Extreme metal fanatics can rest assured that as long as bands like Enragement exist, the genre may gaze positively at the future. Finland’s Enragement are releasing their new, fourth album, “Extinguish All Existence”, in October 2025, and as we had already listened to the new album, we got in contact with Tuomas Iivanainen (vocals, guitars) and conducted an exclusive interview, which proved to be very interesting, detailed and humorous! Read what follows and check out this band – they will blow your mind!
by Dimitris Zacharopoulos
Please give us a short biography of Enragement!
Although established in 2006, Enragement’s career truly kicked off with the 2014 self-released garage album ‘Omnimalevolence of Man’ which combined various sub-genres of death metal. The second album ‘Burned, Barren, Bloodstained’ was recorded at Suomenlinnan Studio and released via Inverse Records in 2017. The album displayed an experimental approach to death metal, adding other extreme metal genres to the mix.
In 2018, Enragement’s long-term bass player and vocalist Jarkko Niemi left the band to focus on his primary project Brymir, but he was quickly replaced by Juhana Korkka Heinonen from Re-Armed. Two years later, Enragement hit Oxroad Studio for the third album ‘Atrocities’ which was released two more years later in 2022 via Rising Nemesis Records. This album cemented the band’s style into brutal death metal while keeping the influence of other metal genres present.
Hell-bent on taking the cross-over approach to brutal death metal to new extremities, Enragement returned to Oxroad Studio for its fourth full-length in 2024. This album, titled ‘Extinguish All Existence’, will be released via the prominent death metal label Transcending Obscurity Records on 3 October 2025.
“Extinguish All Existence” is your fourth album—what was your main vision or goal going into this record? How do you feel now some days before the official release of the album?
We wanted to write an album that would not only be more brutal, more technical and heavier than our previous work, but we also wanted the tracks to be hook-laden and catchy, easier to approach by the listener. We spent a lot of time honing the details of every song, trying out various arrangements and ideas until we were satisfied with each note and stroke. Finally at the studio, we carefully adjusted the soundscape for both clarity and extremity with the help of the brilliant sound engineer Tomi Uuspitupa.
We have eagerly waited to release this beast for quite some time, and it’ll be rewarding to finally let the metal world revel in its madness. We’re also looking forward to the album release shows and other upcoming gigs to let live crowds enjoy some relentless ADHD action.
How do you think this new album differs from your previous releases in terms of sound and songwriting? Do you think you’ve reached your signature style now?
Our source of inspiration has always been to infuse brutal death metal with various influences across metal genres, composing unique songs that are easy to distinguish from one another while finding new, twisted ways to mangle and crush the listener. Only this time, we took the extremity of our music even further than before. All in all, our signature is to sound brutal without sacrificing versatility, and “Extinguish All Existence” is a prime example of this. So yes, we think we have indeed reached our signature style.
The record blends technical death metal, slam, grindcore, and deathcore—how do you achieve that balance without sounding forced?
We utilize every riff we deem worthy, regardless of its genre, and scrap the rest. We enjoy all of these genres so much that it would feel like a waste narrowing our music down to a single sub-genre. With this in mind, we let the music flow freely allowing the blend of genres emerge naturally.
What does the title “Extinguish All Existence” represent thematically? Is there a concept or overarching idea behind the album?
“Extinguish All Existence” is an ode to the emotionless brutality of nature that will eventually wipe out the human race. It explores themes from the macro-level of devastating natural disasters down to the micro-level of insidious parasitic organisms, all capable of exterminating entire populations. And to not forget the role humanity plays in all this devastation, the album climaxes in man-made ecological collapse. Even though the vocals in brutal death metal are most of the time highly obscure, we put a lot of work into the lyrics to give one last detail for those who appreciate the poetic aspects of music to delve into.
Were there any particular challenges during the recording process and the whole production?
Time, or the lack of it, is the arch enemy of all creation. We are an underground band and have actual priorities such as jobs and families, and no matter how much time we would like to spend on honing our music, life’s realities set the limits. Luckily, Tomi Uusitupa at Oxroad Studio managed to squeeze the very last drop of sweat out of us, putting a lot of hard work into polishing the raw material into an unrelenting force of nature.
