Widescreen Mode
Encyclopedia
Widescreen Mode is a heavy melodic band from Riihimäki
, Finland
.
they began discussing the possibility of forming another band. But, in the words of singer Brusila they were just that; discussions. Finally Aaltonen’s fiancé intervened; tired of hearing them discuss it but never do anything about it.
The band was once again together, and in 2005 they released a demo EP and soon were playing important festivals and shows both in Finland
and around Europe, supporting bands like Paradise Lost
, the Cardigans
, Anathema
, and Die Krupps
.
In 2006, Widescreen Mode made it to the final round of the MTV-E unsigned competition out of 1,700 competing bands. Since then they have amassed 69,000 fans worldwide on MySpace
and rank among the online community's four most popular Finnish bands along with HIM, Children of Bodom
, and The 69 Eyes
.
Widescreen Mode's debut record Until the End was mixed by Anssi Kippo
, who has engineered gold albums
for Children of Bodom
and Finnish Idol winner Hanna Pakarinen.
and Fuse
in 2008.
. The debut single Serotonin will be released on February 20, 2009, along with a video by director Markus Aaltonen.
Riihimäki
Riihimäki is a town and municipality in the south of Finland, about north of Helsinki and southeast of Tampere. It is somewhat of a railway junction, since the railway tracks going from different parts of the nation to Helsinki merge there. Sako, Ltd...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
.
History
Widescreen Mode’s members are no strangers to playing together, the four-some originally formed the band Fairlane until career decisions in the 1990s forced them to split up and move on. When drummer Janne Aaltonen and singer Samu Brusila both moved back to RiihimäkiRiihimäki
Riihimäki is a town and municipality in the south of Finland, about north of Helsinki and southeast of Tampere. It is somewhat of a railway junction, since the railway tracks going from different parts of the nation to Helsinki merge there. Sako, Ltd...
they began discussing the possibility of forming another band. But, in the words of singer Brusila they were just that; discussions. Finally Aaltonen’s fiancé intervened; tired of hearing them discuss it but never do anything about it.
The band was once again together, and in 2005 they released a demo EP and soon were playing important festivals and shows both in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and around Europe, supporting bands like Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost (band)
Paradise Lost are a heavy metal band that formed in 1988 in Halifax, England.-History:Their first three full-length albums are examples of the death/doom style, although the latter two incorporated some melodic and gothic elements...
, the Cardigans
The Cardigans
The Cardigans are a Swedish rock band formed in the town of Jönköping in October 1992.Their debut album Emmerdale gave them a solid base in their home country and enjoyed some success abroad, especially in Japan. It was not until their second album Life that an international reputation was secured...
, Anathema
Anathema (band)
Anathema are an English band from Liverpool primarily known for their ever evolving sound. Beginning as pioneers of the death/doom metal sub-genre, their later albums have been associated with genres such as alternative rock, progressive rock, art rock, new prog, and post-rock.-History:Anathema...
, and Die Krupps
Die Krupps
Die Krupps is a German industrial rock/EBM band, formed in 1980 by Jürgen Engler and Bernward Malaka in Düsseldorf.-History:Their initial sound throughout the 1980s combined synthesizers with metallic percussion...
.
In 2006, Widescreen Mode made it to the final round of the MTV-E unsigned competition out of 1,700 competing bands. Since then they have amassed 69,000 fans worldwide on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
and rank among the online community's four most popular Finnish bands along with HIM, Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom is a Finnish heavy metal band from Espoo. Formed in 1993, the group currently consists of Alexi Laiho , Roope Latvala , Janne Wirman , Henkka Seppälä , and Jaska Raatikainen...
, and The 69 Eyes
The 69 Eyes
The 69 Eyes are a multi-platinum selling Finnish gothic rock band. They are currently signed to EMI Finland. The band's albums are now distributed worldwide. The End Records acts as the band's official North American distributor, as Nuclear Blast Records provides distribution in Mainland Europe,...
.
Widescreen Mode's debut record Until the End was mixed by Anssi Kippo
Anssi Kippo
Anssi Kippo is a platinum selling Finnish producer that founded Astia-studios in 1994. He has produced and engineered numerous acts including over the years and continues to manage both Astia A and B studios.Notable clients include:...
, who has engineered gold albums
for Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom is a Finnish heavy metal band from Espoo. Formed in 1993, the group currently consists of Alexi Laiho , Roope Latvala , Janne Wirman , Henkka Seppälä , and Jaska Raatikainen...
and Finnish Idol winner Hanna Pakarinen.
Until The End
Until the End debuted in the Finnish Top 40 at #34 after its release on November 14, 2007. Widescreen Mode released two singles from the album. Everlasting Bomb was the first single and reached #1 on the official Finnish download chart. It was also #1 on iTunes in Finland for sixteen consecutive weeks in 2007. The second single, Dead Inside, reached #1 on the Finnish Top 40 singles chart for five consecutive weeks and eight weeks overall. For several weeks in 2008, both Everlasting Bomb and Dead Inside were in Finland's Top 10. The music video for Dead Inside also received airplay in the United States on MTV2MTV2
MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...
and Fuse
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....
in 2008.
The Hanging Man
On January 25, 2009, Widescreen Mode announced their second album The Hanging Man which will be released on April 9, 2009 through Dark Sentiments Records and Playground Music ScandinaviaPlayground Music Scandinavia
Playground Music Scandinavia AB is a Scandinavian based record label and is currently owned by Jonas Sjöström....
. The debut single Serotonin will be released on February 20, 2009, along with a video by director Markus Aaltonen.
Current line-up
- Samu Brusila - VocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
- Janne Lahtinen - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Janne Aaltonen - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Janne Stenroos - Bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Discography
| Date of Release | Title | Label |
| November 14, 2007 | Until the End | Dark Sentiments |
| April 9, 2009 | The Hanging Man | Dark Sentiments |
Music videos
- "Another Day" from Another Day EP
- "Everlasting Bomb" from Until the End
- "Dead Inside" from Until the End
- "Serotonin" from The Hanging Man
Singles
- 2007 Everlasting Bomb (Dark Sentiment Records)
- 2008 Dead Inside (Dark Sentiment Records)
- 2009 Serotonin (Dark Sentiment Records)