Track By Tracks: Decrowned - Persona Non Grata (2023)

1. Mouth leaks black:

Starting the album with a blast, “Mouth leaks black” is a song that we mostly just wanted to have fun with, it's kind of playful but still serious enough with fun dark occult themes in play. Having an almost "punk rockish" theme in the chorus, some groovy riffing in the verse, and maybe a bit of a chill mental trip in the later half of the song, this has become one of our favorites to perform live.

This really gets us going on stage so we figured it's the best way to get the album going, setting up the album with maybe a bit lighter tone than the rest of the album.

2.Mindparasite:

The song dives into the aspects of the human mind and sanity, our prejudices and biases that we may possess, and how hard it could be to overcome your basic beliefs, faulty or not. During the writing process when the song was basically done but we had not quite set the lyrics and vocal ideas to it, we discovered the song had parts that very much reminded us of another well-known Finnish band "Timo Rautiainen & Trio Niskalaukaus". This led us to the idea that we want some Finnish language in the song and also some featuring artists because this would aptly fit the theme of the song representing the complicated workings of a human mind.

Giving a bit of homage to our Finnish brethren we want to give our thanks to Timo Rautiainen & Trio Niskalaukaus for the inspiration, Tuomo Huurre for the outstanding vocal performance delivering the Finnish lyrics of the song, and also Euge Valovirta for the mind-blowing guitar solo!

3.Scarred:

"Scarred" is a very personal song, as it was written as a means to unload some anxiety and trauma and this was a very long process.

Time went by and the song developed and is intended to inspire hope and rebirth, despite it having a very sad and maybe a bit melancholic feel to it.

This song was something that we were not really sure that we would even include in the album but we are glad that we did, we feel that it fits very well in there and has a good place in the album being a bit slower song.

4. Faceless:

Although the song may revolve around very complicated issues, I think it's very straightforward and simple in its saying and the music itself.

Everyone has some sort of misfortune in this life, some more than others but the song is about how we face the issues and how we deal with them.

After all, we can be our worst enemy and we can be causing the most harm unknowingly to ourselves just by losing sight of what actually is important to us.

This whole idea was something that we wanted to represent in the song, not only in the lyrics. Having a good back and forth in hope, promise, and ultimately despair, and we believe that does come through in the song.

5.Stonewing:

I was always very keen on the first riff and the whole song came up very fast around it. The song starts heavily and the chorus is very melodic. The song tells a story about a fallen angel who walks on this Earth. The world's sorrow turns her to stone. Even though the story is dark, it has positive and uplifting features.

6. Rainworld:

The main riff is very old. I came up with it probably five or six years ago. I played it home as a downpicking practice but when Decrowned was formed, I thought it would make a good song. So it did. Lyrics paint up a rainy and gray landscape of a depressed mind. Seasons go too slowly for this individual. He wants them to pass faster so that eternal sleep and rest would finally take place.

7. The Vigorian man:

This was the last composition for the album. It’s a bit different than the other songs with Its oriental bridge and odd lyrics. Vigorian man refers to people as gods' images. Time passes and life is a struggle while man tries to understand himself in this universe.

8. Folklore pt. 1 and 2:

This is very old stuff from my drawer. I composed this maybe 2007, when my semi-professional sports career came to an end. It has been waiting for the right place and this album was it. The original acoustic guitar part is at the end of “Persona non grata” song and we wanted to make an intro and outro from it to the album. Parts 1 and 2 are played with two traditional Finnish instruments called kantele.

9. Persona non grata:

This song is about a demon or unwanted entity that takes over a person. It hides behind ordinary faces and smiles, spreading like a plague. It wouldn't want to let go until it had taken everything.

10. The bird and the tree:

A human connection to the wonders of nature is long gone. The Person here does not recognize the simple beauty of the world and goes on with unnecessary grief in the heart. Musically this song is very simple but there are a couple of rhythmic twists and unusual chord choices.

11. Awaken:

The song kicks in with “Rammstein” riff, goes on with quite a fast verse, and continues with a typical clean vocals chorus. This song has a specialty that the guitar solo has blended in various parts of the song. This is a song that at first sounds simple, but you find all these different levels when you listen to it more and more. Jaakko’s guitar solo is excellent for this. Lyrically this song tells about a person's battle with fears and demons but the chorus tells what is the cure for it.