The Finnish music scene pulses with fearless originality. Artists here boldly shrug off judgment, setting them apart from their Swedish neighbors, who often chase perfection. Finnish musicians, on the other hand, unleash their wildest selves on stage. Rabbit Cult embodies this spirit: their sound is irresistibly catchy, wildly fun, and refreshingly different. They show exactly why Finland reigns as the heart of heavy metal. Their roots draw deep from the fertile soil of heavy music, yet their performances burst beyond any boundaries. Enjoy our conversation with the two visionary founders, Salla-Marja Hätinen and Marianne Heikkinen.
-Could you share with us the story behind the band?
Marianne: Salla and I met in 2021, right after the COVID pandemic. Salla asked me if I was interested in joining a project she had been working on. I said yes. At first I was just a drummer, but as time passed by, me Salla and I formed a strong bond and realized we wanted to do this together, just the two of us. That’s how Rabbit Cult was born.
Salla: Yes. I (like all the other musicians) lost all my work when the pandemic started, and figured that this was the time to create something crazy since there was no way to live off of music anyway. So I created bunnymetal. At first, I thought I would be a solo bunny; I’d just stampede around minding my own business. Well, it so happened that the rabbit goddesses of Terra Feminarum had something a bit different in mind, and this ended up being something so much better than anything I could’ve done on my own.
–Bunny Anthem is the first song you’ve produced entirely yourselves, how did that creative control shift the energy in the studio and the final sound?
Salla: We started talking about producing by ourselves a couple of years ago. Basically, we had ended up in a situation where we simply didn’t have a producer, and I don’t know why, but suddenly it felt more like an opportunity instead of something “too scary.” Because to be honest, until then, I’ve been very scared of all technical stuff and trying to avoid it as much as I could! I was convinced that I wasn’t capable of doing such pedantic work.)
For our first 2 singles, we got heaps of help from the world’s bestest Markus Kaarlonen, who co-produced and mixed both “Cute AF” and “Pink Rifle”. We loved bunnying with him, but he simply didn’t have enough time when we were supposed to finish the Bunny Anthem. Then, instead of finding a new co-bunny, we stumbled upon Oscar Nilsson, our current mixing engineer. Which meant that we had to produce the song ourselves. So I guess the moral of the story is that bunnies are motivated by necessity.
Marianne: It was the summer of 2022. Salla had been hit by a car and broke her collarbone. On her way to the hospital, she asked me to write a song that, in my opinion, captured the essence of bunny metal. Just imagine: she’s in pain at the hospital, and I’m at home putting together a demo that sounds like something straight out of the Crash Team Racing soundtrack. The whole situation felt surreal. I was nervous about what Salla would think of the song. You should’ve seen her face when she heard it — clearly not what she was expecting. Up until then, she had only heard more “serious” songs and productions from me. Honestly, I never imagined I could write or compose something like Bunny Anthem. But I guess it was supposed to happen.
-You mentioned feeling “shame” about the song at first, do you think that edge of embarrassment and irony is part of what makes Bunny Anthem so powerful?
Salla: I think that whenever a song gives me a strong emotion, it’s a good song. Whether it’s shivers or rolling on the floor laughing, it doesn’t really matter. All emotions are welcome; they all serve a purpose. But I do love it when a song makes me feel like, “Seriously? You can’t do that?”, it’s the clearest sign out of all that that exact thing just has to be done.
Marianne: I can relate to this so much. Back when I wrote Bunny Anthem, I was still a rookie songwriter, and I got scared about this feeling of shame—it felt so embarrassing that I just wanted to bury it somewhere no one would ever find it. I’m so grateful Salla was there at that moment. There’s no one in the world I trust more than her, and without her, that song would’ve never seen the light of day. And when it comes to power, I believe the real strength behind this song is what Salla and I are capable of together. When we work as one, anything is possible. And I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else.
-How would you define “pupumetalli” for someone who’s never heard your music before?
Salla: Bunnymetal is the rage of the fluffiest (but also the most sharp-toothed) metal band you’ve ever seen. And we’ve got a kantele. And Marianne can play anything, and she’s hot as fuck.
Marianne: We also have the world’s sexiest singer/kantele player in this band.
-You’ve already shared stages with Lordi and had a great show at Hellsinki Metal Festival. What’s it like navigating the heavier end of the metal scene with such a unique and genre-defying act?
Salla: I think it would be very lonely if I did this by myself. But with Marianne by my side, I can do anything! I’ve never really thought that what I’m doing is something “special” or “different.”
I simply do music that I enjoy.
Marianne: All I can say is that I just love what Salla and I are doing, and I couldn’t care less what anyone else thinks about it. Of course, it’s amazing that people have found our band and enjoy the music as much as we do—but honestly, I’d still be doing this even if no one listened. That’s the beauty of this project: we’re creating music we can both proudly stand behind.
-How has the Finnish metal scene received you?
Marianne: Rabbit Cult has been there for a year now and the experience we have is that people either love or hate us, there’s nothing between. And I love that!
Salla: Also, I think that hate often arises from fear. I can only imagine how intimidating it can be to discover something as terrifying as bunnymetal.
Interview: Ditty, Photos: Péter Tepliczky “Pekkamoto”
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