Interviews: WILLFIRE

On this new occasion, we had the opportunity to interview the Heavy Metal band WILLFIRE from Finland. Check out the interview and follow this band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name? Did you plan it or came out like that?

Willfire: Tero suggested ‘Fire at Will’, inspired by a computer game, and this was changed to ‘Willfire’.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Willfire: We never really sat down and discussed what kind of music we would play. We started writing our own songs quite soon after starting the band, and the songs turned out the way they have. We were all fans of heavy metal, so the genre came quite naturally. There was kind of an unspoken common understanding about the style.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Willfire: Tero and Niko knew each other from school and were jamming together sometimes. Our first bass player, Juhani, met Marko in a summer job, and we formed the band.

4. Each band member's favourite band?

Niko: A long list of many great bands. Manowar, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Thin Lizzy, to name a few.

Marko: My first albums ever were Killers from Maiden, Paranoid from Sabbath, and Powerage from AC/DC.

Tero: Though there are several favourites, maybe I have to name Manowar because it was the first.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Niko: Inspiration comes from life, people I’ve met, places I’ve been to, things I’ve seen. Sometimes fact is indeed stranger than fiction.

Marko: It's on my 10-year plan. My contribution is more in arranging.

Tero: When you listen to thousands of songs, it just keeps you motivated to create something of your own. The kind of riffs and melodies you like.

6. Where was your last gig?

Willfire: Liberté club in Helsinki in 2013.

7. Where would you like to act?

Willfire: In Finland, places like Tavastia, Lutakko, Tullikamari, and Tuska metal festival would be nice. Outside Finland, e.g., in South America and Japan. Beyond that, wherever we are wanted.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Willfire: No idea. Maybe with a band with a similar genre.

9. Whom not?

Willfire: Maybe bands with too different genres, such as hip-hop and rap, and of course, with anyone who does not like to feature with us.

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

Niko: I have. This is a really good and difficult question. I think good preparation and experience help, like rehearsing the songs, trying to learn about oneself, how stage fright affects, etc. Once I heard a professional actor advise to let the emotion come and then it goes away. Trying to control emotions can take a lot of energy, so being ok with the sensation is better than trying to control it. For me, fear usually is gone after the first few songs.

Marko: I suffer from it terribly. My pulse is around 200 before the show. If first songs go well, it usually helps. We used to begin our concerts with a middle tempo instrumental song with various changes, and it really helped me to become more relaxed.

Tero: Going to stage is always thrilling. After you start playing, the good feeling wins the anxiety. Best tip for beginners is that learn the songs you are playing and rehearse them with the band, so the playing is tight.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Niko: All the good ones I have listened to.

Marko: Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and AC/DC, of course. In the mid-80s, when bands like Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax came, it felt like being hit in the head with a baseball bat. As a drummer, I have been inspired by many old school drummers like Ian Paice, Bill Wardand, and John Bonham.

Tero: Maybe heavy metal bands from the '80s and '90s.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

Willfire: To sing her own song during our gig.

13. What do you think of your fans?

Willfire: They're the best, we love them all. :)

14. What do you think of our site?

Willfire: Seems to be quitea solid, overwhelmingly comprehensive music site. Keep it up!

15. Something to add?

Willfire: Willfire will record new songs in the near future. R.I.P. Ozzy.