While many have a bleak vision for the future of music, there is still hope among young, up-and-coming bands like LUNA KILLS. Initially formed in Kuopio, Finland, the fast-rising band has been turning many heads with a unique form of Alternative Metal that combines various styles to make for a fresh and distinctive sound that is engaging enough to attract a broad audience. Led by Lotta Ruutiainen’s dynamic vocal range, this young woman can go from a high, soaring, clean verse to an earth-shattering growl at the drop of a dime.
A bright, shining star a part of the new wave of female Heavy Metal vocalists, Ruutianien leads LUNA KILLS as they look to make a significant international impact with the release of their debut full-length album DEATHMATCH via Sharptone Records. Arriving on April 4, 2025, the album features many addictive Modern Metal songs; DEATHMATCH proves LUNA KILLS lives up to the hype of being the next big thing. Proud of the work put into the music, Lotta Ruutiainen sat down to talk about the formation of LUNA KILLS, the band’s artistic objective, plus much more.
Cryptic Rock – Forming in 2019, LUNA KILLS is relatively new on the international Heavy Metal scene. Tell us, how did the band initially come together?
Lotta Ruutiainen – Our guitarist Samuli and I are cousins, so we have known each other pretty much our whole lives. He convinced me to join his musical endeavors in another project, which eventually led us to form LUNA KILLS.
Cryptic Rock – It is interesting how it all worked out. LUNA KILLS has a unique sound that combines various styles. You can hear elements of Alternative Metal, Electronic music, Pop, Rock, and more. What have been some of the band’s inspirations regarding artistic direction?
Lotta Ruutiainen – Regarding our sound, we initially bonded over Mick Gordon and Muse, and they definitely had an impact on how our sound started to take its first form. When it comes to the vocals, I usually credit Lana Del Rey because I feel like she has influenced my style of singing a lot. Overall, we listen to a lot of different music all the time, so we get inspired a lot by random songs and artists. One big influence for us is also movie/game soundtracks.
Cryptic Rock – You can certainly hear a cinematic element in the music. One central aspect that stands out in the band is your vocal style. It is diverse, from harsh vocals to engaging and clarified singing. How have you developed your voice, and how do you determine which style you employ for each song? Does it depend on the emotion being expressed?
Lotta Ruutiainen – I started out learning to sing Jazz, so I think that really impacted my singing tone and phrasing right from the get-go. Throughout the years, I’ve just always wanted to learn more and expand my techniques so I can better express the vibe I want the vocals to have. So it does come down to just wanting to convey the emotions the way I feel they need to be conveyed. I think performing live has made a huge impact on my vocal abilities and how my voice has developed.
Cryptic Rock – Sometimes, just letting something flow organically really sets the tone. You have released several songs over the last few years, but now, on April 4th, the band released their debut album, DEATHMATCH. What was it like writing and recording this album?
Lotta Ruutiainen – It was a long journey for sure. We had so much going on in between writing and recording and touring we opted to write the album in three or four different sessions. It was sometimes a little bit tough to try to get and remain inspired when we had a few days up to a few weeks of scheduled songwriting, but those frustrations manifested into the songs we put on the record, so I’d say it all worked out.
We’re also super self-critical about the music we make and we set really high standards of what the songs should be like. Although I think that’s ultimately a really good thing, it really puts a twist on things when you have a limited amount of time to write and x amount of songs to be completed. It’s always the case with songwriting, sometimes the songs come easy and other times you have to figure them out through a longer path.
Cryptic Rock – Right, and it has been said that a band has their entire life to write their debut album. Were there some self-imposed pressures when creating these songs, or do you think at this stage you and the band are comfortable in dialing in on what you are going for?
Lotta Ruutiainen – There was pressure, not because we were making an album or anything, but because we’re our best and worst critics ourselves. We definitely know on a song-to-song basis what we want out of them, but as I mentioned, at the time, we were so busy and tired that sometimes we nitpicked the songs a little bit too much. At this stage, we have also been writing music for a long time, so we’ve learned the lesson of giving up and letting our ears rest. So, compared to other songwriting processes we’ve had, I actually think writing this album was an improvement on that front.
