The PitGoddess: Hey Lasse, how's life in Finland currently?
Lasse Pyykkö: Great! I´m glad the hottest summer is over. Just finished the songwriting process for the new Hooded Menace album and we´re getting ready to practice and hopefully record the material in the Fall/Winter 2011. Also we´ll be supporting for Saint Vitus in two weeks in Helsinki, Finland so yeah, things are looking good. I´m excited!
Lasse Pyykkö: Great! I´m glad the hottest summer is over. Just finished the songwriting process for the new Hooded Menace album and we´re getting ready to practice and hopefully record the material in the Fall/Winter 2011. Also we´ll be supporting for Saint Vitus in two weeks in Helsinki, Finland so yeah, things are looking good. I´m excited!
PG- Your resume is quite impressive. How long did it take you to learn so many instruments? And become skilled at composing?
LP: Thanks for the compliment! I only play guitar and drums. That doesn´t make anyone a multi-instrumentalist. I know many people that can do that so I wouldn´t make a fuss about it. Writing good songs is something else I guess. I know a ton of people that can play guitar and/or other instruments but cannot write a single decent song. I picked up guitar for the first time around ´83. Soon I did my own recordings on a tape deck that, needless to say, didn´t make much sense at all but I was having fun. I never really practiced guitar but kinda more like improved by writing my own songs. Before I could play any chords I got into drums sometime around ´84 and also learnt them a lot faster. I even took some drumming classes but since I usually cut the theory classes and went to the music library to listen to Motörhead instead, I had to leave the conservatory. I didn´t like nor get the theory much at all. I recall my first compositions that had a touch of idea were made in ´85. It was a very poor and primitive adaption of Accept, AC/DC, Ozzy, Anvil and such. I can still remember one or two riffs. Terrible stuff!
LP: Thanks for the compliment! I only play guitar and drums. That doesn´t make anyone a multi-instrumentalist. I know many people that can do that so I wouldn´t make a fuss about it. Writing good songs is something else I guess. I know a ton of people that can play guitar and/or other instruments but cannot write a single decent song. I picked up guitar for the first time around ´83. Soon I did my own recordings on a tape deck that, needless to say, didn´t make much sense at all but I was having fun. I never really practiced guitar but kinda more like improved by writing my own songs. Before I could play any chords I got into drums sometime around ´84 and also learnt them a lot faster. I even took some drumming classes but since I usually cut the theory classes and went to the music library to listen to Motörhead instead, I had to leave the conservatory. I didn´t like nor get the theory much at all. I recall my first compositions that had a touch of idea were made in ´85. It was a very poor and primitive adaption of Accept, AC/DC, Ozzy, Anvil and such. I can still remember one or two riffs. Terrible stuff!
PG: Hooded Menace has done a lot of splits- is there any particular reason for this? Also, saw from HPGD Records that CLAWS is releasing a split with Grave Wax in September, what was that experience like?
LP: Splits are very cool way to share a disc with a band you dig and have respect for. Also it´s a handy way to support and promote two bands together. I´m very proud of every split we have released so far. I´m still in awe about the Asphyx/Hooded Menace split! I´m always excited although quite picky to work on new split releases. You gotta have some good judgment and not just randomly vomit out all the stuff you can like the world is running out of wax tomorrow. We have plans to release at least one or two splits during 2011-2012. Pretty exciting ones! More details later. Yeah, HPGD is putting out Claws/Grave Wax split CD. Originally, a long time ago, I was asked to record a Claws song for Relapse´s 7" Death Metal Series. So I did and they chose to put Grave Wax on the flip side. Then some problems came up and eventually it lead to the situation where Cyclone Empire Records was said to put the 7" series out. Nothing came out of that either so we started to shop around our part of this condemned split 7" series. At this point I ended up adding one more song to it as Grave Wax also had two songs. HPGD showed interest to release the split on CD and both bands were okay with it. I´m just happy that something came out of this after all the mess and looking forward to the release date. Shouldn´t be too long.
LP: Splits are very cool way to share a disc with a band you dig and have respect for. Also it´s a handy way to support and promote two bands together. I´m very proud of every split we have released so far. I´m still in awe about the Asphyx/Hooded Menace split! I´m always excited although quite picky to work on new split releases. You gotta have some good judgment and not just randomly vomit out all the stuff you can like the world is running out of wax tomorrow. We have plans to release at least one or two splits during 2011-2012. Pretty exciting ones! More details later. Yeah, HPGD is putting out Claws/Grave Wax split CD. Originally, a long time ago, I was asked to record a Claws song for Relapse´s 7" Death Metal Series. So I did and they chose to put Grave Wax on the flip side. Then some problems came up and eventually it lead to the situation where Cyclone Empire Records was said to put the 7" series out. Nothing came out of that either so we started to shop around our part of this condemned split 7" series. At this point I ended up adding one more song to it as Grave Wax also had two songs. HPGD showed interest to release the split on CD and both bands were okay with it. I´m just happy that something came out of this after all the mess and looking forward to the release date. Shouldn´t be too long.