Which track from the new album best defines Enragement’s sound in 2025 and why?
Hahah, considering all that’s already been said about us striving to compose diverse songs that all represent different blends of genres, it’s next to impossible to answer this question with complete honesty. It’s probably best to leave this one up to the listener, as every song represents a different side of Enragement. Let the listener decide which song hits their sweet spot the most and represents the side of Enragement that they enjoy.
Your riffing and arrangements are extremely intricate yet brutal. Can you walk us through your typical songwriting process?
Enragement’s songs are composed by our guitarists Atte Ojanne and Tuomas Iivanainen, typically alone, although sometimes jointly. A song may be crafted for months at home before the first prototype is taken to the band’s rehearsal space where it goes through multiple iterations with different rhythms, riff patterns and even song structures, until all of us are satisfied with the instrumental arrangement. When the album’s theme has been chosen, lyrics are written and added to a relatively complete version of the song. Finally, we carry out pre-production recordings for all songs, honing the smaller details, such as guitar licks, drum fills, harmonies and passages between riffs. After the first round of pre-production, we let the songs stew for a while and return to them with a fresh pair of ears to get a glimpse of the listener’s perspective. This often provides a very clear view of what kicks ass and what falls short.
The guitar work and the drumming on this new record is phenomenal—what inspired the patterns and tempo changes?
We tend to challenge and push ourselves to develop our musicianship, enabling a wider variety of techniques for the creation of uncompromisingly ferocious death metal. Even though our music is moderately technical, prowess in itself has no inherent value for us; rather, technicality is a tool that allows us to give each song what it needs to achieve pure aural devastation, be it insanely fast blast beats, technical guitar sweeps or complex bass tapping patterns. Tempo-wise, we often alternate between fast and slow sections to accumulate an enormous amount of energy, then release it in a nuclear blast of sound.
How important is technicality to Enragement, and where do you draw the line between complexity and chaos?
Technical death metal is an important source of inspiration for us, but so is downright caveman slam. We enjoy challenging our musicianship, but in the end, it’s all the same whether a riff requires only two or up to a hundred billion brain cells to produce, just as long as it blows your brains out. Regarding song structures, we made a deliberate decision to reduce the level of complexity to make the new album easier to approach. Nevertheless, we don’t settle for standard song structures but opt for atypical ones, fostering the unique nature of each composition. On “Extinguish All Existence”, the chaos is somewhat organized but definitely not tamed.
What gear, tunings, or production techniques did you use to achieve this crushing sound?
OK, here’s a little pillow talk for the gearophiles, but all you sane, normal people, never mind… Our Schecter guitars are tuned to a slight variation of the 7-string A standard with the F string dropped to E. On the new album, the guitar sound is the result of a two-way split signal sent into two Randall Ultimate Nullifier amplifiers through Boss Metal Zone distortion pedals, then to Engl and Hughes & Kettner cabs, both of which were recorded with an array of microphones. The mics’ different nuances were then highlighted for a balance of clarity and full-bodied distortion. Finally, we quad-tracked every riff to generate a wall of sound as heavy as a Monday morning with a hangover.
Like the guitars, the bass signal was also split using a Voodoo Lab pedal, but this time into three signals: an unmodified clean sound, a clean-ish sound with Darkglass B7K, and a dirty sound with Darkglass X7. These separate tones were combined for an earth-shaking bass tone that lays the massive foundation of the overall sound while allowing for clearly distinguishable technical bass passages. The bass itself is a TerRaatoR 5-String Multiscale by Raato Custom Guitars.
The drum set you hear on the album comprises Pearl Reference toms and bass drum, Zildjian cymbals and a customized Tama snare, also known as the ‘Slam Can’. This is no fancy little percussion instrument but an abomination from hell featuring a motley assortment of nuts and bolts from an actual hardware store. This monstrosity is complemented with a Remo Pinstripe drum head which is punished with Promark 5B hickory nylon tip sticks like it got caught stealing mom’s knickers and selling them on the Japanese black market for too low a price. Bad, bad boy.
