Leskentuska Interview

 

.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

We (Matias, Aapo and Lauri) founded Leskentuska in Oulu, Finland, in 2018. The idea from the beginning was to create authentic, simple but catchy black metal inspired by punk and rock'n'roll. We sometimes call the style black'n'roll but many of our best live songs are also inspired by Finnish melodic metal.

2.So far you have released a couple of ep's, musically how do they differ from each other?

The first release "Rikki revitty" contained three songs made in the early years of the band. All three songs have been played a lot live. "Rikki revitty" in particular is a really well-liked gig song that usually comes towards the end of our set. It's a bit of a shame that this epic song suffers from poor production (the demo was produced on a very low budget) because it has the ingredients for a very massive piece.

The second release "Nälkäkurki" represents a slightly more advanced stage in the band's history, and these three songs were made in the 2020s. They are technically more challenging to play but still simple and catchy, especially "Den Onda Andan". All three songs are still in our live set. The release was again entirely self-produced, but this time we put a bit more financial effort into it, which is reflected in the songs.

3.A lot of your lyrics cover Finnish History, can you till us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

Lauri, who writes the lyrics and composes the songs, works on the history of homicide in early modern Finland and specializes in the history of violence, madness, and self-destruction. Most of our songs are either directly related to the crime cases he is researching or inspired by the themes of his research. For example, "Den Onda Andan" is about how 200-300 years ago criminals often claimed to have been seduced by the evil spirit. "Rikki revitty" tells the story of a woman who killed her own child because she wanted to be beheaded. "Minun murhani" tells the story of how the bodies of those who committed suicide were desecrated in the early modern period.

Our music tells the stories of those who have suffered violence and discrimination in their lives, for example at the hands of the church or other authorities. These people were often the most disadvantaged and had no access to justice in their lives. By telling their stories through music, we feel we are doing justice to the people of the past.

4.I know the band name means 'widow's path' in Finnish, how does this name fit in with the musical style that you play? 

Actually, "Leskentuska"  translates as "widow's pain". We think Leskentuska is a perfect name because it represents pain, loss and, somehow brutal emotion, but more importantly because it sounds cool in Finnish.

5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new ep cover?

"Nälkäkurki" translates as "hunger crane". In Finnish folk culture, the crane is a mythological bird. In the past, the Finns believed that the behaviour of cranes could be used to predict the future. The crane was also regarded as a kind of messenger. "Nälkäkurki" (the bird on the cover) represents the worst enemy of our ancestors in the past, hunger, often caused by frost. The chorus of the song "Nälkäkurki" tells of how frost destroys crops, and as an ominous omen, the cranes sing as a sign of impending death.

The cover was made by Jomi Kyllönen.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

The last show (in May 2023) that we played with another band from Oulu, Antipope, was really cool, very energetic, and intense. It might have been our best show yet. However, one of our most memorable moments was to play with Terveet kädet, back in 2019. Terveet kädet is a legendary Finnish punk band.

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

Not yet, but we are hoping we can play some gigs in Southern Finland, as we have mainly played in Northern Finland.

8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

Yes, we would like to find a label, and we are just about send out some letters as we are finishing recording our third EP. We have received some interest but not yet anything we want to approach.

9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?

Difficult to say, as we haven't got much international attention yet. Finnish people who have seen us live have always liked us, even those who generally don't listen to extreme metal.

10.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

We will begin working towards a full-length right after we release our third EP later this year. But we will have to find some financial aid for recording the full length. We already have lots of songs waiting in line but I think our debut album will have many completely new songs. We are sure that the debut album will also have some kind of a theme that the songs fit into, some sort of a story based on real Finnish history. We are happy with our musical style at the moment but of course, a full-length album will allow us to experiment a bit more than three-song EPs have allowed so far.

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?

We have been inspired by metal music from Scandinavia, I think. Black metal (Mayhem, Satyricon, Paara, Barathrum), black'n'roll (Kvelertak), melodic metal (Insomnium, Swallow the Sun).

I (Lauri) do not listen to music so much, as I am constantly working on our own music and the music of my other bands (The Ghost I've Become). But I liked the new album by Soen. Also Kaleo from Iceland is fucking bonkers-good.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Support our music by buying our releases directly from Bandcamp. Even if you already listen to us on a streaming service, please still buy our music on Bandcamp, as this way you support us directly and we can make more music for you. We are also developing fan products such as patches and shirts. Keep on black'n'rocking folks!

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