The temperature outside may be dropping and everyone seems to be suffering from the flu, colds or some other delightful germs - so we decided to head over to a part of the world that is used to the cold, and I mean the real cold, Finland.
Finland and hard hitting great metal go hand in hand and October's Band of the Month continue in that vein. Having been around for a decade and just about to release their fourth album Iconoclastic, along with a Europe wide tour supporting Children Of Bodom, the end of 2013 looks like it will be a special time for our Band of the Month, Medeia.
Band Biography:
A dark star in a sea of monotonously predictable heavy bands, Medeia has stuck to one clear objective since its founding in 2002: creating a fresh, brutal sound rich in content and uncompromising in nature. Solely positive reviews for their self-produced and now sold-out debut album Quantum Holocaust: World Domination and the gut wrenching follow-up label release Cult stand as a loud testament to the success of that mission.
Following the success of their label debut, Medeia released the final instalment of their thematically twisted trilogy in May 2011, dubbing it Abandon All. Though lyrically picking up the tale of nuclear devastation from where Cult left off, musically Medeia again progressed by leaps and bounds, embracing whole new elements in their impassioned brand of aural battery and ensuring it sounds nothing short of exceptional.
Signed to the prominent Fullsteam Records and Agency, Medeia has made a point of bringing their trademark jaw-dropping energy to audiences across Finland and beyond, touring relentlessly and playing shows alongside such notable acts as Ozzy Osbourne, As I Lay Dying, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Between the Buried and Me, Entombed, Raised Fist, Terror and The Ocean.
2013 will see the release of the fourth Medeia album Iconoclastic and will take the band on an expansive tour across Europe.
Members:
Keijo Niinimaa - Vocals
Samuli Peltola - Guitar and backing vocals
Pekko Moro - Guitar
Samuli Kuusinen - Bass and backing vocals
Laura Dziadulewicz - Keys and backing vocals
Influences:
Carcass,
Death,
Dillinger Escape Plan,
Meshuggah
And hundreds of other non-metal bands that we're too ashamed to mention, like Bon Iver.
Sounds Like:
Modern riff-based death metal incorporated with whatever we can come up with.
Current release and where it's available:
Iconoclastic comes out on the 25th of October wordwide and it's available at www.medeiaband.com.
Up and coming artists you would recommend:
Two very interesting new acts from Finland are Khroma and Consciousness Removal Project, check them out!
Future Plans:
We're currently on a two-month European tour with Children of Bodom and the primary objective is to survive it. If we stay alive, we'll be playing a tour in Finland during next spring, some summer festivals and then hopefully playing some more shows in e.g. Japan.
Tour Dates:
UK and Ireland dates supporting Children of Bodom:
October
7th, Academy, Bournemouth
8th, Academy, Bristol
10th, Vicar Street, Dublin
12th, Academy, Sheffield
13th, Academy, Newcastle
14th, Academy, Manchester
15th, Shepherd Bush Empire, London
Check out www.medeiaband.com for all other dates.
If you were the prime minister for one day, what would you do:
Probably just hang at the office, drink coffee, watch some YouTube and walk around looking important as hell.
If you could go back to any time in history, where would you go and why:
Last night, before I got hung-over. If not that, then I'd like to travel in time to meet some of the greatest philosophers like Bertnard Russell or Jean-Paul Sartre in their prime, or possibly before they were recognized.
Is there anything you would like to say to our readers:
Come see us play and hang later!
So there you have it, our thanks to Samuli Peltola for answering our questions. We strongly recommend checking out Medeia play live and you have the added bonus of Children Of Bodom after, what more could you want?
Keep an eye out on R13 over the next few days for a brand new video from Medeia but for now, here's a taster of what to expect: