Lost Society
The Music Is Finally Where We Want It

10.03.2018

Thrash metal is alive and kicking, and Finland's Lost Society prove it with each of their concerts. They walk the path to glory relentlessly, releasing one killer album after another and burning the stages of Europe's most prestigious festivals. They are welcome in the U.S. and Japan as well, and this says a lot. Just recently they completed a massive North American tour with Children of Bodom and Carach Angren and are gearing up to return to Russia to kick everyone's asses opening for Testament and Annihilator (St. Petersburg, March 23, and Moscow, March 24). We contacted Lost Society's mastermind Samy Elbanna to talk about Eurovision, an upcoming album, stateside shows and glam rock hits. And about Russia, of course.

You are coming to Russia to play with Testament and Annihilator this month. What are you expecting from these two shows?

We’re so stoked to finally be coming back to Russia as each time we’ve been there, it’s been unforgettable! The package is so killer in these shows and the venues are huge, so that already tells me that these shows will be INSANE. We’re really looking forward to meeting all of our fans once again and showing them what nordic metal is!

You have played in Russia twice – at Aria Fest and with your very own solo gigs. Can you describe the best and the worst memories from your previous gigs here?

Our first headline shows in Russia last time were something really really special for us. Great shows obviously, but just the fact that they were the first ones on our own really meant the world to us. I remember especially the show in Moscow was absolutely insane! Worst memories? That would be the fact that we only had 2 shows!! Luckily now we’re coming back for more!

As a band representing the new wave of thrash metal, what do you think about the modern thrash metal scene? What bands do you like and may give advice to our readers to listen to?

I’d say the scene is definitely strong and full of bands. It’s crazy even here in Finland, no matter where you are during the weekend, you’re bound to find a metal show somewhere in the underground and most likely you’ll find a thrash metal band. The bands are quality and they really have the essence of the genre in their music.

Talking about Russia, do you know anything about Russian thrash bands and did you know that there were thrash metal bands in the USSR? Do you know any of Russian bands and musicians and if yes, who they are?

I know of some Russian bands, mostly the ones that we’ve seen playing in Russia during the first trip we had there or then some of our friends have played us some. I don’t remember any by name but what I do remember is the music sounding really cool and having something different to it! What could you recommend?

Have you ever heard anystupid stereotypical things about thrash metal? What things have been the stupidest?

It’s the basics. Many people may think that just because of the genre, we always play live shows absolutely wasted or for example that we hate all hard rock bands just because of the genre.. There’s a lot of people out there who don’t understand certain things about music unfortunately, but you just have to learn to live with them.

Samy, when you talked to HeadBanger.ru at Water X fest in 2016, you said that it would be cool to travel over North America. Not so long time ago you traveled over USA with Children of Bodom, Carach Angren and Uncured. How did this experience compare to the expectations you had before regarding this trip?

Best tour ever! We really didn’t know what to except or how the crowd would take us in, but we were completely blown away.. People drove out from loads of different parts of the U.S. to come see Lost Society and every single show was crazier than the previous one! We cannot wait to go back.

Do you prefer to travel by plane or by bus and do you like “to feel the country” when you are touring?

For me personally there’s nothing like a good ol’ bus tour. The bus really becomes your home and if you want, immediately after you get off stage you can run to your bunk and just sleep until the next place. That’s the kind of touring I love! Usually this way also there is time to go walk around the cities and find cool places. I usually do that, if I wake up on time..

What is your favorite way to relax after a long tour or after a long recording sessions in the studio?

The best way for me has always been just to go home and do absolutely nothing! Have Netflix on the side but other than that, absolute silence.

Samy, you had three gigs with The Local Band (a Finnish supergroup featuring members of The 69 Eyes, Children of Bodom, etc., playing classic metal covers - ed.) as a bass player. Did you like this experience? How do you feel playing with The Local Band?

I had such a good time! We had three insane shows around Finland and priceless good moments! It was such an honor to be asked to fill in for the three shows, and having known the guys as it is for so long, we had a great time!

If you ever make a cover of any glam or hard rock song, what song could it be and why?

Damn that’s a hard one, there’s so many! Let’s say just becacuse it’s so damn cheesy: "Look What The Cat Dragged In" by Poison! Or ANYTHING by Skid Row would be killer too!

Once you recorded an acoustic version of “Terror Hungry”. Why do you choose this one and are you planning to record some other acoustic versions of your songs?

It started out as a joke which later on turned to reality! We turned out really happy with it in the end and we talked a lot of about doing something like that in the future too.. Who knows?

You played a lot of festivals around the world. What performance has been the most important for you as a band and what performance will you never forget?

One of the craziest festival experiences for me would have to be last summer when we played the UK Download Festival AND the Paris Download Festival on the same weekend. Insanely good line-ups and insane shows for us. Those really were a dream come true and we hope to return sometime in the future!

A lot of rock and even metal bands played on Eurovision. For example, everybody knows that Lordi won this contest in 2006. Have you ever wanted to play there, with the acoustic version of "Terror Hungry", maybe?

Hahah that is one thing I have never felt the need to do with our band.. If someone wants to play our stuff there, I have no problem with it, but we will never step foot in the Eurovision Song Contest!

So far you have three releases behind and you’re not going to stop. In your opinion, how has your music changed from your first release to the latest one?

I think the band has constantly been growing, in many ways. The music has gotten more intense and much more diverse with each album. For what’s coming up in the future, I can only say that the music is finally exactly where we want it and we could not be more excited.

Your latest album "Braindead" came out about two years ago. Do you have any plans about making a new record?

After releasing "Braindead", we’ve been touring A LOT and we’ve also been constantly writing more music! There are plans that I cannot talk about YET, but I can tell you that a lot of exciting things will be happening this year. Stay tuned!

Thank you very much for your time. Can you say a few final words to our readers and fans of thrash metal in Russia in general?

No problem at all! I’d like to thank all of our amazing fans in Russia for your unbelievable support, we really appreciate it and we wouldn’t be here without y’all! We’re so stoked to finally come back to your beautiful country! See you in the pit!

Lost Society on the Internet: https://lostsocietyfinland.com/

Special thanks to Ksenia Klishina (Spika Concert Agency) and Silke Yli-Sirnio (Tough Enough Promotion) for arranging this interview

Interview by Elena "Linn" Pavlova
Questions also provided by visitors of the VK community https://vk.com/lostsocietyfinland
Photos by Elena "Linn" Pavlova, Natalia Reshetnikova
March 7, 2018
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