– Hello and first of all, thanks for taking the time. How is everything going right now with RANGER? What are you currently up to?
Hello! Sorry that it has taken a while to do this! Everything is well. We’ve doing couple of new tracks and rehearsing for shows!

 

– You are quite young and play a mix of 80’s Heavy, Thrash and Speed Metal. What motivated you (bands and not bands) to form a band like this?
It was certainly the lack of good scene and good bands here in Helsinki at that time (2008-2009). It certainly has now grew into so much more and lot of good bands are popping everywhere. Of course 2008-2009 new metal comers gave us a little something, but it was certainly the hunger for Speed Metal and to be rude and nloudest band!

 
– In fact lately seems to be an urge for this kind of old school sound Metal. What do you think makes you stand out among other similar acts?
We have made our own thing with blood and sweat. I think its the image and our original sounding songs which can be really O.T.T. time to time! And certainly we maybe are not offering any «new» to the Metal world, but in the world of 80’s Speed Metal have a new fresh output.

 
– You have just released your debut album, but already with your demos and EPs manage to make some buzz into the underground. What did specially the EPs mean for you? It seems they opened  new doors for the band.
We wanted to slowly but rapidly built our catalog and seemed like logical way to do some tapes and EP’s first. Definitely helped to develop our sound too a long the way. It certainly did open doors for bigger market and for bigger shows too.

 
– In fact until the release of this debut full-length you have had a lot of activity; support a lot of legendary bands, played at different fests… Could you please sum up a little bit how have these years been for RANGER?
Last two years have been really exciting and best times of our lives. Festivals like Muskelrock, Keep it true, LIVE EVIL, Tokyo and lot of good smaller venues have been so amazing and the response overtime has been nothing’ but good. Lot of good and maybe not so good had happen along the way, but it has just made us to be faster. louder and heavier!

 
– And live-wise, what have been some of the highlights?
All the Finnish shows so far, Muskelrock, Norway and Tokyo have been really really good. Especially Tokyos response was so amazing and we were so shocked by it, haha.

 
– As I said, you recently released your debut album, «Where Evil Dwells» so, how are you feeling about it?
rangerReally good. Response from the fans and the critics has been good! Of course some has not like it that much, but i think it will grow on listener. Personal highlights are Dead Zone and the title track!

 

– I personally think it’s a continuation of what you have previously done, faithful to yourself. But have you worked on «Where Evil Dwells» differently compared to any of your previous releases?
Yes thats true. Its just have been the same as with the other releases; when we come up with the riff or our drummer does and it certainly hits us like a hammer we start to molded into a song. Influences are never ending and of course there was a lot of hatred and anger during writing process of «Where Evil Dwells». Studio environment was little bit different since it was like «real studio» and it was challenging sometimes.

 
– Somehow «Where Evil Dwells» sounds similar to «Skull Splitting Metal!» but fiercer and even more intense. Was this your goal with this album?
Goal was certainly to be really fierce and tight!

 
– In fact the single «Storm of Power» depicts quite good, both with the music and even the title, the content of the record. Was this your idea when you released this single?
Yes. It sums up the whole record nicely within 2 minutes and 59 seconds

 
– Moreover both the album’s title and cover artwork capture quite good the evil spirit of Metal bands from the 80’s, where evil imagery wasn’t separated by genres, when everything was Heavy Metal and not separated by Metal subgenres. Would you mind to elaborate a little bit on the idea behind both? And you have had skulls in almost all your covers. Being «Skull Splitting Metal» I guess this is a tradition you will keep in the future?
Yeah, when it was just Heavy Metal. If i remember right it was Mikos wife or Miko who came up with the idea of flying skulls. Although i think it was Miko since he played a lot of the classic video game called «DOOM» and theres some of the evil demon skulls flying around. We then all gave us a little bit to the cover; like the scenery and little details of it like pentagram on the wall, new york style alley and night of course. It certainly has grow to be somekind of mascot, haha. It will definitely be a tradition that the skull is evolving into different things.

 
– In fact in the album you mix different elemens and influences from different styles in a really cohessive way, blending sounds even on one single song. Is it easy to sound diverse yet traditional and natural?
I think that it is, we do not find it difficult to write songs or come up with the ideas because we aren’t never out of ideas. Its because we don’t really have any boundaries or limits!!

 
– Due to this I would like to know how did you work on the songwriting process, as it feels is a team effort.
Our drummer Miko usually comes up with something that then the whole band collaborates and it evolves into team work. I do all the lyrics and themes to the songs tho.

 

– You are super fast and furious, but without forgetting about melody and catchy moments. In fact one aspect doesn’t sacrifice the other, but enhances it. Could you say some contrast is necessary?
Even if its fast or furious it has to have catchiness and melody that usually just like you said they enhance each other.

 

– On the other hand the sound is really organic, with a certain analogue vibe. I haven’t had the chance of seeing you on stage but it seems you just slay on your shows, and I have the feeling with the album you wanted to portrait how you sound live, transporting that energy. Am I wrong?
Well it is certainly true! We record our every eps or albums reel to reel and absolutely no digital equipment stuff. Its everytime metal

mayhem on stage and on people who are raging in the audience! And somehow looking back to it it might be like that. Usually these things happen spontaneously and we don’t really think that  much. we just play fast and furious metal!ranger where evil dwells cover

 

– This has been your first release with Spinefarm, a really big and not too underground label in Finland. How are things going so far?
So far so good!

 

– All this about «Where Evil Dwells» being said; how could you describe it in just 3 words?
We Will Return

 

– You are hailing from Finland, a country that has always had a strong Metal scene with cult acts and it also has really interesting newer bands, such as SPEEDTRAP, and in the last years also seems a good haven por Death Metal but, what other bands more into your style could you suggest?
Radux, Rapid, Lord Fist, Steelmachine and Excuse.

 

– And what are your near-future plans?
Hopefully we can go on proper TOUR and record stuff to the metal maniacs again!
Dimi Pontiac/Ranger

 

Tania Giménez
tania@queensofsteel.com

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