October Falls
I have to recognize that I like a lot all these bands with interesting names that remind me our 3rd season, autumn! I don't know what interesting recollections does it brings for all this persons inside these combos, but I suppose that besides wine and interesting landscapes there is something a little bit more deeper! October Falls is one of these combos and in the following roars we'll try to see what the truth in its case is!
Arcana Noctis: Darkest hails Lehto! So, what's up new out there if you don't mind?
Lehto: Greetings from Finland. We've just finished the mixing of the next album, "A Collapse Of Faith", what will be a natural progression from "The Womb Of Primordial Nature". It will be 42 minutes, but only 3 songs on it. I've also finished one acoustic song for a compilation of various acoustic Folk bands and there's also some other acoustic material recorded for various releases.
Arcana Noctis: You found this band in 2001 as a one man project. What's the actual situation? Still alone?
Lehto: I'm still the sole member behind October Falls, but the situation have changed a bit, as the next album has the same line-up as "The Womb Of Primordial Nature" and if possible, I'll keep the line-up same in the future, with the exception of the acoustic albums where there's no need for a full band. So basically, I still write all the music and lyrics, but in harsher releases I have an actual band backing me up and also arranging some of the material. I think this is an ideal situation for me, as I don't care to make compromises with other people, so I need to keep the strings for myself.
Arcana Noctis: You started to create your own compositions and here you are on the Metal market with the first demo "Kaste" released in 2003! What is all about and what could you tell us about the reactions on it?
Lehto: Although the first official releases were all acoustic, I think the main interest towards October Falls have always come from the people in the underground Metal and some of those people still prefer the acoustic expression better than the harsher albums I've done. "Kaste" was actually very poorly spread and promoted and at that point the style was still taking the shape, so basically there are no reviews or interviews from that period to be shared, not a single one actually.
Arcana Noctis: At the end of the same year you decided to re-record this demo with new arrangements and some new songs too! So, you decided to call it "Tuoni", and here it is the first opus signed October Falls! Why did you decided to re-record the old demo instead of doing a 100% new material if you already recorded some new tracks?
Lehto: I re-recorded most of the tracks from "Kaste" and eventually released them as "Tuoni" along with few new songs that I had recorded after "Kaste". Personally I don't like to recycle older songs, but as basically "noone" had heard "Kaste" before, I felt that I still had the possibility to rework the songs a bit and make a better and more focused release from those and I think it worked just as I wanted. "Kaste" was more like a personal demo of the acoustic material I had saved from the even earlier recordings, than something that I'd planned to be a real demo. Actually, the professional CD Release of "Tuoni" was done after "Marras" was already released, so I had moved to new material already, but it's true that I re-recorded and self-released "Tuoni" before I started to record the next album.
Arcana Noctis: What will be the main difference between this new release and your old demo "Kaste", excepting the few details that I've mentioned above? What was the feedback on it, and what the reaction of your fans was?
Lehto: Well, as I already mentioned, "Kaste" was very poorly spread, so for most of the people, "Tuoni" was the first actual October Falls release they heard. I think "Tuoni" got a good response and even better when Dark Horizons released it in U.S. a bit later, at the same time with U.S.-version of "Marras" actually. I think it caught the interest in a certain groups and helped to spread the name, but overall, October Falls was still quite unknown for most.
Arcana Noctis: Your musical way of playing in that period was something closer to Ulver (the first period), Tenhi or even Empyrium! Empyrium!!! Sounds fucking great!!! So, what's your point of view my friend?
Lehto: All of them have been a major influence to October Falls and as long as I brought at least a bit something new to the sound, I'm not bothered at all if someone compares October Falls to them. Those are all awesome groups, I just hope October Falls would have the same kind of an impact to the future groups of the same genre. Personally I think that although the acoustic October Falls material is quite similar to the groups mentioned, the melodies are still a bit different in some ways and maybe at least that makes the difference between October Falls' and Ulver's, Tenhi's and Empyrium's music. I think they all differ to each others.
Arcana Noctis: Very soon you started to work on bands first opus "Marras"! Could you tell us what your activity was between the release of "Tuoni" until 2005, the release date of "Marras"?
Lehto: At that point I got a deal with Corvus and I had the chance to record few more songs and release "Tuoni" as a full length album, but instead I wanted to write a whole new album as "Tuoni" was already going to be released on 10" vinyl by Ahdistuksen Aihio. So I wrote all new material for "Marras" and decided to leave "Tuoni" behind. That was definitely the right choice to make and later I recorded one extra song that appeared only on the vinyl version of "Marras". Overall, the music changed a bit towards more complex ideas.