What lyrical themes dominate this album?
As the lyrics were already discussed in response to an earlier question, I’ll go into more detail about the idea behind them. Enragement’s lyrics have typically dealt with the insanity and wickedness of man, focusing mostly on actual historical events, especially on our previous album titled ‘Atrocities’. This time around, we decided to take another approach. No matter how evil man can be, nature will always surpass our brutality with its sheer mercilessness and total lack of emotion. In its unfathomable might, nature could easily wipe out all of humanity – with no feelings attached. On the other hand, in its self-centered sentimentality, mankind seems to be intent on self-destruction and may very well take down the entire ecosystem with it. So, mutual assured destruction is the name of the game. Hence the title, “Extinguish All Existence”.
Do the guttural vocals carry any specific approach or philosophy in how you deliver aggression vocally?
As Enragement has three vocalists, we have a wide variety of gutturals, growls and screams at our disposal. We alternate between techniques, often highlighting fast-paced sections with high-pitched screeches, boosting the aggression of rhythmic sections with mid-pitch growls and intensifying the heaviness of slams with gutturals and pig squeals. Of course, we mix and match the techniques with different kinds of riffs to avoid getting stuck into schematic, predictable combinations.
Which bands or albums influenced “Extinguish All Existence”, if any?
Like discussed earlier, we draw influences from numerous genres. Consequently, there are just so many bands it would be pointless to list them all. However, some of the most influential bands for us include Dying Fetus, Hour of Penance, Abominable Putridity, Hate and Katalepsy.
How do you see Finland’s extreme metal scene today, and where does Enragement fit into that landscape?
I once read that Finland has the highest number of metal bands per capita in the world. Be it just an urban legend or not, it’s quite descriptive of how lively our metal scene is. Brutal death metal, on the other hand, is not among the most popular metal genres here, but we’ve seen a tremendous increase in the number of bands in recent years. What’s most exhilarating is that even the younger generation has taken an interest in the genre, and we’ve had the pleasure to share the stage with very promising younger bands. Nevertheless, BDM events are still deep in the underground, which is not necessarily a bad thing as this allows for non-compromising self-expression.
Do you feel that brutal death metal still has room to evolve, and where do you think the genre is headed?
Most definitely. Even though brutal death metal is sometimes considered a rather monotonous genre, BDM musicians around the world come up with fresh ideas all the time. For example, new vocal techniques have sprung up like mushrooms, and the development of studio technology has enabled more violent soundscapes. Besides, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel to evolve – even subtle variations can lead to significant differences. That’s exactly what we’re trying to do by infusing BDM with touches of other metal genres.
What can fans expect from Enragement’s live shows after this release?
We’ll keep our live performances as fierce and explosive as ever. Of course, we’re gonna add new songs to our set lists, and we’re always keeping an eye out for opportunities to play outside of Finland. If you enjoy our music on the record, you’ll love it live, as the adrenaline and intensity of live settings amplify it with an extra burst of raw energy.
Do you prefer playing festivals or intimate club gigs, and why?
We have excellent experiences of both festivals and club gigs. At festivals, it’s always nice to meet a crowd that is not necessarily familiar with our music, while it’s also great to give our best to club audiences that already know some of our songs. On the other hand, it’s exhilarating to play in fresh outdoor air at open air festivals, while the dank atmospheres of dimly lit clubs also have their charm. What’s great about both types of shows is that we get to meet and greet the crowd before and after the show and chat about metal, cats, the weather and whatnot. To sum it up, we enjoy each and every show, as savoring live music with people, who have as bad a taste in music as we do, is pretty much the whole point of being in a band.
If you could collaborate with any musician, who would it be and why?
Spice Girls. Can you imagine how brutal it would be to see them rip up their gutturals and pig squeals? We’ve been eagerly waiting for them to contact us about any form of collaboration, but this far it’s been complete radio silence. Don’t really know why.
Please send your message to our readers!
Big thanks for reading! Do check out our new album when it comes out on 3 October 2025 and play it loud. Let’s hope we’ll see you at a show some day and bang our heads together. Keep supporting metal, cheers!
