Not a long time ago Second To Sun released their second album Blackbound. And it’s good. Thus we can’t not to talk to mastermind Vladimir Lehtinen. He agreed mercifully and answered for all our questions, ironically and cynically, the way we like it. So, please welcome: Second To Sun interview. About Live shows, Instagram, Lamb Of God and the main thing – convenience. With a small talk about music.
Are you satisfied with the Blackbound as the end result?
Absolutely. It got listened quite extensively. The music got darker to the maximum. Idiots who thought that we’re playing progressive metal now mind their business. Everything is on its place and that’s very convinient, you know.
Tell us how was it to work on Blackbound?
If music would be something like potato harvesting than it’s simple – you crawl in dirt, collecting tubers in a bag. From the other side those venerable musicians prefer to give a list of companies which produce their music instruments, toilet paper they used, and other stuff you need so much to work on a record, and finish with a phrase like “and all of that gave a terrific result”. So if you combine first and the second points you’ll get the answer for your question. So I used toilet paper from a supermarket near home, I don’t remember the name of it, AMT DI-box, Ibanez guitars, Paste cymbals, we constantly crawled in dirt and filed our bags to the top. It’s very convinient, I recommend.
Why did you choose black metal as a dominant style?
Because we listen to it since childhood and understand it. It’s very convenient.
I know that you get questions about vocals almost in each interview but, however, do you see Second To Sun with vocals? And if yes, what kind of vocal? Is it possible in the future?
Sure we see. In some songs we have vocals, in Red Snow and The Fool for example, there are actual alcoholics have been recorded. Very convenient.
For each song you have a history or a drawing which tells what is behind the track. Did it ever occur that people see in the songs something different than what you try to picture?
Yes, there are people who listen to us only because of music and there are quite many of them, looking at Spotify for example, there is no information about the band neither about the songs. I think that’s also good, that proves that our music is quite well written. Very convenient.
What should happen to Second To Sun will start to play live?
Taking into account that I don’t force robots and arias on vimanas play my instrument, we always play live. From the other side, Bender from Futurama on drums would be something original. I think it’s very convenient. But since it doesn’t answer your question completely, let me tell you about astonishing occasion regarding difference between playing live and not playing live. Once it started to smell horribly at the practice place. It wasn’t Second To Sun, it was another band I was working with. So, the flavor was just divine. Despite that characteristic scent your humble servant decided to look for this source of inspiration, as everybody was inhaling that. After all a dead mouse was found in one of the amps. Absolutely dead, are you getting? Deader than Euronymous. That’s not playing live.
The next story is about bass guitar repair. When the repairman opened the instrument he found a rotten cutlet covered with mold and a spider on the web. The spider is absolutely alive like Gaahl from Gorgoroth or Tosin Abasi. That’s playing live.
Very convenient.
You are a musician, composer, producer and sound engineer (didn’t I missed something?). What’s your secret, how can you combine all these positions in the frames of Second To Sun?
It’s written everywhere that I am the mastermind of the project or something like that. The secret is here: to be a musician, composer, producer and a sound engineer is quite nice as you have the whole responsibility on you. Also I don’t sleep. It’s very convenient.
What instruments do you use?
I prefer a chisel, but generally it’s Ibanez guitars and basses. They are very convenient and in general to use music instruments of the same company is very convenient.
How did you passion to heavy music (and music in general) began?
Somewhere at the age of 10 I heard wonderful band Fintroll on a radio, then I got familiarized with some music videos on VHS, as is was that time. After that from my granddad I’ve got an old finnish acoustic guitar in more or less sufficient state. But actually it got me by itself. Very convenient.
On your opinion, what is the main problem of heavy music this days?
Too much of visual content and too little music. Cool men and women from gyms, all well-groomed and don’t differ from each other and that’s from their point of view is the music. But people, who listen to the music, do not look at the pictures, but listen with ears. You can’t listen to a biceps with your ears. From the other point, the more of such characters are, the better it’s for us. Very convenient.
Music industry has changed in the last years. We can talk for long about cons, but do you see any pros in the today’s model?
Of course! There was much more music before. And today we have Instagram and Internet. Did you just puke? Awesome! Make a picture of it and gastroenterologist can diagnose, probably. Same with music, it’s very clearly seen who puke what, as there are those who can diagnose. And there are those who saw puke enough already so they are not expert in that. It was a Monster Energy commercial, offer a picture, don’t forget.
So, why am I telling that. For some time people in the web shared their food with others and today it’s puke. And it’s get eaten. And puke again. A circulation of puke in the industry. So in the end everybody compete not with fan’s love or profits, but with amounts of “likes” under puke. What is the conclusion? Likes are very convenient.
In some of your interviews you mentioned few bands which bacame sound differently (worse) – In Flames, Lamb Of God, etc. What is it? Disapointment? Do you see a trend here?
It’s joy. Do you know how many russian In Flames fans started to listen to us after release of their last album? Many. I’ll tell you, the trend is great. Let it be this way. It’s very convenient.
Can’t ignore this question: how do you see mass media in today’s music industry?
Mass media writes. It’s very convenient. I see them as letters.
What does inspire you as a musician and how?
Convenience. And some other things like literature, cultural tendencies (like the Finno-Ugric), but that’s not important, people don’t even pay attention when I write about it. That’s why I regularly look with my eyes wide open when a next specialist assures that we play Slavic folk-metal, and we have no singer as we’re in the search… for five years already.
As this is the end of the interview, I write about it here, I’m sure no one will read it up to here. Very convenient.
Can you please share with us your future plans?
I think that it’s worth no saying about such minor things like making a new album based on one of the worlds of Andrzej Sapkowski. So I say that I want a kissel with rhubarb and off to get one right away. Very convenient.
Few words to our readers.
Go to gym, listen to Lamb of God, get tattoos. Buy an 8-string guitar and a good digital camera. It’s very convenient.
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