“Not worth it” is the opposite of what 2 Wolves has shown us
Finnish doom metal band 2 Wolves just released their new album, “Not Worth It”.
I understand that the band was born in 2011, so you have been created for a long time. How did the idea of creating the band come up?
N.Pennanen and A.Susi got an idea to create industrial influenced gothic metal music. That was the starting point to a band called 2 Wolves. After shocks and chaos of Rammstein’s gig it was.
Who are the current members and where do they come from? Do they have experience from previous projects?
Niko Pennanen — Drums, Keyboards
From Lappeenranta
Bands: ex — Mind Infection
Ossi Virén Guitars, Vocals
From Kouvola
Bands: ex — Autumn Breath, ex — Babylonfall, ex — High Hypnotic, ex — Wiréns
Ilkka Valkonen — Vocals (lead)
From Ruotsinpyhtää
Bands: ex-HateFrame, ex-Solamnia, ex-Soulwound
Jere Pennanen — Guitars
From Taavetti
Sami Simpanen — Bass
From Lahti
Bands: ex — Verjagen, Firecane
Before I talk about your latest album, let me congratulate you because I was listening to it while doing this interview and I enjoyed it a lot. So congratulations!
Thank You 😊
Now, let’s talk about “Not Worth It”, your most recent album and the band’s fifth one, which was released at the beginning of May. How was the editing and recording process?
The process of making the album was very easy and effortless. Saku Moilanen from Deep Noise Studio is an old friend and collaborator from previous years, so working together was really seamless. The drum and bass recordings were done at Niko’s place, while the guitars were recorded along with the vocals at Saku’s studio in Kouvola. The production process was smooth because Saku knew exactly the sound we were aiming for with the new album.
How many songs does it include and what is it about?
8 tracks, includes 7 songs and 1 instrumental to memory of A. Susi (RIP 2023).
No Longer 06:45
Failed Attempts 06:11
Man of Thousand Faces 06:42
Garden of Ashes 06:53
Where Birds Can Sing No More
Sky That Hides the Stars
Wheel of Unfortune
The One That’s Gone
The story of the album is about the notion that no matter what you do, what is done to you, or what you are going to do, everything ultimately ends in emptiness and oblivion. This might make you feel depressed and anxious, but hopefully, it cheers you up to know that others are also depressed about this and will face the same reality. Now is the time to regret and stop regretting, because soon it will be too late. No matter what you do, it didn’t matter. Or did it?
Does it have any audiovisual material?
Nope, maybe later
Regarding the promotion and diffusion of the album. How has the promotion work been?
The distribution and initial promotion of the album through Werewolf Records have been handled well. However, as a band, we are lazy when it comes to promotion. All the band members have day jobs, so after dealing with other aspects of life, there’s not much time left for proper promotion, which this album clearly deserves. We have done a few interviews about the album, though. In terms of gigs, we were not at all timely with scheduling. We promise to improve our ways, or maybe we won’t.
How has this album been received, in general, both by the public and by the specialized press?
The reception for the album has been really good. The reviews in the media have been excellent, even downright laudatory. The feedback from our fans has also been entirely positive.
As I said before, this is the band’s fifth album. On what basis do you compose the band’s songs?
Niko, our multi-instrumentalist by the grace of God and Elvis, creates the songs. He comes up with an idea, then demos it, tweaks it, demos it again, and so on. Then he sends it to us to listen to. Sometimes Niko has already created the vocal melodies, while other times Ilkka creates the vocal melodies, writes the lyrics, and fits them to the melody. The remaining polishing and changes happen over time through collaborative work.
What themes do you include in your lyrics?
The lyrics of our songs usually deal with these themes: finality, hopelessness, human flaws, depression, darkness, anger, and the end times. The heavier, grayer side of being human.
Going back to the initial question, the band emerged in 2011. How do you feel so far?
We’ve only just begun. The end will come when it comes, but if you don’t burn yourself out over something and instead do it with enjoyment, you can continue doing it tirelessly until the bitter end. So, we feel we can be eternally angry, bitter old men.
How much has the band and each of its members grown?
The band has aged physically and deteriorated mentally. The benefits of the twilight years of life for us, who can already see the opposite shore.
Have you achieved your goals so far?
We believe we are on the brink of something significant with this album. It’s impossible to set goals in any specific direction because we know our realities, but…
Back to the band. A few months after the release of your most recent musical work. What are the next plans?
In fact, new songs are brewing. Some kind of beetle has laid eggs in Niko’s cerebral cortex, and we’ll see what hatches from them.
Do you already have any national or international tour planned?
Unfortunately, there aren’t any. ☹ PS. You can come pick us up for gigs right from home. Just a little hint to all concert, festival, and tour organizers.
Follow the band at:
https://www.instagram.com/2wolvesband
