When did the initial idea for your latest single come together?
I think it started like any other song, me playing some random stuff in front of keyboards and then came up with the intro riff. But that song just kept going and going and soon I had something like 5 minutes of song and I was not even half-way. Funny thing, intro & chorus of ‘Ghost of yesterday’ was once part of the #4 ‘Mindcaptives’, but since song was already so lengthy, I made a separate song out of it.
How would you describe the track, to a reader that is unfamiliar with the band?
It’s the most progressive Ultimatium-song so far. It has those classic double kicks and high vocals, but it’s something quite new, especially to our old fans.
Can you tell us a bit more about the meaning behind the track?
It’s a song, where the theme of the album really starts to kick in. Characters of the story begin to understand the situation and the fact they are stuck in the game. Overall, it’s quite dark song.
How would you say that the track compares to anything you’ve done before?
It’s the longest, most progressive and has the most vocals ever in Ultimatium, so it’s epic. All our guest vocalists, Emily Leone, Jukka Nummi and Peter James Goodman are on the song, along with Tomi Viiltola and Matti Auerkallio, so there’s a lot going on in the song.
What was the hardest part about putting it together, and why?
Getting the vocal parts right, harmonies and such, for such an epic song was the hard part. And usually when we record, some changes occur to songs and then reacting to those for the next vocalists, that’s always a challenge, but a fun one.
Why should a reader check out the track?
If you’re into progressive metal meets opera/symphonic/power metal, then this is definitely a song for you. Also, for fans of Ayreon, this song is something to check out.
What else can you tell us about the track, that we haven’t covered in this interview?
We made an AI music video from this, featuring some background images for setting the mood for the song. The vocal parts on the video are the actual recording session videos, not some shots done after and even more, those are the actual takes you hear on the album.
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