How has this tour with Cradle of Filth & Turisas been for you so far?
Oh, it’s been great. I mean, it’s been kind of a pretty extreme tour because, you know, we’re the opening act, we’re not [the] headliners. So, sometimes we get a sound check, sometimes we don’t. And we had all [of] these in-ear monitors with us that we (laughs) never used them because we never got the chance, but you know, it’s been great. All of the crowds have been very friendly to us. It’s all good. (laughs)
Would you say that Daniel Lioneye has transitioned into it’s true sound now? I mean, I listened to both of your albums, and they’re very drastic and different!
Yeah. (laughs) Well, I think the lineup is perfect now. I love the band, I love the– you know, I’ve had some struggles with a drummer before who was playing on the album and it was kind of me and him, I was doing everything else, and he was just playing 
the drums, and then I met Seppo, who is our current drummer, hewas, he actually practices at the same house that we practice in, and I heard him next door playing every night. And I was like, “I have to get this guy!” And so, I asked him, and he was like, “Oh, sure. Yeah.” And then Manu, the lead screamer; he’s like my girlfriend’s-best friend’s-boyfriend…. And I saw their gig like 3 times in the UK and I was like, “Ok, I need to get this dude as well.”
So, I really feel like the band is perfect at the moment.
How would you want or like the band to evolve more for the next album? Or do you want to experiment anymore with–
Yeah, well… (laughs) Daniel Lioneye’s kind of a weird concept anyway. I think, you know, at this moment in time, I think we have found something that’s worth savoring for a while. I think we are going to record a few new songs after this tour in Memphis [Tennessee], we’re playing the southwest on the 17th in March, before that we have a few days off, so we’re thinking of booking a studio in Memphis, recording a few new songs, just to capture the essence of the band and see how it goes from there. Maybe re-record songs on the previous album as well, because it’s so different now. (laughs)
Yeah. With the way you guys perform, you’re all energetic and constantly moving on stage, how for the next album, would you like to capture that movement and energy for the studio?
Yeah. Well I think you will be able to hear it, just because of the way (inaudible) now instead of just me just a random drummer, you know? I think we’re going to try and record everything live, as much as possible now. Probably of course cover up the vocals and shit like that, but you know, it’s not going to be as produced as this, Volume II. I mean, I love Volume II, but it was a different thing, but we always have to go forward.
You are very experienced with music, you’ve been in the industry for years… How do you know when it’s the right time you’ve completed a song?
Well, I believe in the magic of the moment. I don’t believe in turning things around and around; you can always do that forever. And when can you say that something is finished? You know, never. You just have to– like you’re painting a picture or something, just have to stop somewhere, otherwise you’ll go insane. But I think when it comes to songs, you can feel and hear the essence of the song, and when you actually feel something, that’s when you should stop.
With Volume II, it sounds alive; when you were writing/recording, how did you make it full of life, and how are you going to do that with the next record?
(laughs) We’ll see how it goes… I mean, I have very high hopes with this ensemble. (laughs) Like I said before, I’m really happy with all of the players, when it comes to Seppo, I’ve never played with a drummer as talented as he is, and he does it with no effort, he’s like a, you would think that he would need in-ear monitors and everything to click every gig, but he doesn’t, he can’t hear shit and he has a hangover every fucking day and you know, he still pulls it off.
With the way you guys have progressed into the way you are now musically, what is it exactly do you want your fans to feel from it all?
Well…(laughs) I don’t know. That’s a difficult question, I mean I can’t ask the fans to feel anything, it’s just you know (pauses) …Come and see the show and if you like it, great… If you don’t (pauses) …too bad. But we’re doing our best every night. That’s you know, all I can do. I can’t affect other people’s feelings.
How do you want Daniel Lioneye to be symbolized throughout music as well as with your fans versus HIM?
(laughs) That’s another question, you know, very difficult to answer… I only do what I do, I don’t analyze it, I don’t over analyze it, I can’t think about how people are going to perceive it, or (pauses) I just do what I do, basically… And that’s it…
How would you describe the freedom your music gives to your fans though?
Yeah, well the umm– at least gives a freedom to myself, you know? [The] Daniel Lioneye thing, has always been about breaking boundaries and not caring about what people think. It’s about doing your own thing and doing the best you can, whatever you feel like at the moment. It’s kind of a big difference between the first and second album.
So, I believe that when it comes to music, you have to be– it has to come from your heart. It has to be real, it can’t be fake. And that’s what Daniel Lioneye’s all about. It’s all about whatever you’re feeling, putting it out there. That’s it.
