CYHRA/RED WOLF guitarist EUGE VALOVIRTA has released a touching song and video ‘A Song For An Absent Friend’, watch below.
Euge states:
“It’s for Alexi, but also for all the late friends. And to my Grandpa, who passed away some time ago.
The song actually got its start after my Grandpa’s passing and I came back to it now ‘cos I felt that I had to “play my feelings out” somehow. So I finished the song and then filmed myself playing the lead guitar and just played from my heart.
I can’t really explain it but playing guitar always makes me feel better no matter what is going on.
Alexi & I weren’t the closest friends but every time we met we always had such a great time. Whether it was playing on each of other’s albums, doing guitar clinics or playing occasional live shows or just hanging out. He was one the most caring, humble and nicest guys I’ve ever met and it feels so unfair that he isn’t with us anymore.”
Photo by Joonathan Kuisma & Matthias Törngren – edited by Saila Semeri
RED WOLF– feat. members from Cyhra, Lost Society, Stone & Suburban Tribe – released their debut album ‘Sessions Vol. 1’ on October 14th, furthermore the band has unleashed a new video for ‘The Point of No Return’.
Janne Joutsenniemi growls on ‘The Point of No Return’ with Samy Elbanna, who also plays an insane guitar solo in the song. Watch the video here:
The album has 10 songs of riff based, groovy kickass metal.
Euge Valovirta: “All of this happened very naturally & effortlesly and this has been the easiest album writing & recording process that I’ve ever been a part of and I’m really happy how everything turned out. I think that you can hear it on the album as well; four guys playing kick-ass metal and having a ton of fun doing so. And I’m very glad & thankful that the guys wanted to be part of this and that they gave their best for this project”.
Samy Elbanna: ”As a person who always has enjoyed creating and doing as much as possible, this was an absolute dream to be a part of! This has been without a doubt one of the funniest and most organic projects I’ve ever had the honor to participate! Great songs and a great group of guys, what could be better?!”
Janne Joutsenniemi: “I haven’t played or singed for a while so this was a nice change for me to rock out with the guys, even from a distance since everybody played their parts on their own for obvious reasons. I haven’t even met or talked with Adde but it was really fun to play the bass on top of his drums and my playing fitted naturally to his playing.
I can hear hear the fresh and enthusiastic touch in everyone’s playing and everything was done in the spur of moment since we had no time or need to analyze and rehearse things any further. It was straight forward full speed ahead, trusting your own intuition and that’s what music is all about”.
Adde Larsson: “Having been working together with Euge as a stand in drummer for Alex Landenburg in Cyhra for about 2 years and with a bunch of shows and tours under the belt together, me and Euge have really hit it off and he has become a very good and dear friend of mine.
When this opportunity rose to do this project together there was absolutely nothing that would stop me in my tracks to take the change and join! To also be playing with Samy and Janne in the same band was a massive extra privilege and a surprise to say, especially knowing what they have achieved in their individual careers!”
‘Sessions Vol. 1’ – tracklist:
Crossing the Line The Road The Point of No Return Running In Circles The Devil Inside of Me Hypocrite Watch It Burn Coming for You Face of God I am The Night
Photo by Joonathan Kuisma & Matthias Törngren – edited by Saila Semeri
RED WOLF – feat. members from Cyhra, Lost Society, Stone & Suburban Tribe – have released their second single & video for the song ‘The Road’, taken from the band’s debut album ‘Sessions Vol. 1’, coming out on October 14th having 10 songs of riff based, groovy kickass metal!
The second single ‘The Road’ is “the most rock”- track of the album and has definitely that ‘80s vibe all over it.
Samy Elbanna: ”From the moment Euge sent me the demo for this song I knew that we’re going to make the ultimate 80’s influenced highway tune. “The Road” is a track that makes you want to drive fast into the sunset and is definitely one of my favourite songs, if not my favourite of the whole record!”
Euge Valovirta: “It took me about 5 minutes to write and record the demo and since it came so quickly I didn’t think much of the song really until I heard Samy’s demo vocals on it. I was like goddamn this is great!
