Tag: Music

The Mirror of Apocalypse: Understanding Our Fears

A gritty black-and-white pencil sketch featuring a single burning candle in the foreground. The background is a surreal blend of a crumbling ancient Aztec sun stone and a ruined modern city skyline with broken skyscrapers and bridges.

The apocalypse isn’t just a genre. It’s a mirror.

From the moment we figured out time moves ahead, we’ve been obsessed with the moment it stops. We gather around a campfire sharing myths. Or, we doom-scroll on Twitter/X. Humanity has a strange, persistent hobby: we love rehearsing our own extinction.

As I’ve dug into this research for my blog, I’ve made discoveries. It has fuelled the concepts behind Nebula Arcana. I’ve realized that the “End” is rarely about death. It’s a diagnostic tool for the living. The monsters we invent are jaguars, floods, or AIs. They tell us exactly what we are afraid of right now.

Here is a tour through the architecture of the end: and why we can’t look away.

1. The Universe as a Buggy Software Update

If you think the world feels unstable today, you should see the Aztec maintenance schedule.

In the West, we view time as a straight line: start at Creation, end at Judgment. But for the Aztecs, the apocalypse wasn’t a future event: it was a recurring operational hazard. They believed we are living in the era of the Fifth Sun. The earlier four? Already destroyed.

And the techniques of destruction were terrifyingly specific:

  • Jaguars ate the first generation (giants).
  • Hurricanes wiped out the second (survivors turned into monkeys).
  • Fire rain ended the third.
  • A 52-year flood dissolved the fourth.

For the Aztecs, the universe was fragile. It required constant “fuel” (sacrifice) to keep the sun moving. If they stopped, the framework crashed. It’s a distinct contrast to the Hindu concept of time, which is less about fragility and more about unimaginable scale.

Hindu cosmology measures time in kalpas (4.32 billion years). The end isn’t a tragedy: it’s a factory reset. The universe dissolves into a singularity and expands again, like a divine lung breathing in and out. It suggests that destruction is just the price of admission for creation.

2. The Shift: From God’s Wrath to Human Error

Something shifted in 1945.

For millennia, the apocalypse was the domain of the divine. If the world ended, it was because we sinned. A deity would send a flood or a beast to hit the reset button. But after the atomic bomb, the narrative changed. We realized we didn’t need God to end the world anymore. We had the technology to do it ourselves.

This birthed the Secular Apocalypse, and suddenly, our fictional monsters changed:

  • The Nuclear Bomb gave us stories about radiation and the “long wait” for death (think On the Beach).
  • The Pandemic (zombies) gave us stories about the loss of self. The horror of the zombie isn’t that it kills you. It’s that it is you, repurposed by a virus or fungus.
  • Climate Change gave us the “slow violence” of the weather. This includes floods, freezes, and dust bowls. These events don’t care if you’re rich or poor.

We stopped fearing judgment and started fearing our own incompetence.

3. The “Pre-Apocalypse”: The Horror of Waiting

This is where it gets personal for me, and where the concept for Nebula Arcana really lives.

There is a sub-genre called the “Pre-Apocalyptic.” It’s not about the explosion: it’s about the Tuesday before the explosion. It’s the story of The Last Policeman. An asteroid is hitting in six months. A detective still tries to solve a murder. Why? Because he has to.

This specific anxiety: the knowledge of a finite clock: is the driving force behind our debut album, The Last Ember. We didn’t want to write songs about the fireball: we wanted to explore the 12 months before it. How do you go to work, love your partner, or pay rent when you know the date it all ends?

Research suggests we consume these stories as a form of “vicarious rehearsal”. We are practicing our emotions. In fact, a study showed that fans of apocalyptic movies coped better with the COVID-19 pandemic mental load. They had essentially “gamed out” the scenario in their heads already.

4. Interactive Doom: Why We Play with Fire

Video games have added a new layer: agency.

In a movie, you watch the hero survive. In games like Frostpunk or The Long Dark, you have to make the call.

  • Do you put children to work in the coal mines to keep the generator running? Will this save the city from freezing?
  • Do you share your food with a stranger when you’re starving?

These narratives force us to ask: Survival is insufficient. (A quote from Star Trek that became the mantra of the novel Station Eleven). If we survive the end but lose our humanity, did we actually make it?

Conclusion: The End is a Transition

We keep telling these stories, whether it’s the “Great Winter” of Norse mythology or the rogue planet in Melancholia. It’s not because we want to die, but because we want to know what matters.