PG: Do you have future plans for CLAWS, besides the split?
LP: No, not at the moment as I´m busy enough with Hooded Menace etc. What comes to side-projects I´ve learned that it´s best not to plan too much ahead.
LP: No, not at the moment as I´m busy enough with Hooded Menace etc. What comes to side-projects I´ve learned that it´s best not to plan too much ahead.
PG: I saw you guys at MDF, I like that you all wear hoodies, but have you considered upgrading to something more heavy duty, like a cloak with a hood?
LP: Hehe, no! I guess we are too visceral and boring guys to do that. Our stage appearance doesn´t really differ from our normal outfit. Although sometimes it can be suffocating to play in those goddamned hooded sweatshirts I think we´ll stick with it. At times it feels so stupid (think Austin´s Chaos in Tejas Festival and cooking Texas weather!) it´s almost cool, haha! If someone wants to play in a t-shirt that´s fine too. We don´t have a book of rules about it. But if we had, the cloaks with hoods and all heavy duty -stuff would be on the not recommended -list I suppose!
LP: Hehe, no! I guess we are too visceral and boring guys to do that. Our stage appearance doesn´t really differ from our normal outfit. Although sometimes it can be suffocating to play in those goddamned hooded sweatshirts I think we´ll stick with it. At times it feels so stupid (think Austin´s Chaos in Tejas Festival and cooking Texas weather!) it´s almost cool, haha! If someone wants to play in a t-shirt that´s fine too. We don´t have a book of rules about it. But if we had, the cloaks with hoods and all heavy duty -stuff would be on the not recommended -list I suppose!
PG: Hooded Menace played quite a few summer fests, do you have a favorite? Or a performance that stands out the most?
LP: Maryland Deathfest was great and memorable although it wasn´t our the best performance in my opinion. But it was an awesome festival and an awesome crowd. Also the fact that we were so far away from home and for the first time in the States, made it kinda special. We played a good show at Tuska Festival in Helsinki, Finland. One of our best I think! But Maryland Deathfest and the whole US mini tour in general stands out the most as a comprehensive experience.
LP: Maryland Deathfest was great and memorable although it wasn´t our the best performance in my opinion. But it was an awesome festival and an awesome crowd. Also the fact that we were so far away from home and for the first time in the States, made it kinda special. We played a good show at Tuska Festival in Helsinki, Finland. One of our best I think! But Maryland Deathfest and the whole US mini tour in general stands out the most as a comprehensive experience.
PG: Any chance of an American tour, for us poor saps who only have the one big fest every summer? :D
LP: No plans for the US at the moment. We have put all festival and tour offers under consideration. We haven´t made up our mind on them yet. Maybe we can announce a few dates later this year but nothing´s planned for USA for now.
LP: No plans for the US at the moment. We have put all festival and tour offers under consideration. We haven´t made up our mind on them yet. Maybe we can announce a few dates later this year but nothing´s planned for USA for now.
PG: Who/what are your biggest inspirations?
LP: 80´s Candlemass, early Cathedral, Autopsy, Asphyx, old Paradise Lost, Black Sabbath, Winter, 80´s Maiden, good ol´ epic Metallica, the Blind Dead movies and other old Euro Horror flicks, Hammer Horror, horror movie soundtracks...
LP: 80´s Candlemass, early Cathedral, Autopsy, Asphyx, old Paradise Lost, Black Sabbath, Winter, 80´s Maiden, good ol´ epic Metallica, the Blind Dead movies and other old Euro Horror flicks, Hammer Horror, horror movie soundtracks...
PG: How do you keep coming up with ideas for all of your projects?
LP: When I hear good music it inspires me. That´s what keeps the engines on. Music breeds music. It can be the old stuff I grew up with or some older act I´ve got into later on or it might be some newer band that blows my mind... Also it´s pretty important for me to listen to other styles of music too and not just metal. I´d go nuts if I had to listen to metal only!
LP: When I hear good music it inspires me. That´s what keeps the engines on. Music breeds music. It can be the old stuff I grew up with or some older act I´ve got into later on or it might be some newer band that blows my mind... Also it´s pretty important for me to listen to other styles of music too and not just metal. I´d go nuts if I had to listen to metal only!
PG: Alright, I've hit my question limit :) Thank you SO much for your time!! Anything you'd like to add?
LP: Not much to add! Thanks for support!!!
LP: Not much to add! Thanks for support!!!
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