Purtenance Interview (Harri Salo)

Purtenance is a band that I'm always attentive to their albums or what's happening with it since their tremendous debut “Member of Immortal Damnation” (1992), an album that I always listen to once or twice a month. It kept a unique essence for its years and that was never replicated by the band on subsequent albums, but that is not important, because like every band they always wants to advance to other instances and to expand its catalog rather than just keep songs from more than 30 years of existence. This for a fan is very good, because, although the formula of their music is not the same, the band knew how to bring it to life since their return in 2012 with new productions. So, within this environment, “The Rot Within Us” is their 5th full-length production and since their return in 2013, they continue under the banner of Xtreem Music. Therefore, Metallerium interviewed Harri Salo, the founding drummer of the band.

Para leer la entrevista en español: Entrevista a Purtenance

Metallerium: Welcome Harri to Metallerium pages, it's a great pleasure to talk with you about the band, this new album, and more related things within the world of metal.

Purtenance: Thank you, and the pleasure is all ours. We truly appreciate this opportunity to share some words with our South American Finnish death metal maniacs.

Metallerium: We'll talk a bit about the tour that Purtenance did in Mexico. How was this little tour? And what were the most anecdotal moments that will remain in your minds for the rest of your life?

Purtenance: The trip to Mexico went really well. We spent 2 weeks playing various shows inside the country, including the Total Death Over Mexico festival, which was the first-ever gig for us in Latin America. Mexican fans were totally incredible, and people really seemed to enjoy our set throughout the tour. We made lots of new friends and we already can't wait to return. We also had our Chilean brothers from Atomic Aggressor on tour, who were killer musicians and great people in general. We also met a couple of Peruvian people there, and it was really cool to see them traveling a long distance for the sake of death metal. Overall, Mexico was a blast, and we got to enjoy/experience ancient ruins, and museums, and even attend local traditional rituals, which was absolutely incredible. Thanks to Oscar Clorio (Cenotaph) and his partner Olivia for being super awesome travel buddies and taking us sightseeing the whole week. The sights, the sounds, and the Mexican food made it an unforgettable adventure. We are still buzzing with excitement just thinking about it. The only challenge we had to face during the tour was with instruments. Due to the expensive flight tickets, we were forced not to take guitars and equipment with us, and the promoters managed instruments for us from local people/bands. It was a weird feeling playing with a different instrument every day and sometimes dealing with different tunings as well, due to the unavailability of the proper instruments haha... But we don't complain and are happy with the outcomes and the support from the Mexican maniacs.

Metallerium: Since the first time we talked about "Buried Incarnation" (2020), several things have happened, the pandemic ended, you managed to play in Mexico for the first time and now you have a new album on the street. So, how do you see this activity of the band during these last 3 years? Do you think the band is going through the best moment?

Purtenance: I think we are in the best phase of our career. We have a really good lineup now, so it's really enjoyable to play live as well. During these 3 years, we've spent most of the time writing new material and playing some cool shows/tours, including the Mexico 30th-anniversary tour, Finnish Death Metal Maniacs Fest, and the recent European tour in April. Due to our full-time jobs, music has been only a part-time activity for us, but we are happy that we can still manage time to create new music and play shows.

Metallerium: One of the most iconic covers of Finnish Death Metal up to our times is the "Member of Immortal Damnation" (1992). But for their return after 21 years, you decided to completely change the idea of covers, and from "...to Spread the Flame of Ancients" (2015) to this "The Rot Within Us". You decided to make things more classic and with a black-and-white approach. Why did you decide to come back with another idea on the cover after 21 years? And why is the band going back in time doing two color covers?

Purtenance: We are not big fans of very colorful artworks, and I think a simple black and white cover portrays the evilness/darkness we aim to create with our sound. Moreover, we never pressure Moyen with limitations or crazy ideas; we give him full authority to create whatever he feels is suitable for us. Hence, the artworks are Moyen's vision resonating with our sound through his inks and pencils.

Metallerium: As I was saying, a lot happened in the 3 years since our first conversation and one of the things that stood out the most was Markus Makkonen's book "Rotting Ways to Misery: The History Of Finnish Death Metal" (2020), where Purtenance appears within an entire chapter of this book. So how do you feel about the end result of this book? Do you think it is a general or detailed summary of how the Finnish Death Metal scene was put together? (By the way, I have the book 😊)

Purtenance: We have copies of the book and must agree that the authors have done a great job with its publication. Our neighbors in Sweden already had their Swedish death metal book, so it was about time to include the final missing piece to document the greatness of Finnish death metal in one convenient package.

Metallerium: For someone who started within the Death Metal movement in Finland and listened to the first albums of bands like Autopsy, Death, Napalm Death, Morbid Angel, etc. How do you take this idea that the music industry now pushes the biggest bands through singles and doesn't push albums much anymore? Do you think that all the sensations and textures of this new "The Rot Within Us" can be summed up in one song?

