Bridges Burn, Flames Rise: Inside Omnium Gatherum’s Latest Chapter

Bridges Burn, Flames Rise: Inside Omnium Gatherum’s Latest Chapter

Few bands in melodic death metal have managed to balance crushing heaviness with soaring melody quite like Omnium Gatherum. With their tenth studio album, May the Bridges We Burn Light the Way (Century Media Records), the Finnish veterans prove once again that they’re masters of evolution without losing their identity. The record is both defiant and triumphant, a statement about resilience, rebellion, and the unbreakable bond of brotherhood.

Now, the band is taking that fire across the globe on a headlining tour, with a highly anticipated stop at 1720 in Los Angeles on December 2nd. Guitarist and clean vocalist Markus Vanhala sat down with us to talk about the stories behind the new album, the band’s milestones, and what fans can expect when Omnium Gatherum brings their unique brand of “adult-oriented death metal” to the stage.

Introduce yourself — tell me what you do in Omnium Gatherum.
I’m Markus Vanhala. I play guitar and handle clean vocals in Omnium Gatherum, and I’m deeply involved in the songwriting process with the rest of the band.

May the Bridges We Burn Light the Way is such a powerful, intriguing title. What’s the story behind it?
Jukka, our lyricist, came up with the concept. This album has a strong “street smarts” theme — stories from the street, what happens there, and the lessons learned. Originally, the working title was Streets of Rage, which is also a track on the album. But while we were touring Asia last year, I spotted a phrase on a Chinese hip-hop artist’s hoodie in an airport. We modified it a bit, and it just clicked — it sounded really cool and fit perfectly.

The meaning is similar to what Lemmy Kilmister once said: “Don’t let the bastards bring you down.” You can’t please everyone. Some people will always be upset by what you do, even if your hands are clean. So if you burn those bridges, embrace it — don’t let it drag you down.

This is your 10th studio album. What has kept Omnium Gatherum’s sound fresh while staying true to your roots?
We’re still genuinely excited about making music. We love it, and that passion keeps things pure. We don’t want to repeat ourselves too much, but we also know what Omnium Gatherum is about and how the band should sound. After so many years, we’ve built our own identity. The love for music, traveling, and being with this group of people keeps us going. Honestly, I don’t know anything else — I formed this band when I was 14, so life on the road and playing in a band is all I’ve ever known. And I’m happy about that.

“Adult-oriented death metal” — who came up with that, and what does it mean?
That was my silly joke. We once had a t-shirt with a dancing skeleton wearing a cool hat — kind of a grandpa skeleton — and I added the phrase “adult-oriented death metal.” I’m a huge fan of death metal, but also of U.S. AOR — adult-oriented rock bands like Journey, Toto, and Winger. Omnium Gatherum is basically about mixing those styles: the heaviness of ’90s death metal with the melodic side of ’80s AOR and hard rock. So yeah, AOR death metal.

You worked with Björn “Speed” Strid from Soilwork on this album. What was that experience like?
We’ve been good friends for ages. I’ve always loved Soilwork and The Night Flight Orchestra. Speaking of AOR, Björn and I are both big adult-oriented rock nerds within the metal scene, so it felt natural. When I saw he was producing vocals, I reached out. He said, “Would you need my services?” and I immediately said, “Yes, Omnium Gatherum would love that.”

Working with him was amazing — really easy and fun. Our musical DNA is very similar, and he’s such an easygoing guy. It was pure creativity and enjoyment.

Have you ever toured or played with Soilwork before?
We’ve never done a full tour together, but we’ve shared club shows and festivals over the years. That’s just how it goes when you’ve been around forever — you cross paths constantly. I’d love to do a proper tour with Soilwork. I think Omnium Gatherum and Soilwork would be a perfect match for a North American or European run. We actually tried to set up a tour together for this album cycle, but since they don’t have a new record out yet, it didn’t happen. Hopefully later. I think it’s been about 10 years since they’ve toured the States.

