Backstage Pass - Shrapnel Storm - Interview

ATP

For the record, who's answering the interview?

SHRAPNEL STORM

Hi, I'm Pete, the bass player of Shrapnel Storm.

ATP

What is your band's name? How did you come up with that name?

SHRAPNEL STORM

You're probably familiar with HBO's WWII fictional series, Band of Brothers. I don't know if you remember the episode where the 101st Airborne is dug down in the fox holes of the Ardennes forest. When the German artillery barrage starts and grenades are crashing all around, shrapnel and splintered wood flying everywhere... That sort of situation is what we had in mind when we came up with the name SHRAPNEL STORM.

ATP

So who's in the band and what instruments do you each play?

SHRAPNEL STORM

We have five members in the band. Ykä (I bet you can't pronounce that correctly!) does the vocals, Aki and Janne play guitars, Mikko plays the drums and, like I said earlier, I'm in charge of the lowest parts of the frequency spectrum.

ATP

How would you describe your sound. What makes you unique?

SHRAPNEL STORM

The sound is very much influenced by the early 90s and late 80s Death Metal, especially those bands hailing from Florida at that time. It is a mix of low-end guitar, mid-tempo beats and growling vocals in the vein of classic DM in our opinion.

ATP

What bands have influenced each of you?

SHRAPNEL STORM

Referring to my last answer, a lot of influence comes from bands like Obituary or Six Feet Under from the USA. And from Europe, Benediction and Bolt Thrower - maybe very early Amorphis also.

ATP

How experienced are you on the stage, a virgin or whore?

SHRAPNEL STORM

We have done a good number of gigs in the last couple of years, and this year has been the most active to date. We have been playing one to two gigs per month, which is a good number for us.

ATP

How would you describe your shows?

SHRAPNEL STORM

There is an active underground following of Death Metal in Finland, and while most venues aren't exactly filled to the brim, we always do our best on stage and try to have fun.

ATP

Tell us about your favorite show and why?

SHRAPNEL STORM

One of the most fun gigs was with the Japanese madmen, Metalucifer a couple of years back in Vastavirta-club of our local town, Tampere. Those guys were crazy as hell. We just did a show at Vastavirta with a classic Finnish Death Metal band, Purtenance, it was great fun.

ATP

Tell us about your worst show and why?

SHRAPNEL STORM

There was one show in a small festival which ended pretty much in catastrophe when the organizer didn't seem to know which band should be on stage. It was fun though, we played a couple of songs and then just drank a lot of whiskey!

ATP

Tell Us About Your Dream Show, who you'd like to play with and where?

SHRAPNEL STORM

A tour with one of the greats would probably be a dream come true. Maybe Obituary and Bolt Thrower headlining and Shrapnel Storm supporting, hahah!

ATP

Do you have a street team and how can you join?

SHRAPNEL STORM

No, we are pretty much a "down to earth" kind of band and we like to do most of our promotion by ourselves. We are very critical even of our own creations and we need to be in charge of the whole thing - not just the music, but the other aspects of the band also. We have a Facebook page (doesn't just about anyone and anything these days?), and you can like us there and hear the most current news and promote us to your friends.

ATP

Do you have a record label and if not are you looking for one?

SHRAPNEL STORM

We have been in contact with a couple of labels but we are still searching for the perfect companion.

ATP

What are your plans for the future, in a year, 5 years?

SHRAPNEL STORM

We have a full-length album in plans for the near future, probably later this year or at the very least, early 2015. In five years we hope to be recording our second or even third album with maybe international tours behind us.

ATP

Finally, do have any words on what Arm The Pit means to you?

SHRAPNEL STORM

It's great that there are people still holding up the flag of underground bands and promoting them, thank you very much for the interview. Hopefully we can do this again sometime!