The apocalypse strips away the noise. It removes the commute, the taxes, and the petty arguments. What remains is the raw core of existence. It forces us to ask: When everything else burns away, what remains?

That is the question I’m trying to answer with the music of Nebula Arcana. The end isn’t just a full stop. It’s a transition.

And if we have to face it, we should as well have a soundtrack. The Last Ember.

Nebula Arcana: Unveiling Melancholic Metal Concepts

TL;DR: My new band Nebula Arcana blends progressive, cinematic elements with melancholic melodic death metal. Our debut concept, The Last Ember, follows different people through the final 12 months before the world ends. First teasers are coming soon at nebulaarcana.com.

Endings aren’t endings at all. They’re transitions.

Nebula Arcana is that transition: a new dawn after the dusk.

Why a New Band — and Why Now

When Eternal Tears of Sorrow closed its book, the silence left space for something bolder. I wanted freedom: heavier dynamics, wider emotions, and fewer rules. If you’ve read my earlier reflections on growth and practice, you’ll recognise the pattern: reinvention through deliberate work and patience.

(Internal link idea: link “reflections on growth and practice” to your post Practice in Music and Meditation.)

The Concept: 

The Last Ember

What if the world were ending in 12 months, and everyone knew?

Each song follows a different person’s response: denial, fury, bargaining, grief, grace… And sometimes love. It’s less about apocalypse-as-spectacle and more about the emotions that rise when time finally feels finite.

Musically, expect progressive structures, cinematic orchestrations, and a melancholic core, growls and cleans in dialogue rather than competition. There are glimmers of Opeth/Steven Wilson/OK Computer-era tension, filtered through the cold northern light that’s always been in my writing.

The Line-Up

  • Aso Brännkär — growl vocals
  • Jussi Matilainen — clean vocals
  • Harri Hytönen — guitar
  • Olli Hakala — bass
  • Ville Miinala — drums
  • Christian Pulkkinen — keyboards & orchestrations
  • Jarmo Puolakanaho — guitar, composition & production

What You’ll Hear (and When)

We’re deep into writing and pre-production. The album will be out next year.

Follow along at nebulaarcana.com and socials, the first embers are almost here.

Top Equipment for Home Metal Guitar Recording

In the not-so-distant past, capturing professional-quality metal guitar tones meant handling loud tube amps. It also required using oversized cabinets and fragile microphones. Often, there were complaints from neighbours. Modern digital modellers like the Line 6 Helix and the Kemper Profiler have changed that. High-end plugins from Neural DSP or STL Tones also contribute to this shift. Today, it’s entirely possible to record crushing, studio-ready metal guitar tracks from a modest home setup without sacrificing quality.

You could be recording melodic death metal rhythms, atmospheric blackened leads, or tight modern metal chugs. This guide walks through the entire process of crafting your guitar sound at a professional level. It covers everything from tone design to recording strategy, all without touching a single microphone.

The Setup: Gear and Signal Flow

Amp modellers like the Helix and Kemper are key to the home recording revolution. Plugin suites like Neural DSP’s Archetypes also play a significant role. These tools simulate amps, cabs, and pedals. They even simulate studio mic placements. This lets you go straight from your guitar to your DAW.

  • Helix doubles as an audio interface, offering a full pedalboard-to-amp-to-cab chain in one.
  • Kemper captures the tone of real amps via profiling. This allows you to record with any amp sound you can dream of.
  • (These are the amps I have, so I’m focusing on those two…)
  • Plugins like Neural DSP’s Fortin Suite or Archetype: Gojira let you build amp chains directly in your DAW.

The basic signal chain looks like this:

Guitar → Modeler/Interface or Audio Interface + Plugin → DAW

Always monitor your input levels—peaking between -10 dB and -6 dB is ideal. Avoid clipping at all costs. Use studio monitors or good headphones for accurate tone judgment.

The Foundation of Tone: Amp and Cab Choices

The amp model or profile forms the backbone of your tone. For metal, the usual suspects apply: 5150/6505, Mesa Dual Rectifier, ENGL, and Diezel. These are popular for a reason. They offer saturated distortion and focused mids. They also give the low-end punch that makes rhythm guitars slam.

But it’s the cabinet that truly defines the final tone. You’ll repeatedly hear this from pros. The speaker cab and mic model/IR account for 80% or more of your guitar tone. Use quality IRs of 4×12 cabinets loaded with Celestion V30s, often mic’d with an SM57 or MD421 equivalent.

