SONATA ARCTICA

for Painkiller Mag #8
July 2003

Interview with Toni K
by Yang Yu/Wooqu

all pics are linked from www.sonatarctica.com
by any problems refer to webmaster

On the whole, Sonata Arctica still is an young band, so give me a brief introduction to the Chinese audience. I think you started in 1996 as a non-metal band called TRICKY MEANS, right? How did you come to play power metal?

TK: Yes, we started this band as a hobby back in -96, but the name was Tricky Beans at first. Once we started playing covers like Stratovarius etc. we changed it to Tricky Means. Terrible name for a metal band, I must say. But we didn´t really play metal music then. It was rock/pop kind of weird mixture of lots of styles. The style really changed to melodicmetal(I don´t think we are powermetal, really. There are few songs that fit that genre, whatever it is, but the general style is much much wider and a bit hard to define. So I always say it´s melodicmetal.) I think it was 1997, when Stratovarius released their “Visions” album. I went wild for their music and generally found out that I actually might be able to write songs of that style my self. So that how the so called “big wheel” started rolling. We made our 4^th demo with this new style and scored a recording deal with Spinefarm records.

From your former band website, we can see the following statement that said: ‘the original music style of SONATA ARCTICA is far from the present music style’. What does it mean? Was you music style under strong influence of classic music structure in the very beginning?

 TK: No, we played really rock/pop kind of stuff. Nothing even remotely classical there. I actually could not bare to listen Stratovarius, not to mention any other metal band when we started the band. But something happened and I became a Strato fanatic. :)

What happened to your web site? The website www.sonartaarctica.com, has been just started these days anew. It looks very professional, who will be administrating the website for you? Will you be available for contact request through this web?

 TK: We changed our webspace provider and wanted to renew the whole site at the same time. It just took quite a bit longer than we anticipated… the new webmaster is our friend Arsi Koutaniemi.

“Will you be available for contact request through this web?” I did not quite understand this line here…

Your first album did sell very well world wide, especially in Japan, could you ever imagine such an overwhelming success back in the days when you formed the band? Do you feel any pressure after you became a successful metal act?

 TK: Noooo, we did not expect really anything when we started! The idea was to have fun and play some shows here in our home town Kemi and maybe if we are lucky even in towns nearby. But the whole thing got a little out of hand, I must say. But in a positive way.  Pressure? Actually I think now that people now us better the pressure has diminished a lot. When we toured with “Ecliptica” we were a new band and it was sometimes pretty terrible sometimes to get on stage. Nowadays there´s no pressure there. Album wise there has really never been this artistic pressure, “can we make another good album”. I think we have gained somekind of healthy confidence in what we do.

Which bands still have their influences on your nowadays music style? How do you feel about Stratovarius? And how is the relationship between your band and other famous bands of same or similar music genre?

 TK: I really listen very little music these days. Latest thing that hit me big time was Frank Zappa´s “Joe´s Garage”. Frank Zappa in general is so weird and different from what we do, that I find it really interesting to listen. Metal music is often a bit boring to me. There are only few bands that interest me a lot. Stratovarius is of course one! They are friends and we own these guys so much. I can safely say that we would not be Sonata Arctica has there not been Stratovarius. They got us on the right track, inspired me as a songwriter, gave us an excellent amazing superb 7 week 36 shows European tour right after our 1^st album was out. I love this band. They are like Godfathers to us. :)

During these years many Finnish melodic metal bands have achieved great success, what is the opinion on this kind of success? What should it be owed to? And what is your opinion on other successful bands, such as Nightwish, Children of Bodom, or other cool guys?

TK: This kicks ass! Stratovarius was a big door opener for finnish metal being the first metal band to make it no1 on finnish national album charts and all. Suddenly there was a boom of these young metal bands. Atleast with Nightwish, C.O.B and our selves, Spinefarm Records have made this all possible. They took a change and started boosting the young talented bands, giving them a change to realize every carage bands dream and make a real album and then putting lots of money on advertising, videos and all that! And it was worth it! Other thing is Finnvox studios where so many bands have created the sound that has become this trademark for finnish metal. Nightwish, C.O.B. and Stratovarius are among my favourite bands.

Is there some certain relationship between the national support of the traditional folk music and the popularity of melodic metal in Finland?

TK: eh? (sorry but I find this question really weird. Like explaining the relatioship between sausage and ice-cream. haha!) I don´t know what should I say here…

A very personal question, I am surprised that fair-sounding melody flow with the whole nation, but according to the mortality statistics, the proportion of suicide is very high. What do you think of this condition?

TK: I have no idea. It´s not like every second person is suicidal here. Long and dark winters may be one reason. Of course it´s wrong and something should be done, but I am the wrong person to say what. Give everybody a million bucks and there´d still be people killing their selves.

These following questions are all about your released albums. First, the name of the first album is "Ecliptica", and what does this word mean? Is it a Finnish common saying? Or some other special meaning hidden in this word?

TK: Argh, it´s more than 3 years I´ve expained this the last time! It has to do with the sun and planets and how those go around in space and there´s also an involvement of Nordic arctic circle there…its was a really cool thing anyhow. So no, it´s not a common finnish thing. Not even a finnish word.

