Doomed Confessionary: Emppu, Tuomas, Jere & Untamo (Manaja)
Manaja in a four-piece sludge/stoner/grunge band from Tampere, Finland.
Formed in 2023, Manaja features members of Hexcalibur, Karu, Fall Of The Promise, Ajatuska, Death Generation, Ei Kiinnosta & Missikisat.
They just released new four-track EP »Penumbra« on January 10th, 2025. Available now on all major streaming platforms.
Manaja are Emppu (vocals, guitar), Tuomas (lead guitar), Jere (drums) and Untamo (bass, backing vocals).
Can you say a few words about your band?
Manaja is witchgrunge from the dark woods of Finland.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Emppu: Propably fitting the band backline into guitar player’s Mazda 3 1.6 Elegance.
What can you be most proud of so far?
Emppu: I’m personally very proud of my bandmates and the chemistry we have cooked up.
Tuomas: How Manaja songs are created and how the band clicks together like legos.
What was your biggest regret?
Needlessly stressing out about stupid stuff.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
Emppu: Our latest show at Vastavirta-Klubi here in my home neighborhood of Pispala Tampere. The atmosphere was just magical and rad! We also made lots of new friends that night, that’s always nice.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
Emppu: In the end it is a small group of people who give each other strength to fight all the bullshit of the world. It is a lovely surprise in an often bleak reality.
Tuomas: The amount of sitting and waiting you have to withstand on gig days.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Emppu: The Kills, Helmet and soundtrack stuff from David Lynch films.
Tuomas: Fleshgod Apocalypse, Bloodred Hourglass, Howard Shore (Lotr & Hobbit).
Jere: Night Crowned from Sweden.
Untamo: Marvin Gaye.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Emppu: My very first guitar lesson in my hometown from a guy called Karkka. He showed me how to play Nirvana’s »Rape Me« and said that the guitar is a percussion instrument.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Emppu: Ketchup.
Tuomas: Pineapple and Berliinin munkit.
Jere: Marabou Daim.
Untamo: I’ve been getting heavily into DnD lately, not feeling guilty about it tho!
Can you say something more about current music scene in Tampere?
Very lively and wonderful! Lots of hippies. Assholes and gatekeepers get weeded out.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
Most likely all over Finland. Hopefully in the Baltics and Europe aswell, hit us up!
What are your plans for the future as a band?
More music, more shows, more friends.
How can people best support your band?
At this moment the best way to monetarily support Manaja is to buy our music from Bandcamp. We are currently in the process of designing some merch, so we need some money to print them. Listen to us on streaming, follow us on social media and send us messages (preferably positive ones), come see our shows and talk about us to your friends. That is what keeps us alive and well.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Emppu: Give in to feeling!
Tuomas: Stay metal!
Jere: Nähärään keikoilla!
Untamo: Stay safe and love one another!
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well