Interview / Enragement

Enragement is a death metal band from Helsinki, Finland, active since 2006. Their sound fuses brutality and technical precision. Across multiple releases, they have pushed the limits of extreme metal while keeping a clear sense of structure. I had just finished listening to their latest album, Extinguish All Existence, before getting the chance to interview their vocalist and guitarist, Atte Ojanne.

Let’s start with Extinguish All Existence. What concept or vision pulled this record together?

Our goal has always been to make our music heavy and keep it interesting by adding elements from different extreme genres. The theme of this album is the brutality of nature and the smallness of humanity beside it.

When you began writing this album, what was the core idea behind it? Did you have a clear direction from the start, or did it take shape naturally as you wrote?

The core idea for this album was to make the songs more catchy, "simplified" and flowing in comparison to the previous album. Of course this doesn't mean they are simple, but we tried to make them have a certain pulse to keep them going without any "unnecessary" parts. We tried to make better compositions than on the predecessor.

Compared to your earlier releases, how do you think Extinguish All Existence represents your growth as a band? What changed in how you approached writing and production this time?

I'd say this album is our best and most coherent one yet. As I mentioned in response to the earlier question, we tried to make the songs tight and heavy, without any extra gimmicks. Production-wise the album was recorded, mixed and mastered in the same studio and by the same dude (Oxroad studio/Tomi Uusitupa) as the last album (Atrocities), so it was easy to tweak the soundscape into perfection. Also what I've noticed while writing songs is what you write isn't necessarily what you would listen to (not that it is unlistenable, but differs from what you maybe like the best), so personally I tried to make riffs I would like to listen to myself. Not that it hasn't happened before, but I focused more on it this time.

From your early releases to today. When you look back at that arc, what feels like the biggest shift in how you create and define heaviness?

Our first two releases "Omnimalevolence of Man" and "Burned, Barren, Bloodstained" had a kind of experimental approach to brutal/extreme metal and young enthusiasm to make complex stuff where you tried to cramp everything in one box. Learning from it, the shift to better songwriting and production birthed "Atrocities" which lead to "Extinguish All Existence". 

Death metal has always evolved in cycles, from the early rawness of Death and Obituary to the modern technical era. Do you ever feel that the constant push for speed and complexity risks losing some of the emotional core of the genre?

I think that even though changing and evolving, death metal always bows to it's roots in some ways. I don't think the "emotional" side will be outtaken by speed and complexity. Some artists like to be more complex and technical, but there will always be those who make more emotional stuff. I'd say our music combines all those elements.

Modern production often gets criticized for being too loud or too compressed, where the intensity turns into fatigue. How do you keep your sound brutal yet dynamic and listenable?

We tried to achieve a distinct but raw, powerful sound and I think we nailed it in this one. The dynamic feel must also be in the songwriting where we balance between blasting and slamming, keeping the flow pumping. 

When you track guitars or drums now compared to ten years ago, how much has your process changed? Have the tools shaped your sound, or do you still rely on instinct and feel over precision?

The overall knowledge for production and creating the sound has gone a huge leap over 10 years and of course a good studioengineer goes a long way. I think it's a mix of instinct, feel and precision depending on the section. There's certain amounts of organic production along with some good ol' studio magic. 

The Finnish metal scene has produced an incredible range of sounds, from the melodic to the utterly chaotic. Where do you think Enragement fits within that landscape today?

Black metal, old school death metal and melodic metal are pretty popular here. Brutal/extreme scene hasn't always been strong in Finland, but lately the scene has lifted it's head, new bands keep popping up and there's been more and more brutal/extreme events here which is cool and hopefully the direction stays that way!

The term “extreme metal” gets used constantly, but what does extreme actually mean to you now in 2025?

I've been listening to extreme/brutal stuff for quite some time so it's hard to say what's really extreme. I luv me some good slamz, a haunting atmosphere and pure raw energy. Good vocals also catch my ear.

Looking ahead, where do you see the next frontier for death and extreme metal? Have we reached the limit of speed and brutality, or is there still a new edge waiting to be found?

An interesting question. I think death metal is in a good situation nowadays. But who knows what's behind the corner. People in 1950 could've never imagined what technology has reached today. I think extreme people are deep down into the primitive and raw vibe of the music. Maybe the cycle starts anew and we go full neanderthal? At least for me chugging dem first three frets caveman-style just keeps sounding better and better everyday.

Lastly, who inspired you to make music? What albums are a must for a fan of your music?

Dying fetus - Descend into depravity. This has been played back and forth maybe a million times.

Hour of penance - Paradogma. One of the best "Italian"-style brutal death metal albums.

Abominable Putridity - The Anomalies of Artificial Origin. Straight up classic slams.

Disentomb - The Decaying Light. One of the best albums for me.