With their distinctive blend of melancholy, heaviness and cinematic atmosphere, The Eternal return with “Obscured Horizons”, an album that sees the band evolving while remaining true to their identity. We caught up with drummer Jan Rechberger to discuss the new record, its creative process, working across two continents, his role as producer, and the band's future plans.
M.I. – “Obscured Horizons” is described as both a culmination and an evolution for The Eternal. After working on the album, do you personally see it more as a continuation of what the band has established, or as the beginning of a new chapter?
I think it's both, to be honest. There are lots of elements from the past of the band, like of course being very moody and melodic and doomy and catchy and stuff like that, and also elements from Skinwalker, being very cinematic and progressive and stuff like that. But also it's a new beginning in that sense that it is a little bit different record than the previous ones. In terms of the song lengths, they're a bit more defined, shorter songs, and not that sort of perhaps monumental album than, for example, “Skinwalker” was. So it's a bit more catchy and a bit more cohesive, I would say, as an album. And also the band's performance has evolved a lot, since this is the second album with this current lineup. So I think we are really finding the groove and sort of the way that we actually play together. So, in that sense, it's both, I would say.
M.I. - How's the chemistry between the current lineup? You have released an album in 2024 and now you have a new one, so it seems that you work very well together.
Absolutely. We are good friends. Me and Mark are very much audio and production freaks, so we like to produce and record music. The chemistry is very good and we are all good friends. It's been very nice to work with the guys and also with Nicholas playing bass. I have a lot of history… 17 years playing with him in Amorphis. So when it comes to the rhythm section and that kind of stuff, it's very easy to lay down the rhythms and the bass because we know each other so well. The chemistry is good and we don't have to explain things that much. Everything works pretty smoothly and nicely.
M.I. - The album deals with introspective and psychologically heavy themes such as disillusionment, fractured identity and distorted perception. When you are creating music around such concepts, do you find that the music itself helps you understand those feelings, or does it make you confront things you'd rather leave alone?
Of course Mark is writing the lyrics, so I can't perhaps comment on that that much. But the music is very dark and moody and emotional, so of course the music reflects those feelings. Also, when I've been writing some music and Marcus has been writing lyrics for those, it makes me adapt the music to the lyrics and stuff like that. Concept-wise, I'm not the right person to comment on that because I don't write the lyrics, but I think they both complement each other very well. It is a very cohesive package, and I would highly recommend anybody reading the lyrics when you listen to the music because it gives you that sort of new dimension to the music.
M.I. - What can you tell us about the new single, “Colours Fade”?
That's one of my favourite tracks on the album. I think it's Mark's composition and surely it represents the more melancholic and melodic side of the album. It's also a very dynamic track. It has a long intro with no drums, with the keyboard melody and stuff. So it progresses into the heaviness, constantly getting more evolved into the heavier side. It's a super dynamic, super catchy, melodic and emotional track, and definitely one of the highlights of the album, in my opinion.
M.I. - Are you the one who decides how you're going to approach each track when it comes to the drums? Do you decide how you're going to play them?
It goes both ways. Sometimes the composer of the track, for example, if Mark has been composing a track, can also think like a drummer. Usually, the fundamental idea might already be there, like the basic beats and stuff like that. Of course, I will take a closer look and see what works. Usually I try to take the best bits of the drums from the original demo and then sort of refine that idea from there. It's been working very well. They know how to think like drummers, so they make my life way easier.
M.I. - The Eternal has a great balance between melancholy, heaviness and cinematic atmosphere. From a drummer's perspective, how do you avoid allowing the drums to dominate music that depends so much on space and atmosphere?
I think maybe the key element and the key point to that sort of approach is not to play too much. As a drummer, you sometimes would like to play all the complicated stuff that you've been practising, but it's not always the case. I personally like the idea of playing to the song… what the song actually needs. From that perspective, you are not necessarily overwhelming the song with the drums or overpowering things too much. It's also about production, about the sound, and what kind of drum elements it needs. It doesn't always have to be powerful drumming. It can be percussion or something different. So mostly, it's about not playing too much and playing to the song. When it's absolutely needed, then you can play more if that's required.
M.I. - You and Mark produced and mixed the album. Did you have the same vision? Is it easy for both of you to produce and mix an album together, or do you sometimes have to decide whose vision wins?
It's been fairly easy. This is the second album that we are producing together. We also produced “Skinwalker” together, and of course our methods have been refined from those times. This time we made very intense pre-production. When the demos were ready, Mark came over to Finland to my place and we spent maybe two weeks refining the songs, listening to each other's ideas, tweaking the arrangements and working on all kinds of soundscapes and stuff that we needed. Also in the mixing phase, it's been very smooth and very nice because he's good at certain things that I'm not that good at, and vice versa. So it's sort of easy to cooperate and do things. We've usually been very much in the same ballpark when it comes to ideas. Sometimes it might even be surprising because that's perhaps not the case with most productions. Usually there is one person mixing it or one person producing it. But in our case, it's been working very well. Especially in the mixing phase, when we're both in the same room, it's easier to get the ideas down. Sometimes you might miss something that somebody else is thinking, and I think it's been a very fruitful collaboration.
