Track By Tracks: Steal My Hope - The Battle Within (2022)

1. Entwined:

Entwined reminds me of Finnish metal bands from the early 2000s. Those bands had a rock vibe and I thought why not make this a tribute to them. It starts with a simple yet catchy riff and builds on that. The part with some guitar sweeps is probably the newest riff I wrote for this album.

2. Around the galaxy:

This one was a little bit tricky to get into final shape. But when I was making the last guitar recordings, I realized that I must add some piano to give it some flavor and it worked perfectly.

3. Rush Hour:

Rush hour was the easiest one to compose because it basically came to life in one session. I didn't want it to get too complicated, so I just let it blast through the whole song without slowing down.

4. Remedy:

The remedy is the oldest song in this album, and I think some of the riffs are over 10 years old. This has gone through many different versions and I'm glad that it turned out great. It includes many parts but still manages to keep the flow of the song.

5. Longing:

Longing has the most meaningful backstory. I made the original version of this song for my wife just before we were getting married a few years ago. I was given a task to write a song for her and in one weekend this song was composed. I tried to capture the feeling of longing and waiting for someone you love and the moment when you finally meet again. And yes, we are still married ;)

6. The Key:

This has some of that same rockin´ vibe as the first tune Entwined. Pretty straightforward tune with melodic riffs to keep up the momentum.

7. The Battle Within:

The opening riff reminds me of some black metal stuff, and it shares the mood with a song called "Man-made chaos" from my first album. This takes a turn in the middle to a lighter theme. So there's almost like a battle between good and evil in this one.

8. Signs Of Life:

Signs of Life was actually the first one that I composed especially for this album. It helped to give the direction for the whole album and its soundscape. Not a fast song, but still has that some kind of rock vibe that ties this album together.

9. Final Fax (Feat. Willie Dangerr):

I made this song a couple of years ago with Ville (Willie Dangerr) who was responsible for the synths and the opening "weird sound-thingy" which gave this song its name. This is probably the most progressive song of the bunch and includes some unusual riffing for me. I thought this should be on the album and it fits nicely as an ending.