MARIANAS REST – Dealing with Grief

Dec 23, 2025   »   interview   »   U2512

text: Milán Péter   
»   photo: Lassi Karhulahti

The fifth LP of the Finnish Marianas Rest, the latest thesis of the nordic melodeath/doom school will arrive in mid-January. Jaakko Mäntymaa answered our questions regarding the new album, The Bereaved. I can't remember if you ever talked to a Hungarian magazine, please tell me about the beginning of the band – the first influences, the name „Marianas Rest”, etc... “We started the band as a project to escape daily routines and to have fun together back in 2014. So it was more of a therapy project than anything else. But as we noticed that we actually were able to make pretty good songs, the whole thing got gradually more serious. The thing was to make something cold, dark and heavy. And that's where the name comes from, Marianas Trench aka the deepest place on earth. We had to twist it a bit though because there already was an accomplished band by that name.” The new album will be out in January, three years after its predecessor. When did you start to collect ideas for The Bereaved and what was the main plan for the album, if there was any? “I think we started to write the songs pretty much when the last album Auer came out. So the songs started to take form quite a while ago. The concept was to gather different types of perspectives regarding death, loss and grieving. We´ve had to deal with that a lot recently, so it made sense to try to put all the feelings into an album.” Is there a main songwriter in Marianas Rest, or are the songs born out of team work, playing together in the rehearsal place? Do you work out everything including the smallest details before entering the studio or is there some place for doing some experiments or spontaneous steps too? “It’s mostly teamwork. Usually Niko (bass) or Harri (guitar) brings some sort of a starting idea to our studio and then we start to compose together. It can be a single riff or theme. Usually not much remains from the first demo, so it wouldn’t make much sense to try to make them ready right from the start. After that we go over the songs with our producer Teemu Aalto. Even then the songs can take a new direction. We leave a lot of room to experiment in the studio. For example all the guitar solos are done in the studio.” Marianas Rest likes bombastic sound with strong keyboards and atmospherics, which conveys an overall romantic mood for the music; something that is among the main characteristics of your music from the beginning. Does the music you're playing reflect the true selves of the musicians involved or is it a musical/artistic expression you're fond of? “Both, I guess. We all have a more serious, bleaker side. But at the same time this band is about having a good time and doing something we enjoy. It still is a therapy project even though it’s gotten more serious over the years.” Melodic doom/death metal is significant Finnish type of music, as many bands are playing this kind of stuff over there. Maybe it's a cliched question, but is it because the Finnish character of the soul is mostly gloomy and melancholic? “There’s probably some truth to that. I don’t think we are THAT gloomy and melancholic in general, but maybe we are seen that way because we think small talk is a tool of the devil. But yeah, we don’t have that much sun over here most of the year. It has to show somehow. Better to make metal out of it.” How could you summarize the discography of Marianas Rest so far? Is there a red line through the albums in your opinion? “I think there is and the line has gotten thicker as we’ve improved. The first album was kind of a sketch. We started to figure out our strengths while making it in the studio. You know, the whole soundtrack type of thing. Every record has its own theme. We try to focus on storytelling and delivering emotion.” The cover artwork of The Bereaved is lovely. It has a strong emotional character, which, together with the album title is really effective and suggests a conception. Is this a concept album? What is the lyrical content about? “Yeah, I’d say it’s a concept album, basically about how to let things go. There’s a lot of really personal stuff in there, all of the group pitched in.” Please, tell me about the cover artwork itself. “The best person to answer this Kjetil Karlsen, who made the covers. We gave him the album and lyrics and he had the freedom to transform the story into pictures. Personally I love the cover art. You find something new in them every time you take a look.” AI is a big topic these days and there are voices that fear of AI taking over the role of creating, composing music, art etc, instead of human beings. What do you think about this phenomenon and the fear of its spreading? “When used in the right way in the right places it can do a lot of good. But at the same time things are moving super fast. We should figure ways to prevent AI from destroying livelihoods and prevent wrong kinds of use. How this can be done, I have no clue.” What's the situation with concerts regarding the near future? I saw Finnish dates for January and February. Is there a European tour in sight? “Yes, there is. We are making a tour in Europe next spring. Hope we get to spread the word in other parts of the world as well. See you in concerts!”

Bezár

Bezár

views     »     marianas rest, Jaakko Mäntymaa, underworld in english, underworld international