“Walking Ghost Phase” deals with addiction and despair. Can you tell me more about that song?
The term “walking ghost phase” comes from the Chernobyl disaster. When people received a massive dose of radiation, it was deadly — but it didn’t kill them immediately. Emergency workers thought they were safe, went home, and felt fine. But within three days, they were dead.

Jukka took that concept and applied it to addiction. Many addicts are essentially “already dead,” but they don’t realize it. They can’t be saved from their addiction, and it will eventually kill them. So the song draws a parallel between nuclear disaster and the slow destruction of addiction.

“Ignite the Flame” champions brotherhood and rebellion. What does that song mean to you?
That song was a survivor. At first, I rewrote it about 10 times and was ready to throw it away. But our drummer and bassist kept saying, “There’s something here — keep working on it.” Eventually, I finished it, but I thought it would just be a bonus track, maybe for Japan.

Once it was mixed, though, it sounded amazing. We ended up dropping another track to make room for it. So “Ignite the Flame” fought its way onto the album. It’s an anthem about brotherhood, rebellion, and igniting the flame — and it feels like a statement piece for the band.

What are you looking forward to most about your upcoming U.S. tour?
It’s always tough to leave home at first, but honestly, November in Finland is miserable. Just today I was walking my dog in the fields, thinking how much I’m looking forward to escaping this weather. So yeah, sunshine in L.A. sounds pretty great.

But beyond that, I’m excited to bring the new songs into our setlist and play them for people. Our U.S. tours have always been fantastic — this will be our second headlining run stateside, and we’ve done plenty of support tours before. The audiences are always loud, aggressive, and really into what we’re doing. It’s going to be fun. Plus, there’s always good craft beer in the U.S., so that’s another bonus.

You’ve got a few anniversaries coming up. Let’s start with Grey Heavens — next year marks its 10th anniversary. Looking back, what does that album mean to you now? ‘
I hadn’t even realized it’s turning 10! Beyond just hit its 10-year mark, and we celebrated by playing the whole album live on tours in Australia, Europe, and Finland. Grey Heavens is definitely an important record for Omnium Gatherum. It got us “Album of the Month” in Metal Hammer and other nominations, which really raised our profile.

We still play a lot of songs from that album — “Frontiers,” “Skyline,” “The Pit.” It’s a key part of our discography. Maybe we should celebrate it properly. And of course, next year also marks the 30th anniversary of Omnium Gatherum itself.

Right, the band’s 30th anniversary is coming up. How does that feel?
It’s insane. I was in eighth grade, just 14 years old, when I formed the first version of Omnium Gatherum. Three decades have flown by. I don’t feel that old, but apparently I am! We’ll definitely do some anniversary shows, hopefully in our hometown, and bring back some old members to jam with us. It’ll be a proper party.

This year also marks 20 years since Jukka joined the band on vocals. What does that milestone mean to you?
It’s funny — Jukka still sometimes thinks of himself as “the new guy.” But to me, he’s been here forever. He’s such an essential part of the band. Time really flies, and anniversaries like this make you stop and think, “Where did all those years go?” If the next 20 or 30 years go by as fast as the first, I’ll be a real old geezer at the end of it!

Before Omnium Gatherum, Jukka was in Elenium. Did you know that band, and what did you think of his work there?
Yeah, that’s actually how we met. Back in the ’90s, OG was making its first demos, and Elenium was doing theirs. We traded demos, became friends, and hung out. They even asked me to play guitar on one of their demos around 2000.

I loved their first album — I think it was Caught in a Wheel — and especially their last demo before they stopped. They were doing really progressive stuff mixed with death metal, in a way completely different from Omnium Gatherum. When our old singer quit, Jukka was the only person I called. He said yes immediately, even though he was still in Elenium at the time. Sadly, Elenium hasn’t been active for years, and their main songwriter passed away, but that’s how Jukka became our guy.

