In exactly two weeks, we’ll probably be busy setting up the drums at the studio. During this remaining (oh-so-short) time we’re still looking at choosing and finishing the songs that’ll end up on our next release. Our time at the studio is limited (as always), so we’ve been hard at work thinking about which songs will best portray the direction this band is going. Out of about 7-8 song ideas, we’ve been narrowing the list down little by little: in some cases, the verdict has been clear (e.g. a song totally missing a chorus) and in others the discussion has been active, if not heated, within the band 
It all comes down to matters of taste, eventually. Luckily, our vision of our sound as a band is pretty coherent and everybody’s digging the new songs a lot!
As for the songs that will make the cut: there are 3 songs that you will definitely hear on the album, the “top three”, so to speak. The tracks have a common atmosphere to them, in our opinion, yet they are very distinct pieces. Let’s just say that they cover more spectrum (from mellow to brutally heavy) than any of the tracks on our previous releases!
Now, for the remaining songs, or the “bubbling under” -section: one particular song that we’ve written a long while ago was always on the verge of becoming a prime candidate for the album, but it seemed like there was always something missing. The riffs were excellent, and we even had a nice sounding chorus for the song that came out of a jam session at our practice place. Particularly the opening riff had that face-melting quality about it (that’s a positive quality, folks 
), but somehow the song didn’t really lift off the way we thought it would. Now, just last week, we managed to turn the tide for this song by coming up with a kick-ass rhythm thingie for the intro that complements the main riff nicely: now the song kicks off like a beast!
Also, we kind of grew weary of the original chorus: although kind of catchy, it seemed too “happy” for this particular song. We tried out a few vocal things but it just didn’t click. Again, during last week, we came up with a new chorus idea that’s pretty damn cool, and seems to fit the song better. Due to some time signature changes it also changes the feel of the whole song while still maintaining a natural flow. Goes to show that nothing’s really settled until you have things on tape at the studio!
Everything’s been hectic for the last two weeks, but now things really start to get busy. The beloved summer drinking holiday of all Finns is coming up this friday and the whole band’s retreating to a summer cabin to draw in the final inspirations for the album, and hopefully finalize much of the songs. For next week, we’ve ordered professional set-ups for all our instruments, so everything should go smooth once we hit the studio.
Stay tuned,
Jari / Embreach
