NEUTRON HAMMER (Eng.)

– Hello, thanks for answering to our questions. How is everything going right now with NEUTRON HAMMER? How does it feel having your debut album coming out soon?

Kaosbringer: Ave! Everything has been pretty slow for last year or so (after the recordings) but we should now activate again after getting this bastard of ours out! It felt damn great to get this piece of black wax on my hands at last! Looks killer and it sounds like that too.

– You are a relatively young band and haven’t released any full-length album yet, that’s why I guess some people won’t know about you yet so; could you please make some history of NEUTRON HAMMER?

Kaosbringer: Band was founded in 2003, first demo came a year later. Since that we´ve done two EP´s (Damnation´s Bringer & Extermination Kommand) and bunch of gigs with bands such as Necros Christos, Drowned, Vomitor, Gospel of the Horns, Nunslaughter, Pagan Rites etc.

– Metal-Archives says you took your name from a song by SPEAR OF LONGINUS, is that true? As I haven’t found any other info. If so I would like you to tell us why did you pick that name for the band.

Kaosbringer: The name represents the sound of the band well. Also it sounds fucken killer too so why not?!

– You were formed almost a decade ago, back in 2003, and will soon unleash your first album. Why has it taken you so long? I know most of you are also playing in other bands and throughout these years NEUTRON HAMMER has already released two EPs and a demo, I guess this had something to do? Or maybe is necessary taking your time in order to provide good material?

Malediktus: We record when we have enough of good material to work with, so you could say we are just slow or lazy in writing stuff. Better to have a few strong and potentially interesting releases instead of having half-assed stuff out every year.

– LIE IN RUINS and SARGEIST are bands where are playing some of the NEUTRON HAMMER’s members but, is NEUTRON HAMMER a steady band with future plans (both on studio and live)?

Malediktus: You could say so, yes.

– As I said, you have some short-length releases that already shown your personality and sound but, what could you say differences them to your first «Iron Storm Evocation»?

Malediktus: I’d say there’s a lot of the same ingredients on the album than on our previous releases, especially Extermination Kommand. The song material has more variety than before, but we weren’t really seeking to change things, at least not consciously.

– This record will be released by Primitive Reaction, a label that has been supporting you for some years now so, how is everything going with them? Do you think with this CD you’ll get to the next level?

Kaosbringer: No comment!

– Anyway this «Iron Storm Evocation» won’t be out until next September so, what are your expectations with it? Are you fully satisfied with the final outcome?

Malediktus: I guess there are always some things you’re not totally pleased with in the final outcome, but they are just minor things. All the delays around the album were getting on my nerve at times, but good is worth the wait, like some say. So my only expectation is for the album to finally come out.

– On the release you’ve featured songs off your demo as «Apocalyptic Rites» and «Devastation Ritual». Why did you decide to include them here too? This also makes me wonder how long did it take you to write the album and if all songs are new.

Malediktus: We basically just wanted to have those two demo songs recorded with a better sound. One could say the album sounds raw, but the demo sounds like noise compared to it. I think the old songs fit it well with the rest of the material. It took us around three or four years to finish the album. This timeline includes long periods of inactivity, though. When we really got serious about getting the shit together it did not take very long before all was set for recordings. For example, once I was bitten by inspiration I composed four songs and wrote lyrics for one of them in two weeks.

– If I’m not wrong there were only a few copies of «Apokalyptik Attakk» so, could you say including them on the album has been a good way to give them a second chance or let your fans know a bit more of your early days?

Malediktus: Yes.

– With this record you’ve managed to get a really filthy sound, going for a really organic production, not mechanized as many albums sound now so, how was the production process like? Thanks to new technology it seems like nowadays is also possible to get an analog-sounding album with digital gear. Are you satisfied with this aspect of the record?

Kaosbringer: Yes definitely we´re satisfied with this productions. It suits us very well. Filthy and raw as it´s supposed to be…

– Musically you blend influences from Thrash, Death and Black, I personally found certain nuances from bands as HELLHAMMER, ARCHGOAT, SARCOFAGO or even MOTÖRHEAD but, what have been the most influential bands/artists for NEUTRON HAMMER?

Kaosbringer: I agree with these, besides them we´ve had tons of influences naturally but some of the most important (probably) has been: (early) Impaled Nazarene, Sodom and Morbid. Also Von and Blasphemy has been an enormous source of inspiration as well…

– This being said I also noticed certain Punk details, which I believe shows your honest and not fake attitude. Has Punk been a musical influence for you or is it more an attitude?

Kaosbringer: We definitely love raw punk like GG Allin & Terveet Kädet very much so I guess it draws from there.

– Due to this variety I would like to know how does the songwriting use to be like in the band. Is it something spontaneous? As it absolutely gives that feeling.

Malediktus: Usually it’s one person that writes the riffs for a song then other one – Kaosbringer in most cases – writes the lyrics. We put it all together as a band and I think that is more like the moment when the spontaneity comes along.

– The cover artwork really caught my attention this time around, as it’s quite different to what we were used to. Would you mind to shed some light on this (the artist, what does it represent, how did you work on it, etc.)?

Malediktus: The rider on the cover represents a personification of warfare as this grim reaper kind of character. There are influences from Ancient Rome soldier uniform to Wehrmacht topped with a post-apocalyptic do-it-yourself style (Mad Max II or die!), so it’s timeless in a way and combining history and fiction. We told about the idea to Kriss Hades and he agreed on taking the job.

– All this being said about «Iron Storm Evocation»; how could you describe it in just 3 words?

Malediktus: Born, struggle, die.

– As I said earlier, you guys don’t fit on one single music style, which is not something too usual for Finnish extreme Metal bands. Do you think this can work as a benefit for NEUTRON HAMMER? As it can be something that makes you stand out among other acts in Finland.

Kaosbringer: Of course it´s benefit but as well it is something very natural for us! We sound like Black/Death was (80´s) used to be before there were need to invent a category for every band around.

– With most of you playing or having played in different bands from Finland; how do you see the current Metal scene out there? It seems like it’s really strong lately, as we’ve seen reunions from bands like ABHORRENCE or BEHERIT among others and there are a lot of new bands too, but I guess the view from an «insider» may not be the same. And are there any bands worth suggesting?