SOURCE – The recently released single “Old Age, Sickness, and Death Metal” is clearly a tribute to death metal, as the genre marks its 40th anniversary. What inspired the concept for this song?
Jussi Ahlroth (Bass) – I came up with the wordplay-based title some years ago, but I couldn’t find the right way to use it.
Early this year, I realized it had been 40 years since Possessed’s Seven Churches was released. As it’s often considered the first death metal album, the genre was celebrating its 40th anniversary. These two ideas clicked together. I knew what the song was going to be about. I knew right away that each line had to include the title of a classic album from the golden age of death metal. That was it.
SOURCE – What was the production process for the music video “Old Age, Sickness, and Death Metal” like? Did you have to sift through many flyers, cassettes, and patches to recreate the era’s atmosphere?
Jussi Ahlroth (Bass) – Jukka and I had some preliminary talks with Jarkko Mikkonen, who made the video. It was mostly Jarkko’s concept and largely his work. Jukka dug through his archives and found a lot of great old material for the video. It was great to see it all—so many memories from such a long time ago. There were many familiar names, some forgotten but instantly remembered again. They are remnants of a past world, a past life, the world from which all this music arose. We were all just teenagers, tape-trading around the world, years before the internet. It’s amazing, when you think about it, really.
SOURCE – Styles such as Death Metal, Black Metal, and Thrash Metal boast countless icons. Speed Metal, a less widely spotlighted subgenre that often blurs with the others, can be harder to pin down. What are your favorite Speed Metal bands?
Jussi Ahlroth (Bass) – I have to admit that speed metal is a genre that is entirely in the past for me. I haven’t listened to any speed metal for decades. But if we classify Voivod as speed metal—debatable, I admit—then I’d name them. Voivod is one of the all-time best bands for me, in any genre. Totally unique.
SOURCE – When is the new album scheduled for release? Could you share a few details about it?
Jussi Ahlroth (Bass) – Oh dear. In the future. That’s all I can say without letting you down with promises we couldn’t keep. We have most of the songs written, and the lyrics are basically finished. It’s a concept album, like the EP. This is the fourth version, the fourth idea I have had for the concept album. I have discarded three almost-complete albums’ worth of lyrics. It has taken me years to write something I am satisfied with. This idea works**, and this is the one we’ll make.
SOURCE – Megalohydrothalassophobic was a release that had a significant impact. Looking back several years later, how do you assess it now?
Jussi Ahlroth (Bass) – It’s very good, I think. We are really proud of it. Some of the band members feel the sound is maybe a little too polished. The music is strong, and the lyrics aren’t bad. I like the psychedelic elements on it; they add an atmosphere of cosmic and psychological horror to the gore-infused brutality. Waltteri has injected so much energy into everything we do, and he really shines on the EP.
SOURCE – Singles have become a crucial vehicle for bands’ rapid promotion. Do you think the album era is fading?
Jussi Ahlroth (Bass) – For most of the music business, it has already faded. Metal music less so, but the trend is obvious there as well. I love the album as an art form, because you can tell a story with it—not just in terms of lyrics, but also in the music. So, no, I don’t think it will ever completely fade away.
SOURCE – Streaming has completely redefined how music is discovered and consumed. Over the years, how has your mindset evolved when it comes to releasing new material in a landscape where algorithms and playlists often shape what reaches listeners?
Jussi Ahlroth (Bass) – Not a bit. This latest release was a single because it was so clearly a one-song entity, not part of a larger whole. We are so small and marginal that these issues are largely irrelevant to us.
SOURCE – Is there anything you’d like to say to those who have supported you from the very beginning, as well as to those who are only now discovering your music?
Jussi Ahlroth (Bass) – We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. As for the longtime supporters, it is moving to think that someone has listened to what we played when we were 16 and continues to listen to what we’re playing now that we’re over 50.
We are not the same people we were in 1990. Those youngsters are dead, reborn into adults, many times over. The music we write is different.
To those who are finding us now, welcome to the rotten garden. Death metal is alive and well. It has a history—eras, strata of sounds and styles. It has a lineage, and we want to honor that with this latest song. Have an open mind and enjoy music, without labels or classifications.
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