Currently, Finland has a little over five million inhabitants. To give you a comparison, the city of São Paulo alone has more than twelve million. The country is small, but the number of rock and metal bands born there is impressive.
Moving away from the more traditional bands like Nightwish , Apocalyptica , Children Of Bodom , or Sonata Arctica , we have some lesser-known groups, such as Shiraz Lane .
Hailing from the city of Vantaa, they stand out as a name within the hard rock scene that has emerged in more recent years, combining diverse elements from various musical styles, which impress and are well above average.
In an exclusive interview with Wikimetal , drummer Ana Vilkkumaa discussed the differences between the albums in their discography, the band's evolution, the fact that they are recording their fourth album, and more.
The band recently released the EP Acoustic Archives , which features some reinterpretations of songs from their previous works. However, it is not available on streaming platforms, only on YouTube and in physical format. The musician explains that they all "love the art of physical copies, of physical albums".
“Even today, there’s something magical about getting your hands on a copy of the music. You have a physical CD, you can check out the cover art, you can see what the band looks like, and for me, there’s something magical about that. We definitely wanted to give that experience to the fans and pay tribute to, and carry on the legacy of, physical albums, of physical music.”
Regarding the choice of songs, he described it as something "very natural": "Over the years, we've made incredible versions of our own songs, acoustically different arrangements, and kind of having fun with the songs, making them sound different."
Regarding favorite songs, he explained that it's not the same for all members, but one of his choices was "Keep It Alive," from the EP Vibration I (2020): "because it has that kind of Latin groove, that kind of samba. Really, for me, as a drummer, it's wonderful."
Another song he also mentioned, even though he says his answer would probably change tomorrow, was “Forgotten Shades Of Life,” from the album of the same name, released in 2022. “When we play it, you kind of just feel it, and I feel like you dive deep into the realm of the music. You don’t think about anything else. You kind of live in the moment. And for me, “Forgotten Shades of Life” is one of those songs where you just focus on the moment you’re playing it, and yeah, that’s a beautiful thing.”
Recently the band has been posting some studio clips, and Vilkkumaa revealed that they are working on Shiraz Lane's fourth album. He has already recorded the drums for four tracks, while guitarists Jani Laine and Miki Kalske and bassist Joel Alex were in the studio last week. Following that, it was vocalist Hannes Kett .
"I can say that the songs sound really, really good and are some of the best songs, probably the best we've ever made. We can't wait for you all to hear them."
In 2028, Shiraz Lane released Carnival Days , the best record in their discography. Beyond the hard rock that the band had already brought to their first album, For Crying Out Loud (2016), it's possible to perceive a series of different elements that greatly to the construction of the work.
He explained that the band has a number of influences within rock, but also outside of it, and that, on this album, "I think we really managed" to use those inspirations, "especially with some saxophone arrangements, with the song 'Reincarnation', we go all in on reggae at a certain point, and I think that's the beauty of the album."
“So I think back then we had the courage to do strange things too. We had the courage to go to places that weren’t musically predictable. And I think that’s the beauty of the album. It’s still full of rock and roll, but it has really cool elements that aren’t rock and roll, you know?”
The band's three albums have some points in common, but overall, they differ quite a bit from each other. While the first, as the drummer himself said, has a more garage rock feel, the third, Forgotten Shades Of Life, is somewhat heavier and darker, especially when compared to its predecessor.
He spoke about the impact the pandemic had: “As a band, as a musician, you’re used to being able to perform live, and we didn’t have that experience during the pandemic. So you kind of feel like you’re in a cage because you can’t get on stage and perform because of it.”
“We were just hanging out together in our studio rehearsal space and just writing things and doing it together, just the five of us, just improvising and playing our instruments and, yeah, maybe heavier, maybe a little darker because of the pandemic, because our lives were in a state… we couldn’t get the happiness of performing. So we were, you know, inside four walls, kind of, not depressed, but kind of upset and writing kind of dark and heavy songs.”
Another difference between the two most recent records has to do with their production. Except for “Imagination” and “Beat Of Your Heart,” which are special creations for Kalske and Kett, respectively, “the songs are more or less created in our rehearsal, in our rehearsal room. So we wanted to capture the band vibe, the garage vibe, and the rehearsal room vibe. So we recorded live. We recorded in the same room, five of us playing together at the same time.”
Commenting little on the group's upcoming album, the drummer revealed that Per Aldeheim , producer of Carnival Days , has returned to work with them: "the elements of Carnival Of Days are there".
In 2025 they return, for the third time, to the Monsters Of Rock Cruise, with the two previous participations having been described by the musician as "the happiest moments" of his life. "As Finns, we don't experience that much sun and summer. So, we have long winters and it's dark all the time, so being able to do shows in the Caribbean Sea, where the sun shines, it's warm, it's cool, everyone is full of rock and roll, it's been incredible."
The band started in 2010 and some changes have occurred, but Vilkkumaa is proud of them and considers them "natural": "We've grown as musicians, we've grown as a band, and we've grown together. We are different people than we were ten years ago. We are much more, I think, better musicians. For me, we make better music now, although still, back then, it was a good time, you know, but it's like, it's like a family."
When asked about his career, he described it as: “it’s been like a dream come true. For me, it’s been a lifelong journey. But the journey has only just begun.”
"I think that for us, even though it's been the biggest part of my heart and soul, we're investing in this band, in the music, but still, it's only just beginning."
The band came to Brazil in 2019, and he recalled the occasion: “We were all very impressed by the fact that many of our songs, our Brazilian fans could sing along to. And for us, the fact that our music has spread and traveled, you know, around the world and even to Brazil. And you guys like our music. That's so wonderful, and we're so happy to hear that. And during those 2019 shows, we could see that with our own eyes, and it was so wonderful that we really want to come back. However, during this year, during this period, I'm not sure when we'll be able to come back, but I hope it will be soon.”
