One of the most buzzed-about Finnish bands in recent years, Luna Kills is ready to take over the world with their premium-quality modern metal. Their debut album, "Deathmatch", is a convincing display of skill, ambition, and emotion.

Needless to say, vocalist Lotta Ruutiainen is excited about the release of Luna Kills’ debut full-length Deathmatch, out on April 4^th 2025. The band has worked on their craft for years and now it’s finally time to step into the spotlight.

“When we were writing songs, we didn’t know if we’d just put out singles like we have done for a long time. When it was decided that this would be an album, it gave a good direction for us”, Ruutiainen recalls.

Deathmatch is a powerful modern metal album with heavy riffs, catchy melodies, and a lot of emotion. It’s vicious, it’s melancholic and it’s fun – sometimes within the same song. A lot of attention to detail has been paid both sonically and visually.

DIY or die

Luna Kills writes and produces their music themselves. Considering the astonishing production on Deathmatch, this tells a lot about the band.

Ruutiainen has a major role in songwriting and writes all the lyrics. While there are countless bands with a similar DIY spirit, very few can pull it off with such an impressive level of quality.

I design the cover art and merch and think about our image a lot – Lotta Rautiainen

“We approach the band almost as a sport, always trying to improve and learn new things. It does not mean the music is not important on its own but we want to work hard on everything else around it as well”, Ruutiainen explains.

The visual world of Luna Kills is another one of Ruutiainen’s responsibilities.

“I design the cover art and merch and think about our image a lot. I’ve also edited some music videos in the past but lately, we have outsourced that a bit”, she says.

Bursting with emotion

The songs on Deathmatch are intense outbursts of emotion. They are glimpses of today’s reality seen through the eyes of Lotta Ruutiainen, an intelligent young person grown into a world gone mad.

“I made the decision early on that I must write the lyrics myself in order to be truly able to feel the songs. I want to know what I’m singing about.”

We do not want to change anything because we believe in what we do – Lotta Ruutiainen

All in all, there is something very sincere about Luna Kills. The band has always listened to no one but themselves when it comes to music.

Ruutiainen says she’s heard enough of suggestions from business people. The album was released by SharpTone Records, a label that understands and respects the band’s own vision.

“We searched for business partners for many years and had several discussions about how we should change something. The thing is, we do not want to change anything because we believe in what we do. We also know we can do it better.”

Good things ahead

After the album release, Luna Kills plays a handful of shows in Finland and then heads on a European tour. No matter how meticulously the band works in the studio, Ruutiainen underlines Luna Kills is a live band.

“We want to keep that aspect involved with the songwriting too. Whenever me and Samuli (Paasineva, guitarist) come up with a new song idea, we always jam on it together at the rehearsal place. We need to know if it feels good live or not.”

We are fortunate that we are all heading for the same goal. We may not always know what that goal is but we want to get there together – Lotta Ruutiainen

Luna Kills demand a lot from themselves and know their worth. This is very likely a winning combination in today’s music industry.

Deathmatch may very well be the start of a successful international career in music. Ruutiainen is grateful for the ambitious band chemistry, no matter how energy-draining it sometimes is.

“We are fortunate that we are all heading for the same goal. We may not always know what that goal is but we want to get there together. We know when things feel good and when they don’t. This applies to songwriting also. New ideas always need to feel good and inspiring right away.”