Archive for March, 2010


Interview with Aleksi Sihvonen: Medicated/ Norther

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March 23, 2010

Aleksi: Medicated/ Norther

Hello Aleksi. Thank you for spending me a bit of your time for an Interview.
How’re you today?

I’m fine, thanks for asking. Chilling out and relaxing to confront the challenges of the beginning week.

1. You’re the new singer of “Norther”. How come?

Well the guys contacted me and asked me to have few drinks with them and talk about their singer matter. They asked me if I was interested and if I could do an auditioning tape and I did. In fact I did two. Now I’m here and that’s about it!

2. You’re also the singer of “Medicated”. How did your decision beeing also the Norther frontman change your situation in Medicated? Is there a change or is it just normal?

I can’t think about a single thing that this Norther situation has changed in Medicated. Of course some schedule problems will occur sooner or later but in my opinion there’s nothing to come that we can’t handle.

3. How do your colleagues in Medicated handle the situation?

Quite well I think. Of course there has been some time planning orientated conversations but I think they have and they will manage well.

4. Are you nervous about the Norther “project”? About touring and the feedback from the fans or something like that?

Not that much. The only thing I am worried about is the jump straight up to the bigger league. I got some experience when Imperanon was up and running and from other occasions too but this is certainly the biggest thing I have ever been in musically. I think the fans have welcomed me pretty well and I don’t think there will be problems touring with these lovable guys. I have fitted in so well and I think we will have a good time.

5. Do you think Norther will change your musical influences somehow?

Everything changes us and everything influences us somehow but I think that the major influences are already there and some minor spices will of course be caught from Norther too.

6. What are the plans for Norther for the next time?

Train like hell and play gigs to get things going again. Then we’ll rehearse new songs and record the new album. Then, who even thinks that far!

7. Are you going to re-release a new version of the latest Norther album or will there be a new album?

New album definitely. The songs are already made and they stay the way they are done. So all focus on the forth-coming album!

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Interview with Pekka Ansio Heino 09.03.2010

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March 23, 2010

LC: Leverage’s third album “Circus Colossus” is finally out. Is there a special story about the name?

Pekka: We had a big sounding album in our hands and thought the name should relate to that somehow…Tuomas came up with it at the last minute, as things tend to happen with this band! Circus Colossus doesn´t really mean anything, it´s just a cool sounding name for an album that sounds the way it sounds.

LC: Why is that limited edition of CC only out in Japan? –“mean and evil” and “walk on home” are actually to good to hide them from the rest of the world, don’t you think?

Pekka: It´s contractual, Japanese editions always have bonus songs on them. We´ve always taken pride on making the bonus songs sound as good as we can, and this time the two songs turned out to be very good, they could´ve easily been on the actual album in my opinion too.

LC: If you could play one gig with a band of your choice which one would it be?

Pekka: That´s a tough one…Count Basie Orchestra would be cool to front! Just another way to make a fool of myself again!

LC: If you could choose any place you want, anywhere in this world for a gig. Where would you like to play?

Pekka: Oh, I´m willing to play anywhere where there are people showing up and appreciating the music. It´s always up to the

people, they make the gig.

LC: You already told me that “Brother Firetribe” is taking a break. What is the reason for it?

Pekka: I´m busy with Leverage, Jason is busy with Kings Of Modesty, Kalle and Tomppa are busy with…everything!,  and Emppu is having a vacation for the first time in 15 years! But we´ll be back at some point for sure.

LC: I saw a gig of you in Tampere where you only sang coversongs. Do you like cover songs? And do you have a “favourite” artist from whom you like to cover?

Pekka: Those gigs are fun, pure and simple. People are guaranteed to have a good time when hearing their favourite songs played in a  live setting. If I get up there and do songs from some of my favourite bands or artists, I´m always having a ball. I don´t have favourites really, it´s cool to do anything from metal to pop to jazz, whatever as long as I like the song really!

LC: Do you have a favourite band you like to listen to these days?

