To know the man...      Aittala is really just me, Eric Aittala. Though I have tried many, many times to form a live Aittala in the last few years, I have never been able to find the right combination of people. A live incarnation of Aittala did exist from 1992-1993 while I was in Holland. While I felt we were a very good band, it never completely lived up to my expectations because we were limited to just guitar, drums and bass. Though the band could play my earlier songs well (they were based just on a 3-piece), my song writing was evolving and becoming more complex. I was starting to write songs that included extensive keyboard parts and another member would have become needed if the band would have stayed together. We had to disband at the end of 1993 when I left Holland and came back to the US. Since then I have searched for musicians to create a new Aittala.         After a couple years of of going nowhere with life and music, it was time to formulate a new plan. I decided I would have to do something on my own. I went back to school, earned a degree and started climbing the career ladder. I was now able to afford the equipment I needed to do the recording on my own. Which brings us to now. I have a 16-track digital home studio in which I do all my recording. I am still (and always) learning about recording techniques to improve the recording and mixing process. I still have hopes to form a band again. I am always looking and posting ads and hope to one day be able to play my songs live again. If you are interested, drop me a line.      I would describe my music as dark, demented and macabre. Most of my songs explore the darker side of human nature and desire. I try to write songs that have a little different perspective and that the subject hasn't been beaten to death. My songwriting has really been inspired by the work of Clive Barker. Mr. Barker's work is full of dark imagery and his twisted imagination has influenced the way I approach my songwriting. Some of my favorite books include 'The Great and Secret Show', 'Everville' and the 'Books of Blood' series. I also dig the 'Hellraiser' series of movies, even though, looking back, they do seem a bit cheesy, but the dark imagery is still inspiring.       As far as the my music goes, I try to write music that sounds somewhat original, even though in this day and age, it is really hard to do. I have been influenced by all types of music, even though the influences may not come though. I really think my turning point in my song writing occurred when a combination of two things happened; I started playing the 7-string guitar and, as I stated earlier, I started using keyboards. Before that, my music was very basic and influenced by the metal I listened to in high school like Anthrax, Metallica and all the metal bands of the era. I acquired my first 7-string guitar back in 91, long before Korn and Limp Bizcuit were using it. That opened up a lot of new doors musically. Things could be so much heavier and forceful. About a year later, I bought my first Roland keyboard and that opened up even more possibilities. I felt I was no longer limited to just cliché metal and could write a lot more freely. I saw that the guitar didn't have to be the main instrument and that keyboards could be just as heavy if used right.       Go explore my lyrics page and listen to more of my songs. Let me know what you think of what I do and pass this link onto a friend and get my name out there. Thanks for stopping by. eric