M.I. - Being involved in the production, and knowing how you want the final production to sound, does it influence your approach to the drum parts, or do you simply play your instrument and deal with the production afterwards?
Certainly, in a recording phase, recording drums, miking up the kit and tuning the drum kit has a lot to do with how the final drum sound is going to be. So, in that sense, yes. But as far as mixing goes, production in general, it's usually when the production evolves that you sort of find that sound. I'm not thinking about it perhaps that much when we're writing songs or doing pre-production. It's usually during the early mixing phase that you're looking for a certain kind of drum sound or overall sound. Then you try to find what works for most songs and start refining from there. It's an ever-going, evolving process until you just have to let go and accept that this is it. In my opinion, songs are never ready. They just get released.
M.I. - The album was engineered between Helsinki and Melbourne, right? Was it challenging working across two countries and two studios, especially when they're on completely opposite sides of the world?
That's a question we get a lot because it is a collaboration between two continents, and obviously that's a very good question. Since “Skinwalker”, we have found a way to deal with that issue. We're very good with technology and modern digital audio workstations, and internet speeds are fast these days, so it's fairly easy to send over files within minutes. Mark can send me a file, I can open it up in ten minutes, do my stuff and send it back, and it's going to be in his computer in ten minutes. So, in that sense, it's not that challenging. Of course, we always like to get together, usually in the pre-production when all the demos are ready, so we can refine the arrangements. I personally like to be in the same room with somebody who's working on the project. Also, in the mixing phase, mixing remotely is kind of impossible. So there are two sides to it, but we've managed to deal with the issue and it's been working fairly easily for us.
M.I. - Do you have remote sessions online where you jam and discuss ideas and things like that?
No, not really, because Australia is too far. It's going to generate some latency, so jamming online isn't really working yet. It is a little bit delayed. I'll send over something and Mark will open the session and do his stuff and send it back. So it's not happening in real time, if that's what you mean.
M.I. - You have spent many years playing with Amorphis, whose music also combines heaviness, melody and progressive elements. When you move between Amorphis and The Eternal, do you consciously change your approach to drumming, or do you simply let each band's music dictate what you play? Because the two bands aren't that different, right?
Fundamentally, it's not that different. They are both melodic and heavy and atmospheric and emotional and epic and cinematic, and all those words. But as I said earlier, I don't approach them that differently because I like to play what the song needs, or what the composer intends the drums to be in a certain way. I will of course always respect that to a certain extent. So in that case, I don't think I treat them that differently, and I don't even think about it that much because it's just music. It's not that different, to be honest, between those bands. So, a fairly similar approach, I would say.
M.I. - As an experienced drummer, has your idea of what makes a good drum performance changed over the years?
Certainly. Back in the days when we played more brutal death metal and stuff like that, the drumming was way different than it is now. It had to be fast and furious. It's very different these days, of course, but that has a lot to do with the fact that the music has changed a lot. The music and the compositions, and the very fact of what the composition needs from the drums, has changed dramatically. So, of course, in that case, the drumming approach has changed a lot. But also because I started listening to all kinds of different music very early on, when that brutal metal phase was over. You will always find influences from others and from what you listen to, and stuff like that. So, surely it has evolved and changed over the years quite dramatically, I think.
M.I. - When you see yourself playing in videos from 20 years ago, what do you think?
I don't watch videos of me playing 20 years ago. I don't do that because I don't want to do that. But yeah, of course, you will find mistakes, and sometimes it can be surprisingly good too, you know. It depends. You also have to be a little bit forgiving with yourself when watching things from the past. You might like some of it, but some parts you might not like, and there's always something. That very same fact also applies to modern videos. If I watched something I did last week, I would probably approach it in the same way. I'm not constantly watching myself doing that. Sometimes I do, especially if we play some new songs or some material that I'm not that familiar with yet. Then I might watch those and see how I did and how I can maybe do better or something like that. But mostly, for the most part, I'm not really fond of looking at myself on video anyway.
M.I. - The album features some additional musicians, such as Santeri Kallio and Tomi Joutsen. What made these particular contributions important to the album? Did they affect the arrangements somehow?
Not the arrangement, really. Tomi did something on this album… I think I sampled one growl for “Liminality”, actually. It's not even something I recorded him for; it's a recording from the “Skinwalker” sessions, so it's just a sample. Santeri's keyboards, of course, we used him also on “Skinwalker”, on “Under the Black” and some other songs. We can play keyboards with Mark and we're pretty good at programming MIDI and stuff like that, but sometimes it's not enough and sometimes you need a real keyboard player to play those sorts of organs. It just sounds different when a professional keyboard player is doing it. So arrangement-wise, not that much, but sound-wise, that's probably why we wanted Santeri to participate. It's always great to have a great keyboard player. It's just fun and it sounds so much different. We're all huge fans of '70s music and classic rock with heavy organs and stuff like that, so that's always fun.
