I’ve been hooked on Helsinki’s G.A.Z.E. ever since their so-called “super dimensional hardcore” Sielun Tuli demo dropped right in the middle of pandemic restrictions, when there was plenty of new music to absorb but no live shows in sight. It felt like the right soundtrack for a moment when everything kind of seemed detached from the daily routine as we know it.
When things returned more or less to business-as-usual in the spring of 2022, the band came back with the excellent Living The Life EP, doubling down on their soaring Paintbox, Death Side, Gastunk, and Judgement influences. And while Finnish bands paying homage to the Japanese hardcore masters has been a thing for quite some time, G.A.Z.E. stand among the best current bands to do it.
G.A.Z.E’s self-titled full-length arrived in October 2025 via D-takt & Råpunk Records and quickly became a favorite among those of us deep into niche hardcore. Across eight tracks, the album is heartfelt and unpredictable, channeling the best of that “burning spirits” mythology through exciting songwriting and constant shifts in energy. Guest vocals from some of the finest names in the Finnish DIY punk scene, unexpected instrumentation, and lyrics that dodge clichés and conventions all add to its aura.
Below, singer Yani and guitarist Captain Wild talk more about G.A.Z.E.
To start with the basics: when did the band form, who’s currently in it, and what were you aiming for when you started? And about the name: does G.A.Z.E. actually stand for anything, or was it more about finding something with that G.I.S.M-style aesthetic that can change in meaning depending on the moment?
Yani: Hello! G.A.Z.E. was founded in early 2020. I had a vision that I wanted to play traditional Japanese-style hardcore with Finnish lyrics. I immediately knew who I wanted to ask to join, and everyone liked the idea and the chemistry worked. We started writing music together, and the songs came together really fast.
The first lineup was Yani on vocals, Captain Wild on guitar and backing vocals, Gaizu on guitar, Sie on bass, and Lex on drums. This lineup recorded the cassette, the 7-inch, and the latest 12-inch. Lex and Gaizu wanted to focus on other bands and things in life, so the current lineup is Yani, Captain Wild, and Sie. For now, we’ve had a couple of friends helping us out on drums at shows, but we are currently looking for a permanent drummer.
G.A.Z.E. stands for Greater Astral Zone Experience. It describes the atmosphere and character of our music very well.
Cpt. Wild: On top of the good chemistry Yani mentioned, we also share a lot of musical similarities in taste. At the same time, everybody has their own strong personal preferences, and that can bring a little extra into the mix when the band is writing songs. It is still not an easy task to make this kind of music without sliding too deep into heavy metal territory or simply becoming ridiculous.
One primary mission of G.A.Z.E. is avoiding that trap. Not being afraid to break limits is important, as fear often causes bands to fall into mediocrity.
How long have you been into Japanese hardcore, and what first pulled you into that world? Was it Finnish bands like Selfish that got you hooked on that style? What would you name as your main influences overall (is it mainly Paintbox?), and why do you think Japanese hardcore continues to have such a strong presence and popularity in Finland?
Yani: Yep, Selfish are pioneers, and of course we love them, and the members are our good friends. But personally, I have to say that when I first started seeing them live years ago, I wasn’t as hooked on Japan as I am today. My passionate love for Japan came more gradually, through Japanese films, and I started listening to more and more Japanese music. Of course, Paintbox is one of our biggest inspirations, but I have to say we don’t just sit on the couch listening to Paintbox thinking, “Okay, we have to make a song that sounds like this,” if you know what I mean. All songs are born somehow naturally.
Our influences come from Japanese hardcore in general, but also from anything uplifting, positive, happy happy happy, yummy yummy sounding heavy metal, AOR, power metal, rock, etc.
I have been to Japan twice myself. I’ve noticed that, in general, Finns and Japanese share a lot of similar traits. Neither likes to talk much, especially on public transportation, hah. They can be shy, modest, and have similar manners to us. So I guess those are also some of the reasons why Finns love Japan, but I’m not sure.
