热爱之心 - 芬兰Melodic Heavy Metal / Hard Rock乐队Temple Balls专访

Volcano Magazine
2 hours ago
10 min read

芬兰以金属音乐著称，也有许多闻名于世界舞台的极端金属乐队，而我们今天采访到的是一支有着80年代复古硬摇滚声音的独特乐队——来自芬兰的硬摇滚/金属乐队Temple Balls。Temple Balls成立于2009年的，乐队成员们在高中的管弦乐队相识。他们对音乐有自己独特的看法，那就是要组建一支属于自己的硬摇滚乐队。在21世纪，选择这种复古风格的乐队越来越少，而在以极端金属著称的芬兰，像Temple Balls这样的乐队更是少之又少。乐队成立后一共发行了4张全长录音室专辑，并参加过许多金属音乐节。最新专辑《Avalance》中的单曲《Trap》更是在Youtube收获超20万的点击量。杂志与Temple Balls的吉他手Niko Vuorela取得了联系并进行了这次专访。

（V: 代表笔者 N: 代表Niko Vuorela）

Finland is renowned for its metal music, and it is home to many extreme metal bands that have gained international acclaim. Today, we are featuring a unique band with an 80s retro hard rock sound—the Finnish hard rock/metal band Temple Balls. Temple Balls was formed in 2009, with the band members meeting in their high school orchestra. They have a unique perspective on music, which is to form their own hard rock band. In the 21st century, bands choosing this retro style are becoming increasingly rare, and in Finland, known for its extreme metal scene, bands like Temple Balls are even more scarce. Since their formation, the band has released four full-length studio albums and participated in numerous metal music festivals. The single “Trap” from their latest album, “Avalance,” has garnered over 200,000 views on YouTube. We reached out to Temple Balls' guitarist Niko Vuorela for this exclusive interview.

(V: representing the author N: representing Niko Vuorela)

采访对象：、Niko Vuorela（Temple Balls乐队吉他手）

采访时间：2025.07.15

V: 你好！这应该是Temple Balls第一次接受中国金属杂志的采访，首先向乐队的所有人问好！

Hello! This is probably Temple Balls' first interview with a Chinese metal magazine. First of all, greetings to everyone in the band!

N: 嗨，是的，这确实可能是第一次。感谢你们的邀请。

Hi, yes it actually probably is. Thanks for having us.

V: 为什么乐队的名字叫Temple Balls？这个名字是怎么来的，有什么特殊的含义吗？

Why is the band called Temple Balls? Where did the name come from, and does it have any special meaning?

N: 我们的名字灵感来源于安迪·麦科伊的自传。对我们来说，这个名字并没有特别的含义。作为十四岁的摇滚乐手，这个名字听起来很酷，所以我们决定以此为名。我们听说这个名字很糟糕，但我们不在乎这些评论。在摇滚乐的世界里，你可以成为你想成为的任何人，也可以随心所欲地给自己起名字，这就是它的魅力所在，对吧？

The inspiration for our name comes from Andy McCoy’s autobiography. For us the name doesn’t have any special meaning. As fourteen year old rockers the name sounded cool so we decided to roll under that title. We have heard that the name is awful, but we don’t care about those comments. In the world of rock and roll you can be whoever you want to be, and call yourself what the fuck you want, that’s the beauty of it, right?

V: 在开始聊音乐之前我想问问乐队的历史。Temple Balls的成员们是怎么认识的？在Temple Balls之前，乐队的成员们有在其他乐队作为乐手活动的经验吗？

Before we start talking about music, I'd like to ask about the band's history. How did the members of Temple Balls meet? Did the band members have any experience playing in other bands before Temple Balls?

N: 我们是在高中管弦乐队里认识的。2009年，我们决定组乐队，因为古典音乐对我们来说已经不再有趣了。我们之前参加过其他乐队，但我们渴望创造一种略有不同的音乐风格。

We met in the high school orchestra. In the year 2009 we decided to form the band because classical music wasn’t interesting for us anymore. We had previously been in other bands, but we had a desire to make slightly different type of music.

V: 2023年你们发行了全长专辑"Avalance"。这是一张非常优秀的专辑，有非常好听且抓耳的吉他riffs，人声的表演也令人印象深刻。这张专辑的混音有一种复古的质感，像是80年代和90年代的摇滚歌曲，但又有现代的声音。我想问问这张专辑是在哪里录制的？在制作方面，你们是如何平衡复古的风格和现代的声音的？

In 2023, you released your full-length album Avalance. It is an excellent album with catchy guitar riffs and impressive vocals. The mix of this album has a retro feel, like vintage rock music from the 80s and 90s, but also a modern sound. I would like to ask where this album was recorded? In terms of production, how did you balance the retro style and modern sound?

