Widescreen Mode was formed in Riihimäki in 2003 by drummer Janne Aaltonen, … Read Full Bio ↴Widescreen Mode was formed in Riihimäki in 2003 by drummer Janne Aaltonen, singer Samu Brusila, guitar player Janne Lahtinen and bass player Janne Stenroos. The name of the band represents the things you can't see on the screen. Eyes wide open to the world.

The debut album, "Until The End" was released in Finland on November 2007 through Dark Sentiments and Playground Music Scandinavia. It was produced and recorded by Jani Loikas (also the "Hello World" and "Another Day" EPs), mixed by Anssi Kippo (Children of Bodom, Stam1na, etc.) and mastered by Thomas Eberger (The 69 Eyes, Opeth, etc.).

“Until The End” debuted on the Finnish Top 40 album chart at the end of 2007. The first single "Everlasting Bomb" stayed No. 1 for several weeks on the official Finnish download chart and has received massive airplay on the national Finnish radio stations. The second single “Dead Inside” shot to No. 1 on official Finnish Top 40 singles chart in January 2008.

"We just wanted to make the album that we always dreamed about", says singer Samu Brusila. Adds drummer Janne Aaltonen: "We wanted the album to be pure, organic, and real". Mission accomplished. With electrifying riffs, compelling melodies and a classic metal attitude, Until The End is a collection of everything that makes Widescreen Mode one of the most unique new artists in heavy rock: pure, uncompromising metal that refuses to stick to any single formula.

Not that the natives sons of Finland are new to this game. Actually, they've been playing separate or together in various outfits for years. At 15, Janne Aaltonen (drums) shared a band with then-16-year-old Janne Lahtinen (guitars) called Aggessive Influence. In 1993, Samu Brusila (vocals) and Janne Stenroos (bass) joined them to form Fairlane. While they honed their skills together in Finnish clubs, career decisions forced the group to split up in the late 1990s. "At the time it felt natural to move on", Brusila remembers. "Aaltonen accepted a job in Helsinki as an Art Director, and he was building his career there. Everyone had so many things going on.".

It wasn't until 2003, when Brusila and Aaltonen moved back to Riihimäki, that the band began playing together again. "We had dozens of discussions about forming a new band over the years", Brusila recalls, "But they were just discussions.". One day, fate intervened, in the form of Aaltonen's fiancee. "She was tired of us dreaming about it, and not doing enough to make our dreams a reality", says Aaltonen. After a few months, Stenroos returned, rehearsing new material with the pair. Then, at Brusila's birthday party, Stenroos invited Lahtinen to play. "We had the old group back together", Brusila smiles. With a renewed sense of purpose, Widescreen Mode began writing new music in earnest. Adds Aaltonen: "The timing was finally right. We were ready to give everything for the music again. We take this very seriously." .

And so do Widescreen Mode's fans. In 2005, the band made steady progress with a pair of four-song demos. The demos earned great reviews. Widescreen Mode played important festivals, supporting bands like Paradise Lost, the Cardigans, Anathema, and Die Krupps. In 2006, Widescreen Mode made it to the final round of MTV Nordic's unsigned competition out of 1,700 bands. Interestingly, thanks to the Internet, Widescreen Mode has even more fans outside of Finland. The band has amassed a community of more than 65,000 fans worldwide on MySpace. "It's great to see how well our music has received around the world", says Aaltonen.

The music has been well received at home, too. Widescreen Mode's first single "Everlasting Bomb" reached #1 on the official Finnish download charts last summer, and has received airplay on the national rock radio stations such as Radio Rock and YleX. With deep harmonies, electronic synth, and a chugging guitar, "Everlasting Bomb" is a "a tribute to our musical roots" according to Aaltonen. The original lyrical concept was inspired by the movie "Planet of the Apes".

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Serotonin
Widescreen Mode Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It's a sickness, a plague of separation
A great divide where they swallow the weak
They chew you up, spit you on out
Left alone to suffer and bleed

Serotonin,
You are the master
Pleading you

To save me faster
Serotonin, save us all!

Got no time, new age of segregation
The guiding hand now broke at the wrist
Blame the system, fault our education
Our conscious mind made numb and
Dismissed

Left alone to choose the rules
To find their way amongst the fools
So they found the devils tools
Hell to pay for me and you

Serotonin,
You are the master
Pleading you
To save me faster
Serotonin, save us all!

What the hell did you expect
Life is not an option
What the hell did you expect
Being led by the blind
The lies, we all infect
Life is not an option
The lies, we all infect
In the depths of the mind

Serotonin,
You are the master
Pleading you

To save me faster
Serotonin, save us all!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Widescreen Mode's song Serotonin shed light on the darker side of society and its effects on individuals. The singer describes separation and segregation as a sickness that plagues society, leaving the vulnerable to suffer and die. There is no help or support from the ones who could make a change. The chorus of the song is a plea to Serotonin to save us all, indicating the only solution to this division and suffering is found within the chemicals in our brains. The second verse further highlights the guideless nature of society, the faults, the flaws, the brokenness that lead to the numbness and dismissal of one's conscious mind. In the end, the song reflects the bleak reality of living in a society where one is left to navigate amongst the fools, with little help or hope of a better future.

Line by Line Meaning

It's a sickness, a plague of separation
There's a widespread problem of people being separated from one another.

A great divide where they swallow the weak
There's a division between the powerful and powerless, with the latter being consumed by the former.

They chew you up, spit you on out
People in power will use you and dispose of you when they're done with you.

Left alone to suffer and bleed
Those who are left behind by this system are left to suffer and are forgotten.

Serotonin, You are the master
Serotonin, which regulates mood and emotion, has control over us.

Pleading you To save me faster
Asking for serotonin to alleviate mental health issues.

Got no time, new age of segregation
We're living in a time where we don't have the luxury of time to change the world's problem - that is the separation among them.

The guiding hand now broke at the wrist
Society's leadership is falling apart and unable to give guidance any longer.

Blame the system, fault our education Our conscious mind made numb and Dismissed
The current system and education are to blame for the fact that people didn't realize the damage that has been dealt.

Left alone to choose the rules To find their way amongst the fools So they found the devils tools Hell to pay for me and you
The people who are left behind either have to struggle to figure out the new rules or take up unethical means to survive, which can have consequences for everyone.

What the hell did you expect Life is not an option
Life is a reality and must be dealt with as it is, not as we wish it could be.

Being led by the blind The lies, we all infect
Those in charge aren't any wiser than the rest of us and everyone is guilty of spreading false beliefs.

In the depths of the mind
All of this is happening on a mental and psychological level, deep within us.

Serotonin, save us all!
Asking for serotonin to support everyone in dealing with the mental and emotional fallout of this system.

Contributed by Gianna V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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