Interview by CriX
Battle Beast is one of the most energetic band on the European metal scene, they collect consents after each stage more and more, they are just unstoppable. Fans, radios and magazines have defined Noora the new metal queen, her powerful and mutable voice made Battle Beast the perfect heavy metal band that the world needs. Before their show in Pori, Femme Metal Webzine have had the chance to meet the singer Noora and talk about the past, the present and the future of the band.
Hey Noora, it’s a pleasure have you again on Femme Metal Webzine. How are you?
I’m fine, thank you.
The new Battle Beast album “Unholy Savior” has been released back on January, what is the concept behind this record?Well, this is pretty much a concept album, and it’s more related on how Anton was feeling during the songwriting last year, and it’s pretty personal album for him. In my prospective it was also very personal but in a different way; as we were recording and going through all the other stuff that’s been reveal now, it was very challenging hard process to deal with it. Musically, I think, “Unholy Savior” shows how different various ways we can be as Battle Beast and not be just hard heavy metal band, but show the other aspect of the softer side. Like you can hear on the album, there’s a lot of diversity and different kind of songs, but lyrically and all it’s very personal for Anton.
The first single, “Touch in the Night”, has a particular sound that remind me the music from 80´s. How the band came up with this song?Good that remind the 80’s because it’s one of the things in this band, we have the 80´s kind of flavors in it. And the way that I’m using my voice is that I love Samantha Fox‘s kind of music and I love all the way 80´s kind of sound. Actually what was inspiring the song was that Anton likes Italo Disco, so this is actually the basic ground of the song and maybe you can hear some kind of influences from there. I think it’s a very good example of how we can dare to do something like it that is not so particularly a true heavy metal head’s ,it’s more showing that we can do more disco and poppish kind of heavy metal for bigger audience.
Recently you were on tour around Europe to support the Swedish band Sabaton, what can you tell us about this experience?It was an amazing experience, the guys from Sabaton are awesome and we have worked with them earlier. There is a very great friendship with them,and during the tour our relation of course has gotten more closer and got to know those guys better, and I just wish we can have another tour with them in future.
Battle Beast is gonna to do a lot of heavy metal music. We are always trying to spread the good feeling and enjoy the music with all the people, so it would be great to have a lot of tours coming up and especially to go on U.S.A., South America, Canada and wherever, we just love to do the show, we are definitely a live show band. We want just keep on doing everything as before but I think in the future it’s gonna be more efficient and more blowing in the same fire, the guys in this band are more motivated, I think the atmosphere is very cool and right now.
Many people define you the the queen of metal, what do you think?Thank you, this makes me speechless. It’s an honor if I can make some people think something like that. I’m in this with my whole heart and soul, and I do this, of course, mostly for the people and the response that I get that our band gets and when we have this symbiotic thing going on with the audience it’s the best thing after sex (laughing). So thank you for every one who thinks like that and I’m trying to going on and keep on the queen metal stuff.
You had a part as special guest on the new album of the Swiss band Crystal Ball, how happened this collaboration?Stephen McGann, the singer of Crystal Ball contacted me on Facebook, well it’s the easiest way to contact someone you don’t know or you haven’t the phone number, he just suggested that if I like the song would I like to do a duet with him. I heard the song and I liked it then they invited me in Germany where they have the studio, actually the original Accept drummer is the producer of their new album, and he’s a really great guy and great producer. We went there and it was done in an hour so it was one of the easiest collaboration I have ever had and they made me feel so comfortable. And now this is a new information, they asked me to join the release show in Switzerland , it’s gonna be in the end of May, I’m gonna go there do the song that I recorded with them and it’s gonna be a blast.
Last year you were guest for a Finnish TV show called “Tartu Mikkiin”, would you like to tell us more about it?I wasn’t suppose to be in the show, there was suppose to be first some other girl in the music industry but I don’t remember who, then the producer contacted me and she asked if I’d like to do the show and have fun with it. This is one of the best opportunity to show your face to people when, maybe, the people don’t know me from my music because they don’t listen to metal music. Then I had the opportunity also to sing other songs like in Finnish and in different genres into the program so people can hear how different kind of sounds I have that I can do other stuff also that is not heavy metal, it was really fun. It was a kind of competition where you had to know the music, there was coming some kind of short demo and then you had to push the bottom before the other team recognize the song and start to sing it. My competitive side came out there I was pushing the bottom every time, I’m so lucky that I’ve done so many covers in the show because I was afraid that I didn’t know songs but actually all the songs that were on the show were almost all something that I’ve sang before, so it was easy and very fun.
We’re at the end, thank you so much for your time, would you like to say something to your fans?I love you guys! Just keep on to coming to our shows and have fun with.