{"id":42423,"date":"2016-03-31T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-03-31T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=42423"},"modified":"2016-04-01T10:12:26","modified_gmt":"2016-04-01T10:12:26","slug":"feature-lost-society-03-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/feature-lost-society-03-16\/","title":{"rendered":"LOST SOCIETY – The Antidote (March 2016) | Features \/ Interviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

LOST SOCIETY – The Antidote<\/strong><\/span>
\nAnthony Morgan<\/span>
\nMarch 2016<\/span><\/p>\n

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Lost Society (l-r): Arttu Lesonen, Samy Elbanna, Ossi Paananen and Mirko Lehtinen<\/b><\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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\nJyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4, Finland-based thrash metal outfit Lost Society was founded in early 2010 by vocalist \/ guitarist Samy Elbanna, inking an album contract with Nuclear Blast Records in late October 2012. An initial pair of full-lengths were issued in the shapes of March 2013\u2019s Fast Loud Death<\/em><\/a> and April 2014\u2019s Terror Hungry<\/em><\/a>. Third studio effort Braindead<\/em> arrived in February 2016.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter releasing Terror Hungry<\/em> in 2014, we toured a lot that year, and travelled around the world, and stuff like that,\u201d Samy remembers. \u201cBasically with all of the free time that we had, we started writing tracks at the rehearsal space \u2013 just writing songs and jamming, and stuff. The writing process and the writing period for the new record was basically the end of 2014 up until two weeks before we hit the studio. One of the most important things that we noticed when we started writing the new songs was just that we basically knew at an early stage that it was gonna be a different record. I\u2019d just say that it has maybe a more mature sound, and we were basically more open to taking in different kinds of influences into the music. We basically weren\u2019t afraid to try new things, and I\u2019d say that that\u2019s why for us, the third record? We really love that shit.\u201d<\/p>\n

An array of influences informed the resultant Braindead<\/em>. \u201cFor all of us, it\u2019s always been really important that basically the stuff we listen to hasn\u2019t been just limited to metal,\u201d the singer notes. \u201cSo, there\u2019s lots of different kinds of elements to the new record. We took in a lot of guitar harmonies that wouldn\u2019t have been possible maybe for the first two records, because they were so fast all of the time. We definitely took in the guitar melody \/ harmony thing with this record, though \u2013 we took a lot of that kind of influence. <\/p>\n

\u201cThen of course with the slower stuff, there was a clear kind of death metal, the Finnish kind of death metal influence in it. Some of the songs, I\u2019d say they have a little bit of even hardcore \/ punk influences and stuff like that. At the end of the day, because we love to listen to all kinds of music, the cool thing in that is that you never know what kind of music can influence you and inspire you. We could be listening to some fucking Shakira and get inspired (laughs). You never know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Predecessors Fast Loud Death<\/em> and Terror Hungry<\/em> could arguably be categorised as being more straightforward thrash. \u201cI\u2019d say that, in a sense,\u201d Samy agrees. \u201cFor example, the first record \u2013 like it is usually with all bands \u2013 has basically the back catalogue of the start of the band\u2019s career. Then for the second record, we were so fast, hard and furious that the songs that we wrote were a lot of the same style and stuff. I\u2019d say now for the third one though, it definitely wasn\u2019t a conscious decision. We didn\u2019t say to each other that after making two thrash records, now we have to make a slower one. It was just more that we wanted to try and see what our limits were. We wanted to try out totally different things for a change, because at the end of the day, who wants to listen to the first record just over and over again?\u201d<\/p>\n

In Lost Society attempting to see what the group\u2019s limits are, the quartet are perhaps discovering their identity more. \u201cI\u2019d say that it\u2019s still gonna be a few records until we find out what the band\u2019s style is, but I\u2019d say that we\u2019re definitely getting closer at least,\u201d the axeman muses. \u201cFor us, I\u2019d say one of those things that I think is cool with the band is just that for every record, people can expect the unexpected. You never know what kind of music we\u2019ll put out. The most important thing is just that we\u2019ve always loved the music ourselves, and that we\u2019re proud of it. That\u2019s the stuff that we\u2019ll always release.\u201d<\/p>\n

