BEAST IN BLACK Guitarist: 'It's Been An Interesting, Unexpected Ride'

Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life recently conducted an interview with guitarist Anton Kabanen of Finnish melodic metallers BEAST IN BLACK. You can listen to the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the fast success of BEAST IN BLACK, which was formed after Kabanen's 2015 split from BATTLE BEAST:

Anton: "It's been an interesting, unexpected ride, like how it all started. There were no expectations. When I started the band, I just needed to do it with the guys in the band and we did the best we could, and just waited to see what happens. It's started to go pretty well, then we realized, 'Okay, let's really go with full force with what we got at that time.' Always, put everything we got into this.' Definitely worth it."

On whether he was surprised by the largely positive reaction to the band's sophomore "From Hell With Love" studio album:

Anton: "I think it's never good to say this about your own stuff, but of course, I stand one hundred percent behind my own songs and lyrics, always. After spending so much time with those songs in the studio, I become kind of blind. I don't see clearly what is good or bad anymore. I start to hate the whole album and the songs, but it takes time after the release and I start to like them again. But in the end, when the mastering is done, I have no expectations. I'm, like, 'Oh, what the hell. How can anyone like this?' It doesn't have any emotions anymore. But I tell myself in those moments I remember how I felt myself for the first time when I wrote those songs and how they felt to me back then. So, people who hear it for the first time more or less, feel the same way who enjoy this type of music. That's what I have in mind. Somehow, it also motivates me to finish what I started with the band."

On whether BEAST IN BLACK will be "striving for more" in 2020:

Anton: "Basically, yeah, because you become 'hungrier while you eat'; that's kind of a saying in Finland. I don't think there's any, 'Okay, you have achieved something, then you're done. Level completed. The game is finished. You killed the big boss in every level,' if you compare this to a video game. It's always a journey, just keep going. Your own imagination is the limit with what you can do with art. Because this is still art — that's how I see it. You can expand it in different sections. I like video things also — I would like to combine more visuals to music in the future."

"From Hell With Love" was released on February 8 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2017's "Berserker" was once again recorded in Anton's Sound Request Studio, and true to the motto "never change a winning team," the cover artwork was created by Roman Ismailov, who worked on "Berserker" as well as the first record Kabanen wrote with BATTLE BEAST, "Steel" (2012).

Kabanen was dismissed from BATTLE BEAST in February 2015 due to what was described at the time as "insurmountable disagreements" with the other members of the band.

BEAST IN BLACK will support HAMMERFALL on a North American tour in September/October 2020.