Everything happened very naturally & effortlessly and this has been the easiest album writing & recording process that I’ve ever been a part of and I’m really happy how everything turned out. I think you’ll hear it on the album as well; four guys playing kick-ass music and having a ton of fun doing so”.
Also watch the video for the first single ‘Crossing the Line’:
‘Sessions Vol. 1’ – tracklist:
Crossing the Line The Road The Point of No Return Running In Circles The Devil Inside of Me Hypocrite Watch It Burn Coming for You Face of God I am The Night
The first single & video ‘Crossing the Line’ from RED WOLF(Euge Valovirta, Samy Elbanna, Janne Joutsenniemi & Adde Larsson) is released today and available on all major digital platforms. The video was premiered, last week, exclusively via Soundi’s website.
It all started in Spring 2020, during the COVID – 19 lockdown, when Euge Valovirta (Cyhra) had received compliments & questions about the songs he had used on his YouTube – channel’s videos which were just 1-2 minute clips of cool riffs basically written for a particular video about a certain amp, effect pedal etc.
Around the same time Adde Larsson, with whom Euge had played several Cyhra shows since he had filled in for Alex Landenburg, called Euge that he really likes Euge’s solo album ‘Easy Does It’ and if he ever plans to record another he’d like to be the drummer on that.
Since all of their main band’s tours were cancelled ‘cos of the COVID-19, they had plenty of time so they decided that Euge will complete the aforementioned clips into full songs at his home studio in Helsinki, Finland and Adde will then record drums on them in his hometown Gothenburg, Sweden.
When the demos of the songs were finished Euge decided that the songs require vocals and someone to finish the writing process with him and the first guy he thought who’d be perfect for the job was Samy Elbanna (Lost Society) and Samy replied immediately, without hearing a single song, that he is in.
Around the same time Euge thought that he wants his old bandmate from Suburban Tribe Janne Joutsenniemi (Stone, Suburban Tribe) to play bass on the songs and Janne also replied immediately that he is in. Janne also growls on the album which he hasn’t done since Stone’s last album ‘Emotional Playground’ (1991).
After the drums were done Euge, Samy & Janne recorded their parts at their home studios and by early July the recordings were finished, without the guys meeting once during this time, and the mixing started at In Your Phase studios in Gothenburg, Sweden by Matthias Törngren.
Euge Valovirta: “All of this happened very naturally & effortlessly and this has been probably the easiest album writing & recording process that I’ve ever been a part of and I’m really happy how everything turned out.
‘Crossing the Line’ was the first song we completed and it set the direction for the rest of the album. Its working title was “JCM800” ‘cos it was written for my YouTube channels’ – video about my all time favourite amp; Marshall JCM800 2203 which I used on the album, naturally ☺.
Samy Elbanna: ”As a person who always has enjoyed creating and doing as much as possible, this was an absolute dream to be a part of! This has been without a doubt one of the funniest and most organic projects I’ve ever had the honor to participate! Great songs and a great group of guys, what could be better?!”
Janne Joutsenniemi: “I haven’t played or singed for a while so this was a nice change for me to rock out with the guys, even from a distance since everybody played their parts on their own for obvious reasons. I haven’t even met or talked with Adde but it was really fun to play the bass on top of his drums and my playing fitted naturally to his playing.
I can hear hear the fresh and enthusiastic touch in everyone’s playing and everything was done in the spur of moment since we had no time or need to analyze and rehearse things any further. It was straight forward full speed ahead, trusting your own intuition and that’s what music is all about”.
Adde Larsson: “Having been working together with Euge as a stand in drummer for Alex Landenburg in Cyhra for about 2 years and with a bunch of shows and tours under the belt together, me and Euge have really hit it off and he has become a very good and dear friend of mine.
When this opportunity rose to do this project together there was absolutely nothing that would stop me in my tracks to take the change and join! To also be playing with Samy and Janne in the same band was a massive extra privilege and a surprise to say, especially knowing what they have achieved in their individual careers!
