The Finnish band Averlanche recently celebrated its 7th anniversary. During these years, the band has undergone changes in the lineup, but now they have found the right balance and are working on new music. Their second album, “Arctic Atlas”, released in late spring 2023, played an important role in the growth of the band, thanks also to the professionalism of their manager and producer Joonas Rinne. We had the opportunity to have a chat with singer Rebecca and drummer Henri and find out more about the world of Averlanche.
Welcoming Averlanche
Hi guys! First of all, how are you doing?
Rebecca: We are doing great, thanks. We celebrated our 7th anniversary yesterday, so we went to a concert, had a few drinks, and celebrated.
For those who are unfamiliar with Averlanche, would you mind introducing yourself and providing us with some biographical information?
Rebecca: Averlanche was formed in 2017. Over the years, the lineup has undergone some changes, but I, guitarist Otto, and keyboardist Antti are the founding members. We have released two albums so far, and what else?
Henri: We play melodic metal.
Moving from Germany to Finland
I read that you, Rebecca, moved from Germany to Finland in 2014. What was the reason for this choice?
Rebecca: The metal scene. I come from a very small village in Germany where only about 5,000 people live, and I was the only metalhead in town, so it was difficult to find musicians with the same interests as me there.
After finishing high school, I decided to move to Finland. I watched many Nightwish videos and interviews where they talked about Finland. Then they spoke Finnish, and I immediately thought that both the language and the country were beautiful. I love the nature, music, and culture of this country, and I checked it out for myself, then at a certain point, I did not leave.
I can understand you since I moved to Finland in 2013, and music was the main reason. How did you manage to move here? Did you come to study or?
Rebecca: First, I moved to Salo and did the immigration resettlement course, then I studied to become a musician at the Turku conservatory. At that same time, I discovered in Helsinki Averlanche, which had just formed, I auditioned, and I moved there.
The second album of Averlanche: “Artic Atlas”
Let’s talk about your music; your second album, “Arctic Atlas,” was released in spring 2023. What are the main differences compared to “Life’s Phenomenon”? What was the writing and recording process like?
Heri: The recording lasted more than a year. We did several sessions, first we recorded drums and bass in Kemi, northern Finland, then guitar and keyboards, and finally vocals. We recorded in different places, like I said, we recorded in Kemi, we had the main studio in Oulu, and then in Vantaa to record some vocals. It was a long process, we learned a lot, and it was fun.
Rebecca: Yes, it was a completely different experience compared to the first album; it felt like a jigsaw puzzle coming together. The second album is heavier and more varied than the first. As Henri said, we learned a lot during that time, and we grew a lot as musicians, and as a team, we had a lot of fun.
Henri: The style of the songs is different, and we also had a different producer who affected the outcome.
Meeting Joonas #1
Regarding the producer, in “Life’s Phenomenon,” you worked with Hiili Hiilesmaa, while in “Arctic Atlas,” you worked with Joonas Rinne, who is also your manager. How different was it working with them?
Henri: I joined the band later, when the first album had already been released. Maybe Rebecca can tell you more about what it was like working with Hiili.
Rebecca: First of all, it was great to meet Hiili, because he has worked with so many big bands, and he is a cool person. Talking about the differences, both have very different styles. With our manager, we spent more time together, and we were able to meet more often. We enjoyed working with both of them; they are both amazing, and you can hear the difference in style in our albums.
Meeting Joonas #2
Do you think working with Joonas was more natural since he knows you better? I was wondering, since he is your manager, maybe he knows the band’s needs better.
Rebecca: Perhaps. The first album was our first recording experience and we were still finding ourselves, in the second we had a clearer idea and spent a lot of time with Joons as he also booked concerts for us, we had many arranging sessions for songs and working closely together, he had a better chance to get to know us as people and musicians.
Henri: We spent a lot of time producing the songs and realizing the final details of what will be in the song. We had the chance to take notes, we worked together on the mixing process since Joonas also mixed the album, we gave notes and did many rounds with the songs, sending them back and forth. We worked on this until we were all satisfied with the result. I think it was not the same with Hiili.
Rebecca: No, with Hiili we spent less time on the arrangements, it was more about recording and hearing the music, with Joonas we took everything apart.
The lyrics on Averlanche
What can you tell about the lyrics?
Rebecca: Antti would be the best person to answer this question since he writes the lyrics. In “Arctic Atlas,” we have this kind of arctic theme, but there is also a contrast like “In the Theater of Fire,” which is quite different; there are different vibes in the songs, but overall, we have this arctic and energetic theme.
Henri: I think Antti always has some idea of what the song is about, but he wants to give the listeners a chance to understand in their mind what the song is about; he does not explain the lyrics.
Rebecca: He does not even tell us. Sometimes I ask him what the song is about so I can know how to interpret it, but he says, “What do you think? How would you interpret it?”. He never tells us what went through his mind when he wrote it, he likes the idea that a song can have different meanings depending on the person listening to it. They are a secret, I guess.
The creation behind the songs of Averlanche
How does the song creation/writing process work in your band? Does Antti always give the first idea, on which you all then work together?
Rebecca: Antti usually comes up with the song’s idea, with the structure of the song, and then we build it together.
Henri: Antti gives us raw demos to hear what he is thinking about, then we individually listen to them and try to find the best way to make our instrument fit with it. For example, I listen to the drums that Antti wrote for me, I start thinking about how they should be and learn them, then we all get together and try different things in the song.