Arcana Noctis: The musical content is on the same coordinates, but you used the piano in a much more percentage, and it seems to be much more complex than on "Tuoni"! Please introduce us this awesome material, don't forget the technical details, and try to reveal us what your lyrics deals with on this opus!
Lehto: "Marras" was definitely more matured and complex release than "Tuoni". It may sound a bit strange, but "Tuoni" was like the skeleton and "Marras" was the flesh on it. That flesh still needed the skeleton, but otherwise it had changed to more evolved expression. I recorded everything by myself on it, sometimes I woke at the middle of the night and felt that I had to record something for it, that's basically how the piano-tracks on it were composed and recorded.
Arcana Noctis: Who did the cover artwork and what will be the link between the CD booklet and both musical and lyrical contents?
Lehto: I've done all cover art for October Falls with the exception of very limited edition of "Marras" 2CD and "The Streams Of The End". I've always tried to capture the whole feeling of the release on the covers and I think "Marras" is/was quite nature oriented soundwise, so I also used that on the covers. The final result on the cover of "Marras" was never just as I wanted on Corvus release(s), but Dark Horizons made it quite right as I asked them to make it black and white, personally I would've skipped the band name and title under the CD, but that didn't really bother me that much. The original version by Corvus was supposed to be a digipak with golden texts on the front, but that didn't happen. I'm not bitter to Emil behind Corvus as he did what he could to make it as good as possible and was always honestly for me and after all, he was the one who took the financial risk by signing me at the first place.
Arcana Noctis: Besides the things I've mentioned above, what will be the differences between the 2 materials? Did you use some elements taken from your old elements?
Lehto: I wanted to orchestrate "Marras" and also used the piano a bit more, so the whole ambience would be more about the music than the instruments themselves. I also wanted to make the music a bit more complex. "Tuoni" was quite a simple album, very few guitars etc., but then again, it's all about the whole atmosphere and not the complexity of the music what counts. Overall, I feel "Marras" is better than that "Tuoni" was, but there is still something in "Tuoni" that I've never managed to capture again on the later acoustic works, something unique and maybe a bit naive and undeveloped.
Arcana Noctis: Who released this album and what were the reactions on it? Something special to be mention concerning this material in the end?
Lehto: "Marras" was released by Corvus Records in Europe and I'm glad it was, although of course they are/were a small label, so the distribution was not that big, but they got it licensed to Russian market and it was also licensed to U.S., where Dark Horizons released it. I released it on vinyl myself through Scarred North Productions. Overall, the reactions were good, I was glad with the reactions it achieved. I still like the album myself; it's not the single songs on it, but the overall feeling of the album. I think production-wise, the sound on the album is nothing special, these days I could make it sound way better, but I have no regrets, it's like a picture of that time and that's how music should always be.
Arcana Noctis: What was your promotional activity after the release and what other interesting moments do you have to share with us?
Lehto: Personally, I've always been a very lousy promoter, I hate to promote my own material and I hate bands that go through every channel (MySpace, Facebook etc.) to promote everything they do, that kind of activity alienates me from their music more than gets my attention. Overall, "Marras" was never that well promoted, but I think it still reached some of the people whom might have been interested of it anyway. I still really enjoy the compositions of this album, it would be great have the whole album to be arranged for a small orchestra, but that kind of thing would need a serious commitment and time to make it work and I prefer looking ahead than back.
Arcana Noctis: Very soon you decided to change bands musical style into something more aggressive like Pagan/Black in the vein of Ulver, again, or mighty Behemoth on "Sventevith"! What made you to change the musical way of playing and what elements did you kept from your previous period?
Lehto: It's not like I just decided to change the music to other direction, but the fact that I had some material done, that worked better in harsher form, than all acoustic. I just decided that I'll not limit my expression to all acoustic expression if the music needs something else. However, I still wanted to use a lot of acoustic guitars and that's something what will stay in October Falls at the end. I think the music is quite similar to earlier releases, just performed differently and I think the perfect example is that I used some of the themes on "Sarastus" later and they worked on acoustic form too.
Arcana Noctis: On the new material called "The Streams Of The End" you decided to introduce something rawer oriented but with an acoustic touch too. Present us this MLP signed October Falls and tell us what all is about with the lyrical content!
