Darkest Times and Best Times

The Mindset behind of Beyond The Hate

“Darkest Times” has been a big project and a major investment. This suggests Beyond The Hate is ready to push towards bigger stages. I wonder what is the purpose of the band for (each) of you? What role does it play in your lives?

“Yes, “Darkest Times” album has been a big investment and the process of creating this album has been a long one, with the very first demos for the album being completed in 2018 and the latest compositions were finished in spring 2021, then moving on to the actual pre-production phase with Pekka. So the material has been carefully thought out and refined over time.

Our approach in music making has been moving forward towards better and better songs, getting more live gigs on bigger stages, and gaining more recognition from small underground circles towards to larger audiences. We all have daytime jobs, so this band is ‘semi-serious’ interest for all of us. And we are planning to keep it that way. But of course it would also be nice to play at some bigger metal festival in Finland someday, like our favourite Dark River Festival in Kotka.”

Facing Darkest Times?

Comparatives and superlatives are compulsory for the death and black metal atmosphere. The title of the album bears perhaps the most common superlative in extreme metal lyrics. Yet I have often found it difficult to associate such an up to nihilistic attitude in the music with the musicians who have created it. The setting of meeting Beyond The Hate on the festival grounds on sunny afternoon is all but helpful here. Nevertheless, these days more than ever in my life, are widely perceived as dark times.

Still, the question remains: Why  “D a r k e s t  Times”? Is it about the grief and the loss, or something else? Why the superlative?

Wild chatter begins. The question moves each of them and is apparently deeply related to the name of the band as well. It seems the band was meant to vent their hate, turn it into something constructive.

Getting beyond hate

“… But I’m trying to get rid of the hate inside of me during the years. And I’m quite good at this point. I’m no more hate” says Mikko as another bandmate points out: “We are more than that.” The next sums up: “We are no hate anymore.” Then again, hate is only one topic making it more than dark. “If we are not living the darkest times right now, I’m …  I’m quite worried. What’s next for us? Nuclear war, maybe?” Niko says.

Several times I hear, they were living in the darkest times, referring to late friends and family, and the war in Ukraine. But then, living in the darkest times is not essential to write music reflecting this mindset, Jyrki explains: ”Maybe I’m a little bit different because actually, I’m … I am having a best time of my life nowadays. But I still wrote and I have also written a couple of lyrics for all the songs. So I still, I still can reached dark mode or mood when I’m,  … when I’m doing the music. But anyways I’m not so depressed a person or anything. So I’m not living my darkest times at the moment. But yeah, there has definitely been a lot of shit around the band. Also, I lost my grandma last Christmas to the COVID. So she finally got it after two or three years and died for that, you know.”

In the following, Jyrki reveals how close the band members have been even before they founded this band. 

When Kimmo’s Mother died – “In Memoriam”

“For example this, when our other guitarist’s Kimmo’s mother died and I also knew her very well, she was an important person for me either. I got to write this song, “In Memoriam”. I write the music and I also write the lyrics for this one. Because it was personal for me. I wanted all the lyrics writing there, too. “         

Mikko admits: “I must say now, the first time I hear this “In Memoriam” demo almost three years ago, I must almost crying because I know the story behind it. And I still got the chills when I hear it. I have heard the song what hundred times?! I still get the chills. It’s all epic.”

Jyrki takes over again: “It’s the final track on the album and it will be the longest song on the album. A little bit over seven minutes. … It will have a acoustic guitar. It will have a guitar solo with the acoustic and also with the electric guitar. And it will have choir; and it will have a piano section whatever and it will have a dark atmosphere either.”

Inspired by persistence and professional work

Months later at home. I listen to “„Darkest Times“” and suddenly I have kind of a flashback; so I text Mikko. “I very vividly recall our Dark-River-Festival–Bloodred-Hourglass (BRHG) experience. Listening to your new material, I had a bit of a flashback. How much of an inspiration are they to you? Maybe music-wise, but perhaps beyond music, too?”

He replies: ”BRHG has long been a source of inspiration for me. As an inspiring example of how persistent and professional work can eventually pay off in the music world. I have been personally following them probably since about 2016, and have also seen many, many live shows in Finland. Subconsciously we might have taken some influences from them during the years and last year we practised their song ”Valkyrie” also in the band trainings, which was very developmental.”

“Their attitude towards gigs and performances is admirable and it’s great that they are close to a breakthrough to bigger circles in Europe, maybe BTH will follow them one day and it would be great to warm them up for a gig in Finland in the future!”