Track By Tracks: Heathen Hearts - S/T (2022)

Text by Jere - Guitars / Backing vocals

First of all, S/T EP was composed and recorded within a couple of months timeframe since the band was formed. To us, it was a perfect presentation of what we wanted to do right from the start. A pure explosion of aggression and authentic rage in a pretty tight under the 10-minute package. This EP had the very first riffs, melodies, and lyrics written for this band, and with all the minor mistakes and flaws, we are still very happy with the outcome. No editing, no samples, nothing extra. We sure hope that people can hear what we hear, a genuine burst of adult angst. Special thanks to Jari Heino, who recorded and produced everything except the drums, and also is the man behind both of our music videos for this release. Drums were recorded by Juha-Pekka Pusa, EP was mixed by Vesa Sinkko and mastered by Juho Räihä. As a first release and of course budgeting-wise, we decided to release the EP only digitally, accompanied by two music videos, and spend a bit more money on the promotion. Let's go a bit through the EP, track by track. Please note that Antti is not very eager to open up about the meaning behind his lyrics so those stories are excluded.

1. ICHOR:

Starting track, which has the very first riffs I composed for this band ever. Pretty fist in the face right from the start, and the song represents quite well what I enjoy in music, fast and aggressive with an effective arrangement. We had a couple of different versions and arrangements for this one, and if I remember correctly this was the last song we completed for the EP. The music video was filmed in an abandoned asylum in our hometown Kotka, Finland and the characters on the walls were pretty gnarly yet cool add to the video. There was no heating in the building, so pretty fucking cold to shoot a video for two eight-hour days. Totally worth it.

2. Loyal to Sacrifice:

I remember writing the first demo of the song, with a glass of white wine with only one goal in mind - to make a fast and crushing song with a melodic chorus. The full demo was completed in one evening and I think the final arrangement pretty much follows the original demo. As a special note, the original bpm was around 200, and the final version on the EP I think is 175 bpm. I was not very happy at first when the other guys wanted to slow down the tempo but at least the middle section grooves like hell. Probably one of mine and at least Lauri's favorites to play live.

3. World of Ash:

- World of Ash. Not a lullaby for sure. This is the song that kind of stands out from the other two, with a lot more metal than hardcore vibe to it. Mid-tempo and very heavy song with a lot more melodic aspects than the previous two. One special part we all are very proud of is the ending of the song after the second chorus, with all the phaser effects on guitars as well as the vocal arrangements. The music video of the song just makes the ending even better. The video is a presentation of a human trapped in somewhere or something that cannot be identified. We had a very talented young actress, who managed better than us in the again, cold environment. The World of Ash video can be considered as a prequel for the next music video we are going to release. But let's not reveal any more...