Khroma – 30-06-2013

Interview with: Mikko Merilinna
By: Sabine van Gameren

Khroma we saw recently at Findustry and while their show at Tuska was just done, we got a hold on guitarist Mikko Merilinna for an interview.

While Khroma as a band has been active since 2010 the band members have known each other for a long time. Some history of playing in the same bands and most of them know each other for about 15 years.

Teamwork
Lots of the things that Khroma has been doing so far has been organized all by the band self. An act of teamwork and this does not stop there, the whole band seems to work that way. As Mikko remarks “We can’t do Khroma for a living yet, but we do it as a way of life” and that explains a lot about how these guys look at it.
When talking about how things work with Khroma, it becomes clear that the bands basis for this teamwork lays in the song writing. “In Khroma it is 100% teamwork. Someone comes up with a guitarriff or a bassline and then we are building up on the original idea. Then make it as cohesive as possible” Mikko tells about it. A little exception is made on the lyrics. Those are mainly on the desk of Riku Rinta-Seppälä. His style is quite introvert tells Mikko. The themes are clear, socio-economical topics pass by but with these introvert way of bringing the words there is some space for the listener to find the meaning of it. “He makes them so that they are hard to interpretate what they mean. He has the theme in there, between the lines”, according to Mikko. The themes are more brought out by the show that the band is giving. On Tuska’s show the band had loads of visuals playing which add to the atmosphere of the song and strengthen them.

Collapse
Earlier the band had announced their new album called ‘Collapse’ to be released in spring. While the summer is painting landscapes in Finland there is not a sign to be found of a new release yet and when talking about this Mikko explains that the album is not completely finished yet. “The album is 95% ready”, he tells. Quite far as it seems and when wondering what caused that it has not been there yet we come to the point that the band have spent a lot of time at the production. The guys started with a pre-production last year September already. “We wanted to make the pre-production so that there would be no questions anymore when we record the actual instruments”, Mikko says about it. This results in material for the album that is quite produced and that is something that he says to be proud of. This, because with previous bands they had more a rock and roll style of making music. “With Khroma we have tried to distance ourselves from the rock or the traditional rock and roll sound“ he tells. In which way ‘Collapse’ will be different from their selftitled release of 2011, Mikko is quite clear: “Now we moved it to another level”.
When wondering if they are perhaps a little perfectionist on their sound, the guitarist consents with that after thinking it over for a while: “Yes, you could say that. We have sat many hours in the studio to work on the details. Going through the songs from one part to the next. To not lose the atmosphere or the intensity. It has taken a long time”. But when thinking that 95% is already quite close to 100% we have some trust in the progress of it all.

Collapse collaboration
Mikko told that about eight or nine songs will be on the album and that the end is in sight. “The recording or the mixing will be finished in two months I think. In September the latest. After that we try to find the right channel to release the album”.
That brings up the question of Inverse Records. In September the band has released a single called: ‘Chariots’ via Inverse Records. As from his words we may conclude the band probably won’t go on with them we wanted to know a little more. Mikko explains that although the collaboration with their single went pretty well they are considering other options also: “Inverse Records is a non-conventional record company in the way that they release the records but the bands do the business themselves. At this moment we feel that this is not the right way for us to release this new album. The single release was very good and they did a very good job, but with the whole album we want to find some other channels.”
So the options are open. Who will collaborate with this band, a somewhat perfectionist/precise group that brings some experimental/alternative sound to the world? Future music we would say, time will learn what come on Khroma’s path.

Links:
Khroma Facebook
Elektik-Produkts