Purtenance: It's a shame that the music scene isn't like the 90s anymore, and many extreme record companies from back in the day are milking bands for their previous works without giving them the actual value they truly deserve. Many bands have also changed their sound and ideology on purpose just for the business aspect, which is a big disappointment. It's quite unfair for the longtime fans as well. However, we can understand that people might have various reasons to do so, especially if they are full-time musicians. This is the obvious result when you try to merge business and art in the same place. For us, if you pursue artistic endeavors solely for monetary motives, you can't be honest or fully present yourself. In this sense, the rot within us cannot be summed up in one song, as every song has its own meanings and stories to tell. You can't force the creativity of a single song to encompass every aspect of the album in just a few minutes; it doesn't make any sense.

Metallerium: One of the things that I really like about "The Rot Within Us" is that the music drinks a lot from their first album and Aabeg Gautam's voice is a monstrosity compared to his previous album. How did you manage to reach this kind of cohesion with the new musicians? Do you have weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly rehearsals?  

Purtenance: Aabeg is a great singer and a good match for our band. He has the experience and ability to transform his voice according to the feeling of the music. He wanted to change the vocals a bit for this record, and we also agreed after hearing the sample recordings in our rehearsal studio. Compared to our last album, this album has a bit of melancholy and sadness, so the vocals needed to change. I think the result sounds more old-school and raw, just like the early days of death metal. Regarding rehearsals, we try to rehearse at least twice a week since we all live in the same town, except Aabeg. He lives around 250 km away from us and joins rehearsals whenever there's a gig coming up nearby or when we are writing new material or if we are having crazy parties together haha.

Metallerium: Speaking of a concept that some critics and reviewers talk about in the Finnish Death Metal scene, is that Incantation is an important band for you to have developed a sound. As guitarists from Entombed, Dismember, and Grave once said they have an immense influence from Autopsy. Do you agree with the opinion of some people who write about music and history that the sound of Finland came from Incantation? And what were the extreme drummers of the 80s that motivated you to make a Death Metal band when you started in 1989?

Purtenance: When we started the band, we were more impressed and influenced by the US death metal scene, so it's obvious for people to find some similarities in our sound. Bands like Incantation, Immolation, Autopsy, Morbid Angel, Death, and Possessed were our favorites, and we still like and listen to them a lot. We don't know which bands influenced others in Finland, but I think those US bands we mentioned were equally responsible for inspiring other bands, too. This is because we used to trade tapes back in the day, and they were the most talked-about bands in the Finnish scene during those days. When it comes to extreme drummers, Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden) had a really big impact on me as a young teenager, motivating me to pick up the drumsticks and play heavier music.

Metallerium: We are very close to finishing this interview, Harri, so what are the future plans that the band has for this new album? Tours, concerts, videos, etc. Or maybe a first tour here in all of Latin America. Who knows?

Purtenance: We'll see what the future has in store for us. Meanwhile, we are taking it easy and returning to the rehearsal space for new creations. We have one confirmed festival show (Braincrusher in Hell) for next year in Germany, so we're looking forward to that as well. We would love to tour South America again and spread the Finndeath sickness in unconquered lands like Chile, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, etc. We've had some discussions about it with the guys from Atomic Aggressor too. We would be more than interested in touring there if any promoters would like to book us. Promoters or tour agents reading this, please feel free to contact us at purtenanceofficial@gmail.com.

Metallerium: One day I read an article about how free will in entertainment is controlled or directed by big capital and algorithms. And it's not like in the 80s and 90s anymore that you liked something because of the cover or because you just found it attractive. Within that article, it was said that free will is lost, especially for the new generations who are looking for whatever they are on YouTube and Google asking for answers. So, do you think that free will within the area of entertainment is lost? And how does this issue of algorithms affect your vision of making music?

Purtenance: We have been doing death metal since the late 80s when there was no internet or social media, so it doesn't matter to us what modern technologies can offer us or how they can change the way people listen to music. We never cared about reaching a global audience or getting millions of likes on YouTube. We prefer to keep it old school and true to our roots. We never write music with the hope of topping the charts or pleasing others; we simply try to express what we feel is the continuation of our work and bring the visions of our morbid minds into the form of death metal. If someone likes it, that's fine. If someone doesn't like it, that is also fine. We don't want to rely on technology or the opinions of others who measure success or greatness by YouTube views or likes.

Metallerium: Well, Harri, the sad moment for this interview has arrived, I hope you enjoyed it as I did. Congratulations on this new album and thank you very much for your time. Maybe you have something to add to your Latin fans and Metallerium readers.

Purtenance: Thank you so much once again for arranging this opportunity. A huge thanks to the readers as well for taking the time to read our nonsense, hehe. We have always been great admirers of the South American extreme metal scene and the culture there, so it would be a dream come true to play or tour there. We don't know yet when that will happen, but hopefully, the wait is not too long. Take care.