One particular musical influence has become more apparent on Braindead<\/em>. \u201cI\u2019d actually say that one of the biggest influences on this album was probably Children Of Bodom,\u201d Samy cites. \u201cThey\u2019ve always been an influence, but with this album you can really hear it. For all of us, they\u2019ve been a huge band since we started playing. When we did the full-on thrash thing, we maybe couldn\u2019t incorporate it as much as we wanted. With this album though, I think they\u2019re the number one band that you can hear on almost each song (laughs).\u201d<\/p>\n

The Lost Society frontman enjoys material by other acts within the Finnish metal scene. \u201cWith the Finnish metal scene, there are so many bands out there now,\u201d he states. \u201cOf course one of the oldest Finnish thrash metal bands is Stone, and of course their guitarist wrote a lot for Children Of Bodom. He was their guitarist as well, so of course there\u2019s Stone and Children Of Bodom, Amorphis, Nightwish. We all enjoy all of that music, but there\u2019s tons of bands. There are some good old rock \u2019n\u2019 roll bands \u2013 there\u2019s one called Peer Gunt. They\u2019re one awesome Finnish band; they\u2019re basically like the Finnish equivalent of Mot\u00f6rhead. There\u2019s just tons and tons.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finland\u2019s metal scene is a vibrant one. \u201cIt definitely is,\u201d Samy seconds. \u201cWe were really lucky basically when we founded the band, because in Finland I\u2019d say that it\u2019s easier than in many countries to actually get your band out there. There are so many possibilities. There are lots of venues that offer underage bands the chance to play, and then when you\u2019re over 18 you can basically play anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Lost Society (l-r): Ossi Paananen, Samy Elbanna, Mirko Lehtinen and Arttu
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Braindead<\/em>\u2019s lyrical content marks a shift in tone for the assortment. \u201cThe lyrical side for this record was definitely I\u2019d say the most complex throughout the whole career, because the first two records had a lot of the kind of party thrash meanings and stuff like that,\u201d the axe-slinger critiques. \u201cThis record… I noticed that it was a much darker and gloomier album. <\/p>\n

\u201cI also wanted to basically make the kind of lyrics that reflect the music, so there\u2019s basically all kinds of stuff about the braindead kind of style of living that there is nowadays. People don\u2019t think for themselves any more; it\u2019s just blindly following, basically just being braindead and shit like that (laughs). Then there\u2019s of course a lot of the fictional kind of horror scenes, like \u2018Mad Torture\u2019, \u2018Only (My) Death Is Certain\u2019 and shit like that. Mostly though, I\u2019d say it\u2019s just about the kind of rebellion against everything that is known, with songs like \u2018Riot\u2019, \u2018I Am The Antidote\u2019, or \u2018Rage Me Up\u2019 and stuff like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among Braindead<\/em>\u2019s collection of tracks is a cover interpretation of the Pantera number \u2018P.S.T. 88\u2019, its original rendition appearing on May 1988 outing Power Metal<\/em>. \u201cI think it was the first time that we actually talked about covering a Pantera song \u2013 it was actually the recording session for the first album,\u201d Samy recalls. \u201cWe\u2019ve listened to Pantera a lot, because they\u2019ve been a huge influence on us. We kind of decided at an early stage that \u2018Okay, there\u2019s really no point in trying to cover anything by that band because it is already as perfect as can be\u2019 \u2013 everything from Cowboys From Hell<\/em> onwards (July 1990) \u2013 but then we started thinking that there might be a way that we can get away with it. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was basically by covering a track from the earlier albums, because we\u2019ve been listening to those too. It\u2019s funny, and not just as a joke. By playing around at the rehearsal space with the song, we just decided \u2018Hey, fuck it. Let\u2019s just do this from the album,\u2019 because we had done Kiss and Twisted Sister previously. I think it came out really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pantera\u2019s 80s chapter seems to be a period which the Texas-based metallers wish to forget. \u201cThe albums they released before Cowboys From Hell, they rarely speak of them or have spoken about them,\u201d the lyricist concurs. \u201cI don\u2019t know if they are ashamed of them or anything, but we think that they\u2019re kick-ass albums. We\u2019re blasting them out all the time (laughs).\u201d<\/p>\n