Cryptic Rock – That is a positive thing. There also seem to be various feelings in the songs that make up DEATHMATCH. What was the driving force behind the lyrical aspects of the record?
Lotta Ruutiainen – Most of the lyrics talk about mental health-related struggles, mostly dealing with depression. Music has always been sort of like therapy to me, so naturally, I tend to write about my own experiences. The songs deal with feelings I think a lot of us have. For me, it’s a really important subject to talk about with honesty because I feel like it still carries a lot of stigma.
Cryptic Rock – Right, and the music is a good cathartic release. Many of the songs seem very personal and dig deep beneath the surface. With that said, there is no denying it looks like humanity is at a very crucial point. With the advent of technology, we are closer than ever before, but it also seems like we are further apart in terms of human connections than ever. What are your thoughts?
Lotta Ruutiainen – I feel like we do live a lot more on the internet these days, and that has its ups and downs. I think a lot of people can connect and find like-minded people through technology, and that’s a wonderful thing. On the other hand, we can truly get lost in the world of social media and even lose our sense of self trying to figure out where we fit in. It’s really important to try to find a balance between these things and make technology work for us rather than the other way around.
Cryptic Rock – That is a great point. The band has planned extensive touring over the next few months in Finland and around Europe. How are you finding new listeners reacting to LUNA KILLS? Furthermore, can we expect to see the band in North America sooner rather than later?
Lotta Ruutiainen – We’ve received so much positive feedback so far; it’s really heartwarming. We cannot wait for the tour to start because, at our core, we are a live band. We don’t have anything coming up yet in North America, but never say never!
Cryptic Rock – Alright. Hopefully, that will become a reality soon. You mentioned some influences on LUNA KILLS, but can you shed light on some more?
Lotta Ruutiainen – As I mentioned before, Lana Del Rey has influenced me a lot. I also loved Amy Winehouse when I was younger, and Jazz Singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone, etc. But Nirvana and Kurt Cobain really influenced me to want to become an artist and play shows.
Cryptic Rock – That is a cool mix of influences. Coming from Finland, you know the country’s extremely potent Metal scene. It is said that Finland has the highest number of Metal bands per capita in the world. This is extremely fascinating. What was it like growing up in Finland, surrounded by so many great Metal bands like Amorphis, Sentenced, Nightwish, Children of Bodom, and so on?
Lotta Ruutiainen – I’m the worst person out of this band probably to answer this because I didn’t listen to any Finnish music growing up. (Laughs) It’s really fascinating to me as well that we have this huge presence in the genre as a whole, and I think it’s also really cool. But everyone here has a Metal band, and some may have multiple Metal bands, so it really is pretty usual here, and the level of musicianship is really amazing.
Cryptic Rock – It is fantastic, and that is why it is so interesting. This might be a hard question to answer, but with LUNA KILLS’ debut album complete, do you have an idea of where you would like to see everything progress, or is it more a matter of letting everything happen naturally without any plans?
Lotta Ruutiainen – Of course, we have hopes and dreams of growing bigger and bigger as a band, but our number one wish is to just keep writing and releasing music that we feel passionate about. We also have a mantra that everything happens for a reason and that what is to happen will happen, so we have this side of us that believes that if we just keep doing our thing, everything will fall into place.
Cryptic Rock – That is a very wise ideology. Just work hard and let the world come to you. Last question. Cryptic Rock also covers film, particularly Horror and Sci-fi. If you are a fan of these genres, what are some of your favorite movies and why?
Lotta Ruutiainen – Both genres are really dear to me! From Sci-Fi, I have to start with Star Wars because I grew up with the movies, so the original trilogy especially holds a space in my heart. But my favorite Sci-Fi film is Blade Runner (1982) because it is so breathtaking and iconic. The sequel was fantastic as well. Then sci-fi and horror mixed, I have to say, Alien franchise (it also is in the same cinematic universe as Blade Runner, so that’s cool). Ripley’s character was and is a huge role model for me and the first woman character I really felt like I could look up to.
From Horror, I really love It Follows (2015). I think it’s one of the best Horror movies and original stories in the genre ever made. Train to Busan (2016) is one movie that I think about often because it had a heart-wrenching storyline wrapped up in a zombie apocalypse, and I really loved the crossover feel with how the movie played out.
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