Willfire: “When writing lyrics often you start from somewhere but then the story takes on a life of its own”
After more than two decades away, Willfire is back with renewed energy and a sound that blends the best of ’80s rock, modern metal, and blues. The Finnish trio proves that maturity and authenticity go hand in hand in their new project, Homebrewed Recordings — a fully DIY (Do It Yourself) production that reflects their passion and artistic independence.
By Sandra Pinto
The highlight of the release is “Inside Job,” an intense track that delves into themes of trust and betrayal, driven by powerful riffs and raw emotion. In this exclusive interview, the members of Willfire share insights into the song’s creation, the challenges and rewards of recording everything themselves, and what fans can expect from this new chapter — one that revisits their roots while paving the way for a future full of energy and authenticity.
“Inside Job” hits hard both musically and lyrically. What was the main inspiration behind the song’s theme of trust and betrayal?
The lyrics of Inside Job were written independently before the composition. The main inspiration could have been this overarching thought that we see things from our perspective and lack of information may make something seem completely senseless as we don’t have all the facts. This is especially true now with internet full of fake news etc. This thought transformed into a story about a figure of power ultimately betrayed by someone close who then maybe takes their place. Maybe in the story characters even accept this way of life and it does not come as a surprise. But for someone on the outside it could look unthinkable as it was an inside job. When writing lyrics often you start from somewhere but then the story takes on a life of its own and you may end up with something different from what the original idea may have been. But this is part of the fun of course.
Not really. Considering writing, as said the lyrics were written independently, and they fit the composition. This was one of the first new songs we came up with as a trio. So, it was quite ready by the time we started recording. Generally, all tracks on ‘Homebrewed’ were recorded similarly. But with every song how it sounds in rehearsals and how you manage to capture it on a recording is sometimes surprising. Also, during production new ideas may emerge as the recording starts to take shape so you may end up coming up with new ideas for parts and arrangements during recording and mixing.
You’ve described Homebrewed Recordings as a fully DIY project. What were the biggest challenges and rewards of doing everything yourselves?
Initially, the biggest challenge was how to record drums. Also, since we had not done anything like this before completely ourselves, we were not sure how the outcome would sound. Finally, we invested into an audio interface with enough channels to record drums properly. The biggest reward was of course to come out with something that sounds good enough, so we decided to release it. For us, if a song does not have ‘substance’, million euro studio sounds will not help.
We do not consciously think about this. We try to come up with something that sounds good and we believe in and try to be open to new ideas.
After forming back in 1998 and returning in 2024, how has your perspective as a band evolved over the years?
In the beginning we always had two guitars, except for one gig while looking for a second guitarist. Changing from this to a trio surely was a big change. Would even say the band is very different from what it was when we started. Getting older, guess we take things a bit more relaxed now.
The lyric video for “Inside Job” adds a visual layer to the song’s intensity. What message or emotion were you aiming to convey through the visuals?
Well, to be honest we gave AI some keywords and it came up with this. We think it looks great with the murder board and all. Not sure if the band is the villain or the victim in it now. And in reality we are all probably both depending on who you ask.
What can fans expect next from WILLFIRE — more music videos, live shows, or perhaps new material already in the works?
We are currently working on new material to be recorded and released in the future. We may even re-record a couple of older songs which were never officially released as we were doing demos. Also, we have discussed some live events for next already, let’s see what happens. We would surely like to take the current version of Willfire with the new songs in front of an audience someday.
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