Rebecca: Usually, the song changes a lot from the first time we play it together, then we style test out, cutting or adding something. For example, Otto may come up with cool riffs or solos.
The lineup changes
You mentioned changes in the lineup. Last October, you got a new bass player, Joona. What can you tell us about him?
Henri: We were looking for a bass player for more than a year, at first Ville joined the band as a session player, he trained with us, played some gigs with us and even recorded some bass on our last album, but he has his band so he did not want fully commit to the Averlanche. We were continuously looking for a bass player. We did some tests with different bass players, and Joona was one of them. His touch for the bass is amazing, I like the bass sound he brought to the band, and he fits really well with the team.
Rebecca: It is very important that in a band we get along because we spend a lot of time together. He is perfect for the band, a great person, and good at what he is doing.
Joona Tirkkonen is the new bass player
Just for curiosity, was it difficult to find a new bass player, or were there a lot of bass players showing up for rehearsals?
Rebecca: We had a lot of people applying and contacting us, but it was difficult to find someone because, at least for me, I felt a lot of pressure to make the right decision.
Henri: But we truly made the right decision, Joona is a great fit in the band.
How often do you have rehearsals?
Rebecca: It depends on the situation, normally all together it is once a week, but obviously if concerts or studios are coming up, we train together more often.
Henri: It is good that we all live near Helsinki and that we have our rehearsal room in Helsinki, it is easy for us to meet.
The videos of Averlanche
You have released several music videos. Do you have a favorite? If yes, which one and why?
Rebecca: I had fun filming all the videos, but I have to say that my favorite is “Little Lotus” because for the filming we went to a cabin, we all spent the night together, and we had a lot of fun filming.
Henri: Yes, it was very cold outside…
Rebecca: In fishnets with –12 degrees in the snow…
Henri: It was cold. I would also say that the filming of “Little Lotus” was my favorite because we spent the night in the cabin, we went to the sauna, we had free time in the evening, the next day we went to shoot the next part of the video, it was a beautiful experience.
The making of “Little Lotus”
I am always curious to know more about the making of music videos. Did anything funny or strange happen during the making of “Little Lotus”?
Rebecca: I was cold all the time, the guys had this big blanket that I was wrapped in before and after the shoot, when the camera started rolling I had to go out and pretend that everything was fine and that it was not cold at all and I was dying, in the the moment filming ended I immediately got wrapped up in the blanket.
Henri: When we started filming, we had this van with equipment, the roads were icy, and we ended up off the road.
Rebecca: Antti was driving.
“Antti was driving.”
Henri: We got stuck there and then, unable to get to the planned location straight away, the director decided it was a good location for filming. We needed the help of a tow truck to get the van back on the road. During video shoots, there is a lot of waiting, and shooting a video is not something that happens often.
Rebecca: Yes, it is something special. I always love outfits and makeup. And I get excited to plan what to wear because I need to think about the visuals, music videos usually have a storyline, and there are parts where the whole band plays, so shooting these two things is very different.
When the band is filmed, the song is played several times, and everyone does and performs as if it were a live show, to film the storyline, one person at a time is filmed, or just if something happens.
Henri: And each video is different.
Playing live is difficult
Speaking of live music, I heard that you are having difficulty booking concerts due to post-pandemic overbooking. What is the situation like at the moment?
Henri: We have some discussions about some concerts in the summer, but it is not finalized yet, so we can not say much more now. It is quite difficult because, due to overbooking, every band is looking for concerts, which makes it difficult to find a good slot for us in good venues, but for sure, there will be concerts coming up.
When was your last gig?
Henri: It was last summer in Oulu, it was small, and it was our first festival.
Rebecca: We were lucky with the weather.
New Averlanche music is coming
Are you now working on new music?
Rebecca: New things are coming, we are rehearsing songs for the next album, and there is nothing concrete to share at the moment.
Henri: There will be some special releases before our next album; we haven’t planned that yet.
So we have to wait and follow your social media to know what is going on.
Henri: Exactly! And we are also working on our live shows, we have a setlist ready, so we are ready for concerts at any time if something arises.
Musical influences
I am curious to know what are your personal music influences?
Rebecca: For me, it all started with Evanescence. I taught myself to sing before taking any music lessons. It was the first Evanescence album I listened to on repeat and tried to sing the same way, then I moved on to heavier stuff like Nightwish and Epica, trying to sing their songs.
I listen to a lot of heavier music that has not influenced my singing, so my biggest influences are Evanescence, Nightwish, and Epica.
Henri: I listen to a lot of different music, so it is hard to say what particular music influences my playing. I have been listening to Wintersun a lot lately because they are releasing a new album soon.
Final words from Averlanche
When did you start to play drums?
Henri: Probably at 10 I started playing drums, at 20 I played in a metal band, then I threw myself into rock bands for many years, until I got the message from Otto if I wanted to join Averlanche, so I went back to metal music.
Rebecca: Good job, Henri!
Besides music, what are your main hobbies?
Henri: Sports, then daily work takes a lot of time, and I still can not earn money for the rent with music.
Rebecca: I like reading fantasy books, playing video games, I have a turtle called Lorna like Lorna Shore, basically just chilling.
We are at the end of this interview. Thank you for your time! Would you like to say something to people who are reading this interview?
Rebecca: You should follow us on social media, we are on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and we have a webpage where you can check out our merchandise. We will keep you updated with all the releases, the upcoming show…
Henri: New releases are coming, stay tuned!