Lehto: As said, at that point I had some new songs, that didn't fit the earlier concept, but I liked them a lot, so I decided to change the direction a bit. I still kept a lot of the acoustics on it, but also got myself a session drummer and a bass player. At that point I felt that I couldn't do another album like "Marras" and wanted to take a step back to the roots where October Falls originally started. This was also the first time when October Falls had lyrics with the exception of the few lines in "Kaste". Lyrics were nothing special really, they included some of my interests towards nature and Paganism, but overall, this recording can be seen as gateway to wider expression, everything I did here has been done better since. Still, I have no regrets or I don't shame this recording either, without this the path of October Falls might've been ended after "Marras" and this also got me involved with Debemur Morti Productions, so overall it was a perfect choice to make.
Arcana Noctis: Do you think that "The Streams Of The End" is bands best material since now? And what are the most important differences between the last 2 releases that I've mentioned above?
Lehto: At that point I was glad I tried something different and I still am. Although I think I could've done it a bit better, it has the rawer feel on it, a bit like "Tuoni" did on acoustic releases and it's something you can't really capture again even if I tried. Of course as some people had no idea that the style had took a different turn, it was a bit of a shock to them to get this after calm album like "Marras", but when you make music, you can't make it to someone else than yourself.
Arcana Noctis: This time you have decided to work with drummer and a bassist! What made you to work with some other musicians, who they are, how did you found them and in what did they increase your musical style?
Lehto: I needed someone to take care of the drums as I don't think this kind of music and programmed drums fit together at all and I found M. Auerkallio, who had played in bands like Farmakon. Basically I never saw him face to face, I sent him the demo-tracks with programmed drums and he then recorded drums for the release by himself and I think they were as raw as everything on this release. He also played the drums for some demos on "The Womb Of Primordial Nature" but for various reasons the drummer was changed before it was actually recorded. Bassist on "The Streams Of The End", "The Womb Of Primordial Nature" and also on the next release is my old friend, who I've know since I was a child. Auerkallio didn't really affect on the music, but V. Metsola has mostly arranged his own bass-lines since the beginning. Of course I have the last word, but I like to have a different approach he brings.
Arcana Noctis: "The Streams Of End" was released by Debemur Morti Productions! What the response on it was and how do you work with one of the most important labels today?
Lehto: Working with a label like Debemur Morti Productions has been faultless really. It was actually a bit of a coincidence that I ended up with Debemur Morti Productions, as I never really approached them with demo. I was doing some other business with them and also gave them some new material to hear and they liked it and ever since they've released my material with the exception of some acoustic releases. They've really done great job with promotion and also made the releases to look just as I wanted and not use the cheapest option available if I wanted something else. They do a lot of work for their releases and although these days they have bigger names like Arckanum, Archgoat, Blut Aus Nord, they still makes everything they can for a smaller bands too, like October Falls.
Arcana Noctis: What do you expect from this label from now on, and how do you fell being a Debemur Morti Productions artist?
Lehto: At this point, I expect nothing as I already know that they'll do everything they can to promote October Falls as good as possible. Next album will be the 3rd October Falls release through them and so far I've had nothing to complain about, it's been really easy to work with them and everything has happened as promised. For me Debemur Morti Productions is a perfect label, as they're big enough to have a capability to make the releases as I want, but I don't have to go through with the legal bullshit like with bigger labels.
Arcana Noctis: Here we are in 2007 when you released "Sarastus" MCD. So, tell us everything that we should know about it.
Lehto: "Sarastus" was a quite spontaneous release, music wise it's quite similar with "Tuoni" and "Marras", again all acoustic material. It was composed and recorded in a very short period of time and it's something I'm really proud of. I also rearranged one harsher song from "The Streams Of The End" for it, basically the only time I've recycled an older song to something else. It was released by No Sign Of Life as MCD and one sided 12". I personally like that release a lot as it was still fresh material for me when I already had it recorded, because it was written and recorded so fast. I think No Sign Of Life did a great job with that release.
Arcana Noctis: This new material introduces a Folk's line that seems to fit very good with bands musical content. Why do you change your musical style so frequently?
Lehto: It's not like I'm changing it, I basically have two different paths I roam, one all acoustic and then the harsher approach. When I had finished "The Womb Of Primordial Nature" I thought that I'd do an acoustic album again next, but here I am with a harsher album again. It's not something I can or should control, but to record what feels best at the moment. Now that I've finished the next harsher album, I think the next album will be an acoustic release, but that can change over night.
Arcana Noctis: Besides the Folk orientation what will be the other differences between this material and all your previous releases?
Lehto: Basically nothing really, "Sarastus" is quite similar to other acoustic releases, but it was indeed done in a quite a fast pace and I think that was the perfect choice for the material. It really was done in a spur of inspiration; basically it's the most natural album of all acoustic October Falls releases. There's no click, guitars are not in a certain tune and that for I actually had to leave some piano parts away from it as the guitars were not in any certain key so it was impossible to play any piano over it without detuning the piano, but I like the way it all ended. It was way more inspirational thing to make than something where you have to keep the instruments in a certain tune, keep the certain tempo etc. If I have anything to regret on this release, it's the fact that I should have recorded few songs more and release it as a full length, but that's the only thing I regret, otherwise I'm really proud of it.
