DIVERCIA – Interview with Janne Hänninen, dr.

Hello. Would you like to tell me a few words about Divercia in order to let people know who you are?

Divercia is a Finnish metal band with six members of totally different musical tastes. Musically we are somewhere between dark metal and power metal. In general people have found our music hard to categorize, which is only a positive thing. We started in 1994 with a name Lost in Twilight. Under that name we made 2 demos and one mcd, which was released through Sound Riot records. Now we have just released an album “Modus Operandi” through Hammerheart records.

“Modus Operandi” is an album that will make many fans of yours. It has a very accessible sound and it reminds of bands like Nightwish and Him that sell a lot. Was that on purpose? I mean to record an easy-listening album.

We haven't dramatically changed our way of making music since the first demo, so I guess the answer is no. We just play the music we like. If the result is easy to listen, there's no problem in that. We have also had some comments that our music is complex, so I guess this is just a matter of opinion.

The production is killer! What are your impressions of Finnvox studios? Are you satisfied?

The album was recorded at Astia Studios by Anssi Kippo, and mastered at Finnvox studios. Mr. Kippo had a good influence on us, and the he's the one to credit for clear production. We are very satisfied to the album, considering the recording studio was hot like a hell! There was some heat wave going on during the recording session.

Something that I don`t like in your album is that the vocals are in the same style in every song and this is tiring. What do you think about it?

Well if we don't like it, we don't do it. So we have to be satisfied to everything on the album to record it. So this is again a matter of opinion.

Could you tell me a few words about the lyrics? What are they talking about? You see in my promo there are no lyrics.

Jyri has once explained the meaning of the lyrics: “You could say that as a record “Modus Operandi” is one complete story,a horror-scifi-novel. It has 11 chapters and if you seek hard enough between those written lines you should be able to find a path that leads you towards the end of the book. A book that tells you a tale of Weird cults,Voodoo, Demons, and the end which all the characters in this story love so much and are willing to sacrifice their lives to reveal the truth.”

What are your expectations from “Modus Operandi”?

We have received a lot of positive feedback from Modus Operandi. It's our debut album, and the record sold very well on the first week. Hammerheart records has a lot more potential to make our music heard than our previous label, so the future looks good.

So, this is the last question. What kind of music do you like? What are your favourite bands and how do they influence you when you write a song? I wanna thank you and wish you luck for the future. Byez!!!

Well, to name a few: Nightwish, Stratovarius, Amorphis, Dimmu Borgir, Katatonia, In Flames… I personally listen to bands like The Gathering, Anathema, Katatonia etc. We all listen to totally different kind of music, from black metal to soft rock. The composing process is sometimes very time consuming, and it is participated by all the band members. The final result is a mixture of these influences.Thanks for your interview