It makes me very humble and excited to be a part of this machine and it’s just simply awesome and honouring to be a part of this all”.
(Photo by Joonatan Kuisma & Matthias Törngren. Edited by Saila Semeri)
The first video ‘Crossing the Line’ from RED WOLF (feat. Euge Valovirta, Samy Elbanna, Janne Joutsenniemi & Andreas Larsson) is out today exclusively via Soundi’s website, at this location. The song will be released on all digital platforms on September 2nd.
Album ‘Sessions Vol. 1’ to be released on October 14th will have 10 songs of riff based, groovy kickass metal.
It all started in Spring 2020, during the COVID – 19 lockdown, when Euge Valovirta (Cyhra) had received compliments & questions about the songs he had used on his YouTube – channel’s videos which were just 1-2 minute clips of cool riffs basically written for a particular video about a certain amp, effect pedal etc.
Around the same time Adde Larsson, with whom Euge had played several Cyhra shows since he had filled in for Alex Landenburg, called Euge that he really likes Euge’s solo album ‘Easy Does It’ and if he ever plans to record another he’d like to be the drummer on that.
Since all of their main band’s tours were cancelled ‘cos of the COVID-19, they had plenty of time so they decided that Euge will complete the aforementioned clips into full songs at his home studio in Helsinki, Finland and Adde will then record drums on them in his hometown Gothenburg, Sweden.
When the demos of the songs were finished Euge decided that the songs require vocals and someone to finish the writing process with him and the first guy he thought who’d be perfect for the job was Samy Elbanna (Lost Society) and Samy replied immediately, without hearing a single song, that he is in.
Around the same time Euge thought that he wants his old bandmate from Suburban Tribe Janne Joutsenniemi (Stone, Suburban Tribe) to play bass on the songs and Janne also replied immediately that he is in. Janne also growls on the album which he hasn’t done since Stone’s last album ‘Emotional Playground’ (1991).
After the drums were done Euge, Samy & Janne recorded their parts at their home studios and by early July the recordings were finished, without the guys meeting once during this time, and the mixing started at IYP studios in Gothenburg, Sweden by Matthias Törngren.
Euge Valovirta: “All of this happened very naturally & effortlessly and this has been probably the easiest album writing & recording process that I’ve ever been a part of and I’m really happy how everything turned out. ‘Crossing the Line’ was the first song we completed and it set the direction for the rest of the album. It’s working title was “JCM800” ‘cos it was written for my YouTube channels’ – video about my all time favourite amp; Marshall JCM800 2203 which I used on the album naturally ☺.
Samy Elbanna: ”As a person who always has enjoyed creating and doing as much as possible, this was an absolute dream to be a part of! This has been without a doubt one of the funniest and most organic projects I’ve ever had the honor to participate! Great songs and a great group of guys, what could be better?!”
Janne Joutsenniemi: “I haven’t played or singed for a while so this was a nice change for me to rock out with the guys, even from a distance since everybody played their parts on their own for obvious reasons. I haven’t even met or talked with Adde but it was really fun to play the bass on top of his drums and my playing fitted naturally to his playing. I can hear hear the fresh and enthusiastic touch in everyone’s playing and everything was done in the spur of moment since we had no time or need to analyze and rehearse things any further. It was straight forward full speed ahead, trusting your own intuition and that’s what music is all about”.
Adde Larsson: “Having been working together with Euge as a stand in drummer for Alex Landenburg in Cyhra for about 2 years and with a bunch of shows and tours under the belt together, me and Euge have really hit it off and he has become a very good and dear friend of mine. When this opportunity rose to do this project together there was absolutely nothing that would stop me in my tracks to take the change and join! To also be playing with Samy and Janne in the same band was a massive extra privilege and a surprise to say, especially knowing what they have achieved in their individual careers! It makes me very humble and excited to be a part of this machine and it’s just simply awesome and honouring to be a part of this all”.
RED WOLF is: Euge Valovirta – guitar Samy Elbanna – vocals & guitar Janne Joutsenniemi – bass & vocals Adde Larsson – drums
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 