Arcana Noctis: How did you promote it and what the feedback on it was? Something relevant that you want to mention?
Lehto: As with the other acoustic releases, the promotion was not that mentionable, but again I think it caught the attention of the right people and in some way it got a better response than the earlier acoustic releases, so I think although the public promotion was not that big, it caught some attention in underground scenes, just as I like it anyway. All of the acoustic October Falls releases have been on more Metal oriented labels, so maybe the promotion has managed to skip some of the Folk oriented people, who might have been interested of the material, but I think the name has slowly managed to travel to there also. The ideal situation would be to find some a bit bigger and more Folk/acoustic oriented label for the acoustic releases, something similar in that scene, where Debemur Morti Productions is in with the other releases. However, I must state, that No Sign Of Life did everything we agreed with "Sarastus" and I highly appreciate their work for it, so big thanks to Valtonen for making it happen.
Arcana Noctis: Your last material "The Womb Of Primordial Nature" is mixing both Raw Black Metal attitude and a folkish sensibility! New album and a new musical orientation I could say! What's your point of view?
Lehto: I guess it was indeed a bit of a mixture of more matured version of "The Streams Of The End" and "Sarastus". It has a lot of acoustics, but also more focused harsher approach. Overall, before the next release, it's without a question, the best October Falls release so far. On that record I also got M. Tarvonen (Moonsorrow, Barren Earth etc.) behind the drum kit and he also contributed ideas for the drumming, so the demos were changed a bit on it and it was definitely the right decision to make. He's an excellent drummer, but also a great musician and great to work with, I hope he'll stay on the line-up on the future releases too.
Arcana Noctis: What is all about with this new material and what could you tell us about the lyrical chapter? Does it fit 100% with CD booklet and with the musical content imagined by October Falls?
Lehto: The whole release of "The Womb Of Primordial Nature" was really tight up together. I think the artwork was a perfect fit to the lyrics and music. Lyrically it was about the beast within every man, something that every human has inside, no matter how pure or holy he/she seems to be. When the right time comes, that beast will unleash and the most pure and innocent people will turn to a brutal murderer if the situation is right. Like in a war, where you have to kill to survive and even the people who respect human life has the ability to take a life of other person.
Arcana Noctis: Is this new material the best you did until now? Is this "The Womb Of Primordial Nature" a real step forward in bands career?
Lehto: It definitely is, I was and I still am a very proud of it. But then again, now that I've finished the next album, it's again a big step ahead. Still, it was the best thing I could make at that point, the style is still evolving a bit, but overall it was way more focused than "The Streams Of The End".
Arcana Noctis: Have you received some feedback on it until now? What is all about and what will be the next step in the promotional campaign?
Lehto: I've received a fair amount of feedback and I think it's been very good. Of course some has thought it was not good at all, but I think it's way better to get few praising comments and few hating comments than a grey mass of an OK-comments. As far as this album goes, I think the promotion is mostly over, but very soon, there will be a new cycle on this, when the new album arrives. Overall, it got great reviews on bigger magazines too, like Terrorizer etc., but also some magazines like Miasma (from Finland) didn't review it at all as they (or the reviewer) didn't get anything out of it.
Arcana Noctis: Do you have a few details concerning the promo campaign from Debemur Morti Productions' side? Do you work with a booking agency for the live acts? And where are you going to play next year?
Lehto: Not really. October Falls is actually quite a bad to promote as we're not making any live appearances, no shows at all. I'm sure that way we'd get way more attention, but I have no real interest to perform live. However, I want to state, that October Falls is still no studio project or a project at all, it's just something that don't care to perform live. Maybe someday, but nothing is planned, and the chances are quite small for such a thing to happen.
Arcana Noctis: In the end, what are you others plans concerning October Falls and what should we expect from you in the future concerning your musical direction?
Lehto: As said, the new album is already recorded, mixed and mastered. It continues the path of "The Womb Of Primordial Nature", but of course again more evolved. There will also be a few acoustic tracks on compilations soon. Most likely after the new album, there will again be an all acoustic release, but who know; tomorrow I might feel different again. I like to keep October Falls within certain frames, so there will not be any huge changes in the musical direction in the future. If I feel an urge to do something else, it will not be done under the banner of October Falls.