The Cover artwork of your live album (Songs of Silence) shows an asian gate on the corner, do you know in Chinese traditional culture we have a special philosophy that is Yin and Yang, is there any relationship?

TK: You´d have to ask our cover artist about that. I don´t think so though. The album was recorded and really made for Japanese market and Toxicangel(the artist) wanted to capture some of the feeling on the cover. BTW, the cover of Japanese version is QUITE different. 

Why do you have so many editions of EP "Successor"?

 TK: We had quite a few live songs from one show and apparently everybody wanted to have something special there. Only song I think “Successor” is worth buying for is “Shy”. The live´s a terrible!! Bad sound and all. There are better bootlegs!

Once you have ever recorded some songs for the tribute album of Scorpions and Helloween, and I have listen to the Scorpions Tribute Album. It is great! in the inner-note of this CD, there are some words your band left for the audience "...we were stunned we were even asked"

TK: Thanks! Yes, that was back then when we had not done anything like that. First time with anything is special. Now we have been on quite a few of these tributes. ON addition to those we´ve been on Iron Maiden and Metallica –tributes.

You know there are tons of tribute albums every year, how do your band choose to cover a song for certain tribute album, you choose the cover songs carefully or just record one cover song whenever getting an opportunity?

TK: So far all the covers for tributes have been made specially for the tributes and we´ve been asked to. We only cover artists we like and choose songs we like. That´s how it goes. We´ve been asked to do mush more than we have ben able to.

I heard of that the lead vocal, Tony, once participated in some work of Nightwish's EP "Over the Hills and Far Away", do you enjoy it?

TK: That was great! Really a big thing for me and I was so happy to be able to take part of their recordings.

Does the band want to participated in any other tribute album or be the guest band of some lives in the schedule? Are there much these kinds of opportunities available for your band?

TK: We are asked on tributes quite regularly, but we can only take part when we are in studio anyway. We just can´t go to record whenever we feel like…sadly. At the moment the only recording plan we have is next album next year.

How do you write songs? Who is the main composer or all of you write and arrange songs and music together?

TK: I have so far written all the songs and usually the arrangements are made by the whole band. With “Winterheart´s” also most of the arrangements were done by me because of the huge hurry we were in. That was not very nice. Stressfull…

The lead vocal once was the keyboard player, and now you have another keyboard player Mikko Harkin. So by now, does the lead vocal get involved in the work of keyboard arrangement and playing? Do you have ever a double-keyboard live show?

TK: Yes, I was. I have played all keys on “Ecliptica” and “Winterheart´s G”, except for solos for four songs by Jens Johansson, and some of the keys on “Silence” too. Mikko played all the solos and tricky parts on “Silence”. Mikko left the band after Silence-tour and was replaced by Henrik Klingenberg, but he does not play on the album. I have pretty much given up all live-keyboarding. It´s better to just sing. I do play in studio though.

What is your schedule of this year? Do you have any tour plan? Next time your band tours to Eastern World, for example Japan, and why not drop in China? You maybe have heart about the SARS Virus which caused STRATOVARIUS to cancel their gig in Hongkong (they still will come some time later). But I think with time you also could have the chance to play in China…

TK: Touring touring touring until we quit it well before Christmas to start working on the new material. I am sure we will play in China as soon as someone makes a good offer to do so. I don´t know much our albums are sold there and how big is the marker for this kind of music. Touring and albums sales goes often hand in hand. If we sold enough albums in moon, we´d play there.  China is one of the many places we haven´t visited yet, so that would be really cool!

Now your former keyboard player Mikko Harkin has left the band. There appeared a new one on the new album. Does his former Band KENZINER still continue playing?

TK: ah, so you knew that Mikko left?  As far as I know Kenziner is no more and Mikko only played on one album. I don´t know if that band ever actually played live…

The new published Single “Broken” indeed has its very special rhythm and melody, was this release your own wish or a decision of your label?

TK: Yes. And the label agreed on that, it would have been their choice as well. Since the singles really only have a meaning in Finland for us, we wanted to have a different kind of song with some crossover feeling to it.

The Japan version of your new album “Winterheart’s Guild” has one bonus track again, do you have to put bonus tracks each time for the Japan market? Do you randomly choose some thing for this matter or do you want to do something special for you Japanese fans each time?

TK: Generally yes. It is very necessary for the Japanese market. Otherwise people would order the album from Europe, where they are cheaper and that would ruin the companies. The bonus track has to be a good song, like I feel they have been for us. Like with “Winterheart´s Guild”, “The Rest of the sun belongs to me” makes the album MUCH better, it´s a really good song. I like the Japanese version of the album the best. 

What is your opinion about your music now compared to your older days? It seems you have more soften and melodic (balladish) parts.

TK: I think “Silence” was generally a softer album, but “Winterheart” was a step back to “Ecliptica” stylistically, a bit harder and darker. Technically we have improved with each album and I feel “Winterheart” is already quite ok. I have always loved ballads I those have been very popular songs of ours, so there´s also a need for the softer songs. We have been seeking our own way of doing this thing we do and this is maybe now the way. We are not the most metal band in world and never will be, I´d hate that. I rather make music the way I want and I have grown the see that if I like something a lot, people will like it too. Ain´t that grand!