Interview with guitarist and vocalist Weke and bassist Jesse E
Interview conducted by Luxi Lahtinen
Date online: December 8, 2023
From the forests of North Karelia comes this 4-piece act by the name of Cadaverous Night, who play a sort of hybrid of warm, beer-oozing speed/thrash/black/heavy metal, with attitude that bows to no one. With their middle fingers raised high, they come and let their 
blackened, thrashing speed/heavy metal do the talking and that's all they really need to do to convince you Cadaverous Night is a dangerous animal ready to tear out your neck.
They have released two demos and one EP since the band's formation in 2020 that have shown the sharpness of their filthy claws and the fact that they are the real deal.
The Metal Crypt was brave enough to enter this wild zoo located in Joensuu, Finland, just to feed these relentless and hungry beasts a few questions. Find out if we survived...
Hey there? What's going on in North Karelia, Finland? Have any of you gotten piles of bicycles for sale, most of them coming from the Finnish/Russian border for some odd reason...? ;o)
Weke: Hello! It's still pretty normal over here, cold, dark, snowy and wolves are howling while Cadaverous Night is writing new stuff for future releases. Sorry, no bicycles for sale, all of them went to the band for rehearsal commuting, so thanks Vlad for that, I guess
Jesse: It's snowy, dark and cold which is the perfect inspiration for making new music.
DEVIL IS ON FIRE
You released your third demo EP, titled Devil's Fire, digitally on November 16, 2023. What can you tell us about this outing?
Weke: Initially Devil's Fire was supposed to be a two-track "single" release, but we recorded some nice live material from our latest gig at Ravintola La Barre. We decided to add that to the release and let our piano master Arno compose a little intro piece 
to set up the atmosphere. I'm pretty happy with the result and ready for new adventures.
Jesse: The previous demo featured my bass playing for the first time, and Devil's Fire also features the first full song composed by me called "Decimation." I'm really excited about that and about what we've been cooking since that.
The band started out in 2020, and you have released three demos thus far. How would you say those demos have cemented the band's name in the international underground metal scene even though Cadaverous Night is still a relatively new name on the global map of metal music? How have fans responded to your digital demos so far?
Weke: It's hard to get attention even with high-quality stuff like ours these days, but the feedback we have gotten has been mainly positive and so has the press. But yeah, we have just started and are ready to keep on pounding.
Jesse: The reception from the home front has been intense, almost like a cult following, because speed, death, and black metal have a really solid footing here. The potential is there and we're looking forward to breaking through with full force.
OLD-SCHOOL METAL HAS NO BOUNDARIES
You guys play some sort of hybrid of speed, black, and heavy metal. What makes this combination so fascinating for you in the first place?
Weke: I think it's a pretty large sandbox to play within and most of our influences come from these subgenres, so it feels nice and natural. I would also add thrash metal to the mix.
Jesse: Like Weke said, there really aren't any boundaries when we make music. The influences are pretty clear so far, but nonetheless, the sandbox is wide. That's what I love about music.
Could you share some details about the band's songwriting process? Do you compose your songs together or do some of you have bigger roles?
Weke: Two first demos were composed by me and Arno 50/50. Two songs each, per release. I'm happy we got Jesse E into 
Cadaverous Night's composer ranks with "Decimation" on the latest EP, so now we have three composers contributing to Cadaverous Night's sound. Arno usually comes up with ideas and I provide some feedback during the writing process. This method gets songs ready when it comes to the composing part of the process.
My songs have been more like riff tapes with song structures and Räsä has created his drum parts during rehearsals.
All the lyrics and vocal arrangements have been done by me.
It works nicely, but I'm looking forward to writing more stuff as a team. There is already some co-composed staff, and the results are very promising.
Jesse: For my part, I have composed raw ideas, riffs, etc. at my home. Then we gather in the rehearsal place to put the puzzle pieces together with the guitar players. We also put together ideas with the full group from time to time. Whatever works the best.
Does C.N. have a certain type of musical formula for how you want your songs to sound?
Weke: Not really. I think there's no musical formula as such, but the music still needs to have a certain Cadaverous Night feel so it can be added to Cadaverous Night's repertoire.
Jesse: I agree. We don't have a specific formula, but rather the "signature" sound/atmosphere on our music.
