but instead dig a little deeper till we found our style and sound. Impaled Nazarene being one big influence in how to keep the songs a bit shorter and more fist in your face style. Finnish melancholy can be heard throughout the album and a lot of influence from outside of Finland.
ANTIHERO: With Satanic North positioned as a fresh force in black metal, where do you see the genre heading in the next decade, and what role do you envision for yourselves in its evolution? Are there trends or changes within black metal that you aim to inspire or combat?
SATANIC NORTH: As long as the songs keep coming out of us, we´ll continue spreading our Hatred and Blasphemy around the world. Where this genre is heading, I cannot tell, this is still very marginal music style, so I don’t see any bigger changes coming up and I kind of don’t even want to see. It’s about the music and that should count.