Pekka: I have tons of favourite bands…always had, always will. But if I look at my car stereo and what´s on it right now, there´s Rush´s Permanent Waves. Rush is awesome.

LC: The rock and metal scene in Finland is already huge and it still grows all the time. What do you think about that?

Pekka: I think it´s great that somehow Finland became the leading country in metal as it wasn´t like that 15 years ago. Maybe the peak has already been reached, I don´t know. Metal will never go away in Finland but I guess it needs to change a little to keep going strong. A lot of bands sound the same but that´s the way it goes when something becomes popular.

LC: You play in two bands in times where music industry only cares more and more about money and everything has to be quick and so on. There’s not so much time “anymore” for the art itself. How do you handle this “struggle”?

Pekka: I try not to think about it, as hard as it is! All I can do is to be honest to myself and do the best I can with what I´ve got.

LC: What do you think about the music industry nowadays anyways? I mean, how much or less they care about the art and musicians these days?

Pekka: Well I´m not too fond of how things are in general within the music and entertainment business. There are good guys on the business side who still believe in the art itself but their hands are tied. Like you said, it´s all about the money, especially now that the sales for physical records are somewhat ridicilous. The business is in deep shit, they woke up a little too late. From artist´s point of view I´d say it´s not the best time in the world to be a recording artist…at least on the level I´m playing at!

LC: Thank you so much that you take your time for this interview. Do you have any last words you always wanted to say in an interview?

Pekka: The pleasure was all mine, thank you. Keep the faith, be safe, it´s summertime soon! See you around.

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The 69 Eyes: Live at Nottingham, UK

Filed under: Concert reviews by Tero Tolkki — Leave a comment
March 17, 2010

Location: Nottingham Rock City, Nottingham, UK
Date: 12.03.2010

The Basement at Rock City was full to bursting with fans awaiting the arrival on stage of the Helsinki Vampires.

The lights went down, over the PA played “Cry Little Sister” from the Lost Boys film soundtrack. A roar resounded around the basement, as the 69 Eyes burst onto the stage with Back in Blood

The set included most of the tracks from Back in Blood, which sounded better live if that is possible. The anthemic songs: Dead Girls Are Easy and The Good. The Bad and the Undead had the entire crowd singing. The set also included older songs such as Gothic Girl, Dance d’Amour.

In my opinion one of the standout tracks on Back in Blood is Hunger it was superb live, I was so happy it was included in the set list. I will copy out the set list below this review however it will not be in the order performed. The main set concluded with Devils.

All too soon their main set list was over, after a short time they returned for the encores which were Framed in Blood, Brandon Lee and Lost Boys.

It was a truly fantastic gig and all the fans in Nottingham Derby area hope they return soon.

Set List:
Back in Blood
We Own The Night
The Good, the Bad and the Undead
Dead and gone
Suspira snow white
Hunger
Kiss me Undead
Dead Girls are Easy
Gothic Girl
Perfect skin
Dance d’Amour
Feel Berlin
Lips of Blood
Devils
Encores: Framed in Blood, Brandon Lee and Lost Boys

Review written by Dee

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Korpiklaani live at Rockin’ Transilvania

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March 16, 2010

Although the stadium’s doors had opened at around 12:00, by the time seven Romanian bands started the Wacken Open Metal Battle there were 39 people in total. At that time, you could still see Jonne Järvelä and Jarkko Aaltonen walking around, buying other bands’ merchandise or watching the first concerts, completely ignored by most people, with the exception of some who went to ask for autographs or to take pictures with them.