Let’s talk about your other band, I Am The Night. How does it compare to Omnium Gatherum?
I Am The Night is pure old-school black metal, in the vein of Dissection and Emperor. I’ve been a huge fan of that style since the ’90s and always wanted to write music in that direction. Back then, I even had a black metal band with Janne, our old Omnium Gatherum bassist.

When the pandemic hit about five years ago, I suddenly had time to write. I called Janne and said, “Let’s do this now.” He agreed. Then I reached out to Waltteri (Opeth, Paradise Lost) to play drums, and he was immediately in. Finally, I asked my wife’s younger brother, Okko from Horizon Ignited, to handle vocals.

Surprisingly quickly, we had a band together. We signed with Svart Records, released an album, and even played shows like 70,000 Tons of Metal and Tuska Festival in Helsinki. The band is still active, and we’ll do a second album when the time is right. Of course, between I Am The Night, Insomnium, and now Cemetery Skyline, my time is pretty limited.

One of your credits is playing live for Paul Di’Anno. What was that experience like?
Really weird, honestly. Iron Maiden is one of the most important bands in my life — one of the first I ever fell in love with. Paul Di’Anno was a god to me from those first two Maiden albums.

We first supported him on a Finnish tour with my old band, Manitou, which was more traditional heavy metal. He loved what we were doing. The next time he came to Finland, he asked if we wanted to be his backing band. Of course we said yes.

It was cool but also strange — he was a real mess. Even we Finns can drink, but he was downing a bottle of tequila before the show and a bottle of Jack Daniels after, with plenty of other ingridients. It was wild. So when I read the news that he passed away, I wasn’t too surprised. Honestly, he was already 20 years ago long overdue.

Speaking of losses, we recently lost Ace Frehley and Ozzy Osbourne. How did their music affect you over the years?
Both were huge inspirations. I first fell in love with Kiss as a kid in the ’80s — albums like Crazy Nights and Asylum. Then I discovered “makeup Kiss” when I was six or seven, and that was it. Kiss became the coolest band in the world to me. I was drawing Ace Frehley masks in school. Ace was always the coolest. His passing hit me hard.

Ozzy even more so. I’ve always loved his solo work and Black Sabbath. His guitarists shaped me as a player — Randy Rhoads is my all-time god, alongside Eddie Van Halen. Jake E. Lee was hugely important too, and Zakk Wylde did amazing work on No Rest for the Wicked and No More Tears. It’s sad that our generation is now living through this period where our heroes are dying one by one.

If Omnium Gatherum were invited to participate on a Kiss cover album, what song would you cover and why?
Haha, that’s a cool question. My instinct says Creatures of the Night. I think it would work really well as a melodic death metal version. That’s my gut answer, so I’ll stick with it.

Do you have a message for Omnium Gatherum fans in Los Angeles ahead of your show?
We’re really looking forward to coming back to your city. We always have a great time in L.A. This time we’re playing at 1720 — we’ve played there before, so it feels familiar. Come join us for the metal party, and afterward, let’s head to The Rainbow like always.

IN CONCLUSION

As Omnium Gatherum celebrates milestones both past and present — from three decades of existence to the release of their tenth album May the Bridges We Burn Light the Way — Markus Vanhala and company prove that their fire is far from fading. With new songs ready to ignite audiences and a headlining tour bringing them back to Los Angeles on December 2nd at 1720, the band stands as a testament to resilience, brotherhood, and the enduring power of melodic death metal. For fans, the message is clear: the bridges may burn, but the light they cast will guide the way forward.

(Interview by Ken Morton)

OMNIUM GATHERUM ARE:
Jukka Pelkonen — Vocals
Markus Vanhala — Guitars + Clean Vocals
Aapo Koivisto — Keyboards
Mikko Kivistö — Bass + Clean Vocals
Atte Pesonen — Drums

Omnium Gatherum on Instagram