N: 感谢你的赞美之词。这张专辑部分在赫尔辛基录制并在斯德哥尔摩完成。我们的音乐风格根源于我们的灵感并融入了我们独特的风格。我们希望在我们的音乐中，你能听到Hard Rock的黄金时代，但同时又带有我们自己的诠释。换句话说，我们不需要重新发明轮子，只需添加齿轮。

Thanks for the kind words. The album was recorded partially in Helsinki and completed in Stockholm. The roots of our sound has been formed in our inspiration, with a twist of our own. We want that in our music you can hear the glory days of hard rock, but still with our own interpretation. In other words, we don't need to re-invent the wheel, just add gears.

V: "Avalance"专辑里面你最喜欢的一首曲子是哪一首？你们的创作一首歌曲的流程一般来说是怎样的？

Which song from the Avalance album is your favorite? What is your typical process for creating a song?

N: 我们没有固定的钟爱之作，它会随着我们的心情而变化。此外，制作专辑的过程也会影响我们对歌曲的诠释。我们创作的音乐是为了取悦和满足自己，而非刻意讨好听众。换句话说，专辑中的每一首曲目都是我们的心血结晶。我们没有特定的歌曲创作流程。灵感和创作过程对每首歌都是独特的。对我们来说，吉他riff是核心，围绕riff构建旋律是我们的创作方式。

We don’t have a permanent favorite, it changes with our mood. Also, the process of creating the album impacts upon our interpretation of the songs. We make music that pleases and satisfies us, not necessarily to please the audience. In other words, all the tunes on the album are our babies. We don’t have a particular process for song creation. Inspiration and the process is unique for every song. For us the riff is the king, building the tune on top of the riff is the way to go.

V: 你们的许多MV在youtube上都有很高的播放量，比如"Trap"和"Thunder from the North"，我想知道你们是如何决定为哪一首歌曲拍摄MV的？乐队的宣传工作一般是怎样进行的？

Many of your music videos have high view counts on YouTube, such as “Trap” and “Thunder from the North.” I'd like to know how you decide which songs to make music videos for. How does the band generally promote itself?

N: 通常，我们作为乐队会与制作人一起向唱片公司提交一系列我们认为最适合作为单曲发布的歌曲。在这个阶段，我们会共同做出最终决定，确定哪些歌曲将作为单曲发布，而这些歌曲自然也会制作相应的音乐视频。我们在社交媒体、采访等渠道进行自我推广。此外，我们还拥有一群忠实的粉丝，他们也会帮助我们传播信息。

Generally we as a band along with our producer put forward a selection of tunes which we think would be the best to be released as singles to our record label. At this stage we all together make the final decision regarding which tunes will be released as singles and naturally these are the tunes which have videos created for them. We promote ourselves on social media, interviews etc. We also have a hardcore fanbase who also help to spread the word.

V: Temple Balls在创作和现场演出方面都让人印象深刻。我想知道你有系统地学习过音乐吗？可不可以分享一下对你的吉他演奏影响最大的音乐家或者乐队都有哪些？

Temple Balls is impressive in both its creative work and live performances. I’m curious to know if you have studied music systematically. Could you share with us which musicians or bands have had the greatest influence on your guitar playing?

N: 乐队所有成员都接受过不同程度的音乐教育，其中部分成员还接受过古典音乐训练。摇滚乐巨匠、传统摇滚吉他英雄对我们的影响最为深远。例如KISS、Iron Maiden、Judas Priest、Deep Purple和Whitesnake等。

All members of the band have studied music on some level, some of us have classical music training. Giants of rock, old fashioned rock guitar heroes have had the biggest influence on us. KISS, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Deep Purple and Whitesnake to name a few.

V: 这个问题可能有些抽象，从探索乐队的风格到找到属于Temple Balls的声音，你们花了多长的时间？你认为这个过程曲折吗？还是说乐队对于想要的风格在一开始就有明确的目标？

This question may be a bit abstract, but how long did it take you to explore the band's style and find the sound that belongs to Temple Balls? Do you think the process was tortuous? Or did the band have a clear goal for the style they wanted from the beginning?

N: 我们从一开始就清楚自己的音乐风格，我们五个人在一起，音乐风格自然而然地形成了。我们的制作人对我们的音乐风格也有影响，他有能力激发我们最好的状态。

We knew from the start what's our sound and with us five guys the sound is organic. Our producer also has an impact upon our sound, an ability to bring out the best of us.