If your modeler supports it, experiment with dual-cab setups (e.g., Helix dual cab block with different mic positions). Plugins like Neural DSP often include curated IRs designed to slot straight into a mix.

Boost and Gate: The Metal Guitarist’s Secret Weapons

Almost every modern metal rhythm tone includes a virtual overdrive pedal before the amp: usually a Tube Screamer-type boost. Set the drive low or off, level high, and tone around 6. This tightens the low end and adds clarity to palm mutes without adding unwanted gain.

A noise gate is essential too. Place it right at the start of the chain. Adjust threshold so it mutes unwanted hiss when you’re not playing but doesn’t choke sustained notes. If you’re using Helix or Neural plugins, try the Horizon Drive or Fortin Zuul gate emulations for high-performance results.

Rhythm Guitar Recording: Punch, Precision, and Power

Rhythm guitars need to sound massive, tight, and wide. Here’s how to achieve that:

Double-Tracking (Mandatory)

Record the same riff twice and pan one take hard left, the other hard right. This simple move transforms a mono tone into a wall of sound. The key is tight playing: each take should be nearly similar in timing and dynamics.

Quad-Tracking (Optional)

If you want an even thicker sound, record four takes (two per side). Use a slightly different tone on the second pair (e.g., different IR, different guitar volume) to prevent phasing.

Pro Tip: Never copy-paste one take to both channels. It only increases volume, not width.

EQ at the Source

Avoid excessive bass on the amp. Set bass around 4/10, mids around 6–7, and treble/presence to taste. Add a low-cut around 80 Hz and a gentle high-cut at 10–12 kHz to reduce rumble and fizz.

Lead Guitar Recording: Clarity, Character, and Width

Lead tones should cut through the mix and often gain from subtle effects.

  • Delay: A short delay (100–300 ms) with a low mix level adds space.
  • Reverb: Keep it subtle. Plate or room reverbs work well.
  • Mid Boost: Leads gain from more mids (700 Hz to 1.5 kHz) to stand above rhythm guitars.
  • Stereo Imaging: If you’re layering harmonized leads, pan them moderately apart (e.g., 30% L/R) or use stereo effects to create separation.

Effects During Recording: What to Print, What to Skip

Always print:

  • Noise gate
  • Boost/OD pedal

Optional:

  • Delay or reverb on leads (if essential to performance)

Avoid printing:

  • Compression (unless it’s part of a pedal effect)
  • Time-based effects on rhythm guitars
  • Modulation (unless used creatively for ambience)

Recording dry ensures flexibility during mixing. If in doubt, monitor with effects but record a dry signal.

DI and Reamping: Safety and Flexibility

Whenever possible, record a clean DI signal along with your processed tone. Both Helix and Kemper allow you to do this. If you’re using plugins, split your input in your DAW to record the raw signal.

This lets you:

  • Reamp later with a different tone
  • Add effects or correct tonal issues post-performance
  • Keep futureproofing in case you get new gear or plugins

Performance and Precision

Metal demands precision. Sloppy playing ruins even the best tones. Here are key tips:

  • Use fresh strings
  • Tune before every take (seriously)
  • Practice to a click track before recording
  • Don’t hesitate to punch in corrections

Take breaks often to avoid fatigue and keep your tone and timing sharp.

Final Tips for a Pro Sound

  • High-pass rhythm guitars around 80 Hz to avoid muddiness.
  • Low-pass around 10–12 kHz to tame fizz.
  • EQ cuts around 300–500 Hz if you hear mud or boxiness.
  • Double-check monitoring: use headphones and studio monitors to catch tonal flaws.
  • Save your presets and make notes about guitar settings so you can re-track later.

Conclusion

Recording metal guitars at home is no longer a compromise: it’s a creative advantage. With the right tools and techniques, you can produce tones that rival professional studios. Whether you’re a melodic death metal veteran, you might be exploring blackened atmospheres. Alternatively, you could be diving into technical death grooves. In any case, focus on thoughtful tone shaping. Guarantee a clean capture and deliver a confident performance.

Trust your ears. Play tight. And let your riffs speak for themselves.

Practice in Music and Meditation

A fellow goes to New York to attend a concert, but gets lost. 

He spots another fellow who’s carrying a violin case. 

“Sir, can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?” 

The musician smiles and says, “Practice, practice, practice.”

If you’ve read my earlier posts, you already know I’m a believer in reinvention. I mentioned this in posts about saying goodbye to my former band. I also talked about it while starting a new band and the role of growth in both life and music. Reinvention not as a sudden shift, but as a slow, deliberate unfolding. Like songwriting. Like sitting in zazen meditation. Like playing guitar.