INFLUENTIAL BANDS
What bands would you name as C.N.'s main influences and/or inspirations?
Weke: A lot of old-school stuff mostly. Some thrash like Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, a dose of old black metal like Venom and Mercyful Fate, maybe some speed metal like Exciter and Razor, some black thrashing of Aura Noir, Bewitched, Deströyer 666, a little bit of Motörhead's good old rock 'n' roll. Heavy metal side of things are Manilla Road, Manowar, Iron Maiden and Ozzy Osbourne. Nü-school influences could include Bütcher and Hellripper, for example. Lyrically I would mention King Diamond.
But what comes out eventually, lyric or music-wise is a different thing, though, ha!
I cannot help it but somehow C.N. reminds me of India's Kryptos in a way, but without sounding as technical. Is this a fair observation or do I just need to get rid of the extra wax in my ear canals?
Weke: I think I know where you are coming from with this observation and can live with it. No problem, Kryptos is cool stuff.
Jesse: Same for me. Whatever comparison people make is fine by me. I can live with that.
All of your releases deserve to be released more officially, e.g., physically. Have you suggested this idea to some labels about getting them all out on one CD? Also, this type of stuff screams to be released as an old-school vinyl, so any news for the vinyl freaks yet?
Weke: We have had some talks with a couple labels but there is nothing concrete so far. A compilation CD of previously 
released material would be a great idea! I'm personally all for the vinyl release, so yes please.
Jesse: We shall see what the future holds.
Making promotional videos is very important in the digital age. Any news from the C.N. camp on that front?
Weke: There are some ideas, but we will see if it's viable. We'll see.
Jesse: In due time! The C.N. members already have experience in that area.
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS
I assume you have kept on writing new stuff, so is your next step to get your debut album recorded, or will even stick to a new EP for the next release?
Weke: Yea, there's plenty of new stuff ready to be honed and rehearsed. Enough for a full-length, and that's what we are aiming for next. There might be a smaller promo type of release before it.
I noticed you have at least one gig coming up in your hometown of Joensuu on December 16 this year, and then your gig calendar is empty, or is it?
Weke: Nothing is confirmed at the moment but I'm pretty sure there will be more live stuff later on.
Jesse: Yes! More will follow, and hopefully around Finland soon (for starters).
I must believe that if the stars align, you are aiming to go over the borders of Finland to play at some festivals that would obviously provide fertile ground for playing to fans who are not aware of the band's existence. Is there anything you can reveal about this matter?
Weke: Nope, but that would be some very cool experience for sure...
Jesse: It's all about the timing and the presentation. When the time is right, who knows?
As far as long-term plans are concerned, do you wish to make your living out of playing music or do you see C.N. as a welcome hobby band, just to get, if you will, some extra steam out of your human machines?
Weke: I see Cadaverous Night as a labor of love. Of course, making a living out of your hobby is kind of a dream but the facts of life make it seem very distant, ha! But maybe we will write our "Stairway to Heaven" and live rock 'n' roll lives for the rest of our days.
Jesse: The labor of love statement is what describes it the best.
The future is, of course, very hard to predict but how do you see the next couple of years or so? Pick up your crystal ball from your dusty closet and let us all know what it shows, OK?
Weke: Fortunately, Leif Edling loaned me his better crystal ball and it told me there will be a Cadaverous Night album and world domination! That's enough for a couple of years, I think.
Jesse: Album or two with some sick merchandise for the fans. Also, maybe our first festival/club shows to support that.
Well, I guess that's it from my side so I would like to sincerely thank you for taking your time with this conversation and wish you all the best with your auctions to sell all those rudely abandoned bicycles. Eh, any more appropriate closing comments perhaps to wrap up this conversation properly?
Weke: Thank you, Luxi! It's been a pleasure! And a poor musician needs to make a buck when there's a buck to be made, hah! So go listen to Cadaverous Night or whatever you like, chill out and stay heavy!
Jesse: Thanks, Luxi! For all the readers, support the underground scene as much as possible. Cheers from Cadaverous night!
Cadaverous Links:
https://cadaverousnight.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/cadaverousnight
https://www.facebook.com/Cadaverousnight
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbhxC6rA1eUhriS0HAQqa4A
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0nLLqVHk66nDNfQp3pgdPZ
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