As we bid farewell to 2023, come along with us for a series of interviews with a few artists. We’ll chat with them about their experiences, challenges, and successes throughout the year. These talks give you a close-up view of what happened in the metal music scene in 2023. We chatted with Teppo Ristola of WHERE’S MY BIBLE to see how the extreme metal band have experienced 2023.
In 2023, WHERE’S MY BIBLE finally was able to go on tour in South America after winning the Come to Latin America competition in 2022. What were some of your best memories from that tour?
Teppo Ristola: Definitely all of the shows. Every night, the crowd was amazing, and we felt super welcome to be there. People were heartwarming, and all the talks about Latin America and fans there were true. Of course, the food and wines were also just perfect. Actually, we had the honor to visit Sal Gastronomia as guests of Chef Henrique Fogaça. He is the winner of MasterChef Brazil. Nowadays, he owns one of the best restaurants in São Paulo, and he is one of the judges in MasterChef. These were once-in-a-lifetime experiences, definitely. We didn’t have too much time to chill, but in Chile, we were invited to see the HAKEN show. That was a super nice experience, and they were on fire!
What was WHERE’S MY BIBLE’s biggest struggle in 2023 and what did you learn from it?
Teppo Ristola: As some of you know, our bass player, Jarno Laakkonen, passed away at the start of the year. That was heartbreaking news for all of us. It came out of the blue, and everyone was paralyzed for the first few weeks. We decided to continue what we had started, and we were sure that Jarno would also want this.
Teppo Ristola: We are glad that we found Juho Jokimies to fill Jarno’s huge place in the band. After the South America Tour and some Finnish dates, we are sure that Juho is just the perfect match for our ranks.
You also released, “Fenrir,” as a new single in 2023, how much of 2023 did you devote to writing new music?
Teppo Ristola: Actually, we recorded two singles and shot three music videos for upcoming releases. At the moment, we are finishing composing the new album, and it’s looking really good. So, we can say that we are devoting a lot of time to writing new music. Of course, all the preparations for the South American tour disrupted this a bit.
Have you (re-)discovered any new music during 2023?
Jussi Matilainen: MOONLIGHT SORCERY blew my mind; that was maybe the best album of the year, besides BLACKBRAID‘s new album! Special mention to bands like SWORN, THE ARCANE ORDER, and TEMEC.
Pasi Löfgren: I found these in 2023: BLACKBRAID, MOONLIGHT SORCERY, TEMEC, KALANDRA, A TERGO LUPI, and THE ARCANE ORDER.
Toni Hinkkala: VORAATH and CATTLE DECAPITATION were great!
Juho Jokimies: I discovered SOEN truly just this year. Better late than never, eh? Re-discovering AYREON was one of the highlights of this year.
Teppo Ristola: I found and re-discovered bands like THE ARCANE ORDER, BLACKBRAID, HAKEN, and TORTURE KILLER. From SOEN, we can go straight to WHEEL. The world is full of great music, and it surprises me year after year.
What can we expect from WHERE’S MY BIBLE in 2024?
Teppo Ristola: A full-length album and definitely more shows. Hopefully, some tours in Europe and Latin America as soon as possible. If you want to see us play live, you can contact the Rockhopper agency. Hopefully, see all of you soon!
