Interview - Let Me Dream

Hello Jani! Although your band was formed almost 15 years ago Let Me Dream is not a well known band in Romania. So it would be useful and interesting if you will point out the most important aspects in the band's history.

The band was formed in 1989, we recorded the first & second demo in 1992 and since those days our music has been dark atmospheric metal. The fourth demo was recorded in 1994 and it leaded us to sign a record deal with French Adipocere Records. We changed our name from Congestion to Let Me Dream and our debut album "My Dear Succubus" came out in early 1995. In 1998 we formed Succubus Records and released an EP "Medley Rain". In 1999 we got signed to Nocturnal Music from Italy and released "The Maze" EP and second album "Greyscales" (2000) on them. The third album "Soulshine" was first released in early 2003 on Succubus Records and the officially distributed version will come out in August on Nocturnal Music.

In 1995 you released the first Let Me Dream album, "My Dear Succubus". How did the public receive this album? What is your actual considerations regarding your debut?

We got lot's of feedback due that album, many people liked the music that we did because back those days it was very different from everything else. When I listen to the album I hear that production & playing could be better. I liked the songs when we wrote them and I still like to play them live every once and awhile. I'm proud of the fact that we were one of the first bands in our genre to release an album and that we were surely head of our time. Even Moonspell's "Wolfheart" came out 6 months later than our debut and basically we're a cause of same influences as they are, together with bands like Katatonia & Tristitia. But as you can hear we like to do our music our own way.

Five years passed until you released your second full length. Why such a long time between the records? Did you lose your inspiration or other problems occurred?

The sales of the debut were not that good, only about 3000 copies. It was times when underground sales started to come down generally. We were not the most commercial & easiest options for labels so they were not interested in putting our CDs out. However we still trusted in our music, wanted to release it in CD form and therefore formed Succubus Records. So, we released one EP in 1998 and that EP made Nocturnal Music interested in us and we got signed again. In 1998 we took a second guitar player Juhana Stolt to our line-up and a lead vocalist Tuukka Koskinen joined us in 1999. After this we felt that we were ready to record the second album and after some delays it got released in 2000.

Also the fact that in 1994-1998 me and our keyboard player were studying in a town 700 kilometres away from our rehearsal place caused some problems and delays when it comes to working with Let Me Dream.

Let us return to the present times. This year you have released a new record, "Soulshine", an album presented in a limited edition. Why a limited edition? Don't you have for this album a global distribution?

We did the limited edition by ourselves on Succubus Records due the fact we were going on our 3 rd European tour in January and Nocturnal Music was not able to release the record before the tour. So we printed the limited edition in order to have something new to offer for those who came to see our shows. It would have been very frustrating to go on tour without a new CD.

Our version will be for sale only at our live shows and through the band address, Nocturnal Music's version will be released in August and it will be globally distributed. The differences between these CDs are that our version includes a "Dust of Time" video that was filmed at shows in Russia, Belgium & Holland; Nocturnal Music's version includes a "Powered by the Moon" video that was filmed in Germany (Celtic rock indoor 2004).

I listened to a few tracks from this new opus and I found out that you still play an intriguing combination of gothic/dark metal with many black metal influences all played in a original manner. Have I correctly labeled your music? Don't you think that so many styles combined in your music could confuse the listener?

Surely some people get confused. Some people might get confused because this time we have more aggressive elements there. Some people might get confused because after a heavy, brutal and metallic song "Babel" we throw in a very melodic & mellow song like "As the Souls Embrace". However it's all part of Let Me Dream and I think the track list of the new album is exactly what it was meant to be on this album and it keeps the CD interesting from beginning to the end. At least for myself.

However right now, after I have written about 13 songs for our next album, I feel that next album should be more straight atmospheric dark metal release. We'll see what it will eventually be. Let Me Dream will always play dark & atmospheric metal music, call it gothic/dark metal or whatever you prefer.

What other details can you offer me about your latest records? Tell me more about the songs, lyrics and the album concept.

Well we have couple of fine gothic metal tunes (like "Powered by the Moon") there and then we have more aggressive dark metallic stuff (like "Babel") there. Rest of the songs are somewhere in between. I personally like to combine dark metal stuff ala old Celtic Frost with atmosphere & decadence of early gothic rock stuff like Joy Division & Fields of The Nephilim. To me that is what the gothic part should be, not flowery fields but rather reflections of black industry scenes the way Joy Division & Bauhaus did it. I think Moonspell is rather good example of what gothic metal is. You could say that our concept is to show some people, sooner or later, that we were right and they were wrong. Heh. Well until then we just keep on writing the music that is natural to us, without thinking too much, the way like it has always been.

You have your own record company, Succubus Records. Is it true that the only band signed with this label is Let Me Dream? In other words, your own company for your own band? Why this situation, didn't you find a suitable record company for Let Me Dream (I know that in the past you collaborated with Adipocere and Nocturnal Music)?

