SOURCE – Tell us a bit about the band. How did you come together and forge your sound?
Kari Kankaanpää (Vocals) – Solothus was born from the intense desire to create and play heavy Doom Metal many moons ago in the small coastal town of Parainen between me, Veli (lead guitar/composer) and our ex-drummer Santtu. To satisfy our need to make and play it heavy enough, the Death Metal side came very naturally to us. Juha joined in as a drummer in 2012, Tami joined 2014 and latest addition rhythm guitarist Aleksi joined in 2019.
SOURCE – Tell us about the journey to get to Realm Of Ash and Blood. It’s four years in the making, as I understand it.
Kari Kankaanpää (Vocals) – Yes indeed. After the release of ”No King Reigns Eternal” we played numerous gigs and tours around Finland and Europe, so it took some time to settle down and start recording again. Very quickly after the release of our sophomore album, Veli already had few songs made, so the material came pretty evenly though the years. When the time was right we decided to enter the studio and pretty swiftly we had a new album at our hands.
SOURCE – What do you feel makes Realm Of Ash and Blood stand out from your other releases?
Kari Kankaanpää (Vocals) – The songs are more well thought and flow even better than before. One of the biggest factors is the sound Juha and Tami looked for the album with Lauri Laaksonen (the guy who recorded and mixed the album). That gives the record that extra punsch it needed!
SOURCE – Lyrically, where is the new album coming from? A continuation of No King Reigns Eternal or something else entirely?
Kari Kankaanpää (Vocals) – In a sense it is continuation of the similiar themes that have always attracted me greatly, but on the same time it is more poetic and lyrics dig a bit deeper into the human nature, yet wrapped in the imaginery I dearly love.
SOURCE – What would you say some of your greatest influences are in developing Realm Of Ash and Blood’s sound?
Kari Kankaanpää (Vocals) – Sound-wise we just wanted the album to sound crunchy, natural and heavy! That was the ultimate goal! If musically you mean the influences would vary from Candlemass, Cathedral and Black Sabbath to Bolt Thrower, Autopsy and Incantation.
SOURCE – Do you believe you have a fair amount of support from friends, families, and significant others when it comes to your musical endeavors?
Kari Kankaanpää (Vocals) – I can only answer this from my side, but 100% so! I have always had the support from those close to me and friends. I feel I have been very blessed and lucky in that sense!
SOURCE – Any lessons learned that you’ve learned over the years with Solothus that you’d like to share with younger bands?
Kari Kankaanpää (Vocals) – Create music from your heart and remember that hard work pays off when the material is good enough!
SOURCE – And finally what’s in store for the band for 2020?
Kari Kankaanpää (Vocals) – Well, since the situation is pretty upside down because of corona, we hope things will pick up sooner than later and we can start playing festivals and tours. We have Helsinki Death Fest coming in August, so hopefully that will not be affected!
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