Interview with the Band Ultimatium

February 16, 2024

Interview with the Band Ultimatium

By Mick Michaels

The Cosmick View: Hello, and welcome to The Cosmick View/MBM Ten Pounder! Thanks for taking some time to chat with us!

CV: Describe your definition of the band’s sound and style and how does that definition uniquely describe the music?
Ultimatium: We’re a progpower band, with lot of opera & symphonic meal influences. It describes us in way that we’ve evolved from simple power/symphonic metal band into a lot more diverse output, combining rather seamlessly different styles, creating unique mix.

CV: Today, everyone talks about artist and audience connection. Is such a level of connection actually achievable for an artist and if so, how have you made the connection to your fans?
Ultimatium: Since we’re currently operating only in the net (we’re not doing live shows at all), it’s really hard to connect with the fans, especially during production/recording phase, since we don’t want to show something that’s not finished. During the release / marketing phase, we’re had couple of online events, but it’s quit hard.

CV: Is fan interaction an important part of the band’s inner culture?
Ultimatium: No, I don’t think it is. Important part for us is to make these epic albums, what comes after, that’s just bonus.

CV: Can a band truly interact with its fans and still maintain a level of personal privacy without crossing the line and giving up their “personal space” in your opinion?
Ultimatium: Probably not, especially in this social media days. I personally am not in any social media, just posting for the band, so in that sense, I keep my privacy, but it’s not easy to both try to connect and keep private life to yourself.

CV: Is music, and its value, viewed differently around the world in your opinion? If so, what do you see as the biggest difference in such multiple views among various cultures?
Ultimatium: I haven’t really noticed. Of course when primarily operating “virtually”, one does not look that much on nationalities or cultures.

CV: Do you feel that a band that has an international appeal, will tend to connect more so to American audiences? Would they be more enticed or intrigued to see the band over indigenous acts because of the foreign flavor?
Ultimatium: That I’ve noticed. Most of our homepage visitors come from the USA, with quite big margin of 3 times more than from Finland. I think we are quite exotic in their eyes.

CV: Has modern-day digital technology made everyone an artist on some level in your opinion? Have the actual lines of what really is an artist been blurred?
Ultimatium: Yes, definitely. And for us, digital technology has literally saved the band. Financially it’s possible for us to keep making music when we don’t have to rely on expensive studios, but still make studio-quality albums. Lines have been blurred, for sure, there’s currently a lot more variation in what type of bands and artists are out there.

CV: How would you describe the difference between an artist who follows trends and one who sets them?
Ultimatium: I think we’ve been both. We were signed when Finnish power metal was popular and our first album does not differ that much of Tolkki’s work. But later on we started intentionally developing our music to more something unique, without really giving much thought if this style would be popular. So, in general, I’d say that those who follow, usually also mind how popular their music is and those who set, don’t give a rats ass if nobody listens their outputs.

CV: Has music overall been splintered into too many sub-genres in an effort to appease fan tastes in your opinion? And has such fan appeasements, in actuality, weakened music’s impact as a whole by dividing audiences?
Ultimatium: Yeah, there are a lot of “self-made” music genres where bands claim they have invented new genre when it’s just a mild little twist to some older genre. I don’t think it weakens the music in any way, it’s just silly to build kind of imaginary barriers around yourself and limit what you can do.

CV: What can fans expect to see coming next from you?
Ultimatium: Well, next one is new AI music video from Mindcaptives, fourth track of our epic five lead vocalists progpower metal opera, Virtuality, released late 2020. We are also working with new album that will be revealed later this spring…I hope.

CV: Thanks again for taking some time and talking. It is greatly appreciated.
Ultimatium: Thank you

Check out Ultimatium at:

https://www.ulti.fi

http://facebook.com/UltimatiumMetal

https://www.youtube.com/ultimatiummetal

https://open.spotify.com/artist/78aOOtZOUD3EuJYjHQh36o

http://instagram.com/ultimatiummetal

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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, show host, dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word. Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.