After stepping out of HIM and Amorphis, Linde Lindström and Niclas Etelävuori emerge with Flat Earth, a grunge-leaning, gimmick-free analogue project, and new single ‘1985’ to prove rock and roll still needs a sense of danger.

Words by Cheryl Mann (@bubbarocksmedia) | May 16, 2026

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Stepping away from their legendary pasts in HIM and Amorphis, Linde Lindström and Niclas Etelävuori are forging a raw new identity with Flat Earth. We sit down with the duo to discuss their grunge-infused sound, childhood inspirations, and why music’s best future lies in its analog past. 

“Yeah. When I was a kid, they asked me what I’m going to become when I grow up. I said, I’m going to be a musician. I’m going to form a world famous rock band, do this and that. And everybody just laughed at me. And here we are.” – Linde Lindström 

For the uninitiated, how did the creative sparks first fly to bring you all together?

Niclas – “Yes, it was around the time when I left Amorphis. And then, I mean, I knew Linde for many years. I didn’t know that HIM was going to quit. But when they did, when I heard the announcement, then I thought, like, hey, it would be great to play with Linde or something. And that was kind of the first time I played some demos for Linde. And he liked that. And then we started to look for a singer. And then our common friend Silke suggested Anttoni. Yes. And he came over. And then I think we did the demos. There were like four or five songs. And he heard them for the first time. And in one week, he already had vocals for four of them or something like this. And we were blown away.” 

Given your deep roots in HIM and Amorphis, did the heavy weight of expectations follow you, or did this project feel like a blank slate? 

Linde – “I think it was more relaxed. I mean, I don’t think we were thinking much about anything else than just, you know, doing some music together and having fun.”

Niclas – “Yeah, I mean, we have seen a lot of how it goes. So it’s not like a pressure that we have to make it now to get to tour somewhere, because we have done it. So it was more that now we want to enjoy making the music without the stress of all the business sides.”

Linde – “Yeah, all the labels and all the, you know, whatever comes with it.”

Niclas – “Considering how it was before, like the first time around when albums were selling and stuff like that. So nowadays it’s a different ballgame.” 

Your name plays brilliantly on a highly controversial topic. How did you land on Flat Earth, and have you encountered any funny or problematic misunderstandings because of it? 

Niclas – “We were at your place (Linde) and had to come up with a name for the next day or something. It was the last minute. And then there was this newspaper article about this guy who built a rocket and blew him up in space to prove that the world was flat and then he died. So, I mean, I think that was kind of funny. Yeah. So that was kind of the spark. And then we came up with all kinds of side theories for it, of course. And there was even a French news channel that contacted them that they wanted to come to interview us. But then I guess they thought that we were the real deal.” 

Linde – “Yeah, that we were serious about it.” 

Niclas – “I checked with my friend in Paris. He said, no, no, you shouldn’t do this. So that was our debut on French TV.”

Many modern rising bands argue that breaking into the industry was much easier back in the nineties. Having achieved massive nineties success and now making waves in this new era with Flat Earth, do you agree with that sentiment, or do you see distinct pros and cons to both generations? 

Niclas – “I don’t think it has ever been easy. No. So, I mean, first you have to learn your skills. Back in the day, you even had to actually know how to play. Nowadays, you can kind of fake some of it. Yeah. So, yeah, I don’t think I can say, I haven’t lived in the 60s or 70s, but I don’t think it has ever been easy because back in the day, you had to prove it to some manager or whatever to even be able to get to a studio. Nowadays, you can do that at home. And, you know, it’s completely different.” 

Linde – “Yeah. But it always takes a lot of luck as well, you know, back in the day or today. It’s always about luck too. There are so many talented musicians that never get really heard, and no matter what time they live in.” 

Niclas – “Right place at the right time. And, you know, you have to be ready when the time is yours. I don’t know. There’s so many bands that kind of ruined it just when they got there. Then someday they start to do too many drugs or drink too much.” 

Linde – “Yeah. You have to be willing to work for it. A lot of work. Commitment is the word.” 

Moving on, it is time for one of my favourite random questions to ask musicians—we usually end up down a fascinating rabbit hole with this one! If you could transport Flat Earth to perform in any decade, would you travel back in time—like the nineties or even earlier—or would you take a gamble and head straight into the future?

Linde – “It’s a difficult question.” 

Niclas – “I mean, in a kind of like a Back to the Future sense, it would be fun to go back before they had invented the amps and stuff like that. I noticed already, like with another band, I did some shows and then when those kids that kind of their parents were listening to my band that they grew up with. And then this was the first live band the kids ever saw. And when they got that feeling of the pressure from the stage, the volume, the sound, all that stuff. So it’s like, you know, it’s like finding God. That experience for the first time. And all that thing, because so many kids are used to hearing somebody with a laptop and then somebody is rapping in the corner and it’s not the same thing.” 

Linde – “I don’t know. I would stay in the moment, but it’s the same thing with the HIM fans, like more and more like 18 to 24 year olds listening to us on Spotify. And I think they’re like the old HIM fans kids who are now getting into HIM.” 

Let’s stay back in time for a moment. For me, music has been a passion for as long as I can remember. The band that first made me fall in love with music was The Beatles, simply from my dad playing them constantly. It showed me how powerful music really is. Can you remember the exact album or band that first made you fall in love with music as a fan? 