Cpt. Wild: I bumped into the tip of the iceberg of Japanese hardcore when I was in high school. I got myself introduced to G.I.S.M, Bastard, and a bunch of other stuff, but those were the ones that stayed with me strongly through all these years. I saw Selfish live a few years later and surely liked it too. What I like in a lot of these bands is the song structures and the little intricate moments in the riffs and chord progressions, while still maintaining high-octane energy or weirdness.
Back then, I was thinking that I could never create music or play in a band like that. I’m happy this band happened!
I was instantly hooked by the “Super Dimensional Hardcore” tag when you dropped the 2021 demo, and I’m pretty sure I was among the first to review it. Now your debut album is getting glowing reviews and coming up on lists as one of the best underrated gems of the year. Can you talk about the lyrical themes and the approach behind the songwriting, especially all those unpredictable structures and wild tempo shifts that have become such a defining part of your sound?
Yani: Thank you so much for the support and the compliments. We really appreciate it.
The themes of the songs vary. For example, “Perhonen Sydämessä” is about when I went for a walk and showed around the small town where I grew up. I was disappointed to see that many of the forests where we used to play as children had been cut down and replaced by houses that haven’t even been sold. So there are references to how capitalism and human greed destroy nature. The song’s title, literally translated as “Butterfly in the Heart,” is taken from the Finnish title of the Japanese movie Swallowtail Butterfly (1996), even though the song itself is not about the movie.
“1000 Nightmares” refers to a period when I suffered from recurring nightmares week after week due to stress.
“Fly Like a Fly” is kind of an anime-style, uplifting song about an Icarus-like fly. It’s hard to explain, but it’s about positive energy.
“Fighting Mind” is also about keeping positive energy in your life. There is a kind of samurai anime feel in this one as well.
Cpt. Wild: “Dead End” is thematically a pretty traditional punk song. It’s about the anguish and desperation of the world surrounding us. Many try to cope and grasp the last straws of hope for a better world. It’s so exhausting that we end up trying to merely escape it all, but there is really nowhere to escape to.
Sie, Gaizu, and I have, more or less, written all these songs together. Even our former drummer Lex wrote a song for this new LP. These songs are never ready when first introduced in the practice room. Eventually, when the parts come together, we aim to maintain the unexpected and interesting structure of the songs, but still without trying to be overly complex or tricky at the cost of intensity. Balancing on that see-saw is difficult, but I think we’ve done a good job so far.
You brought in a lot of guests on the album: violin, saxophone, and a whole crew of backing vocals for those gang-chorus moments, including members of Kohti Tuhoa, Death Race, Dart, and others. It really feels like a big Helsinki hardcore punk family coming together.
Yani: Yeah, everyone who featured on the record are our friends, and everyone was happy to come and help us. More generally, the Finnish punk scene is moving in a better direction. A few years ago, we had a #punkstoo campaign, similar to #metoo, and an Instagram account that exposed how toxic the scene was and how much sexual harassment and violence had taken place.
This helped not only the punk scene, but the Finnish music scene overall, to reflect on these issues, push harmful people out, and rethink behavior at shows, and so on. Little by little, things are moving in a better direction, but there is still a lot of work ahead. Punk is love!
Back in March, I think you were looking for help to self-release the LP, but in the end it came out through a well-established label like D-takt & Råpunk in Sweden. Has it become harder and more expensive to put out an LP these days? And what’s your take on the current reality of music consumption, where we have every physical format imaginable, endless reissues of old records, an infinite amount of new releases, streaming platforms, and just a general sense of oversaturation?
Yani: Yep, our previous releases were self-released. We realized we no longer have the resources to release a 12-inch ourselves, and Jocke from D-takt & Råpunk Records has always supported us and we’ve played together. So it felt natural to ask him if he would be interested, and he was immediately excited. The whole process worked really well. Also, Finnish postage costs are ridiculously high these days. Sending even a single record to, say, the US costs around 50 euros.
