URN INTERVIEW

URN’s music is raw, unrelenting, and charged with intensity,
blending black and thrash metal into a powerful sound that resonates
deeply. With a history that spans over decades, they’ve carved a unique
path in the underground scene. Thanks for joining me today,
SULPHUR—lets start by talking about how URN came to be and what
has shaped your sound over the years. What were some of the early
influences that shaped your sound?

- Well, hey! We have been around for a few years, actually decades, so
influences vary at times, it kind of depends on how you look at this
question.
When we started the band, Necromantia, Mortuary Drape, Unholy,
Morningstar, and Rotting Christ were the top bands... Of course,
Impaled Nazarene and Beherit were on constant rotation as well.
Somehow, I would like to say that I have been trying to avoid letting
other bands influence my own music or the riffs I write. I try to keep a
natural flow from the depths of my own thoughts and creativity (hmm,
was there a lot of creativity back then? Well, not that much, I would say:)
)… In the early years, I didn’t play that much at home to keep my playing
skills more primitive and avoid progressing too much technically. My
idea was that, then, my songwriting would not be affected by better
playing skills. Ha!

So, I want to quickly touch on some of the boring stuff—general
background and history—before continuing to dive deeper into the
philosophical stuff. URN is often associated with blackthrash. Was there
any specific reason why you chose to blend these two, or did it come
naturally, you know, through early influences and stuff like that?

- Probably the bands we liked at that time and also, we all were fans of
more metal and thrash metal. Nordic metal started to be very big in the
beginning of 90’s and we didn’t want to follow that trend that much, or
should I say, we wanted to be rebels and do our own thing more than
follow Nordic influences. As sometimes, it was like someone started
talking at the local metal bar by saying, “I need to go to a Norwegian
forest to see and feel what is going on in the Norwegian scene. It must
be really evil and dark.”
Oh yeah, you must be right, that’s the way it is. Never let stupidity affect
you, never! Right!?
Anyways, those were the days—pretty wild scene we had at our
hometown Kuopio back then. Simple life, rehearsing, and building up the
band, a new local metal bar popped up to fuel the fire. Oh yeah!

Urn band photo from "Soul Destroyers" era

You have also played in, for example, BARATHRUM. How was that
like back then? Any funny memories, etc.?

When we started Urn, we did a rehearsal tape and quite soon after that
me and the drummer joined in Barathrum. Urn was laid on ice for a few
years from 94 to early 97. Well, lots of memories. We were quite active
back then, at least rehearsing once a week and having a gig at least
once a month plus album recording once in a year. Heavily alcohol-
fueled European tour in the beginning of 1997 as well. It’s a bit hard to
grab something very funny from the memories... There are a lot of
stories, for sure. We were young and wild. Actually, it was quite an honor
to join the band, as they already had some name in the scene so it felt
like stepping into slightly bigger shoes than we were used to. We did our
first show in Seinäjoki for very few people. We had to bring the whole
backline, so we loaded everything into a trailer, and we weren’t experts
on that one, and the weight was completely unbalanced. I remember the
driver saying that the front wheels would lose traction at times and were
almost in the air while driving the roads to the venue. And of course,
after the show, we loaded the trailer a bit more wisely this time. The
driver was tired as hell since it was already early morning when we got
back to hometown. I remember him saying he spotted Panzer wagons
on the road while driving back in the middle of the night. Oh yeah, we all
know what its like to drive when you’re tired as hell. 

 Oh! Now I’ve got one story to tell. We played in Raven Realm at Salo
‘95. Azazel was on the bill as well, but they dropped off. Don’t remember
the exact reason, but anyways. Miikka was there backstage with the
Thromdarr guys, and one of the guys was completely drunk. The
guitarist was smashing his guitar straight into the walls and making a
huge mess at backstage. The police showed up at the venue. When we
started playing, we had to be escorted by the police through the yard
and into the venue and onto the stage. Of course, Christian missionaries
were at the show as well... praying for us!

This one is interesting: would you go back to Barathrum if you had the
chance?

- Well, Demonos Sova has his own musicians in the band and its own
spirit. I don’t want to go in between and ruin the chemistry inside the
band. You know, being in a band is like a relationship with a woman. It
can be sensitive as hell or pretty easy, but it’s better not to go in

between. In other words, I’m way too busy to have one more band, but
that doesn’t mean I couldn’t join for one show just to honor the old days
and the spirit we had back then!

   

Urn playing live. Photos: Serena Solomon

You have just released a new album and a music video!!
Congratulations! I know you’ve probably answered this multiple times
already, so I’m not going to piss you off too much, but just quickly: how
was the process? Are you happy with the end result? And how was
working with Osmose Prod.? You just recently moved there, right?

