This past year coming into 2022 has been extremely hectic and life-changing for Blind Channel, I’m sure you’d agree with me saying? How are the members holding up right now after a full-on schedule touring the USA with From Ashes To New, followed by a European Tour with Electric Callboy as well as many Finnish Music Festivals back in your homeland – have you had a moment to catch your breath and reflect properly yet?
Yes, you are absolutely right, the start of the year has been really hectic, and it continues being like that! US and EU tours were simply our big dream come true moments but to be honest we haven’t had any break since early March. We will rest someday later!
Touring abroad again outside of Finland after the torturous lockdown period must feel so invigorating and rewarding. It has also been one of the first times touring abroad together with the most recent addition to the band, member Aleksi Kaunisvesi. How have the group dynamics changed both on and off stage, if at all in your opinion?
After a long, long break from the solid live experience of tours and festivals, it feels almost unreal to be back on the road again, and this time even bigger than ever before: longer runs, bigger venues and bigger audiences singing along with us. Aleksi has adapted to the group really well and I guess we are simply living the best life ever at the moment.
Your new album Lifestyles Of The Sick & Dangerous is out soon on 8 July via Century Media Records. How would you describe this era of Blind Channel’s ‘Violent Pop’ sound/style, and if you could define this album’s ‘Violent Pop flavour’ in one word, what would its taste/texture be?
The new album is the story of an unknown band becoming a worldwide known up-and-coming rock band of a new era. That story is between the covers of the album. We’ve gone through so many different feelings in the past two years and our lives have changed totally, in a new direction both in work and personal wise. This time the “violent pop flavour” is on a Hollywood level, a higher level.
What are your personal favourite tracks from the upcoming album, and why?
For me (Joel) my personal favourite at the moment is Glory For The Greedy: that song is basically a response to the Finnish music industry people who didn’t believe in us and our vision to conquer the whole planet before we got famous. We got many responses saying things like “You guys should sing in Finnish” or “Get rid of that rapper, he sucks” etc. And now that we are the real deal: everyone is suddenly telling us how awesome we are.
The single ‘Bad Idea’ handled extremely personal and sensitive subject matter, and Lifestyles Of The Sick & Dangerous seems to continue cohesively with an autobiographic theme of sorts, sharing your experiences and stories after an exhilarating and stressful rush of fame and success. Do you get nervous being so vulnerable and honest in your lyrics, and does it make you feel closer to your fans who also manage to draw their own personal meanings out of your songs?
For us and for me it’s super, super important to be 100% honest with everything you do in life. It doesn’t matter if it’s work or personal life, it’s always important to stay true. Every single lyric in the album is based on real events, nothing is fake. And it feels good to let all the fans know what we’ve been through.
Did any challenges arise at any point during the album’s process of creation? Which songs saw the most revisions/edits, and who would you say has the most “perfectionist” mindset among the members during the creative process?
The album came together kind of naturally: we were so in line with the overall vision of the whole group that everything just seemed to work out well. I think Bad Idea was one of the tracks that needed the most work, but the end result is just beautiful. I think Alex was the one who spent most of the nights inside the studio just making sure that EVERYTHING was perfect production wise.
More excitement lies ahead with your headline Sick & Dangerous Tour across Europe later this year with special guests Lost Society. You already played a headline gig in New York back in April: how would you describe that first headline gig, what it meant to the band, and whether an American crowd’s energy differs in any way to crowds you’ve played to across Europe so far?
We are so excited to play our first headline EU tour this fall, it’s a huge milestone for the band. The New York headline show was simply a dream come true and we can’t wait to be back in the States ASAP. Like I’ve said before, I think the European audiences are a little more intense and crazier whereas the US audiences are more chill and reserved, focusing on the music, which is the main thing always. Both works fine!
Your fanbase is ever expanding globally as success continues to follow in your wake; do you have a final message for new Blind Channel fans?
Welcome on board, spread the word!
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Lifestyles Of The Sick & Dangerous will be released on 8 July 2022, check out the Original Rock Review here and pre-order now.