1. Can you tell us a little bit about the project for those that have never heard of you before?
Jari: I started Enshine as a solo project in 2009, and is now mainly driven by myself and Sébastien.
My guess is that it will appeal to those who are into metal but also appreciate the more meditative and trancelike aspects of music. It is a musical expression which can be seen both as an outburst of frustration and aggression but at the same time for relaxation, more often than not combining these at the same time.
2. How would you describe your musical sound?
Jari: We typically build the songs on a heavy foundation of melodic mid tempo metal, with some rock elements, always with a presence of an ambient/atmospheric component, sometimes by keys, sometimes by layering guitar parts. The vocals are mostly aggressive but also stay within the ambience of the soundscapes.
There are also a couple ambient electronic based songs in the mix, for dynamics and variation.
3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Seb: The subjects in Origin are about stillness, out of body experiences, science fiction, and in a general
manner, hope, the overall being written with a dark approach. The true meanings are hidden and can be
interpreted in a more metaphorical way. Each lyric depicts a particular scene that has its own
atmosphere and somehow scenario, opening subjective visions for everyone.
4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
Jari: Enshine, while not being a word found in the dictionary but a "constructed" one, has the same
meaning as "illuminate", to illuminate the soul, or to illuminate oneself with knowledge, there
can be many meanings to this and also as some of the lyrics/titles deal with light in different ways
we found this to be a fitting name.
5. The band has members from both France and Sweden, how does the recording process work out?
Jari: We have the possibility to record in my studio here in Sweden, but I have been in France a couple times to work on material also, mostly we work together in short intense periods in either country, rather than sending material over the internet. That makes for some occasional traveling of course but that is always great as we enjoy trying different cheeses from respective country when we visit, as an added bonus.
6. Currently the band is signed to Rain Without End Records, how did you get in contact with this label and how would you describe the support they have given you so far?
Jari: We got in touch with the label via facebook. They liked our material and seemed like cool people to work with and here we are.
I like the freedom of being on a smaller label and also the communication between us is very good and relaxed.
7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of atmospheric doom and death metal?
Jari: I have mostly seen positive comments so far, of course we will have to wait and see what the reception will really be when reviews start coming in/the album is out, as not many people have heard the full album yet. We seem to have listeners from all parts of the world which is cool!
8. What is going on with the other musical projects these days?
Jari: Seb´s melodic death metal band Fractal Gates released a new album called "Beyond the Self" recently, and he is also working on his solo stuff with Cold Insight. Myself I am mostly just active with my post rock band Seas of Years at the moment, besides Enshine of course. We released our debut EP "Ocean Rift" just a few days ago.
9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
Jari: We are experimenting with adding some new elements to the same kind of foundation, still the same style but trying to evolve in a natural way.
As we are writing more together now it will sound a little different but nothing really drastic. The song "Brighter" which can be heard on our youtube page is the first result of us writing anything from scratch together.
10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Jari: Some of the bands that shaped me as a songwriter would be Novembre and Katatonia just to name some similar bands, but also Pink Floyd for example.
In later years inspiration can come from anything, movie scores, some postrock... sometimes I don´t even know as it could be something my ears just pick up randomly. I don´t spend so much time listening to music to be honest as I partially work as a sound engineer and that together with my own projects keeps my ears occupied most of the time. Some interesting bands I have discovered lately though include Sun of the Blind and Revelations of Rain.
11. Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Jari: Good food and cooking, travelling, beer, woodwork and electronics to name a few things.
12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Jari: Thanks for being the first to both review the album and to interview the band!