Today we interviewed Arde Teronen – vocalist of Temple Balls.
Shannon Wilk – Can you describe your journey from when you first started in music up until now?
Arde Teronen – “It’s been a long journey. The band (Temple Balls) itself started in 2009. There were a couple of years back then where things didn’t run so smoothly. The guys who were in the band at the time just liked to get together, play some cover songs and that was it. It was around 2013 when I joined the band and it was right around the time when they had just signed a management deal. They did a bunch of club shows around Finland before, but when they signed with a manager things ran a lot more smoothly than they did previously. After that all the magic started to happen, we started to play more shows around Finland and we got a lot of great warm-up shows. For example, we opened for Deep Purple and Uriah Heep, Queen with Adam Lambert, and we played some festivals with Slayer, Megadeth, Europe, among others. During that time, we wrote two albums and right now we are preparing the third album.”
Shannon – In 2019, you guys released your latest album, Untamed. What was the writing process like?
Arde Teronen – “It was actually pretty simple and it all went so well. We worked with our producer, Jona Tee of H.E.A.T. On the first album he played some keyboards and sang some backing vocals. He is sort of a sixth member of our band. He does so much work with us and he’s a great guy so it’s really nice to work with him. We recorded that album at Studio 57 which is co-owned by Pasi Kauppinen of Sonata Arctica, one of the biggest metal bands from Finland. The process included a couple of pre-production sessions like every other album we have made and it took about 2 weeks to record everything. The scenery near the studio was amazing. They have the best equipment there is as well. Everything is exciting and we don’t want to leave the studio. When you’re in a big city and in a studio, you feel like you have to go explore somewhere after the studio. We recorded in the countryside and we go and barbeque outside next to the studio so we were able to constantly stay on the scene.”
Shannon – How do you feel the Temple Balls sound has evolved from the beginning up to this point?
Arde Teronen – “Oh wow. It started a bit sleazy, like Hanoi Rocks type rock n roll. It was pretty simple, straight-forward rock n roll with slightly punky riffs and singing as well. You can hear the elements of that in the debut album but you can also hear that on the second album and most likely the third album. The second album was more melodic hard rock than punk rock. It’s hard to describe the music you built. Maybe the listeners should decide what our genre should be. The third album will sound like us with some new influences and new spices added to it.”
Shannon – The last tour you went on before quarantine was with Shiraz Lane. How was that?
Arde Teronen – “It was great. They’re good friends of ours and with three Finnish bands on the bill, what could go wrong. It was nice to hang around with good friends. I think the crowds got what they deserved. For example the tour poster said ‘three of Finland’s finest hard rock bands’. It went really well.”
Shannon – What song that you’ve released do you feel best displays your vocal ability?
Arde Teronen – “That’s a tough question. From the first album, I would say ‘Under My Feet’ because it has some softer vocals but also the raspy, high vocals. But from the second album, I would choose ‘Ball and Chain’ because it has low notes and high notes and everything I like to do. That song has the mannerisms I tend to use.”
Shannon – Temple Balls has opened for some legendary bands. What has been your favorite gig?
Arde Teronen – “I think one of the most memorable would be the few I mentioned earlier like opening for Queen and Adam Lambert, Deep Purple and Uriah Heep. But also the first show in Japan in 2016 or 2017. It was also amazing when we toured with Sonata Arctica in Europe. There was one show in Sofia, Bulgaria that was really special to us. We had to do everything in 5 minutes but it didn’t fucking matter in the end because we just rushed on the stage and the crowd seemed to really like our enthusiasm. That is why that show was one of the most memorable. Every gig should be the best, at least I think so.”
Shannon – What do you find to be the most rewarding part of what you do?
Arde Teronen – “When you get to meet fans after shows. It’s also rewarding when you start to see familiar faces of people who have been to your shows before. Also I think the passion we share between the band and the crowd onstage is very rewarding. That’s the nicest feeling ever, nothing can top that. I also find it rewarding when writing new music and I get an idea that I just need to get out of my lungs and sing it as best as I can.”
Shannon – What is coming up for you and Temple Balls in the future?
Arde Teronen – “Well right now everything is in quarantine. We are currently preparing our third album and it’s going to take a couple weeks before we hit the studio. That will probably happen within the next two months or so. The recording process shouldn’t take more than 2-3 weeks at the most. I’m not sure that there are any plans confirmed that I’m allowed to talk about. But if everything goes well and nobody is getting sick anymore, we will have a couple shows in Sweden with Hardcore Superstar as well as a couple of our own shows. Those will take place in September and October.”
Shannon – Anything else you’d like to include?
Arde Teronen – “To the readers, I hope to see you soon at gigs. I really miss the hell out of those. We want to get back on the road. We can’t wait to release the next beast. For now, listen to our previously released music and stay safe. Rock on!”