The band was started somewhere around 2010 by Särmälä and Sairanen. Kuilu makes melancholic, doomy black metal.
2.In May you had released your first full length, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from your previous split, ep and demo?
The sound is much more refined than on the previous releases, and so are the compositions. The ep “Haudalla/Virta” was recorded with quite bad equipment and even worse skill and vision and that’s why the sound is a bit dull. However, now when we’re thinking about it, if the EP sounded more crude and lofi it would have been much better!
The tape Demo 2014 had a better sound but again, it could’ve been harsher. Quite a good demo though, we think. The first song was used on the debut, re-arranged and re-recorded of course.
The split you’re referring to is not actually a split but a lofi live sampler on which we took part. That sampler had quite horrible sound when it comes to our part, hah. The John The Baptist part turned out the best. However, that sampler was mainly a relic for those who attended the event in 2015. Maybe that one’s more about the idea than the music itself.
“Monumentti” was recorded at Blackvox Studio, Tampere, Finland. We used no click track and recorded it live, so there’s a certain live feeling to the sound, and that was the aim of course. We like our music to sound alive. All band-members have gotten to know their own preferred equipment and sound preferences better, so it was easier to get the kind of sound we wanted, though it was a lot of work and testing before going to the studio. The sound is darker, more dynamic, more violent and more fragile at certain parts. We got quite close to the goal we were aiming for and our development as musicians and songwriters is really audible. The vocals have become more diverse year after year.
We didn’t aim to make a certain kind of black metal, but the riffs and the sound incorporate quite a lot of doom elements as well as other styles. The musical style of Kuilu was truly found when we were making the songs for “Monumentti” and the idea of what we want to achieve with our art became clearer. When we make songs, we tend to try to forge them into drama-like coherent wholes. Since the songs have several “acts” they tend to be quite lengthy. It seems to be a natural way for us to make music at least for now.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?
Nihilism, emptiness, death, desolation and the beauty of these.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Kuilu'?
The name means chasm in Finnish. From the beginning, the name has represented a constant binding state or space. In the ouroborus symbol used on the demo and the album, the chasm is the mountain of Sisyphos, a mountain and a draining spiral at the same time.
5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We all might have our own favourite gigs, but some of the best must be the album release gig in Nordhausen, Germany in 2018 and the gig in Lepakkomies, Helsinki, Finland in 2016.
We’ve been using clay and smoke. The clay has been used to mask ourselves, thus creating an inconvenient and miserable feeling for us. This has enabled us to get into a different mood for the gigs, as we can put our soul into the gig much better. Covering our skins with clay can be quite meditative process and it helps us to get rid of our egos to some extent and become more like a channel between our music and this world.
The smoke has been used, many times excessively, to create a barrier between the audience members in order to force them to live the event, to concentrate on it. Of course these things also have a strong visual side.
6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
We were on a tour in Eastern Europe with Asphodelus in March 2018. Then there was the album release show in Germany on 5.5.2018. We have two gigs booked for the autumn in Finland. Nothing else is planned for this year at the moment. We’re always open for requests, though.
7.The new album was released on 'Deviant Records', how did you get in contact with this label?
Sairanen had followed the label activities for some time and bought many releases from them, so we’ve been interested in Deviant Records for a long time. We sent him a demo version of the album on tape and were extremely delighted to get a positive reaction. We have met the label manager two times now and he’s a very honorable and nice guy. Hail Deviant Records!
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
We have heard only praising comments, but the amount of feedback isn’t that big, at least yet. We hope that people will love or hate our album.
9.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
We have other bands and projects of various styles, unrelated to Kuilu, some active, some just started.
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
At the moment, we’re composing the songs for a split release with another Finnish band. We’ve also been composing the songs for the second full-length for some time now. We don’t know when they’ll be ready. The split material is a bit more traditional and the second album material is, at least at the moment, quite well in line with the first album style. After these, we don’t know, time will tell.
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Black metal, doom metal, maybe some post-metal could be heard in the sound. For single bands, we don’t know, maybe Deathspell Omega and some others have been the inspiration for some riffs. Sometimes we remember clearly what sparked the flame that forced us to make a new riff etc., but usually it’s really difficult to see what has influenced us and what hasn’t. We all listen to diverse kinds of music and every member has their own preferences.
12.What are some of your non musical interests?
We enjoy mixing up cocktails and an hors d’oeuvre or two, putting a little mood music on the phonograph, and inviting in a female acquaintance for a quiet discussion on Picasso, Nietzsche, jazz, sex.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for the interview.
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