At 20:00, after the Hungarian band Superbutt, Korpiklaani started their concert. The audience consisted of one or two rows of fans leaning on the fences in front of the stage and the rest sitting on the grass and drinking beer, about 200 or 300 people in total. But the band wasn’t bothered by the limited number of fans; every single band member played their instruments with a lot of joy and they all seemed to have just as much fun as their fans did. Jonne was in the center of attention, jumping and bouncing all around the stage while keeping a big smile on his face for the whole concert and everybody in the crowd had a great time, dancing and headbanging at the same time. The band’s costumes, traditional instruments and typical stage decorations created the unique atmosphere of a Korpiklaani concert, while songs like “Beer Beer”, “Hunting Song”, “Happy Little Boozer” and the new single “Vodka” were undoubtedly the concert’s highlights. After the concert, the whole band got off the stage to the fence where fans were waiting for them, and didn’t leave until everybody had a picture or an autograph from them.

In spite of the small audience, Korpiklaani managed to carry out one of the festival’s best shows, definitely rising above the performance of the day’s headliner, In Extremo.

More pictures here.

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Korpiklaani – Karkelo

Filed under: Album reviews by Unia — 1 Comment
March 16, 2010

The Finnish folk metal band Korpiklaani has recorded a new album every year since 2005 until now. Released in June 2009, “Karkelo” [Finnish for "Party"] is their sixth studio album and it sounds just like their older albums, except that this one comes with a change: only two songs from this album are in English, while the rest have lyrics in their mother tongue, Finnish.

I clearly remember listening to “Hunting Song” many years ago. The first time I listened to this band I felt there was something special with them, but I didn’t really pay any real attention to them until in the summer of 2009 when I saw them live at a festival. At least for me, it was a bit hard to listen to them before seing them live, I couldn’t really get used to their style; it’s not that I didn’t like it but it was very different from any other music I usually listen to. But as their concert started and I realized what Korpiklaani is all about: happy drinking songs combined with folk metal and that typical athmosphere of their concerts, so after that I started to really enjoy their albums.

“Karkelo” starts with a characteristic song; “Vodka”. This song is perfect as an album opener, as a very catchy chorus can be heard in the first seconds, and will also keep playing in your head for a while: “Vodka, you’re feeling stronger/ Vodka, no more feeling bad/ Vodka, your eyes are shining/ Vodka, you’re the real man/Vodka, wipes away your tears/ Vodka, removes your fears/ Vodka, everyone is gorgeous/ Vodka, yeah vodka”. The other English song from the album, “Bring Us Pints Of Beer” reminds of the band’s older more known songs, and this song also has a very representative message: “If you don’t drink you can leave”. The bouncy “Juodaan Viinaa” is a cover of the Finnish rock/pop singer Hector. In spite of the title, not all songs from the album are drinking anthems, some of them being even melancholic at parts and sometimes (but rarely) the folk elements can’t be heard as much as usually. Jonne Järvelä’s voice sounds as charming as it always is and can be heard very well because it is not covered by the many instruments.

As most of the lyrics are Finnish, one would think that most of the songs would be boring or not recommended to people who don’t speak this language, but instead they are very catchy and entertaining even to someone who doesn’t speak one single word of Finnish, so much that you find yourself trying to sing along the lyrics you don’t understand. Korpiklaani managed to release an album on which almost every song is in Finnish, and the message is easily sent even to those who don’t know the meaning of the lyrics, which makes the album enjoyable to any listener.

Review: 9/10

Tracklist:
1. Vodka
2. Erämaan Ärjyt
3. Isku Pitkästä Ilosta
4. Mettänpeiton Valtiaalle
5. Juodaan Viinaa
6. Uniaika
7. Kultanainen
8. Bring Us Pints Of Beer
9. Huppiaan Aarre
10. Vesaisen Sota
11. Sulasilmä
12. Kohmelo

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Tarja Turunen’s Christmas Projects

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March 11, 2010

Everything started when Tarja was three years old and sang her first Christmas song in front of an audience, in the church of Kitee. She sang “En etsi valtaa, loistoa” and she was so small that she had to stand on a table, so that the people would also see her, and not just hear her voice. Since then, Tarja took part in a large number of Christmas projects or events, especially in the last years.