In a recent video, Brad Warner compared Zen practice to learning guitar. You can study theory, listen to great players, and understand it all intellectually. Still, unless you practice, none of it really becomes yours. That metaphor stuck with me, especially now.

Even though I’ve played guitar for over 35 years, I’ve never truly thought of it as a technical tool. It’s always been an extension of songwriting, a means of expressing emotion rather than showcasing skill. But this winter and spring, something changed. I started taking guitar lessons. It wasn’t to become a shredder. I wanted to push myself and my new band to a higher level. I want our music to evolve, and that means I have to evolve too.

Funny thing is, I practiced so much that I developed tendinitis in my left hand. So now I’m on a break. It’s frustrating, but also humbling. Because even in rest, there’s something to learn: about balance, moderation, and the limits of discipline.

That’s where the Zen metaphor comes full circle. Warner referenced a famous Zen story from Dōgen’s “Genjōkōan“. It is about how air is ever-existing. Yet, unless you use a fan, you don’t feel it. Liberation, like air, is all around us. But without practice, without the fan, you don’t experience it. That’s how I feel about both music and meditation.

You don’t become a better musician by watching others. You become one by playing, by discovering your unique voice through repetition, mistakes, breakthroughs, and quiet progress.

And the same goes for Zen. You don’t “get” it through clever quotes or YouTube videos. You get it by sitting. Over and over again. Sometimes it’s clear, sometimes it’s muddy. But over time, it reveals something real.

In past posts, I’ve talked about embracing feedback. I’ve also discussed breaking free from genre expectations. Welcoming discomfort is part of creative growth. This is just another chapter in that same story. Whether it’s navigating the end of a beloved band or picking up new skills at 50, the lesson stays the same:

Practice is the path

So yeah, here’s to sitting. To playing. To not knowing. And to finding something true in the middle of it all, one breath, one note at a time.

Behind the Scenes: Crafting the New Album in 2024

2024—especially the last quarter—has been a whirlwind of activity as my new band begins to take its definitive shape. Things feel vastly different now compared to the early days of Eternal Tears of Sorrow in the 90s. The changes aren’t just in terms of technology and the industry. They are also creative. I feel like a different songwriter these days.

Back then, I was young and brimming with raw ideas. Now, there’s a deeper sense of purpose and refinement in everything I do. There’s also freedom: I no longer need to consider whether a riff, melody, or idea fits within EToS’s established style. Thirty years of history gives any band a significant load to carry, both musically and otherwise. Leaving that behind has been liberating.

The forthcoming album has been a massive undertaking. Writing and composing each track has been intense but rewarding. About half of the songs are already written, and I have a clear vision for the rest. Each song is carefully crafted. It blends progressive, melancholic, and heavy elements. This captures the essence of what I’ve always wanted to create. While it’s been challenging at times, it’s also been exhilarating to explore new ideas and push boundaries.

The past two months, in particular, have been transformative. This is when the band truly started to take shape, with members slowly coming together to contribute their unique perspectives. It’s been hectic—sometimes exhausting—but the excitement of seeing everything come together outweighs the fatigue. The energy reminds me of the early days of EToS. It feels like the Chaotic Beauty era. This energy is now tempered by the maturity and vision that comes with decades of experience.

Looking toward the future, the first official press releases about the band should be ready before the summer of 2025. By then, most technicalities will be sorted. The groundwork will be laid for the album’s release. It is planned for the first half of 2026. This timeline allows us to perfect every detail. It ensures the music shows the best of what we can achieve, even though it feels far away.

This process has reminded me how much the music industry and songwriting have evolved since the 90s. Back then, it was all about live rehearsals and tape trading. Now, technology offers incredible tools but also presents new challenges, like maintaining authenticity in a digital age. Still, the core remains unchanged. It’s about creating music that resonates deeply. It’s about staying true to who you are.

As I write this, I’m filled with both anticipation and a sense of calm determination. The road ahead is still long, but the foundation is solid. The work we’re doing now will shape something truly meaningful, and I can’t wait to share it with the world.

So, merry Christmas, happy holidays, and a happy New Year to everyone!

Echoes of the Unexpected: Finding Depth in Musical Peculiarities and New Beginnings

Do you recall the last time a song struck you so profoundly that you found yourself compelled to listen to it repeatedly?