Recording sessions for Braindead<\/em> took place in the summer of 2015 at Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki, Finland with producer Nino Laurenne. \u201cHe\u2019s done every single album for us until now,\u201d Samy highlights. \u201cWe\u2019ve done tons of demo sessions and stuff with him, and I\u2019d say that he\u2019s become more or less like the fifth member of the band at this point. We really enjoy doing work with him, because he can basically bring out all of the hard work and the spirit in all of the guys in the band. It doesn\u2019t feel like working, but he still pressures us to do the best that we possibly can. I\u2019d say that\u2019s why he\u2019s always with us. It\u2019s just such an atmosphere too, where everyone\u2019s having a good time. He has definitely made the band. We have found our sound.\u201d<\/p>\n

In pressuring Lost Society to strive towards the best sound they can achieve, this has extended towards the guitars, for example. \u201cWe look for a good guitar sound,\u201d the mainman discloses. \u201cMe and Arttu, we always enjoy giving ourselves a lot of gain so it\u2019s not as hard to play. With Nino for example though, he takes a lot of the gain off and says \u2018You\u2019ve gotta fucking play tighter.\u2019 When you don\u2019t get it the first time, he just says \u2018No, you fucking do it again and again until you get it right.\u2019 That was for the first album. After that, we all started practising just more and more. Basically then every time we hit the studio with him, the next time he doesn\u2019t have to say that again. So, it\u2019s the small things that in the end make a huge difference in the guitar playing, or the bass playing, or the drum playing and everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nino\u2019s given approach doesn\u2019t cause initial tension. \u201cOh, definitely not,\u201d Samy stresses. \u201cIt\u2019s all in good spirit, always. When we go to the studio, everyone has one particular thing in mind, which is just to make the best possible album ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guitar wise, the Lost Society frontman is complimentary towards Braindead<\/em>. \u201cThe guitar work, I\u2019ve said it so many times, but I\u2019m so proud of the guitar work this time around,\u201d he enthuses. \u201cMe and Arttu, we\u2019ve just… I think it\u2019s a combination of the fact that we\u2019ve been playing together for so many years, and now we\u2019ve got that whole twin guitar lead thing down. We\u2019ve pulled it off really well, in my opinion. And all of the solos that Arttu did too… I mean, he is a kick-ass guitarist. So, I\u2019m really happy about the guitar work on this album. I think it\u2019s the best so far.\u201d<\/p>\n

