Segmentia interview 16.2.2023
These questions have been answered by Matti Siekkinen of the band Segmentia.
MM: Can you tell us about your Band and who is your biggest influences
We are Segmentia from Seinäjoki, Finland and we call our music Pop Metal from the
North. That means that we are mixing pop music song structures with electric and
symphonic elements to metal music. As a band we don’t really have clear influences, we
are simply trying to express ourselves honestly through music. On an individual level,
each of us obviously has a long list of influences from metal to hip-hop and pop to
classical music.
MM: Where do you draw your inspiration and ideas from
Philosophical themes such as the big questions of life, strange phenomena, and simply
different trials and tribulations of Life have always been the stuff from where I draw inspiration
for lyrics, but musical ideas are a bit different. It often feels like they are more so given to
you than born from one’s own conscious thought. Or that’s how it is with the best ideas
that I’ve gotten. It doesn’t tend to work so well (at least for me) to try to “manufacture”
music.
MM: What would you say is your Bands favourite song ?
It’s a close tie between Save Me and Fighter, out of our latest EP called Alone. The
chorus and the solo section of Save Me speak to me more on an emotional level, but
Fighter is just so much fun to play and it has such an energy to it that it’s hard not to like
the song!
MM: What can we expect from Segmentia live
We are a pretty energetic live band, but I feel like our biggest strength live is how present
we are on stage and how well we are able to convey emotion through music live. That’s
something that we have gotten a fair bit of good feedback about!
MM: What do you like best and worst abt touring
I enjoy touring, in general, a lot! Of course, there’s a fair bit of stress involved too, but I like
the whole process of getting to the venue, setting everything up, joking around while
waiting for the show, and finally playing the show itself. What I like the least though is the
often-present lack of sleep! I need my beauty sleep!
MM: Which three Bands would be your ultimate touring buddies
I know Jere would say Amorphis, but for me, Pain would probably be the ultimate touring
buddy band I can think of right now! Either of those bands would be great though. I’m
sure we could learn a lot from either band! As the third, I think I have to say Devin
Townsend.
MM: Whats the most memorable concert you've been to (other than your own) and why
The one that comes to my mind right now is the time I saw Dream Theater in
Helsinki Ice Hall around the time I was 16 or 17. It was my first big concert I ever
saw. I played the drums at that time still and I was looking forward seeing Mike
Portnoy play live so much! The reason though why I remember this concert so well
was the fact , that due to where I was sitting, Mike’s large drum set was blocked from
my view by the line array speakers and I could only see Mike play when he played a
couple of songs with his smaller drum set (he used to have two sets on stage). It was
a great show however and Symphony X was opening for Dream Theater, so I got to
see them as well!
MM: What do you feel has been your biggest accomplishment so far with
Honestly just everything that we have accomplished with Segmentia since I joined the
band. Playing some of the best shows I’ve played, getting singed to SODEH Records,
releasing our Alone EP... So I guess being so lucky to play in this band has been my
biggest accomplishment so far, haha!
MM: Which are your Two favourite Albums of all time
Moonsorrow – Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa and possibly Dream Theater –
Sytematic Chaos. I might give you a different answer though if you asked again
tomorrow.
MM: Can you remember the first time you ever played live and how it felt to have people
watching you?
I do, but I can’t remember much of the show itself. It was the first show we played with
my first metal band, End Time Design. I don’t remember being too nervous about
playing, I only remember I felt a bit embarrassed about how the people didn’t really seem
to be all that interested about us or what we were playing, but later on I of course
learned, that that’s just how those small shows are sometimes. And also that maybe, just
maybe, we weren’t as big of a deal as a band as at least I thought, hahah!
MM: Growing up which Bands posters did you have on your bedroom wall.
During the time I started playing music myself as a teenager, I had a subscription to this
Finnish music magazine called Soundi and each magazine had a caricature picture of
some “artist of the month”, so I used to collect those and put them on my bedroom wall.
It’s been so long, but I think I had at least those caricature posters of the band Mokoma
and of Alexi Laiho on my wall.
MM - Who do you think influenced the world of Metal / Rock more than any other person
Tony Iommi. I suppose no explanations are needed.
MM - Whats the most important thing to the band right now?
Playing our two upcoming shows and then starting to work on our first full length album.
We have a good amount of material written already, but we just need to get to work with
getting the material fully ready to be recorded.
MM:If you could do a cover of any song which one would it be and why?
We have been playing with this idea actually and we may very well do a cover song in
not-too-distant future, so I would rather not tell at this point, but I urge any of the readers
to follow Segmentia on Instagram or Facebook to find out more if and when we do
release a cover song!
MM: Tell us why we should buy and listen to your Band
You should buy our music and/or merch if you want to support us and make this road to
success a little bit easier for us, but as far as listening goes, we stand out. Our music is a
unique blend of familiar elements. I think we have managed to take the best of each
influence that we have while simultaneously we have poured our heart and soul to the
music in the most honest way possible. While the tag “pop” might give the idea that the
music has been created to be a product, that could not be further from the truth. Our
music is an honest artistic expression within the context of metal and pop music. That is
not something easily achieved by just anyone. This is what makes us stand out from
other bands and why you should listen to us!
MM: Four words to describe Segmentia
Pop metal from (the) North!
Final Words for your fans and our readers
Thank you for the support! Please check out our music and see if you like it! Stay (pop)
metal!