Arcana Noctis: As you can see we are closing to an end unfortunately! Thank you for this opportunity to learn more things about your band, and here you the final word to conclude this interview!
Lehto: Thanks to you.
Arcana Noctis: Darkest hails Lehto! So, what's up new out there if you don't mind?
Lehto: Greetings from Finland. We've just finished the mixing of the next album, "A Collapse Of Faith", what will be a natural progression from "The Womb Of Primordial Nature". It will be 42 minutes, but only 3 songs on it. I've also finished one acoustic song for a compilation of various acoustic Folk bands and there's also some other acoustic material recorded for various releases.Arcana Noctis: You found this band in 2001 as a one man project. What's the actual situation? Still alone?
Lehto: I'm still the sole member behind October Falls, but the situation have changed a bit, as the next album has the same line-up as "The Womb Of Primordial Nature" and if possible, I'll keep the line-up same in the future, with the exception of the acoustic albums where there's no need for a full band. So basically, I still write all the music and lyrics, but in harsher releases I have an actual band backing me up and also arranging some of the material. I think this is an ideal situation for me, as I don't care to make compromises with other people, so I need to keep the strings for myself.
Arcana Noctis: You started to create your own compositions and here you are on the Metal market with the first demo "Kaste" released in 2003! What is all about and what could you tell us about the reactions on it?
Lehto: Although the first official releases were all acoustic, I think the main interest towards October Falls have always come from the people in the underground Metal and some of those people still prefer the acoustic expression better than the harsher albums I've done. "Kaste" was actually very poorly spread and promoted and at that point the style was still taking the shape, so basically there are no reviews or interviews from that period to be shared, not a single one actually.
Arcana Noctis: At the end of the same year you decided to re-record this demo with new arrangements and some new songs too! So, you decided to call it "Tuoni", and here it is the first opus signed October Falls! Why did you decided to re-record the old demo instead of doing a 100% new material if you already recorded some new tracks?
Lehto: I re-recorded most of the tracks from "Kaste" and eventually released them as "Tuoni" along with few new songs that I had recorded after "Kaste". Personally I don't like to recycle older songs, but as basically "noone" had heard "Kaste" before, I felt that I still had the possibility to rework the songs a bit and make a better and more focused release from those and I think it worked just as I wanted. "Kaste" was more like a personal demo of the acoustic material I had saved from the even earlier recordings, than something that I'd planned to be a real demo. Actually, the professional CD Release of "Tuoni" was done after "Marras" was already released, so I had moved to new material already, but it's true that I re-recorded and self-released "Tuoni" before I started to record the next album.
Arcana Noctis: What will be the main difference between this new release and your old demo "Kaste", excepting the few details that I've mentioned above? What was the feedback on it, and what the reaction of your fans was?
Lehto: Well, as I already mentioned, "Kaste" was very poorly spread, so for most of the people, "Tuoni" was the first actual October Falls release they heard. I think "Tuoni" got a good response and even better when Dark Horizons released it in U.S. a bit later, at the same time with U.S.-version of "Marras" actually. I think it caught the interest in a certain groups and helped to spread the name, but overall, October Falls was still quite unknown for most.
Arcana Noctis: Your musical way of playing in that period was something closer to Ulver (the first period), Tenhi or even Empyrium! Empyrium!!! Sounds fucking great!!! So, what's your point of view my friend?
Lehto: All of them have been a major influence to October Falls and as long as I brought at least a bit something new to the sound, I'm not bothered at all if someone compares October Falls to them. Those are all awesome groups, I just hope October Falls would have the same kind of an impact to the future groups of the same genre. Personally I think that although the acoustic October Falls material is quite similar to the groups mentioned, the melodies are still a bit different in some ways and maybe at least that makes the difference between October Falls' and Ulver's, Tenhi's and Empyrium's music. I think they all differ to each others.
Arcana Noctis: Very soon you started to work on bands first opus "Marras"! Could you tell us what your activity was between the release of "Tuoni" until 2005, the release date of "Marras"?
Lehto: At that point I got a deal with Corvus and I had the chance to record few more songs and release "Tuoni" as a full length album, but instead I wanted to write a whole new album as "Tuoni" was already going to be released on 10" vinyl by Ahdistuksen Aihio. So I wrote all new material for "Marras" and decided to leave "Tuoni" behind. That was definitely the right choice to make and later I recorded one extra song that appeared only on the vinyl version of "Marras". Overall, the music changed a bit towards more complex ideas.
Arcana Noctis: The musical content is on the same coordinates, but you used the piano in a much more percentage, and it seems to be much more complex than on "Tuoni"! Please introduce us this awesome material, don't forget the technical details, and try to reveal us what your lyrics deals with on this opus!
