Introduced by Monk
Finnish alt-rock/prog metal crossover band Frozen Factory have just released their second album, ‘Of Pearls & Perils’, which sees them explore topics of equality, life, the afterlife and the climate crisis, as well as vocalist Stephen Baker’s inner struggle with the behaviour of much of the human race, including himself. So, what better time to catch up with said frontman and find out a bit more about the band, their background and the new album?
I started our chat at our usual place, the beginning, by asking how the band came together:
Our lead guitarist, Mici Ehnqvist, and our bassist, Tomi Hassinen, have known each other for many years, I think since school. I’ve known our rhythm guitarist, Johnny (Joni), for about ten years, since our other bands have played a few nights together and we’ve been playing together in an Iron Maiden tribute band. Otherwise, we’ve all met through Frozen Factory. We found our drummer, Marianne, from one of her online videos where she was playing along to a Muse song – she was so damn good at it that we were determined to get her into Frozen Factory.
Regular readers will know that I’m fascinated with etymology, so I have to ask where the name of the band came from:
The name was chosen by our former drummer, Eddie X. When the band first came together, it was only intended to be a quick and fun project with a few sessions in a studio in Lahti, Finland. Our bassist, Tomi, called the project ‘Alice in Chains in Lahti’ just for a laugh and because he absolutely loves AiC. When the studio session went well, Tomi and Eddie X decided that the band should continue making music, and that was the moment when Eddie suggested ‘Frozen Factory’. If I remember correctly, Eddie has just always loved that name, or then he plays a lot of Sonic the Hedgehog? I guess we’d have to ask him!
Music is categorized into various genres and sub-genres. How would you define your sound? What individual and collective influences do you draw on for your sound?
Our genre is really hard to pin down. Yes, I realize a lot of bands say that, but seriously, we’re very fluid with our style. We’re definitely a rock band though, there’s no doubt about that at all. I think everyone in Frozen Factory loves rock music, and rock is what comes naturally to us. It’s the kind of music where you can get deep and serious and other people will appreciate it, instead of asking where the party is. Personally, I got into rock for the grand stories, epic singers and fantastic instrumental sections.
We’re inspired by a huge amount of music. We usually only talk about a few of the bands that have inspired us, and those are Pink Floyd, Depeche Mode, Iron Maiden, Alice in Chains, Muse, Rage Against The Machine. There’s so much more, and I think you can count just about anything that has deeper meaning in the lyrics and well-thought-out music. Have fun looking for the sounds of our influencers in our music!
A lot of bands collaborate with other musicians, but you have a rather unusual guest contribution on yours. Can you tell us a bit more about that?
The album starts with a voice recorded by one of our most active fans, Angela C., whom we’ve never actually met in person, as she lives abroad! Her voice also features in several other little moments throughout the record. It’s a delight to include people who support us! Two of her lines are in French, a language we also featured on ‘The First Liquidation’ EP. I chose to use some minor French moments for these two records, because the French language includes some absolutely killer phrases that don’t work so well in English. Angela’s opener for ‘Murder in the Depths’ translates as “only a fool would never change their mind”.
Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?
Personally, I haven’t suffered from it in a very long time. When I was really young – a kid – the thought of getting on stage terrified me. My confidence was very low, yet it changed a huge amount when I practised singing and recorded myself doing it. The moment that I realised I had nothing to fear, I stopped being afraid of it. So, I would say to anyone with stage fright that you can work on it; you can make progress. Being afraid of performing today doesn’t mean that you cannot go out tomorrow with nerves of steel. Practice and listen to yourself improving, and let that feed your confidence.
What’s the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?
We have awesome fans who ask for really understandable things! I can’t think of anything weird, at least in Frozen Factory. When I’ve been singing somewhere else, an old lady in the audience called me over and I thought she wanted to tell me something, however, she took my hand and forced it down her shirt! Ha ha! That’s the weirdest fan moment I’ve had!
What do you think of your fans?
We really appreciate every single one of them, and we hope to meet all of those that we haven’t met yet! Thank you to all of you!
A final message for fans, old and new?
Please take a moment to follow Frozen Factory on Spotify or wherever you listen to music, and also be a little old fashioned and tell your friends about us! We hope you’ll do this for every new band you like, because it makes such a huge difference for new acts when people follow and spread the word. We love you for it! Peace and happiness to you! Cheers!
- ‘Of Pearls & Perils’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
www.facebook.com/frozenfactorymusic
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