| Band | : Before the Dawn |
| Instrument/Position | : Vocals, guitars, drums, bass |
AM : Hi Tuomas, welcome on Ars Metallia ! You have changed of label for this release, why didn't you going with Locomotive and why the choice of Cyclone Empire ?
Tuomas : Our deal with Locomotive ended and I had several better offers waiting from metal labels from Finland and europe. Stay Heavy records in Finland and Cyclone Empire for europe is a diamond package to continue and raise the band to the next level.
AM : Before the Dawn has been and still is mainly your project, but is it because you didn't find the right bandmembers or because it's a choice to keep it as your project ?
Tuomas : BTD was originaly my solo project and after 2 demos I had to find some members to be able to play live gigs. It has been hard to find guys with good motivation and skills but also it has been a clear choice to keep all the strings in my hands. I have a clear vision and solid backbone to make it into reality so I musically I rather work alone if the other guys mess with the music :). The new line-up is my personal all stars (great friends and great musicians) so next album is going to be a band album with me writing the music and texts.
AM : Tuomas, in studio, you do nearly everything yourself : guitars, dark vocals, keyboards and drums, you are a very versatile musician, what 's your musical background ?
Tuomas : I started with guitar when I was 8 years old. Drums came along at the age of 16 and piano/bass when I was 19. I am self educated musician and I see myself mainly as a song writer than a musician. My current main instrument is drums but I play guitar daily and that is my main tool to make music. I rehearse as much as I can but the main purpose for every instrument is to serve my music writing or working in the studio.
AM :How would you describe the evolution of your sound on "Deadlight" ? I can hear influences of bands like Katatonia but also a touch of melodic death as Dark Tranquillity, are these some bands you like, and if not, what are your other influences ?
Tuomas : My influences come from all kinds of music. Not just from metal music. I love all kinds of melodic music and also brutality from death/black metal and in my ears BTD is mixture of that.
AM : Did you also record this album yourself, with no producer ? Was it a difficult album to record, did you change somethings in the last minutes or was everything planned before recording ?
Tuomas : I had a good friend of mine pushing the buttons and mixing the album and I was the producer of the album. It was pretty difficult because we had to kick out our drummer after 5 days in the studio because he did a very poor job and I had to play all the drums again by myself and we lost precious time and that made the rest of the schedule very tight. The album was very well planned but I always make some last minute chances and leave some room for improvising. Most of the lyrics were written in the studio to get the feeling of that time to the album.
AM : Tell us about your other band Dawn of Solace, what kind of music do you play in it, etc…
Tuomas : DOS is my other "solo" band. Debut album "the darkness" is out in Finland and will out in europe 19.10. and I played all the instruments by myself and had Lars from BTD doing the clean vocals. Somebody told me that DOS is funeral doom. Very melodic, dark and more doom like than BTD.
AM : What is your planning now, composition, touring, or holidays ?
Tuomas : Writing music for my bands, running my own company, play as much gigs as possible and work in the studio when ever I have got time.
AM : Thanks for your time and for the great new album !