Hello! It's fantastic to catch up with you again! Since our last chat in 2021, how has the journey been for you in bringing 'Chapter II: The Lotus Covenant' to life?
Hi there! And likewise, it's always happy to chat with you guys!
The journey from the previous album to this new one has been quite rough, both musically and personally. The original plan was to release this album early last year but life got in the way, basically in every way possible. Let us not get to the details but just point out that me and the rest of the band are super excited that people can finally hear these songs.
In our previous interview, you described Byron's music as melodic metal and mentioned the term "heavy doom" popping up in reviews. With the upcoming album, do you find yourselves exploring new musical territories or refining the melodic metal essence that defines Byron?
Melodies are indeed the foundation of Byron's music. I think making this new album I felt more relaxed and let the songs and melodies grow on their own directions, which you can probably hear in many parts. I sort of let loose the idea of genres and decided that "ok, if this song needs to have some folk music influences, why not?" I'm not saying that Byron has stepped into completely different musical areas; more like expanding the existing ones.
Reflecting on your top 5 musical influences – Cult of Luna, Amon Amarth, Opeth, Helloween, and Amorphis – do you see any of these influences manifesting in a more pronounced way in 'Chapter II: The Lotus Covenant'? Or have there been new inspirations that played a role in shaping the album's sound?
Oh yes, you can definitely hear Helloween and Amon Amarth very clearly there. For new influences, I'd like to add the band Riverside as a touch of progressiveness. But the songs are not trying to be anything else than honest to themselves as music of a band called Byron.
"The Omega Evangelion" had a strong theme around endings, loss, and hope. How does the thematic narrative evolve in 'Chapter II: The Lotus Covenant'? Are there new concepts or emotions that you explore in this upcoming release?
This is a very good question, thank you for it! I've found myself surrounded with the same themes in this album also. Loss and death (Sometimes Dead Is Better), hope (The Golden Galley), and endings (The X). The title song though is about a nightmare I saw, which builds a kind of eerie, monstrous aura on top of the whole album, starting from the cover art. A new, evolving concept would thus be dreams, which you can also easily find when reading the novel Celephaïs by H.P.Lovecraft
In our last conversation, you expressed your love for the intimate experience of dimming the lights, opening a beer, and letting the music flow. Can we expect 'Chapter II: The Lotus Covenant' to create a similar atmosphere, or have you experimented with different elements that might surprise your audience?
I believe people will find Chapter II more refined and sophisticated than its predecessor, so one should at least consider changing the beer maybe to some good red wine..!
The album includes the heaviest song, the most epic and longest song and the shortest song in Byron's history so there are a lot of extremities involved, with few surprising ones in them. But no jump scares, I promise!
As artists who have experienced the music business, what lessons have you learned from past challenges, and how have these experiences influenced the way you approached the creation and promotion of 'Chapter II: The Lotus Covenant'?
Well, as I said before, life got in the way of making this album and there were times I really thought that it would never get published. All the band members live in different cities and everyone has their own lives so arranging studios and rehearsals quickly turned into logistic nightmare. Some would've just dropped the gloves and forgot about it... but after a long road, here we are with a finished album.
When we get to the lessons learned, just being an honest man/woman and making realistic deadlines, keeping your promises and being on time everywhere and in everything will get you very far. Nobody does things 100% right so be patient (and not too hard on yourself either) and concentrate in doing your best. In the creation and promotion of this album were, and already are some flaws because of failed timetables, but maybe the album still reaches its audience.
You touched upon the support and respect bands show each other in the business. How has this sense of camaraderie influenced the making of 'Chapter II: The Lotus Covenant,' especially considering the collaborative and supportive nature of the music community?
I've always had someone to call if I've been in trouble with lyrics or missing a guitar solo or a touch of keyboards somewhere. In the end someone always knows someone. For example, the producer Tuomas Kokko suggested me the cello artist Elias Kahila when I started thinking out loud the "Sword of the Apostle" song and the need for "something extra" in it. And I think Ville Koskinen (guitar) didn't even think twice when I asked him to come and play because Jyri was busy with Battlelore recordings and later the gigs. And we didn't even know each other with Ville before...!
I feel humble for all this support and of course I'm always ready to offer my help as well. So for the readers, if your band needs a drummer, you can send me a message!
Looking ahead, with the album on the horizon, do you have any specific hopes or expectations for how 'Chapter II: The Lotus Covenant' will be received by your fans and the broader audience?
Of course I hope people will like the album as much as I do and perhaps it'll find new pairs of ears too. In my opinion, I think this is the best album I have ever done with any band (until Chapter III gets out, haha!) so I feel it should have all the attention it deserves.
As you gear up for the album release, what's the next step in your journey?
I think I'll concentrate on my orthodox theology studies and working a bit and then start thinking about the future of Byron. Would be interesting to make something in smaller scale next, maybe an EP or a split single with some band before the next full-length. I'm also looking for possibilities in releasing these two full-lengths (The Omega Evangelion from 2021 and the 2024 Chapter II: The Lotus Covenant) as a vinyl for the first time, but probably need to do this independently or with the help of some other label because our current label has refused.
What comes to performing, the pandemic destroyed the live rock bars and the remaining rest's interest in offering chances for nobody-bands like Byron to play in Finland, so got a bit frustrated in trying to arrange gigs for us. So no concerts in Finland are planned.