And as well, the Lost Society frontman is complimentary towards Braindead<\/em>\u2019s vocal aspects. \u201cWhen we listen to the album, from start to finish, you can notice that there\u2019s different kinds of things that we\u2019re doing that I haven\u2019t necessarily done before,\u201d he endorses. \u201cI\u2019d say that with every album, we record the instruments and stuff. Then me and our producer Nino, we just sit down and listen to each song, and then we start thinking of if there\u2019s any possibility of trying some different things out. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis time around, it just so happened that with a couple of the tracks like \u2018I Am The Antidote\u2019 and \u2018Only (My) Death Is Certain\u2019, there was a great possibility of trying out some cleaner vocals and some melodies and stuff. I\u2019m definitely really happy that we took that step because I\u2019ve always liked to do the more clean vocals and stuff, and I\u2019m really happy that we\u2019ve now got it very well incorporated into the Lost Society music. I think that in the future, we\u2019ll definitely do more of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Braindead<\/em>\u2019s cover artwork reflects the album\u2019s overall theme. \u201cIt was kind of an unanimous decision to name the album Braindead<\/em>, because it\u2019s becoming a sentiment for the band Lost Society,\u201d Samy shares. \u201cWe got in touch with the guy who did the second album cover also, which was Jan Meininghaus. We just told him basically that we\u2019d love for the artwork to have the Lost Society symbol, the triangle X symbol on it, and then something that reflects the album\u2019s lyrics and the album title a lot. Then he sent us an almost finished cover. We all just felt so stoked about it, and said \u2018Hell yeah. Let\u2019s do this\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jan Meininghaus\u2019 respective artworks for both Braindead<\/em> and Terror Hungry<\/em> are more serious in nature compared to March 2013 debut Fast Loud Death<\/em>. \u201cYeah,\u201d the vocalist offers. \u201cFor us, there\u2019s been a lot of people who have been asking us \u2018Okay. Now that there\u2019s Braindead<\/em> and it\u2019s very dark and shit, does that mean that you don\u2019t have the humour or anything any more?\u2019 Every album is always a different story, though. First we had Fast Loud Death<\/em>, and that was very fun. Then we had Terror Hungry<\/em>, and that had the speed and it was a bit darker. Now we have the dark, but you never know. The next one might be, again, just like the kind of tongue-in-cheek shit that we did ages ago, but it\u2019s always gonna be that each album tells their own story.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some prefer musical ensembles to be more serious in nature, while others favour a more tongue-in-cheek demeanour. \u201cIt depends so much on the band that you\u2019re talking about, because basically it wouldn\u2019t really make a good point if there was a black metal band that was tongue-in-cheek,\u201d Samy chuckles. \u201cIt depends, though. I remember the first Anthrax album (Fistful Of Metal<\/em>, January 1984). You could see that with those guys, especially in their live act, it was all about the tongue-in-cheek and having fun and stuff. Then you could see at the same time though, on the album it\u2019s totally serious. It depends on the band. Of course for us, it doesn\u2019t really matter what you do on the albums. You can be as serious as you want as long as when you tour live, you\u2019re not afraid to show a little bit of smiling and that you can show people that you\u2019re having a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Braindead<\/em> has largely opted for the former, with music videos being filmed for the tracks \u2018I Am The Antidote\u2019 and \u2018Hangover Activator\u2019. \u201cWe were actually really stoked because for Terror Hungry<\/em>, we only did one,\u201d the guitarist remembers. \u201cNo… we did two music videos. We were working with this one director a lot who we really like in Finland, this guy called Ville Juurikkala who has filmed a couple of music videos for some good buddies of ours. I think the video came out really cool, because we were initially thinking that it could be a bit boring to make a six-minute video where we were just playing. In the end it came out really cool though, and I think it doesn\u2019t come across as boring at all. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think it was really cool, and then he did the music video for \u2018Hangover Activator\u2019. It\u2019s just clips and stuff from our gig trips, our shows and everything. I think it\u2019s a music video that gives a little bit of insight into what it feels like to tour with this band, and stuff like that. With music videos, we always want to film videos that are fun for the audience and our fans. We don\u2019t want any unnecessary bullshit on video.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time of writing, Lost Society is in the midst of a European trek supporting Exodus. \u201cThe tour so far has been just amazing,\u201d Samy praises. \u201cWe\u2019re over halfway already. It\u2019s just blown me away; each show has been better than the previous one. The crowds have been so good. This is like the best tour that we\u2019ve ever had so far. The guys are so nice to us, and we have a really good time with them. I remember the first night, where we were just talking. They were telling us how 20-30 years ago, they were in the same place as us right now \u2013 that they started touring with a big band and stuff like that. They\u2019re giving us good, fatherly advice if you will, and stuff like that. For me, Exodus has always been a huge, huge influence. They\u2019re one of the best thrash metal bands out there, and just seeing them night after night playing their asses off, I can definitely say that they\u2019re one of the tightest thrash metal bands that play nowadays.\u201d<\/p>\n

Braindead<\/em> was released on February 12th, 2016 via Nuclear Blast Records.<\/p>\n

Interview published in March 2016. All promotional photographs by Ville Juurikkala.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LOST SOCIETY – The Antidote Anthony Morgan March 2016 Lost Society (l-r): Arttu Lesonen, Samy Elbanna, Ossi Paananen and Mirko Lehtinen Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4, Finland-based thrash metal outfit Lost Society was founded in early 2010 by vocalist \/ guitarist Samy Elbanna, inking an album contract with Nuclear Blast Records in late October 2012. An initial pair of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,561],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-features","category-lost-society"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42423"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42423\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42479,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42423\/revisions\/42479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}