Tarja’s plan to record a Christmas album existed since 2003, but that was impossible because of the busy schedule with Nightwish, so one year later, a single was released. “Yhden Enkelin Unelma” (English: “One Angel’s Dream”) contained two songs in Finnish: “En Etsi Valtaa Loistoa” and “Kun Joulu On”. After the succesful tour promoting the Nightwish album “Once” ended, Tarja had six classical, Christmas concerts in Finland, Spain, Germany and Romania, combining traditional Finnish Christmas songs, such as “Varpunen Jouluaamuna” or “Kun Joulu On” with other more known songs, like “White Christmas”, “When A Child Is Born”, “Ave Maria” and even a cover of ABBA’s “Happy New Year”.

2006 was the year when Tarja’s first solo album, “Henkäys Ikuisuudesta” (English: “Breath Of Heaven”), which featured, among songs that had been already played during previous concerts, the song “Kuin Henkäys Ikuisuutta”, which was initially a poem written by Sinikka Svärd, and the music was later composed by Tarja together with Esa Nieminen. Other songs included were “Walking In The Air”, a song from the soundtrack of “Snowman”, composed by Howard Blake, which was, according to Tarja, the song that inspired her to record the Christmas album, and a cover version of Cori Connor’s “You Would Have Loved This”, dedicated to Tarja’s decesed mother. The album reaced gold award status in Finland shortly, and several concerts in Finland and Russia promoted the album. A recording of the concert from Lahti was broadcasted on YLE TV on Christmas with big success; every third television set was on to watch the concert.

The following two years were filled with concerts all around the world promoting Tarja’s debut album, “My Winter Storm”, but she still participated in events such as the Kummit charity concerts, Marimekko events, and even two classical concerts in Tampere and Helsinki, in the end of 2008.

This year, Tarja recorded three new Christmas songs for an album produced by Olli Ahvenlahti, “Maailman Kauneimmat Joululaulut” (English: “The World’s Most Beautiful Christmas Songs”), a charity project for missionary workers in Finland. The album, featuring artists like Jari Sillanpää, Irina, Veeti Kallio, Maria Lund and Mikko Kuustonen, was released in Finland on the 18th of November, and the songs sung by Tarja were “Heinillä Härkien”, “Maa On Niin Kaunis” and “Arkihuolesi Kaikki Heitä”, a duet with Veeti Kallio. These songs, combined with a choir, managed once again to attract attention on Tarja’s amazing voice, and to arouse even more interest in her classical projects. The three songs were also included on a special single, available exclusively through the official webshop. Eight Christmas concerts will also take place in December, one of them in Helsinki, promoting the album.

Tarja is probably most known for combining heavy metal with classical music, and in the last years she has managed to attract metalheads not only in opera houses for classical concerts, but also in churches for her Christmas concerts.

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Sonata Arctica – The Days Of Grays

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March 11, 2010

“The Days Of Grays” is the sixth full-length studio album by Finnish metal band Sonata Arctica and was released in Finland on the 16th of September 2009. The album also features vocals by Johanna Kurkela and cello arrangements by Perttu Kivilaakso (Apocalyptica). Henrik Klingenberg described the album as “a bit darker and maybe not so complex as ‘Unia’. Nevertheless, it’s definitely not a back-to-the-roots album with fast power metal. All the trademark Sonata stuff is on there, solos, lots of singing, some slower songs.”