- Thanks! Everyone who has written an album and done the whole
process from scratch to the end knows what it’s like. This time for me, it
was even a bit more than usual. Mainly, the bar was set higher than
before. I wanted to make the lyrics more precise and have more
“something that speaks even when you don’t hear it.” Well, why the fuck
can’t I just say easily “to create atmosphere”? First of all, this all was
done more through channeling other worlds and meditation, as I believe
that when you are “open-minded,” things just expand by its cosmic law.
It can also be called magic, for some, pure nonsense! HA!
When we entered Oxroad Studios in Marttila (near Turku), it was minus
28 degrees outside. The guys started to warm up the studio building two
days before, as it is a big, old wooden house used only for music
production (no daily living). Nice sauna in the yard, and the cherry on
top... the janitor/drum technician warmed it every night for the band,
cheers!
The actual recording process went quite nicely, and co operation with
Tomi Uusitupa went very well. Everyone needs working frameworks to
succeed. I think all the members, Oxroad Studios, and Andrej
Bartulovic/All Things Rotten did their best—the band delivered, the
studio did the work, and the cover artist drew the art. All good! Let's see
what it brings... let Osmose Productions do the rest; we will not even lift
a finger for this anymore. Haha! Being serious, the label is doing exactly
what he told he is going to do, the framework is working, so let’s wait for
the success. Read my sarcasm!

Also, feel free to tell us: What is the one thing you would like the
listener to take away from the new album?

- To take away? Hmm... I think every song on the album is different—no
fillers, just killers. Try to get the whole concept and spirit. Of course, we
ain't here to please everyone, but catch the moment and the

atmosphere! I’m pretty sure there are many different things... oh, I
mean, I know there are.

 

All right, all right, moving on. I like to dive into somewhat philosophical
themes in an interview, so feel free to answer the following question
from URN’s perspective or your personal perspective. Or why not both?
You choose! So, metal often serves as a vehicle for exploring existential
themes—death, chaos, and the human condition. What do you think it is
about these dark topics that resonate so deeply with both the band and
your fans?  

- This world is fucked. We need to face all these realities. Getting older,
life really can start to be a bitch. Sometimes, even a feeling of standing
in line, wondering who is gonna get hit next. Bands you’ve been
listening to for decades, seeing all those heroes passing through the
Devil’s gate... we are living a lonely life, and we will not get an escape. I
am an antisocial person. In past jobs, I had to be very social, but that’s
very exhausting at some point, and it makes you more misanthropic the
longer you’re out of your job. Now I’ve been doing music for two years,
and it seems like I’m getting more and more antisocial and misanthropic.
I don’t go much anywhere anymore... no outside world contact besides
all this social network. That needs balance, like many other things in life.
The dark themes and such are empowering for me but on the other
hand my mind just start to trick me bit and I soon need a break from
creativity..

   

More photos from "Soul Destroyers" era

Talking about dark themes, DEATH. You have sometimes even battleground feelings in your music, and I bet you have dealt with topics that somehow relate to dying and death. Death is often viewed as the ultimate end, but for some, it is seen as a transition or a release. How do you personally perceive death, and how does that perception influence the way you live or create?

- Fuck... past years in my personal life have been quite shit. I have been
trying to live in the moment and not giving much to anything. The past
weeks or even past months have been maybe the hardest (psychically).
I need to start focusing on something real that gives me some sort of
meaning, as I notice how things can go when isolating too much and
being financially broke as fuck. It really gives a feeling to give up even
more, or should I say it pushes you even more down to the level where
death could be a good option. So basically... how you deal with death is

a state of your mind as well. When you are on the top of your success,
you might not want to step through the gate but being on your lowest its
way more easier.

666 megatons booklet page design.

When confronting the concept of death, many people grapple with the
idea of meaning and legacy. Do you believe that death renders our
actions meaningless, or does it give them more significance by creating
a sense of urgency or finality? Does life have meaning?

- Some heroes will never die, but at some point—at least after a couple of
generations—we will all be completely forgotten. Somehow, the legacy
of the dead remains as long as we live. The ones who liked for example
Motörhead or listened to their music, when all of them are dead, Mr.
Lemmy Kilmister will be quite much more forgotten... but his spirit lives
eternally in the cosmos. Some energies never die; they just switch levels
and stay forever. The older I get, it seems like every single move I make
has more meaning. Looking at all the things I have done, etc., there is
logic and clear direction. It’s way more difficult to understand what
happens now and what the meaning really is, but as long as you live
and don’t give too much thought to it, time will come when you see it in a
different light and a way more logical one. When it’s storming, you just
hold the rails until it fades away. It will always fade. Life has its ups and
downs... and once again, the rollercoaster of life gets new heights the
older you get. When we were kids, we used to have fun at funparks, etc.
Now, being older, let’s enjoy this new funpark, which can offer death,
cancer, heart attack, blood clot, brain bleeding, and so on.
We all have meaning... but in this life, it’s mostly about the tasks that
were set for you before entering out of this life.