Niclas – “There’s a couple of bands for me. I remember like, when I was six years old, my friend’s big brother forced us to listen to Sex Pistols. And that was mind blowing. But then also, I think, Deep Purple, when I first heard that, Smoke on the Water, Machine Head, that stuff. And then ACDC. And also from home, my dad was always playing Jimi Hendrix.”

Linde – “That’s cool. My dad was playing Elvis Presley. That was my first, like, when I ever heard music properly. He was always listening to his cassettes in his car. I was sitting in the back, you know, with his voice and the whole thing. So that was my first musical, like,

realisation. But after that, I started to get into, like, Kiss and, you know, Iron Maiden, Sabbath, these bands. Elvis was definitely the first.” 

Niclas – “It’s strange, like, one thing that doesn’t happen anymore back in the day, you couldn’t have bought an album just by the cover. If you went to the record store and found an album that had a cool cover, you bought it. And then you forced yourself to like it after that.” 

Given your iconic roots in the metal scene, many listeners might have expected a much heavier direction. What drew you toward a grunge and classic rock-and-roll sonic path instead? 

Niclas – “We played metal for decades. So I’ve been a huge fan of grunge, like Alice in Chains and Soundgarden have been some of my favourite bands. So I don’t know, it wasn’t kind of a conscious decision, but then it kind of clicked that way, that Anttoni was a grunge fan, apparently. And Mikko, our current drummer, also said that he wanted to play in a grunge band.” 

Linde – “I don’t even consider us a grunge band. I mean, I’m still a huge fan of Nirvana. And that was the grunge for me. And I don’t sound too much like that or, you know, grunge is just another word.” 

Niclas – “I mean, yeah, I like to think of us as analogue music because like now in the metal scene, there’s a lot of like this symphonic stuff. And I think it’s gone too far in a way that it’s like it’s just a show now that comes from tape and then somebody is there and plays along. 

So at least we try to stay true to the band concepts, you know. Bands like Rage Against The Machine and stuff, they do their thing.” 

Linde -”That’s important for us. We want to be a good live band, like without any gimmicks or explosions.” 

I’ve also noticed a fascinating shift with Gen Z—like my son’s generation. They are actively bringing back analogue formats, buying up CDs and vinyl, and craving real live shows. Do you think that is parental influence rubbing off on them, or is the world just changing again? 

Niclas – “You get curious because I mean, with today’s technology, you can do almost anything and you can do a live show where everything goes in sync 100 percent. But then it’s the same every night. And I don’t think I mean, it kind of loses the feeling of it.”

Linde – “Yeah, there’s no sense of danger whatsoever.” 

Niclas – “Rock and roll needs danger” 

Cheryl – Thank you! I have been screaming that exact point for years. That sense of danger and total unpredictability is exactly what music needs, and so much of it has been lost lately. 

Linde – “Yeah, I’m a huge fan of Iggy Pop. And he is all about it.” 

Niclas – “If you break a string, then the show has to stop so you can change the instrument or whatever. It can continue and pretend that nothing happened.” 

Do you remember the very first time you ever performed on stage or in front of people? You might have been ten years old, but do you recall that exact moment where something clicked and you went, “Oh, I love this—I want to be a performer”? 

Niclas – “I remember it was in high school, I think, with a band that I played. I played some like a guitar or piano for my grandparents, but that didn’t give me the spark. But then, yeah,

in high school, but also we were so nervous then. So I don’t know if that was really a thing. But then, yeah, maybe when I was like 20 or 21, when I got in the first band that were doing club shows and then got free beer and stuff like that.” 

Linde – “I think my first time was when I played live in a band when I was 13, also in high school, like the time when I first met Ville (Valo) and we were playing in the same band. And that was like, I was very nervous also. I thought that I would die. But it was really like, I always knew that this is what I want to do.” 

What do you guys have coming up in 2026 and beyond? 

Niclas – “Yes, we have a new single out now called 1985. Yes. It has a retro vibe. And with that single, we’re going to release another track, but that’s only available from our website. It’s a bonus single track, B-side. So that is out now.” https://flatearth.band/ 

Right now, there is a kid picking up an instrument for the first time, surrounded by cynics telling them that music is a dead end with no financial future. Given everything you have achieved, what advice would you give to that young musician trying to find their path? 

Niclas – “I don’t know, that’s what I was told!” 

Linde – “Me Too.” 

Niclas – “If you believe in yourself and you’re passionate about it, go for it. You know, there’s ups and downs and it’s going to hurt. But if that’s what you want to do, and it keeps you happy, then go for it.” 

Linde – “Yeah. When I was a kid, I told everyone, they asked me what I’m going to become when I grow up. I said, I’m going to be a musician. I’m going to form a world famous rock band, do this and that. And everybody just laughed at me. And here we are.”

Cheryl – “Mic Drop!” 

Niclas – “I guess every artist has to struggle with that same question. But if you do it because you like it, then it’s fine. Because we didn’t think about money when we started or anything like that.” 

Linde – “Yeah you have to love it.” 

Niclas – “We just did it and then maybe 10, 15 years later, somebody paid us something.”

Linde – “It’s like what Iggy Pop said, that he has played for free about half his life.”

Niclas – “If you do it for the money, then maybe get another job.” 

Linde – “I don’t have a backup plan, it’s okay.” 

Niclas – “But when you’re a teenager and 20 years old, you think differently. So I was all alone. I didn’t have a backup plan.” 

Linde – “ Me neither. I can’t do anything else.” 

Niclas – “I have to figure out a backup plan later on.”