About music consumption and all that, this is once again a personal point of view. I’ve been collecting records, movies, comics, and all kinds of other nerd stuff since the late 1990s, because I’m a nerd. It’s a bad habit or an addiction, but I love going around record stores, flea markets, record fairs, vintage events, and other second-hand shops. It’s kind of a zen-like feeling for me and lets me be at peace with the world for a moment. About 99% of what I buy is used. I rarely buy anything new, and when I do, it’s usually from small labels or bands.
I don’t use Spotify or similar services. They’ve never really been my thing. I also don’t see any point in reissuing a record that was already pressed in millions and millions of copies in the ’70s and ’80s in different countries, when you can buy that record from used bins for 1 to 10 euros. So it’s very much a yin-and-yang kind of feeling in general.
I guess the biggest issue in Finnish politics seems to be the war in Ukraine, national defense, and the government pushing through budget cuts. How is all of this affecting everyday life, and what changes have you felt in Finland over the past few years? And on another note, what’s your personal view on bands choosing to tour or play shows in places like Russia or Israel under the current circumstances?
Yani: Our current government is extremely racist, wants to oppress poor people and the unemployed, gives tax cuts to the rich, only supports big corporations, and divides people. They are doing nothing about our rising drug problem, and almost every day a new scandal comes up that makes us ashamed. I am truly ashamed of our country right now. Luckily, some people are getting fed up with this, but at the same time, on social media you can see a lot of polarization and hatred toward foreigners and minorities. Part of this is because the government drives people into poverty and shows that racism is acceptable, and many are struggling badly. Waiting for better times every day.
Cpt. Wild: I think this current situation affects the very people around us. I’ve personally had the feeling since COVID that seemingly everyone, in general, has fallen into a deeper depression and sadness, at least people with no stable jobs. To be frank, all in all it’s an everyday struggle not to fall into total nihilism and misanthropy and to give up when you look at the situation in our country and the news outside Finland.
Yani: About touring to those countries, I personally, and I know that the other members of the band stand behind this as well, would not go play shows in Russia or Israel. I believe and know that there are people in those countries who oppose their governments’ brutal actions, but traveling to countries like Israel, which is carrying out a genocide against Palestinians, or Russia, which has brutally invaded Ukraine, would still bring money into those states and support them in some way. Free Palestine. Slava Ukraine. Stop the genocide!
The Finnish metal scene has a reputation for harboring right-wing sentiments and a number of NSBM bands. How accurate do you think that perception is today? And more broadly, have you noticed a rise of the extreme right in Finland in recent years?
Yani: Yep, that sucks, and many still go with the “I don’t listen to the words, just the music matters” bullshit. I hate that. But I’ve noticed that the younger generation playing death metal, thrash metal, and so on are much more inclined toward leftist thinking, or at least think about more than just drinking beer and acting like idiots. So it seems things might be moving in a better direction.
There have also been a lot of punk bands coming from under-18 kids who take a stand on the government and the system. So the future looks brighter in that field.
Some of the Finnish bands I’ve been really into lately are Valtatyhjiö, Valinta, Kovaa Rasvaa, Sivilisaatio, Plasma, Karkaisu, and of course the Japanese-influenced stuff like Kürøishi and Violent Spirit. What other current hardcore punk or metal bands from Finland would you shout out or recommend people check out?
Yani: If we’re talking about bands that have emerged in the last five years, I would say from punk and hardcore: Dart, Putkipommi, Tiikeri, Pahan Kehä, Poison Church, Farce, Punio, Kaikki Turhat Haaveet, Korruptio, and Dragsvik. From the metal side: Emissary, Jävelin, Frigid Winter, Unearthly Rites, and Dome Runner.
Cpt. Wild: I’d add Culture Trap and Kristiina to that already good list.
What’s next for G.A.Z.E. now that the album is out? Any concrete plans on the horizon, and should we expect a Japanese tour anytime soon?
Yani: Yeah, we’re planning to tour Europe summer 2026. Organizers, feel free to get in touch. Also, the dream would be to make it to Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, the Americas, and so on. Hopefully these will come true someday.
Cpt. Wild: Yup, we should have good contacts in some of those countries, so there’s a good chance you’ll catch us playing somewhere there in the near future.
