| Interview by Johannes Kostaja |
| Motorhell is a band whose name has been bubbling in the Finnish underground metal scene for some time now. Walking around in the major cities of Finland, a lucky individual can spot Motorhell T-shirts and strategically placed posters and stickers, but few have really heard their music or been to their gigs. The band maintains that they have played only one short gig in Finland, and even that was on a semi-private occasion. Yet they remain mysteriously silent about their past and the vague rumours about touring the wastes of Siberia. On their web pages, they mention only one recording, a demo of four songs, but once again, not everyone thinks that this is all there is to it. |
| So what is this band really about, a bubble or something altogether new in the metal scene? I was offered a chance to find it out when the band invited me to the heart of darkness, their promotional premises, to have a chat over a few pints. Our hosts for the evening were their singer and guitarist, Kid, and their bass player, Morgan. |
| JK: Perhaps you should start by telling something about the band, given that you are unknown to most of our readers. |
| M: Well, Motorhell has been together as a band for some years now. We�ve tried out all kinds of different line-ups and also our music has changed a bit over the years. The stuff we play nowadays is something along the lines of Venom meets Motorhead meets Entombed. Trash & rock. |
| K: We�re at least a trio, sometimes a four-piece. So far, we�ve officially released one demo, and a second one is coming out soon. |
| JK: Yeah, I was just about to ask you about the new demo/promo. |
| K: Yeah well, the demo is almost ready, we only have to add the guitar leads. Which is actually something new to us, as this is the first time we have a real guitar player playing the leads. |
| M: The hired hand we used on the previous demo, H. Motorcorpse, is really just a freelance priest who happens to play the guitar on his spare time. He�s really more of an organ grinder, you know, and we chose him more because of his how should I say it �s general outlook on life. We actually thought of using him again, but he hasn�t been around for a while, and no one knows when he�s coming back, so |
| K: But anyway, the demo�s going to be released on Halloween. The music and especially the sounds are a bit dirtier than on our previous releases. We figured that it�s no use trying to sound too hi-fi with our skills and at our budget, so we turned up the Venom-knob instead. This time it�s pure underground Dirt Metal. I dare say, however, that the songs are catchier than ever before. |
| JK: Having heard some of the new stuff, I think it has a certain do-it-yourself feel to it. |
| M: Well, it�s hardly a surprise, as we did the whole recording session by ourselves. From composing to recording to photography and cover art. Well, we did have a friend to take the photos, but anyway |
| JK: You have already mentioned Venom, but can you mention some other influences? |
| K: There�s lots of different stuff, obviously. When it comes to Motorhell, 80s Trash and bands like Motorhead and Danzig are the thing. |
| M: Yeah, old Metallica, Testament, Slayer and stuff like that. The older the better. |
| JK: Does Motorhell have any ideological message? Do you use the band as a medium for your religious/ political etc. thoughts? |
| K: No, not really. Especially in the beginning, our lyrics were all about stupid heavy metal clich�s. And that�s the way it still is, when you think about it. Maybe we�ve become a bit subtler, that�s all. |
| M: But the bottom line is that we try to have as much fun as possible. There�s already too many bands out there who take themselves too seriously, lyrically speaking or otherwise. There�s nothing wrong with serious lyrics really, it�s just that if you write them, you have to do it properly, which takes a talent most people just don�t have. Which is why we choose the easy path and choose to sing about death and hellfire, but with tongue in cheek as always. Fuck the artistry, this is supposed to be fun! |
| JK: So, if you have no ideology, where do you see the band in the field of music? Aren�t there too many boring, empty-minded rock bands around already? |
| M: Absolutely not! Empty-minded, I agree, but whoever said that we were boring? It�s all about entertainment, I think, and there�s always room for an entertaining metal band. It�s up to fans who they pay to see, naturally, but it�s always good to have a large variety of bands to choose from, isn�t it? |
| JK: OK. I think it�s time to finish the interview. Thanks for your time, and do you have any last thoughts or comments? |
| K: The new demo will be out on 31st of October, and can be ordered at http://motorhell.cjb.net. The web pages is also where we�ll post all the relevant information, so please check in as often as possible. |
| M: That�s about it, Support your local anorectics and come to see our gigs! |
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