Interview with Nerve Saw done by Patrick
1.Hello how are things going in Finland these days? Please introduce yourself to the readers?
Hi there! My name is Markus Makkonen and I handle bass and vocals in Nerve Saw currently. Being on AWOL are Heikki Matero, our guitar player and Michael Dorrian, who played drums on our debut album.
Things in Finland are quite alright, at the moment. We’ve had a pretty warm winter, as it has been south wind throughout. That has meant a lot of ice, cold rain and slush. None of that typical 10-20 minus degrees celsius we usually have at this time of the year. Today it has been pretty nice, though. Fresh snow, nice minus 8 degrees and sun is shining again, after it being mainly away for December-January. So, yeah, I’m enjoying it in here right now. Going to town to buy some records this Saturday too, so it’s all good.
2.When did you first start listing to death metal music and who were the first bands you heard?
- This would be in the early and mid-90’s. I was into Finnish punk bands at first, then discovered thrash metal. After I had got as far as Sepultura and Slayer, it was pretty easy to jump into realms of Morbid Angel from there. So, Morbid Angel were the first proper death metal band I heard, with Obituary, early Amorphis, early Sentenced, Edge of Sanity and Napalm Death soon on their wake.
3.When did you first get the idea to start Nerve Saw and are you happy with how everything is going with the band?
- I started Nerve Saw out in 2010 already. Around the time the band I was playing in, and I still am too, Sadistik Forest was heading to more a technical kind of death metal maybe. I had just read the brilliant Choosing Death book by Albert Mudrian and was listening a lot of very early death metal because of it. Early Carcass, Master / Death Strike, Napalm Death, Obituary and Six Feet Under… My teenage greats! So, I wanted to have a channel to write some of that mid-tempo “pick up truck” death metal as well, not just the technically advanced stuff. This is how Nerve Saw got started. I did an EP in 2011 and the band got signed by a certain label too, who did not release anything from Nerve Saw unfortunately. The EP was buried in the vaults for years, until it was dug up and released via Old Skull Productions a couple of years back. While that recording was laying in the shelves I was busy with Sadistik Forest and Hooded Menace. All this time I had Nerve Saw in mind as well. Only problem was the fact that there was more and more old school death metal coming out, lot of it sounding quite the same. So, I did not want to release any more of that. Wanted to find a fresh angle instead. At some point I realized that Nerve Saw needed to rewind back in time to early 90’s again, as far as the influences go and melt some punk stuff into death metal format. To find a refreshed sound. And here we are. Debut album is coming out in March via very good label, Testimony Records. The record turned out pretty neat and the band is very happy about it and how things are taking shape in general.
4.Who would you say are the bands biggest influences and for the readers who have never heard the band how would you best describe the bands sound?
4.Who would you say are the bands biggest influences and for the readers who have never heard the band how would you best describe the bands sound?
- Somebody said that Nerve Saw in 2020 sounds like At the Gates playing GBH and I can understand where that is coming from. There’s the death metal thing, yes, but there is a lot of that 1980’s / 1990’s punk and hardcore thing involved as well. The sounds were done in similar fashion as bands from Sweden in early 1990’s used to do them, but the songs are all fresh and not a bit retro. So, I think the result turned out to be somewhat timeless. It does not belong to any decade in particular.
- While we were writing the album there was a myriad of things we were listening. Whereas I tried to conjure up the energetic, unstoppable vibes of bands like Motörhead, Disfear, Celtic Frost, but also some hardcore and punk riffs like Discharge, Terveet Kädet and Musta Paraati, Heikki was into Raised Fist like he always is and Mike was listening his own favorites, namely Suicidal Tendencies, Death and Cynic. In a way Peril became a mix of all these elements, put into a bucket, shaken and then stirred with HM-2 distortion.
5.Peril is the bands debut full-length which will be released through Testimony Rec. When did you first come in contact with this label?
- After the album was mastered and complete, we started sending out promos. Testimony Records was one of the very first, as we thought they were handling everything very well and had impressive distribution too. So, we did not even get to finish our list of labels, when Testimony Records contacted us and things took off pretty fast from there on.
6.How long did it take to write the music for the debut release? How long does it usually take to complete one song?