Lehto: "Marras" was definitely more matured and complex release than "Tuoni". It may sound a bit strange, but "Tuoni" was like the skeleton and "Marras" was the flesh on it. That flesh still needed the skeleton, but otherwise it had changed to more evolved expression. I recorded everything by myself on it, sometimes I woke at the middle of the night and felt that I had to record something for it, that's basically how the piano-tracks on it were composed and recorded.
Arcana Noctis: Who did the cover artwork and what will be the link between the CD booklet and both musical and lyrical contents?
Lehto: I've done all cover art for October Falls with the exception of very limited edition of "Marras" 2CD and "The Streams Of The End". I've always tried to capture the whole feeling of the release on the covers and I think "Marras" is/was quite nature oriented soundwise, so I also used that on the covers. The final result on the cover of "Marras" was never just as I wanted on Corvus release(s), but Dark Horizons made it quite right as I asked them to make it black and white, personally I would've skipped the band name and title under the CD, but that didn't really bother me that much. The original version by Corvus was supposed to be a digipak with golden texts on the front, but that didn't happen. I'm not bitter to Emil behind Corvus as he did what he could to make it as good as possible and was always honestly for me and after all, he was the one who took the financial risk by signing me at the first place.
Arcana Noctis: Besides the things I've mentioned above, what will be the differences between the 2 materials? Did you use some elements taken from your old elements?
Lehto: I wanted to orchestrate "Marras" and also used the piano a bit more, so the whole ambience would be more about the music than the instruments themselves. I also wanted to make the music a bit more complex. "Tuoni" was quite a simple album, very few guitars etc., but then again, it's all about the whole atmosphere and not the complexity of the music what counts. Overall, I feel "Marras" is better than that "Tuoni" was, but there is still something in "Tuoni" that I've never managed to capture again on the later acoustic works, something unique and maybe a bit naive and undeveloped.
Arcana Noctis: Who released this album and what were the reactions on it? Something special to be mention concerning this material in the end?
Lehto: "Marras" was released by Corvus Records in Europe and I'm glad it was, although of course they are/were a small label, so the distribution was not that big, but they got it licensed to Russian market and it was also licensed to U.S., where Dark Horizons released it. I released it on vinyl myself through Scarred North Productions. Overall, the reactions were good, I was glad with the reactions it achieved. I still like the album myself; it's not the single songs on it, but the overall feeling of the album. I think production-wise, the sound on the album is nothing special, these days I could make it sound way better, but I have no regrets, it's like a picture of that time and that's how music should always be.
Arcana Noctis: What was your promotional activity after the release and what other interesting moments do you have to share with us?
Lehto: Personally, I've always been a very lousy promoter, I hate to promote my own material and I hate bands that go through every channel (MySpace, Facebook etc.) to promote everything they do, that kind of activity alienates me from their music more than gets my attention. Overall, "Marras" was never that well promoted, but I think it still reached some of the people whom might have been interested of it anyway. I still really enjoy the compositions of this album, it would be great have the whole album to be arranged for a small orchestra, but that kind of thing would need a serious commitment and time to make it work and I prefer looking ahead than back.
Arcana Noctis: Very soon you decided to change bands musical style into something more aggressive like Pagan/Black in the vein of Ulver, again, or mighty Behemoth on "Sventevith"! What made you to change the musical way of playing and what elements did you kept from your previous period?
Lehto: It's not like I just decided to change the music to other direction, but the fact that I had some material done, that worked better in harsher form, than all acoustic. I just decided that I'll not limit my expression to all acoustic expression if the music needs something else. However, I still wanted to use a lot of acoustic guitars and that's something what will stay in October Falls at the end. I think the music is quite similar to earlier releases, just performed differently and I think the perfect example is that I used some of the themes on "Sarastus" later and they worked on acoustic form too.
Arcana Noctis: On the new material called "The Streams Of The End" you decided to introduce something rawer oriented but with an acoustic touch too. Present us this MLP signed October Falls and tell us what all is about with the lyrical content!
Lehto: As said, at that point I had some new songs, that didn't fit the earlier concept, but I liked them a lot, so I decided to change the direction a bit. I still kept a lot of the acoustics on it, but also got myself a session drummer and a bass player. At that point I felt that I couldn't do another album like "Marras" and wanted to take a step back to the roots where October Falls originally started. This was also the first time when October Falls had lyrics with the exception of the few lines in "Kaste". Lyrics were nothing special really, they included some of my interests towards nature and Paganism, but overall, this recording can be seen as gateway to wider expression, everything I did here has been done better since. Still, I have no regrets or I don't shame this recording either, without this the path of October Falls might've been ended after "Marras" and this also got me involved with Debemur Morti Productions, so overall it was a perfect choice to make.
