- RAPTUROUS TRANCE -: MY SHAMEFUL

This one my first “true” interview: During the years I help some friends with questions, and ideas but never had done anything like this.
My first pick was this Finnish / German My Shameful, at that time they just had release their third album “The Return to Nothing” , which was one of my favorite album in that year ( 2006), and till now alongside with the demos, which in my opinion are great and deserve something more than an digital release ( I know that “to all I Hated” had a cd version, but I really think they deserve more.
Hope you enjoy it, in the end of the interview you can find some link that are related to the band.

This interview was answered by Sami Rautio and appear in the first number of Laudatio Funebris Zine

MY SHAMEFUL INTERVIEW

Greetings Sami! The new album from My Shameful untitled the return to nothing was released some days ago in Finland. How does it fell after the work that an album involves to have the final package in your hands?

S: It´s a feeling of relief of really. A long work has in a way come to an end, from the first demos of the songs to the final product, it´s a long way... Lot´s of stuff has happened on the way, and in my mind it´s all documented on the album, as memories I can now connect into making of this CD.

Anything you like to change?

S: Sure, as always: D But I´ve learned to let go at a certain point, and now it is as it is.

I know that firebox send some promos out some time ago, did you got any feedback from the press concerning the album?

S: As I suspected, the reviews have been really divided between those who simply haven´t gotten the concept of this kind of music and those who absolutely love it. Personally, I try not to give too much importance to reviews...

Anything that surprised you?

S: One reviewer has actually mistaken the drums to drum machine, which of course is not the case... funny enough, exact opposite happened on one review of the last album.

For you has a member of my shameful which are the main differences between the return of nothing and the previnious releases?

S: That it feels like a band, that it sounds like a band. As I did again produce the album, having a band with me made my job hell of a lot easier since it´s so much more productive to bounce ideas back and forth with other people, rather than solely inside your head with only yourself... There’s a new kind of liveliness to the music that simply wasn’t possible before.

This is the first album with a complete line-up, i know that in the past you where the only member responsable for the band. How was to be involved with other persons for the creation of the album? Did this affect the composition process?

S: I still wrote all the songs except for Marks acoustic piece, but I wrote the songs with the thought in my mind that they would have to be possible to perform by a band. So yeah, it did add new dimensions into the writing process, and I had to think about the arrangement a lot more carefully than before. And yeah, if a song sucks donkey balls, nobody´s afraid to voice their opinion.

I always thought that my shameful was doomed to be a only man band or a duo i never imagined that some day you would have a steady line-up. Why after all this years almost alone you decided to accept new members? It was something you felt was needed for the band future or you were only looking for the right persons?

S: It was a sum of right events falling into place coincidentally, in other words, it just happened. At the time I did feel like venturing into live-playing, just out of curiosity to see if it works, and it has! Besides, it was becoming too much of a burden for one person, I was already starting to have problems keeping my perspective right...

In the info i found in the web i found that you moved from Finland to Germany some years ago, and that other members from the band are from the US and from Finland. How do you work things out? You met some times over the year?

S: Well, we all live in the same area in Germany, and most of us even work in the same company.
I read on your website that in the last 2 years you done already 11 gigs with acts like Esoteric, Mar de grises, debris inc, etc! How the audience react to your sound?

S: In most cases they seem to have been astonished by the sheer heaviness of our music on stage. We are brutal, cold, mean, and heavy as fuck.

Do you do some kind of different things on the songs live, or try to recreate the album songs exactly?

S: We do simplify the songs a bit out of necessity, I mean, we don´t have 6 guitar players on stage ;-) But all in all, I think we sound heavier live than on albums.

You have some gigs coming in a near future but only in Germany? Any plans for a tour in a near future?

S: Yeah, no gigs outside Germany in sight at the moment, but we´re always open to suggestions ;-)

Looking back to the my shameful career what would you change if you have the change? Next goals for the group? Anything you like to do? Vinyl pressings of the band’s work maybe?

S: Heh, I´d love to have gotten a real band earlier on... But yeah, we just have to keep getting better and better at what we do. If I cant top myself with every release I make, what´s the point? I have been dreaming of making an album, not necessarily a My Shameful album, in surround... Might be interesting...

I know that you are involved in making music some years now. What was your main inspiration to begin making and working with music?

S: I don´t know really, just had something in me that needed to get out... I didn´t start making music with a certain goal, that´s for sure. I mean, it´s nice to get your stuff "out there", but I still do it for myself.

Which was the released or band that made you want to do this kind of music? Any releases you like to recommend to us now?

S: A hard question that is... Guess it all roots down to the moment I first heard Metal music, Iron Maiden´s Peace of Mind to be exact... But I don´t know, I think I´ve always had a drive to make something extreme with my music, and do it better than most.

Some new bands that caught your attention nowadays?

S: Well, I´ve been giving Shining a lot of spins in my player lately, also the new Total Devastation kicks ass. And now we´re again playing with Black Shape of Nexus from Mannheim, definitely worth checking out if you´re into the drone side of doom.

Thanks for the interview Sami and all the best for My Shameful future.