Finland has always been famous for its Metal, sure, everybody knows that. Some of the most interesting Heavy bands of our time hail from the Thousand Lakes. Then again, some styles of music never got as much attention in the cold north as the heavy tunes. Sophisticated, atmospheric Rock far beyond distorted guitars for instance, has been embodied by one Finnish band for years - Shamrain. And even those guys always had a certain Goth vibe in their music, and never really managed to escape from the "Finnish Goth" stigma. But bands in the vein of Swedish melancholic masters Katatonia, British gloom rockers Anathema or the semi-legendary Porcupine Tree - sophisticated, atmospheric music without any apparent cliché - which band comes to my mind in Finland. Honestly, besides Shamrain I could not think of any - and this is about to change in March 2010! Patiently, a new, Helsinki-based force of atmospheric, sophisticated Alternative Rock has been rising during the last couple of years - The Chant. Sounding significantly lighter than other comparable Finnish bands, they capture a balanced, melodic sound that is neither too poppy nor too progressive - drawing influences from bands such as A Perfect Circle and Anathema, they stand for something different. I even dare to say - for something the Finnish scene has been lacking so far. Time to ask the bands main songwriters, Mari Jämbäck (keys, piano) and Jussi Hämäläinen (guitars) a couple of essential questions...