Staying kind of on the topic, I know that you like ghosts and have had
many interactions with them. If I’m not mistaken, some cultures view
ghosts as a bridge between the living and the dead. How do you
interpret the presence of ghosts? Are they a metaphor for the things we
can’t let go of in life, or do they represent something greater, such as
unresolved truths or the eternal nature of the soul?

- The more sensitive you are, the more you can feel. It’s like a radio
frequency that you can tune up or down and then fine-tune to a
frequency you start to feel that resonates. I believe in magic and
energies, seen and experienced something that can’t be explained just
like that. As a side note, I’m not a heavy drinker or hard drug user, so I

am not speaking about any issues related to such things. I might be
crazy, but for sure, I am alive and well. Energies are like highways that
are below and up on the level where we living humans are; sometimes,
it’s possible to cross those. And speaking about it, whenever you get
bad energies, it feels so bad that it’s not possible to live surrounded by
those. I really mean it; it doesn’t matter how evil you think you are or
how much you pray only for darkness. You have to be a master, not a
slave. Then you can deal with different levels of energies and be safe.
So be careful with whatever you practice.

Design made back in the days for the "Soul Destroyers" album

Satan. Yes, satan. There is satanism and satan present in your works
too. Satan and satanism can mean so many different things to people. In
some kind of Satanism, some people embrace the philosophy of self-
empowerment and personal growth. Sometimes or for someone it can be
challenging established systems of belief and authority. So I wanted to ask
you, what does Satan and/or Satanism mean to you? Is it something that I
said above or something totally different?

- For me its empowering, energies, self learning and endless well of spiritual
inspiration and philosophy. Daily living for myself as basically we all are
alone. We all are all alone. That is the fact everyone of you will face at
least on your deathbed. The ones who dies with the boots on might step
through the gate without knowing what happened. Thats also a part of the
deal you did when you started to live this life and the tasks that were put
on your path until the last breath of yours. Being dedicated to that and all
this doesn’t mean that I am selfish. I am actually a kind person, even for a
strangers(and I shouldn’t be as world is full of energies that is not meant
for me) but for sure for my friends and family I am loyal.

It has been a thing here to do this following thing. I dont know why,
maybe i find it funny, but to lighten up the mood a little as we start to move
to the end. Answer the following fast as you can or/and first thing that
comes to mind:

If you could collaborate with any other band or musician, who would it be: Quorthon

War: let it come, let it expand. Nothing can be built on rotten basis

Do you have a favorite black or thrash metal album that you always come
back to for inspiration or just personal enjoyment? Personal
enjoyment..sodom: persecution mania.

Favorite 80’s artist: Chris Holmes

What’s the one thing fans might be surprised to learn about URN or the
members of the band? Actually its Urn..somehow I ended up using
uppercase initial letters on logo

Hatred: we all deserve that at times

This was a bit tricky as I really tried to put this just on a moment. Chris
Holmes needs an extra comment because he is a real guitar hero for me.
Not in big magazines and not the most hot topic never been but thats how
it should be. Living it for real still and no need to be on the front but without
him the spirit will be gone. At least thats how it is in my eyes when he left
Wasp..basically their debut was a gate for real dedication to music. That
album blew me totally!

Sorry about that, I hope you are still there and alive. So to actually
start to wrap this up a little bit. I know you just released a whole
goddamn album. But what can fans expect from URN in the future
and/or next? Are there any plans? I think you have mentioned a side
project you have started? If you can feel free also to share something
about it too!

- Yeah. Been an entertaining chat. I have recorded three songs as a
solo. Its called Graves. Yeah. I know there is Graves in Portugal,
releasing an album 2019. As a self defence I would like to mention
that I didn’t knew it before, heard it from a friend. Second, I am doing
unique stuff and I don’t know what genre it actually is..the only thing I
can say is that I have been a lone wolf in this industry and walking
my own path. Third, graves is orgasm of my musical journey past
three years. Its like a devils work, it will never and we work for the
master! Fourth: graves represents work I have been dedicated
myself as a musician and in my daily life and philosophy
On coming week we will mix and master the first track, music video is
ready for it and soon I will put it online at YouTube. Special thanks to Chris
nunravager& rats nest studios for the work! Oh and Hellwind my old
partner in crime for doing drums and last but not least Aaron from
Edenkaiser for one drum track as well.

Well Thank Sulphur a lot for this interview, we appreciate it a lot, if
you have any last words, shout outs, feel free to pour them here

- Thanks to you! Its heart warming to see you doing more and more devils
work as well. Let there be Great success and satisfaction for the work you
do at the moment. And be known whatever you do, it will leads you
forwards.

So onwards ’ o bloody pirates of dark cosmic light!

 

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Available now! 

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