Rioghan continues to captivate fans with their unique blend of gothic and progressive metal. In this interview, they discuss their new single "Hands," upcoming album Kept, and dreams for 2025.
1.
Congratulations on the release of your new single, "Hands"! Can you
tell us more about the inspiration and meaning behind this track?
Thank you,
it's been really awesome feeling to finally get the songs out to the public!
Before the Song, I had a poem called "Ire Hands", which explored the
theme of being used by other people. When we paired it with the initial
instrumental idea of "Hands", I felt it should have an aggressive
approach, but when the song evolved, new layers unfolded and new feelings, it
was not just an angry song it needed to be bittersweet.
2. In
"Hands," you explore some very intense emotions. What do you hope
listeners will take away from the song’s themes of struggle and resilience?
We often
see or hear stories of other people in vulnerable states who've been abused in
some way or another, and quickly just label them as victims. My experience is I
would like to bring forth there are so many complex emotions in every person
and every situation, it should be safe to live through them all.
3. Your
upcoming album Kept is set for release on February 14th, 2025. How does this
album differ from your previous work, Different Kinds of Losses, both musically
and thematically?
Different
Kinds Of Losses had 10 stories about loss, hence the name. Kept revolves around
10 different stories of being kept in, by, or from something. Musically
"Kept" will lean a bit more towards heavier expression, however very
melodic and having a lot of shallow waters within still.
4.
You've been on tour with Wheel throughout Finland this fall. What has the
experience been like sharing the stage with them, and how have fans responded
to your performances?
Every place
and every show felt like home. I have completely forgotten my first doubts if
Rioghan is a live band or not, yes it definetely is! It was so heartwarming to
see we had existing fans at every city, and also got a bunch of new ones at
every event! I truly wish we can get more of these kind of journeys. It was
also super nice to get to know the guys from Wheel, they were so friendly and
we got along great.
5. The
band has recently evolved into a full live lineup with the addition of Tero
Luukkonen and Antti Varjanne. How has this change impacted the band's dynamics
and your creative process?
Creative
process has not significantly changed, me and Teemu are Still the driving force
of the creation, but of course everyone has made their own arrangements to
their instrumental parts when recording the album. And also in the new album
there is one Song written completely by Tero!
6. The
music video for your first single, "Edge," received great feedback.
Do you have any special plans for visuals or music videos for songs from Kept?
We have
alreade decided the 4 single songs, and every one of them will have a music
video too.
7. You
started Rioghan as a solo project, originally inspired by poetry. How have your
lyrical inspirations evolved over time, and do you still draw on poetry for new
songs?
Every song
is still made by combining a poem to music. Sometimes the poem exists first,
sometimes a melody gives inspiration to a poem, but eventually everything is
rearranged and reassembled to a song. I have saved all the original poems too
and they might be published also on their own at some shape or form some day.
8.
Working with notable musicians like Jonas Renkse from Katatonia and Einar
Solberg from Leprous on your debut album was huge. Did their input influence
the direction of Kept, or did you take a new approach this time around?
After the
release of Different Kinds Of Losses and reading and listening to all the
feedback, that the songs of our own making did not pale in comparison to the
ones made with Jonas and Einar. So we decided to take a completely new approach
with "Kept" and focus on standing on our own feet. Though we have a
pair of songs I have made with Vikram Shankar (Silent Skies, Lux Terminus, Pain
Of Salvation), but I'd say that was purely a coincidence, as we just found each
other at a right time even though we weren't looking for collaborations.
9. As a
band rooted in gothic and progressive metal, how do you balance these genres to
create Rioghan’s unique sound?
I think the
gothic feel seeps mainly through lyrics, and the overall gloomy mindset and
atmosphere (wellll maybe in some visuals too...) and the bit more complex
structures and instrumentals are herited from our mutual love for classic and
modern progressive metal.
10. Can
you tell us a bit about the themes and concepts explored in Kept? Are there any
specific stories or personal experiences that have shaped this album?
Of course
all the stories have some level of my own persona in them, it is inevitable as
most of my writing is almost "diary like", and no matter how much I
try to twist and turn the story it will always shine through. For
"Kept" I collected poems exploring different views and feelings about
being imprisoned, either willingly or not, in your thougts or physically
restrained.
11.
You’ve built a strong listener base in Finland and beyond. How do you view the
international metal scene, and do you have plans to tour outside of Finland in
the future?
One of our
most important dreams right now is to get touring outside of Finland, probably
Europe. Let's see how that plays out!
12.
Lastly, with the release of Kept on the horizon, what are your hopes for the
album and for Rioghan’s journey in 2025? Any exciting plans you can share?
We hope to
share this album with as many people as possible, as it is truly a work of
heart, mending together pieces of our souls we have now chosen to share. We
also hope 2025 will bring more Rioghan Live, we already have a few things
cooking.
Thanks for the interview!
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