- I think the songs for Peril were written, rehearsed and recorded within a radius of one year, or one and a half in maximum. Some of the songs in the album were written pretty quickly, in a matter of hours, some took a little longer to take shape, but one can write stuff like this pretty quickly. You need a good idea first and after it, just find the right notes and vibes to match it.
7.Besides the upcoming Peril release does the band have any other merchandise currently available? If yes what is available and where can the readers buy it?
- Our EP, Call of the Casket, can be bought via Old Skull Productions and we are about to do some t-shirts as well in the future. Keep your eyes open and follow the Facebook site of Nerve Saw for them.
8.Does Nerve Saw play live very often or do you prefer to work in the studio? What have been some of the bands most memorable shows so far?
- To this day, Nerve Saw has not played live a single show yet. In the beginning I was playing all the instruments anyway so that made playing live impossible, but as we have a full band now the live aspect is an option too. Every member of the band has been playing metal since 1990’s, so we all have played lots of shows already, during 20 + years. Therefore we have not rushed with the live thing, but if we get asked to play an interesting show somewhere, there’s no reason why we could/would not do it.
9.Are their any tours or shows planned in support of the debut release? If yes where will the band be playing and who are some bands you will share the stage with?
- We are still waiting for that phone call. Hahah!
10.What does Underground Metal mean to you?
- A lot. Without a doubt. Have been dealing with the underground metal scene since the mid-1990’s. First here in Finland and for more than a decade internationally as well. Underground death metal scene around the world is a fantastic bunch of people, with similar mindset, values and goals. It is easy to get along with everybody, no matter where the person is from and there are no rock star wannabes in death metal bands either. All this makes underground scene a brotherhood I’m glad to be a part of.
11.Nerve Saw comes out of Finland's death metal scene what is your opinion of the Finnish death metal scene?
- We have great bands in here, but not too many venues where to play. Death metal has never been very popular in here, even we have a history of quality death metal. First in the beginning of 1990’s and now again. I guess all the Finnish death metal is more popular OUTSIDE Finland than here in our home grounds. Finnish bands have always tried to avoid direct copying, rather come up with a different twist for each band instead. We have had slow bands, fast bands, death ‘n roll and plain bizarre stuff as well. Melodic and plain ugly stuff. This makes Finnish death metal interesting, but maybe a bit hard to categorize at the same time.
12.Who are your all-time favorite bands coming out of Finland and are their any new bands you could recommend to the readers?
- My favorite band from here was Sentenced. Their early death metal stuff pretty much set the standard and was a fan of their later, more goth albums too. But the pinnacle of Finnish metal still has to be Demilich. They are one of a kind band in the world. The fact that they did only one album in 1993 and are still playing shows over it speaks volumes of their quality. You really do not meet nicer people, either.
- Of new bands coming from Finland, I’d like to mention God Disease, Lantern and Cumbeast, at least, but the album everybody should look into would be Realm of Ash and Blood by Solothus. I’ve heard the record and it is actually coming out the very same day as the Nerve saw album is. What these lads have done is simply marvelous. Mind-blowing, jaw dropping stuff. Atmospheric too, still brutal. By far the best death metal album that has come out from Finland in years and years! Be forewarned!
13.Besides working Nerve Saw do you currently work with any other bands or solo projects? If yes please tell the readers a little about them?
- I play bass and do vocals in Sadistik Forest. We have a new EP coming out this year, so watch out! Mike also plays guitar and does vocals in Anatomy of I. So, besides being our drummer, he is an exceptional all around musician. If he goes and records with Dirk Verbeuren and Steve DiGiorgio, it really should not be a surprise even. Hahah!
14.When you need to take a break from working on new music or band business what do you like to do in your spare time?
- I’d like to take a moment of rest now and then… And have a beer maybe. Hahah! But that is proving to be difficult. Besides family and work routines, I’m also wrapping up a book about Finnish death metal. Have had it under works for a couple of years, but that should be finished real soon. More news about that will follow pretty soon, I guess. So, watch out again!
15.Thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final comments for the readers?
- Thanks for having Nerve Saw onboard! Always a pleasure and an honor, if somebody takes a moment to listen and think about the noise we are making. To all the people reading this, stay safe, don’t buy everything you hear for a truth, but think with your own brains instead. Fear no beer, keep on supporting the extreme metal scene and please – give our debut album a listen when it’s out!
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