Atlas: Melancholy, It’s In Our Finnish DNA
“Metalcore is still like a curse word to some people,” says Finnish guitarist Tuomas Kurikka, when explaining why his band ATLAS felt the need to coin a new genre, Northcore, to express the music they were creating. “We had a lot of influence from folk stuff – folk music and folk poetry – in Finland, so it felt right to have a name for it. And it’s nice to have a word to reference your music to someone who’s, I don’t know, just a SLAYER fan and doesn’t want to hear any other metalcore stuff. Maybe they just think, that’s fucking sad, I’ll never listen to that. Or they might think ‘oh, that’s interesting’.”
Genres are a double-edged sword: they help fans find new music based on their existing preferences, whilst simultaneously pigeonholing bands into a predetermined set of rules and expectations. Is it any wonder that in this oversaturated metal landscape, bands are finding more and more creative ways to both utilise and crush the genre limits?
In ATLAS’ newest album, Sunder, the Northcore creators have explored less folk influence, but maintain the icy undertones and melancholy that is apparently synonymous with Finnish metal musicians. “For as long as I’ve been a touring musician, I’ve heard people mentioning Finnish metal bands say that there’s always this sadness and melancholy in the music – and in Finland as well,” Tuomas says. “And it’s very true. There’s something about our DNA that makes us write mostly sad music, especially the metal stuff. And we [ATLAS] are no different; I don’t think I can write anything in a major key.”
While not completely impossible for Finnish bands to produce happy music, it might feel disingenuous. “Let’s take HIM, for example,” the Finnish rock band renowned for their dark, gothic, love metal. “Their songs are sad in a way, but they’re all love songs and ultimately positive in a way as well.” Tuomas admits, “HIM are my favourite band of all time. We actually share management these days, and I’ve been in the same room as him [Ville Valo], but I dare not say a word.” No matter how high up you go, there is always someone above you getting starstruck around their favourite musicians, even if you share the same melancholic, Finnish DNA.
Sunder is eight tracks of measured, emotive darkness, and when stripped back, has but one message: love conquers death. “Our last album [UKKO] was so much about grief, the loss of my dad, and going through that process; Sunder is about getting through that to the other side,” Tuomas says. “The last song on UKKO is about my daughter, who was born during that difficult time in my life, so that was kind of the inception of this whole next album. When dealing with loss and all those emotions, love is the only thing that survives that and your memory of those people.”
Love conquers death also took on a more supernatural meaning when Tuomas and vocalist Patrik Nuorteva were writing Sunder. “We’ve had similar experiences with loss,” Tuomas says. “And a very close friend of Patrik’s said someone who Patrik had lost came to him in a dream and told him something only Patrik could know and sort of asked for forgiveness. It was just like a sign of love from the afterlife. I don’t believe in any of that stuff, but that experience was wild.” The song this inspired is I Whisper Your Name Like a Curse, a harrowing cross between a lament and a crushing love song, with Patrik’s vocals resembling none other than Ville Valo, much to the delight of many fans.
Supernatural spirits were really having some fun with ATLAS during the writing of this album. The title, Sunder, came about as if implanted into Tuomas’ brain by an otherworldly force (although, this one could have just been down to memory loss). “I took a little break during the writing process, went to the gym, opened my notes app to do a grocery list or something, and I had a note where it just said ‘Sunder’ that I don’t remember writing,” Tuomas recalls. After he had googled its meaning – since it is not, in fact, a Finnish word, but an Old English word meaning to split apart – he decided it distilled the whole album writing process into one word. ATLAS might have to get out a Ouija board when it’s time to write their next album if the same “spirits” don’t spark such inspirational experiences. “But you just have to take it when it comes and not be too worried about it,” Tuomas laughs. “Maybe there’ll be something even crazier in the future. And if not, we’ll just keep writing about whatever else is happening.” Since Tuomas hasn’t watched a horror film in over twenty years, and supernatural horror really isn’t his “cup of tea”, it might be best if he steers clear of any potentially terrifying Ouija experiences.
Embrace the cold. In addition to being the messengers of melancholy and now seemingly spirit conduits as well, ATLAS stamp their message to “embrace the cold” across everything they do. It’s not an encouragement to cut a hole in a frozen lake and freeze your balls off to show the Finnish grandmas how hardcore you are, but rather that you should embrace the hard emotions and be comfortable with actually expressing them. Although ice swimming does work wonders too, especially if there’s a sauna nearby. Tuomas smiles, “Once you get out, it’s the best feeling in the world.”
Sunder is set for release on February 20th, 2026 via OMN Label Services. View this interview, alongside dozens of other killer bands, in glorious print magazine fashion in DS128 here.
For more information on ATLAS like their official page on Facebook.