Exclusive Interview: Obscure Fate talk “Raven’s Call”!

They say that the first bite is with the eye and in the case of us and Finnish Metallers Obscure Fate, that much is certainly true because as soon as we saw the music video for “Black Moon“, which was directed, filmed, edited and produced by the bands own bassist Aleksi Möttönen, we were hooked. A month later and “Ravens Call” surfaced via Inverse Records and as we got to know the band, we discovered that while this was indeed their debut EP, the songs which comprise it are ones which have been written as far back as 2007. Intrigued, we took a moment to ask them a few questions…

You initially formed as a solo project of guitarist Kaleva Kovalainen 13 years ago. What was behind wanting to flesh out the project into a full band? “When I realized there were other metal musicians in Paltamo. Jari and Petri had been playing some stuff together before I met them and I met Jari while we worked at the same place. They liked my demos so that was it”

As the band has been around a long time but has only made just its first release, it is a weight off your collective minds to have the EP out now? “It sure is. This has been a long process. Partly treating this as a hobby for a long time and also everyone having their day jobs and daily lives has affected a lot. Final push was the lineup and name change in 2019 when we really wanted to get some material out”

Some of the songs on the EP are older, like “Black Moon” which has celebrated its 10th Anniversary. How have those songs evolved between the initial demos and the versions that we have on the record and why did you choose to release them now and not leave them in the bands past? “Actually Black Moon is the most recent composition that ended up on the EP. Ancient Evil is the oldest one and the second composition ever made for this band. Main structure is basically the same when compared to demos but melodies and solos could change a bit during the process. Also vocals can change slightly. We thought the old songs were good enough and not so different from the newer ones. There are still so many old compositions we haven’t even worked on yet”

There is a wealth of Gothenburg sound of Melodic Death Metal influence on the EP so who were your inspirations when it came to writing and recording it “Main influences had to be In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Arch Enemy, Soilwork for the Gothenburg sound. Other influences come from bands such as Megadeth, Sentenced, Diablo, Mokoma”

Original bassist Petri Möttönen joined in 2009 before stepping aside in 2019 but he gets a special mention in your liner notes; how important was he in the development of the bands sound and getting you where you are today? “Pete was one of the founding members of this project and an important part of the band’s history. Not so much sound wise but in overall progress and development”

When you return to the stage for live shows, if you could bring a guest to the stage to join you for one of your songs, who would you choose and why?
“Obviously someone from the bands we grew up listening to. M&M – Michael Amott for leads and Mikael Stanne for vocals could be a killer combo!”

Picking up your crystal ball; what does the future hold for Obscure Fate? “Full length album and gigs. Actually we have no idea because our fate is obscured 😉”

“Ravens Call” by Obscure Fate is out now via Inverse Records and available over at bandcamp