M.I. - Do you usually save the extra songs that you don't use? You just mentioned that you used something from the “Skinwalker” sessions.
Yeah. Well, that was just a vocal sample. But this time, for “Obscured Horizons”, we actually don't have any leftover tracks because all those tracks were actually used for the “Celestial” EP. We recorded 15 tracks for this session, and we chose to release five of them for the “Celestial” EP because we didn't want an album too long or too massive this time. Those songs from the EP just didn't quite fit “Obscured Horizons” as an album as a whole. So, this time we don't have any leftover tracks. But we have a few songs that we've been recording that are not released and stuff. So, yeah, we do have some extra songs up our sleeve, but that's for later.
M.I. - The album contains titles that seem to have a very strong narrative, running from emptiness and stagnation towards awakening. Was the album conceived as a journey from darkness towards some form of renewal?
Yeah, I mean, maybe the title really brings it all together like that. The future is there, but sometimes your ability to see it clearly is obscured by fear, regret, deception, or simply just being trapped in old ways of thinking and stuff like that. So “Liminality” is quite important in that respect as a title because it represents the uncomfortable space between one chapter of your life ending and another beginning, and stuff like that. So there's a lot of conceptual things, of course.
M.I. - With two members in Australia and two in Finland, rehearsing must be very different from being in a conventional band. How do you prepare for shows under those circumstances?
Usually, the last time we played live, we rehearsed when I flew to Australia. We had a few days when we played with Swallow the Sun. Also, last time we toured in Finland with Cemetery Skyline, the guys came a little bit earlier so we could arrange rehearsals… maybe one, two or three rehearsals before the tour starts. Of course, it's tricky. We can't rehearse all the time because that's just impossible. Right now we're about to hit the tour with Amorphis in Australia. I'm rehearsing myself with the tapes over here, and the guys are rehearsing in Australia. Then we have one rehearsal before the tour starts and that's it. Everybody rehearses individually and makes sure they know their parts and the material we're going to play. Then we have one or two rehearsals together and that's it. We can't do it that often, so it's impossible.
M.I. - You're playing with both bands, with The Eternal supporting Amorphis. How complicated is that going to be for you?
It's four shows in Australia, so I don't know. It's going to be probably very complicated. Surely we play a little bit shorter setlist than Amorphis. I just try to make sure that I'm prepared, and so far it's looking good. I don't see any problem. There's some pause, half an hour between the sets, so I can catch my breath and drink some water and stuff. So it's going to be okay.
M.I. - Looking at the band's evolution, what do you think has changed the most, and what is the one essential element of The Eternal that has never changed?
I think the one fundamental thing that has never changed is, of course, Mark's very unique voice and his lyrical mind. That has remained the same, more or less. It's kind of hard for me to say because I haven't been in the band for all these years. I've been in the band only for six years and three releases. But I think the current lineup has certainly evolved the band. It is a bit more refined and a little bit more perhaps progressive, and also a little bit less predictable. But it's always been dark and emotional and epic. And as I said, Mark's voice is really the binding element that will remain and that will make the band sound like The Eternal no matter what. So it's probably those two things, I think.
M.I. - The cover seems to be quite intense, with lots of information. What can you tell us about it?
It's Kate Roney, who happens to be Mark's girlfriend, who actually made the cover. I don't know, it's probably something between this sort of horizon and... it's just so many elements. For me, it reminds me of… I remember when we were talking about the new album cover and looking at certain options… I found a lot of sort of Escher kind of feelings from that cover. I don't know if you know the artist Escher, but it's kind of like a mathematical equation meets a celestial world. It's hard for me to explain because I really didn't make it, and I don't know what's behind that fundamentally.
M.I. - Will you be playing in Portugal or elsewhere in Europe after you go to Australia?
I certainly hope so. For me, it's very challenging because, of course, I'm super busy with Amorphis right now and we have so many shows coming up. We have this Australian tour and then after that we have some shows planned for next summer here in Finland. We're constantly trying to make time and find a way to come to Europe as well. We're also having conversations with the booking agencies at the moment to make it happen, but there's nothing confirmed yet. I certainly hope so. I really enjoy Portugal, and it would be excellent to visit Portugal sometime with The Eternal.
M.I. - Finally, could you please share a message with our readers?
Keep supporting the artists. Buy the records that you like, because that way you can really support your favourite bands. And keep listening to your favourite music and enjoy it. That's it.
For Portuguese version, click here
Listen to The Eternal, on Spotify
Questions by Sónia Fonseca
