Doing the double shift at this year’s Bloodstock, following an appearance earlier in the day with Vallenfyre, new Paradise Lost drummer Waltteri Väyrynen treated fans of the festival to the premier Doom grooves that the band are known for. Hardly performing in Europe this year, the band make the most of their performance at this years Bloodstock. Speaking to the drummer we pondered how the man fit in with the band dynamic. Being friends and bandmates with Greg Mackintosh, there lies and understanding present but how does this translate in one of the biggest doom bands in the world?

You can listen to the full interview and read a full transcript just below the Soundcloud excerpt.

So I’m here with the main man of Paradise Lost!

I’m not the main man haha!

How are you man?

Oh good! I just finished my set with Vallenfyre. Now I have to play a second show with Paradise Lost tonight so its double duties for me.

I was going to say, does that not get a bit tiring?

Ah! I’m young so it doesn’t bother me. Its maybe a different thing for Greg, who sings in Vallefyre and plays guitar in Paradise Lost. He’s old haha!

He doesn’t look a day over twnety one! How does it feel to play Bloodstock?

Its great because this is my first time here. Obviously its a big thing to play in Paradise Lost’s home country. We haven’t done any UK shows this year.

The last one you did was in Koko in October last year? Have you got any shows scheduled?

In the UK?

Just in general!

After this its just two more summer festivals, then shows in South America and then starting to write the new album I think.

Oh really as quick as that! Would that be because you’re on a new label now?

Yeah.

What was the transition for that like, why did you choose to go to Nuclear Blast?

I don’t know much about that to be honest. I’m not too much involved in the business side, I just like to drum haha! I’m not so interested but I think its a great honour to be on Nuclear Blast and its the biggest Metal label at the moment. There are so many bands, legendary bands signed to Nuclear Blast so its just an honour to be a part of that and I’m really looking forward to see what is going to happen.

What about The Plague Within, what was that like recording and playing on that album?

I wasn’t playing on that album yet,

Oh you weren’t I thought you were sorry!

No,no I joined just when the album got released.

Oh ok! So what was it like playing the songs live then?

Its great because I really love that album, its like back to the roots sort of thing. Its really heavy and so many Death Metal and Doom Metal vibes there and really, really slow songs and one really fast one as well. Its quite versatile album as well, obviously I love doing it live as well. We’re playing four or five songs from it tonight as well I think?

Is that “Beneath Broken Earth” and things like that? Those are good choices! Have you started writing anything at all?

I think that Greg has some ideas, not like complete songs or anything like that.

Is that usually how it works, Greg kind of presents something?

• He mainly composes everything and then Nick writes some lyrics and then everybody kind of comes together.

What about playing in Vallenfyre, does that not get a little logistically complicated?

Not at all! Vallenfyre is mainly a side project for Greg. We haven’t done that much this year, its only been like four shows so its not been too busy. At the moment we are writing a new album for Vallenfyre as well.

Busy, busy! So what was it like actually joining the band? Was it a bit daunting?

At first I was playing in Vallenfyre, they had this open search on Facebook like two years ago. They need a new drummer because Adrian is too busy with At The Gates so I just sent my application and some drumming videos and then a few days later I got the job! Then we did two or three tours I think, then a year later Paradise Lost was in the same situation because Adrian needs to drum for more bands and he was again too busy. I was supposed to do a few fill in shows for Paradise Lost but now, a year later I’m still here! Adrian is not in the band anymore.

What about you as a musician, what kind of influences do you have?

I mean, I like to play a lot of different styles. Paradise Lost is all about hitting hard and groove, there are some fast stuff in Vallenfyre. Its very different to Paradise Lost which I like, it kind of separates them completely.

Do you have any particular favourite artists that you look to when you’re playing?

Well Katatonia from Sweden is my all time favourite band. Type O Negative, Anathema, Swallow The Sun all of that…

Nice happy stuff!

Yeah haha! But then again I like to listen to a lot of different styles as well. A lot of Pop / Rock stuff like that but mainly its Metal but its not all about that you get together ideas to Metal from Pop music as well I think.

Over the last six months to a year, what has been an album tha you have been listening to a lot?

The latest Katatonia album I think and the latest Cult of Luna.

With Julie Christmas!

Yeah!

The Fall of Hearts is amazing, I think its the saddest album ever made to be honest. Well thank you ever so much for speaking with The Metalist.