Arcana Noctis: Do you think that "The Streams Of The End" is bands best material since now? And what are the most important differences between the last 2 releases that I've mentioned above?
Lehto: At that point I was glad I tried something different and I still am. Although I think I could've done it a bit better, it has the rawer feel on it, a bit like "Tuoni" did on acoustic releases and it's something you can't really capture again even if I tried. Of course as some people had no idea that the style had took a different turn, it was a bit of a shock to them to get this after calm album like "Marras", but when you make music, you can't make it to someone else than yourself.
Arcana Noctis: This time you have decided to work with drummer and a bassist! What made you to work with some other musicians, who they are, how did you found them and in what did they increase your musical style?
Lehto: I needed someone to take care of the drums as I don't think this kind of music and programmed drums fit together at all and I found M. Auerkallio, who had played in bands like Farmakon. Basically I never saw him face to face, I sent him the demo-tracks with programmed drums and he then recorded drums for the release by himself and I think they were as raw as everything on this release. He also played the drums for some demos on "The Womb Of Primordial Nature" but for various reasons the drummer was changed before it was actually recorded. Bassist on "The Streams Of The End", "The Womb Of Primordial Nature" and also on the next release is my old friend, who I've know since I was a child. Auerkallio didn't really affect on the music, but V. Metsola has mostly arranged his own bass-lines since the beginning. Of course I have the last word, but I like to have a different approach he brings.
Arcana Noctis: "The Streams Of End" was released by Debemur Morti Productions! What the response on it was and how do you work with one of the most important labels today?
Lehto: Working with a label like Debemur Morti Productions has been faultless really. It was actually a bit of a coincidence that I ended up with Debemur Morti Productions, as I never really approached them with demo. I was doing some other business with them and also gave them some new material to hear and they liked it and ever since they've released my material with the exception of some acoustic releases. They've really done great job with promotion and also made the releases to look just as I wanted and not use the cheapest option available if I wanted something else. They do a lot of work for their releases and although these days they have bigger names like Arckanum, Archgoat, Blut Aus Nord, they still makes everything they can for a smaller bands too, like October Falls.
Arcana Noctis: What do you expect from this label from now on, and how do you fell being a Debemur Morti Productions artist?Lehto: At this point, I expect nothing as I already know that they'll do everything they can to promote October Falls as good as possible. Next album will be the 3rd October Falls release through them and so far I've had nothing to complain about, it's been really easy to work with them and everything has happened as promised. For me Debemur Morti Productions is a perfect label, as they're big enough to have a capability to make the releases as I want, but I don't have to go through with the legal bullshit like with bigger labels.
Arcana Noctis: Here we are in 2007 when you released "Sarastus" MCD. So, tell us everything that we should know about it.
Lehto: "Sarastus" was a quite spontaneous release, music wise it's quite similar with "Tuoni" and "Marras", again all acoustic material. It was composed and recorded in a very short period of time and it's something I'm really proud of. I also rearranged one harsher song from "The Streams Of The End" for it, basically the only time I've recycled an older song to something else. It was released by No Sign Of Life as MCD and one sided 12". I personally like that release a lot as it was still fresh material for me when I already had it recorded, because it was written and recorded so fast. I think No Sign Of Life did a great job with that release.
Arcana Noctis: This new material introduces a Folk's line that seems to fit very good with bands musical content. Why do you change your musical style so frequently?
Lehto: It's not like I'm changing it, I basically have two different paths I roam, one all acoustic and then the harsher approach. When I had finished "The Womb Of Primordial Nature" I thought that I'd do an acoustic album again next, but here I am with a harsher album again. It's not something I can or should control, but to record what feels best at the moment. Now that I've finished the next harsher album, I think the next album will be an acoustic release, but that can change over night.
Arcana Noctis: Besides the Folk orientation what will be the other differences between this material and all your previous releases?
Lehto: Basically nothing really, "Sarastus" is quite similar to other acoustic releases, but it was indeed done in a quite a fast pace and I think that was the perfect choice for the material. It really was done in a spur of inspiration; basically it's the most natural album of all acoustic October Falls releases. There's no click, guitars are not in a certain tune and that for I actually had to leave some piano parts away from it as the guitars were not in any certain key so it was impossible to play any piano over it without detuning the piano, but I like the way it all ended. It was way more inspirational thing to make than something where you have to keep the instruments in a certain tune, keep the certain tempo etc. If I have anything to regret on this release, it's the fact that I should have recorded few songs more and release it as a full length, but that's the only thing I regret, otherwise I'm really proud of it.