How do you let yourself connect through your music to be able to write everything you do whether it be with Daniel Lioneye or HIM or anything else?
Well, whenever I write music, I don’t feel like I’m writing anything, it’s just a– I feel like– it sounds pretty corny, (laughs) but that it’s coming from somewhere else and I’m channeling it through. I can’t really remember writing any of the Volume II stuff, and I was sober while writing it, so it just comes to me and comes out. If I start to overanalyze it or plan stuff or think what somebody else might think about this song and it turns into shit. So, I just channel whatever comes to me.
How do you feel that Daniel Lioneye represents who you are as a person, if it does at all, or if it just the completely infamous alter-ego that I’ve read about?
Hmm… I think it’s– some of the songs are pretty accurate description of what goes inside my head, but you know probably very, kind of a (laughs), how do you say it… I’m not bipolar, but I’m very calm, I’m very shy, I’m very– I don’t know the words in English now because I’m too drunk…(laughs) Sometimes I come across as a very different person and I think the music is a way to express that in a very good and healthy way, like not hurting other people or anybody else.
Which song do you think most represents who you are?
(laughs) Hmm. It’s a combination. I can’t name just one song, because it’s a– the way this album was written, it’s not like, this song is about this, this song is about that, and this song’s about that. It’s like a big pile of shit concentrated. You figure it out, I don’t know myself that way. (laughs)
How do you feel the passion between the fans and you connects to create the energy you guys have?
Umm… Well.. Yeah, the live shows, with this tour here, have been great. I mean, the audiences have been- they seem to like it a lot. I love it, some of the people even know the lyrics; even if they’ve never heard of us, kind of get the energy. Like, there’s always a mosh pit, I love it. There’s never a mosh pit during HIM shows, that’s a new experience. But I think people appreciate it more live than you know– I think a lot of people might think that we’ll never be able to pull this off live, and then when we do, it’s like, “Oh, ok! They actually play, that’s great!” (laughs)
What is it that makes you so passionate towards music?
It’s been since I was a little boy, I can’t explain it. Especially like a, (laughs) [I was] drawn towards guitar; when I first saw a guitar, I was like, “Oh, I need to touch that.”
When I was 10, I got my first guitar as a Christmas present, and I started taking lessons immediately. It’s been like a calling, like you know, being a priest or whatever, I don’t know. (laughs)
Like a religious experience…
(laughs) Like a religious experience. But, it’s always been there and it’s like a– to me, music is like a– playing guitar is like eating or drinking or having sex or whatever, it’s like natural. I don’t need to think why…
How do you feel that your music can make the fans feel the depth within your music?
I don’t know, I can only hope for the best. I put my soul into it every night, and obviously, when recording songs, and shit like that, you know, with my everything there, all I can do is hope that some people get it. I’m not– I can’t control anything. That’s all I can do.
This question kind of relates to one I asked right before the previous one; how do you express the passion that you have for music, into the way you perform?
(pause) (laughs) Just being there, trying to be present, in the moment. Even though it’s sometimes– the monitors might suck, sometimes there might not be a lot of people there or whatever. But it’s always like being present in the moment; that’s a difficult job sometimes, and that goes for my life in general. Not just playing music.
What is something that has happened in your life that has really impacted you, which in turn impacted the way that your music has come out?
(laughs) There’s been a lot of shit. I don’t want to go into it detail, you know? But, everybody goes through shit in their lives, a lot of things that seem negative, and devastated, but they might turn out to be nice things in the end. You should always remember that another day, something’s always are around the corner, no matter how bad you feel, you can always turn your negative experiences into positive, and learn about them as well.
That is very true and a good answer. As you have progressed through each album that you’ve released with HIM to Daniel Lioneye, how would you describe the journey you’ve been through with all of that?
(laughs) Well, we kind of have had a difficult journey, a lot of highs, a lot of lows, as opposed with everything, but it seems more extreme when you’re in a band, and I don’t know what it is, but, it’s been a beautiful journey and I can’t regret anything; I wouldn’t change anything because I’m here and I’m this person because of all that. It’s been a lovely journey, lets put it that way. (laughs)
I have one last question and a lot of people have asked me this when they found out I was interviewing you…. I’m sure you know what it is… (laughs) What is going on with HIM right now?
(laughs) Well, we’re on a break, that’s pretty much all I know. We’re not breaking up or anything, we’re just on a break. You know, things tend to get difficult when there’s 5 blokes in a band and you’re smelling each other’s farts for like ten years on the fucking bus, you know? (laughs) We needed to have a break, so that’s what we’re doing. But all is good anyway. We don’t hate each other or anything like that, we’re just doing our own stuff.
