Doomed Confessionary: Andreas, Martin, Jonas & Joel (Craneium)
Photos by Jan Trygg
Finnish heavy-hitting psych machine Craneium returns with new studio album »Point Of No Return«. The band’s fourth album is their most ambitious one yet, washing over you through a constant ebb and flow of fuzzy heaviness, complemented by psychedelic melodies and atmospheric passages. »Point Of No Return« will be released on February 23rd, 2024 via The Sign Records.
Craneium is Andreas Kaján (guitars, vocals), Martin Ahlö (guitars, vocals), Jonas Ridberg (bass) and Joel Kronqvist (drums).
Can you say a few words about your band?
We are Craneium, a fuzzy rock band based in Turku, Finland. We are part of the Swedish speaking minority in Finland but tour Sweden a lot, so we are often categorized as being “Swedish Doom” and similar, but it suits us fine, haha.
The scene worldwide is so nice, and we have found friends and fans all over the globe in our twelve years of playing.
What was the biggest challenge for the band this year?
We did a lot of touring in the Nordic countries this year, while simultaneously producing music videos and finishing the mixing of our upcoming album and preparing for that release.
With members living in two countries, this meant a lot of traveling and scheduling, as we also have jobs and families beside the band. Fortunately, we had our friend Jonas Holmström stepping in on bass for some gigs, and he will also be playing a lot with us in the upcoming year.
What can you be most proud of this year?
Probably that we had the opportunity to play so many outdoor festivals. The underground is vibrant, and having people coming together to enjoy the music in the sun is the way we like to spend our summers!
What was your biggest regret?
Not being able to play shows further down south in Europe and the UK this year! But we will make it up to the fans there.
What was the best concert/tour this year and why?
We did several tours around the Nordic countries, but supporting Skraeckoedlan (SWE) in Finland again really stands out. Mental driving schedules and very little sleep, but filling up venues and headbanging with our favorite band is unbeatable!
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
All the bands we finally got to see live while sharing stages with them! The Riven (SWE), Kaanan (NO), Green King (FIN), and many others – the heavy underground scene is on fire right now and we love to be a part of it.
Where can we see you live next year (concerts/tours)?
We are planning all sorts of European dates for the upcoming release tour. More dates to be announced but in the spring you can catch Craneium playing in:
Feb. 23 Lepakkomies, Helsinki, Finland
Feb. 24 Nirvana, Turku, Finland
March 1 Umeå, Sweden
March 2 Gävle, Sweden
March 15 Göteborg, Sweden
March 16 Oslo, Norway
April 19 Vaasa, Finland
April 20 Pori, Finland
April 26 Stockholm, Sweden
April 27 Linköping, Sweden
May 25 Imatra, Finland
+ more TBA
What are your plans for the next year as a band? What do you personally want the most?
We have made a cool music video for the final single coming in January, and we think it is something out of the ordinary.
How can people best support your band?
As cliché as it might sound, buying a shirt or record goes a long way to keep us touring and creating. But any way you spread our music to new listeners makes us thankful!
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Support live music, especially outside of the arenas and big festival companies. Find out what is going on in your city or the genres you like, and you will see that there is cool stuff happening all the time.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well