Arcana Noctis: How did you promote it and what the feedback on it was? Something relevant that you want to mention?
Lehto: As with the other acoustic releases, the promotion was not that mentionable, but again I think it caught the attention of the right people and in some way it got a better response than the earlier acoustic releases, so I think although the public promotion was not that big, it caught some attention in underground scenes, just as I like it anyway. All of the acoustic October Falls releases have been on more Metal oriented labels, so maybe the promotion has managed to skip some of the Folk oriented people, who might have been interested of the material, but I think the name has slowly managed to travel to there also. The ideal situation would be to find some a bit bigger and more Folk/acoustic oriented label for the acoustic releases, something similar in that scene, where Debemur Morti Productions is in with the other releases. However, I must state, that No Sign Of Life did everything we agreed with "Sarastus" and I highly appreciate their work for it, so big thanks to Valtonen for making it happen.
Arcana Noctis: Your last material "The Womb Of Primordial Nature" is mixing both Raw Black Metal attitude and a folkish sensibility! New album and a new musical orientation I could say! What's your point of view?
Lehto: I guess it was indeed a bit of a mixture of more matured version of "The Streams Of The End" and "Sarastus". It has a lot of acoustics, but also more focused harsher approach. Overall, before the next release, it's without a question, the best October Falls release so far. On that record I also got M. Tarvonen (Moonsorrow, Barren Earth etc.) behind the drum kit and he also contributed ideas for the drumming, so the demos were changed a bit on it and it was definitely the right decision to make. He's an excellent drummer, but also a great musician and great to work with, I hope he'll stay on the line-up on the future releases too.
Arcana Noctis: What is all about with this new material and what could you tell us about the lyrical chapter? Does it fit 100% with CD booklet and with the musical content imagined by October Falls?
Lehto: The whole release of "The Womb Of Primordial Nature" was really tight up together. I think the artwork was a perfect fit to the lyrics and music. Lyrically it was about the beast within every man, something that every human has inside, no matter how pure or holy he/she seems to be. When the right time comes, that beast will unleash and the most pure and innocent people will turn to a brutal murderer if the situation is right. Like in a war, where you have to kill to survive and even the people who respect human life has the ability to take a life of other person.
Arcana Noctis: Is this new material the best you did until now? Is this "The Womb Of Primordial Nature" a real step forward in bands career?
Lehto: It definitely is, I was and I still am a very proud of it. But then again, now that I've finished the next album, it's again a big step ahead. Still, it was the best thing I could make at that point, the style is still evolving a bit, but overall it was way more focused than "The Streams Of The End".
Arcana Noctis: Have you received some feedback on it until now? What is all about and what will be the next step in the promotional campaign?
Lehto: I've received a fair amount of feedback and I think it's been very good. Of course some has thought it was not good at all, but I think it's way better to get few praising comments and few hating comments than a grey mass of an OK-comments. As far as this album goes, I think the promotion is mostly over, but very soon, there will be a new cycle on this, when the new album arrives. Overall, it got great reviews on bigger magazines too, like Terrorizer etc., but also some magazines like Miasma (from Finland) didn't review it at all as they (or the reviewer) didn't get anything out of it.
Arcana Noctis: Do you have a few details concerning the promo campaign from Debemur Morti Productions' side? Do you work with a booking agency for the live acts? And where are you going to play next year?
Lehto: Not really. October Falls is actually quite a bad to promote as we're not making any live appearances, no shows at all. I'm sure that way we'd get way more attention, but I have no real interest to perform live. However, I want to state, that October Falls is still no studio project or a project at all, it's just something that don't care to perform live. Maybe someday, but nothing is planned, and the chances are quite small for such a thing to happen.
Arcana Noctis: In the end, what are you others plans concerning October Falls and what should we expect from you in the future concerning your musical direction?
Lehto: As said, the new album is already recorded, mixed and mastered. It continues the path of "The Womb Of Primordial Nature", but of course again more evolved. There will also be a few acoustic tracks on compilations soon. Most likely after the new album, there will again be an all acoustic release, but who know; tomorrow I might feel different again. I like to keep October Falls within certain frames, so there will not be any huge changes in the musical direction in the future. If I feel an urge to do something else, it will not be done under the banner of October Falls.
Arcana Noctis: As you can see we are closing to an end unfortunately! Thank you for this opportunity to learn more things about your band, and here you the final word to conclude this interview!
Lehto: Thanks to you.