I certainly remember my most recent experience. It occurred last year when I stumbled upon ‘Tarred and Feathered‘ by Cardiacs, which is one of the most peculiar songs I’ve ever encountered. Yet, its peculiarity is merely one aspect of the song’s allure. Ultimately, I’m unsure why it resonated with me so deeply. Perhaps it was simply the perfect song for that moment.

Moreover, the song’s eccentric music video heightened my sense of confusion and delight. Discovering that Tim Smith, the band’s leading figure, had passed away a few years earlier added a layer of sadness, yet it also strengthened my emotional connection to the band.

What an extraordinary way to discover a band you’ve either never heard of or perhaps passively ignored until now.

This raises a question: does a wonderful song need to belong to a genre you typically enjoy? Or can it captivate you despite being completely outside your usual preferences?

The answer, I believe, is unequivocal. A good song transcends genre boundaries. Ideally, discovering a new band can introduce you to a new realm of music, akin to uncovering a previously unknown genre. This reminds me of J.R.R. Tolkien‘s experience when he began learning Finnish and encountered Kalevala, the Finnish national epic. He described it as akin to uncorking a wine bottle of an entirely new variety and flavour.

It’s often said that one’s musical taste tends to stagnate before reaching 30. Finding entirely new bands that resonate with you becomes less likely, though not impossible. Hence, one should never cease exploring new music. Opting to bask in nostalgia is perfectly acceptable too. Who am I to judge?

Nonetheless, the thrill of discovering something new can rejuvenate your spirit. Then again, for some, reliving the music of their youth brings back a sense of youthfulness. It’s a matter of perspective.

From a songwriter’s standpoint, my aspiration is that at least one of my compositions has profoundly touched a listener in some way. This, I believe, is the pinnacle of achievement for both songwriters and musicians.

A few observations…

In an interview, Sting once remarked, “If a new song fails to capture my interest within the first eight bars, I’ll skip it.” While this approach may seem stringent, I understand his perspective. First impressions are crucial, especially in an era where attention spans are challenged by 15-second TikTok videos.

Another perspective comes from Warren Huart, a British producer based in the USA, who opines that music nowadays lacks excitement. He suggests that bands should infuse their songs with originality and unexpected elements. According to him, while 90% of a song should align with the genre’s conventions, incorporating 5% to 10% of something completely unique can make a track stand out. This could be an unusual instrument, chord, melody, rhythm, lyric, vocal style, production technique, or any other element of surprise.

In my view, this embodies the essence of progressive music, which I see not just as a genre but as a mindset focused on innovation rather than taking the easiest path.

Merging these insights with my understanding of melodic death metal—always striving for diversity and drawing inspiration from various sources—provides a glimpse into my approach for the upcoming album. It won’t be straightforward or quick, but it will materialize.

Above all, my deepest hope is that the new songs will profoundly impact at least one listener. Achieving this would be immensely gratifying.

Stay tuned for further updates.

My Journey with the Kemper Profiler Player

Last Friday, my musical toolkit expanded with the arrival of the Kemper Profiler Player, a step that’s set to significantly influence my path toward crafting new, heavier, and more progressive melodic death metal albums. This addition isn’t just about acquiring another piece of equipment; it’s about embracing a tool that promises to deepen the sonic textures and complexities of my music, particularly when used alongside my Line 6 Helix.

The Kemper offers a fresh perspective, not by replacing my Helix but by augmenting it, providing a rich tapestry of tones that complement the Helix’s capabilities. Together, they form a powerful duo that supports my vision of pushing boundaries in the melodic death metal genre. The compact nature of the Kemper is particularly appealing, granting me the flexibility to create and record music in a variety of settings, from the comfort of my home studio to the most remote locations where inspiration strikes, powered by my small solar station or the trusty, battery-operated Boss GT-1 pedal when needed.

While the Boss GT-1 has its place in my rig, especially in situations where power is scarce, its sonic output simply can’t compare to the depth and authenticity that the Kemper brings to the table. The Kemper’s ability to accurately capture and replicate the essence of real amplifiers is nothing short of revolutionary for my music, providing a foundation upon which I can build more complex, rich, and aggressive tones that are essential for the new directions I’m exploring in my albums.

Reflecting on my initial experiences with the Kemper Profiler Player, I’m filled with optimism. This piece of gear exceeds my expectations by offering not just portability and quality but also by being a pivotal element in my journey towards creating more intricate and heavy music. As I delve deeper into integrating the Kemper with the Helix, my excitement for the sonic possibilities they will unlock for my upcoming projects continues to grow. This is not just another step in my musical journey; it’s a leap towards realizing the soundscapes I’ve always imagined for my future albums.

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