By Finnish rockers Shereign made a splash in their first year, assembling their ranks in early 2020 then garnering an impressive number of streams on their self-released debut single “Losing Sight”, released in November.
The band, comprised of vocalist Sara Strömmer (Fear of Domination), drummer Miikki Kunttu (Fear of Domination), guitarist Joonas Pulkkinen (Black Light Discipline), guitarist Timo Pönni (Carnal Demise), and bassist Jani Rissanen (Black Light Discipline), also recently announced a second single, “Against the Odds”.
Strömmer described the upcoming release on the band’s Facebook page as, “…a song all about how we as a band, Shereign, made it through the year and how it looks when you are not able to go to live gigs and do what you love the most. So, hold on to those dreams of yours, and stay tuned!”
For those checking out Shereign for the first time, the “Losing Sight” music video is a good place to start. Set against the moody backdrop of a dimly lit shop, each band member sets up gear in a different nook of the eclectic space.
Self-produced by the band and mixed by Pönni, “Losing Sight” establishes quality as one of Shereign’s signatures. Strömmer’s vocals soar, and the driving rock riffs maintain energy from start to finish.
In a recent chat with Metal Solstice, Strömmer brimmed with positivity at the prospect of unleashing Shereign into the world, especially on stage at Hoarsefest Limited Edition, now rescheduled for February 27, 2021 at On The Rocks, Helsinki.
Metal Solstice: Congrats on over 40k streams streams of “Losing Sight” on Spotify since its release! Has the response to this single exceeded your expectations?
Sara Strömmer: Hello, and thank you for taking the time to do an interview with Shereign! Considering that we are an incoming rock band from Finland, the release of our “Losing Sight” has gone really well! We have co-operated with a PR firm Ginger Vine Management and they have done a terrific job with the release! The song itself has received a lot of good feedback and brought us new fans who are expecting more of our music. That really is something!
MS: The “Losing Sight” music video has been out for nearly two months now. Can you describe the processes of creating and filming the video?
Strömmer: We didn’t want to do a traditional storytelling video, but rather a video that brings out thought-provoking images and moments from which the viewer can get their own visions if there is one to get. Since this was our first music video it was important that the members of the band would stand out.
The location for the music video was placed in a store called Kasvihuoneilmiö in Kirkkonummi since it had a so-called staging already setup. It was exciting to shoot in a store that sells practically everything! We were also happy with the result since the video provides so many possibilities for different interpretations. It perfectly supports the “self-seeking” theme of the lyrics.
MS: The February 27 gig, rescheduled from December 26, at On The Rocks will be a rare opportunity to perform live, given today’s circumstances. What does it mean to you, to be able to still play for a limited audience?
Strömmer: Every single member of Shereign lives and breathes music. Live performances give us a reason to live and being on stage is a place where we all feel like at home. It doesn’t matter if there is five or five thousand people on the gig. We still put every emotion to the playing and give our all for the music. So, our deepest wish is that this corona madness would one day stop, and we would be able to share our passion with the rest of the world! For the time being, we will enjoy what we have. At Hoarsefest we will have a great night together with talented musicians and music loving fans!
MS: What can the audience expect from your set at Hoarsefest Limited Edition, in terms of setlist? Will you be testing out new music? Also, please describe the band’s on-stage dynamic.
Strömmer: In case of Shereign this is our debut gig so the word “testing” is very describing! We have composed songs to fill two album lengths so the setlist was put together of the songs we like the most. We have been practicing regularly to make our ensemble work smoothly and so far, the experience has been overwhelming. Every time we start playing together the atmosphere just starts elevating. We can only hope that our joy, passion, and love towards music will show on stage as energetic as it feels to us!
MS: Speaking of new music- what details can you share about Shereign’s progress toward future releases? Also, do you plan to self-release future material, or will you search for a good fit for a label?
Strömmer: To be honest, this situation with Covid-19 has delayed things and made it hard to push on deals with labels. Everyone in the music business is now struggling and of course labels want to focus their energy on bands they have signed. However, this has not slowed us down and we have been very resourceful in finding new ways to develop and promote our band.
We have also received a lot of support from our friends, families, fans and from parties that we could have not expected. It feels like the people around Shereign really want us to thrive and we are truly overwhelmed of all the support! For the time being we will keep on releasing music by ourselves but also keep on looking for the possibility to be signed by a label. So, that being said, you can expect more Shereign in 2021!
Metal Solstice 