Succubus Records was formed in 1997 when we made the decision to release "Medley Rain" MCD by ourselves. The reasons for this was the fact that we didn't find a label to work with, but we still wanted to continue working with Let Me Dream. In 1998 a gothic metal band called Medieval Art joined our label project and released their MCD "Cold Dawn" on Succubus. However after awhile we felt that it's better to keep Succubus Records just for Let Me Dream and Medieval Art should start a label project of their own. Besides releasing these two MCDs we have done some underground distribution for other labels, which have helped to distribute our stuff. Right now Let Me Dream is working with Nocturnal Music, but we still decided release a limited edition of "Soulshine" by ourselves because the tour was coming. So you could say that Succubus records is a sort of backup for Let Me Dream, if there isn't other way to get a record done then we do it by ourselves and obviously we don't give a flying fuck about the business side then.

Is there a message (religious, mystic, political or other nature) behind the music of Let Me Dream, or the music is only the expression of your feelings?

No, just be honest to yourself and learn to know yourself. If there's something you want to do then never give up until you have done it.

For us, writing music and lyrics for Let Me Dream, is a way to create something out of our negative feelings. The music itself is something that makes my soul shine and keep me in focus & balance.

Jani, tell me please, after so many years, how do you see the evolution of metal in general and in your country, in particular? Because during the last years many good bands emerged from the Finnish scene. Finland is a pretty small country but you have a lot of bands. Do you people play music all day long, hehe?

I have no idea, many original & interesting bands come from small and isolated countries. For example Necromantia from Greece, Mortem from Peru, Master's Hammer (R.I.P) from Check. Generally speaking most of the interesting bands had an original idea about music in the beginning. In Finland's case this might have something to do with the history & background of the areas where we came from. Finland's history as a country isn't that long, our language found it's present written form just about 150 years ago, 'till then Finns and the Finnish language was always submitted by the Swedes and Russians and there was no real Finnish history written in it's most true and real form. Of course those things are long gone now, but these matters combined with Finnish die-hard attitude caused that even today Finnish people rather stick to their own and unique ways in their life's and the melancholy and stubbornness of our nature (Human) are one of those things that suits things like heavy metal. But, I think the main thing is to do good and original music. The rest is up to the others - are they capable and willing to understand what you are doing. Anyway it seems that it's our time to show our identity and who we are.

Who had the idea of naming the band "Let Me Dream". Are the dreams an important element in your life philosophy?

I picked up that utterance from Celtic Frost's song "Rex Irae", maybe also due the fact that at the time in 1992-1994 I was reading a lot stuff like H.P. Lovecraft and was very much into music like Fields of the Nephilim, like I still am. So that name has a lot to do with Lovecraftian themes like "Dead but Dreaming".

Do you think that dreams can give us hidden messages, and later we could use them in our ordinary real life?

Maybe, I don't really think about that much. In Let Me Dream's case the "dream" word has more to do with real feelings & things that give you mesmerised feeling after you discover them, like once you manage to create a tune or lyrical line that reflects the feelings that you going through at the time.

I sometimes foresee things, like all people do, but then I'm very waken and in most of the cases it's just logical. Maybe some people see these things happening when they're in unaware mode.

Can you describe in few words the band members? Do you manage to make a living only from music or you have other jobs?

We have day jobs. With the band we just make some of our earnings to go away and get new experiences in return. Financially we always get something back from shows but it's never enough to cover all expenses of touring. About records, we hardly get our studio expenses back, not to talk about making profit out of making albums. We're simply doing this because it's our passion and we have a constant need to write new music.

Soon you will come to Romania to play your first gigs in our country. What are your expectations toward these shows?

We're highly interested to see what's coming. We can only hope that there's people out there who are interest to find out what we have to give and that they come to the shows to check it out. I expect to see some great nature, Carpathian Mountains on the way from Bucharest to Cluj and back and to learn new interesting things about your history & people. Is the beer good? J

What do you know about Romania?

Well, of course these Dracula/transylvanian myths, Walachia and Vlad Tepes. I know that you have a history with foreign occupiers: Romans, Russians/Soviets. Communism, then Ceausescu and revolution. I also guess that redefining your language roots & the nation thing has lot similarities with what Finns went through in last 200 years. But I know only little, so I think it's a great chance to be able to come there and meet people in the personal level. One of the good things about band life is that when you co-operate and meet with local people you get to see many things that you would never see when travelling as a tourist.

Is there anything else important that our readers should know about your band?

To learn what Let Me Dream really is you should come to check out our live shows in Bucharest & Cluj. We will play something from each of our albums and also songs that will be on the next album. So you will get first of all a raw, heavy & dark, but also energetic & melodic set. Also if you're interested in buying our new album at the shows, come to ask for it, we have still couple left and we'll take them with us.

Jani, thank you for this interview and, in the end, I let you choose the final words for our readers.

See you in Bucharest & Cluj! Check out our homepage www.letmedream.com to download mp3s from "Soulshine" & "Powered by the Moon" video!