V: 在你们的facebook上我看到你们已经来到了录音室开始录制你们的第五张专辑了。我想问问在这张新专中你们有什么想要尝试的新方向吗？

I saw on your official Facebook that you have already arrived at the recording studio to begin recording your fifth album. I would like to ask if there are any new directions you would like to try in this new album?

N: 听众可以自行判断我们的专辑中是否有所创新。我们只专注于创作过程。我们可以保证，这张专辑中只会收录全新曲目。

The listeners can decide if there is something new on our album. We just concentrate on the process of creation. We can at least promise that there will only be new tunes on this album.

V: 对于这张新专辑，现在还有哪些可以告诉乐迷们的消息吗？

Is there any other news you can share with fans about this new album?

N: 这张专辑是出于对摇滚的热爱而制作的，专为热爱摇滚的人所打造。我们希望制作一张自己也会聆听的专辑，如果其他人也喜欢，那将是额外的惊喜。我不知道这是否有说过，但这张专辑中只有精彩的曲目，没有凑数的曲目。

The album is made with love for rock, for people who love rock. We want to make an album that we ourselves would listen to, and if others dig it then that’s a bonus. I don’t know if this is news, but on the album there are only killers, no fillers.

V: 芬兰以极端金属闻名于世界舞台，有许多非常知名的极端金属乐队，为什么你们会选择这种复古的硬摇滚风格呢？

Finland is known worldwide for extreme metal, with many well-known extreme metal bands. Why did you choose this retro hard rock style?

N: 是复古硬摇滚风格选择了我们！极端金属并不合我们的胃口。当然，我们对其他所有音乐人充满敬意。对我们来说，这就是唯一的选择。

Retro hard rock style chose us! Extreme metal doesn’t tickle our fancy. Of course, we have respect for all other musicians. For us this, it’s the only way.

V: 你认为在21世纪坚持复古的硬摇滚风格最大的挑战是什么？对于刚刚起步开始探索自己风格的乐手，你有什么建议吗？

What do you think is the biggest challenge in sticking to a retro hard rock style in the 21st century? Do you have any advice for musicians who are just starting out and exploring their own style?

N: 对我们来说，制作音乐并非挑战，而是我们热爱的事业。若要给刚踏入音乐行业的新人一些建议，那就是你们创作的音乐必须发自内心。不要为了取悦他人，也不要仅仅为了赚钱而做。我们相信，这才是通往成功的道路。摇滚就是摇滚，不是一群循规蹈矩的话事人组成的公司。

For us making music is not a challenge, just something that we love. If we could give some advice for others starting out in the music business, it would be that the music you make should be from the heart. Don’t do it to please others, or just to make money. We believe that this is the pathway to success. Rock is rock, not a corporation of grey men in suits.

V: Temple Balls的成员们聚在一起的话一般会一起听什么？可以分享一下你们最近的歌单吗？

What do the members of Temple Balls usually listen to when you get together? Can you share your recent playlist with us?

N: 通常我们聚在一起时不听音乐，只是开几瓶冰镇啤酒，玩玩飞镖。不过当气氛热烈起来时，我们会放一些经典老歌。我们没有特定的歌单，通常会从头到尾听完整张专辑。

Generally when we are hanging together we don’t listen to music, just crack open a few cold ones and throw darts. However when the wheels have greased sufficiently then we will blast some old classics. We don’t really have any playlists, we rather generally listen to albums from top to bottom.

V: 2025年的下半年已经开始了，Temple Balls接下来有哪些演出计划吗？如果有机会，你们是否考虑再次来亚洲演出？

The second half of 2025 has already begun. What are Temple Balls' upcoming performance plans? If given the opportunity, would you consider performing in Asia again in the near future?

N: 我们的现场演出计划将在专辑完成后公布。海外演出总是令人难忘的经历，我们非常希望能去亚洲演出。请关注我们的社交媒体以获取最新信息。

Our plans for live performances will be revealed once the album is ready. Gigs abroad are always a great experience, we would love to play in Asia for sure. Follow our social media for any new information.

V: 非常感谢Temple Balls参加这次采访，很期待你们接下来的作品，最后，请问你们有什么想对中国的乐迷们说的吗？

Thank you very much to Temple Balls for participating in this interview. We look forward to your next album! Finally, is there anything you would like to say to your Chinese fans?

感谢你们的邀请。感谢支持，让我们一起延续摇滚乐的火炬，因为它永不消逝！

Thanks for having us. Thanks for your support, let’s carry the torch of rock and roll together because it’s never gonna die!