The album opens with an instrumental of “Everything Fades to Gray”, atmospheric with beautiful keyboard melodies, which flows into “Deathaura”, the longest song of the album. This song consists of ten parts out of which the first part is almost entirely sung by Johanna Kurkela, and is very complex, haunting, epic and bombastic. “The Last Amazing Grays” has been previously released on a single, also in an orchestral version. This tracks is very catchy, different from the usual Sonata Arctica, and the “wolf-song” from this record, this version being a bit longer than the single edit, in which the first verse “The mystery of death before us” had been cut. “Flag In The Ground”, also released as the video, is a re-make of the song “BlackOut” from the demo “Friends Till the End”. The lyrics have been re-written so that the new sound of Sonata Arctica was mixed with older elements that remind of the band’s first albums. “Breathing” is the first ballad, which gets slightly heavier towards the end and is followed by “Zeroes”, another catchy song, probably the one that reminds of the “Unia” style the most. The following two songs could be the highlights of “The Days Of Grays”; “The Dead Skin” has everything from heavy guitars to piano melodies, dark lyrics and speedy parts, and is reminescent of older albums, especially “Reckoning Night”, while “Juliet” could sound like a long, epic story together with “Caleb” and “The End Of This Chapter”, it starts with keyboard melodies and sad lyrics such as “These are my final lines/ I’ve lived all my nine lives” and grows slowly, as the lyrics become full of hate “You double-crossing, filthy whore…”. In the end, the first part is sung once again, and then it fades away with the barely hearable “This is… the end… Why…? You’re closing my eyes…”. “No Dream Can Heal A Broken Heart” is another amazing and touching song, featuring the female vocals by Johanna Kurkela once again right in the middle of the song. The keyboard solo and Tony’s soothing vocals make “As If The World Wasn’t Ending” one of their greatest ballads. “The Truth Is Out There” is another typical Sonata Arctica songs, with a catchy chorus, nice vocals, and the guitar solo. The album ends with the full version of “Everything Fades To Gray”, which gives a feeling of continuity. It begins with the same dark piano melody as the instrumental, combined with once again amazing vocals, then unexpectedly gets heavier as the part that is included in the album opener is over, and ends with a very bombastic and majestic sound that will leave you stunned, the perfect ending of an unbelievable album.

“The Days Of Grays” is undoubtedly one of the albums that many people looked forward to this year. But it was worth the wait, and most fans of symphonic- and power metal will definitely love it. Even though the instruments seem slightly weaker and there are less solos than usual, the vocals are better than ever and the way the music and lyrics were composed so that every single one is a killer-song will make it one of the best albums released in 2009.

Review: 10/10

Tracklist:
1. Everything Fades To Gray
2. Deathaura
3. The Last Amazing Grays
4. Flag In The Ground
5. Breathing
6. Zeroes
7. The Dead Skin
8. Juliet
9. No Dream Can Heal A Broken Heart
10. As If The World Wasn’t Ending
11. The Truth Is Out There
12. Everything Fades To Gray (Full Version)

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HIM: Screamworks: Love In Theory And Practice

Filed under: Album reviews by Unia — 1 Comment
March 10, 2010

“Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice” is the seventh studio album by the Finnish “love metal” band HIM, released on the 8th of Febuary, together with a bonus CD called “Baudelaire in Braille”, which contains all the 13 tracks from the first CD, recorded acoustically.

Frontman Ville Valo described the album as being “about both the theoretical and practical aspects of relationships which are an impossible problem to resolve, [...] a cathartic, primal scream”, inspired by the singer’s past relashionships.

“Screamworks” is perhaps the most accessible HIM album so far, a combination of “love metal” with elements from the alternative and pop genres. The sound is closer to typical American metal than to Finnish music, the record being less dark and less heavier than their earlier releases. The use of pop undertones takes some time getting used to, but after listening to the first 2-3 songs, it becomes barely noticeable.

Despite the big difference in the sound, HIM have kept the elements that they are most known for: short tracks (the majority of the songs last around 3 minutes), catchy choruses and lyrical themes such as crushed dreams, open wounds, loss, pain etc. At times, Ville’s voice sounds better than ever, and yet, on rare occasions it is actually weak (these can be heard especially on the acoustic CD).

“Shatter Me With Hope” is probably the most typical HIM song of “Screamworks”, while songs such as “Scared To Death”, “Dying Song” and “The Foreboding Sense of Impending Happiness” stand out and are definitely the highlights of the record. Melancholic ballads are not missing either, the best example being “Acoustic Funeral (For Love in Limbo)”.

The acoustic CD is a nice bonus, even though not all the tracks sound as good, as it can get boring especially if you listen it right after the first CD, and Ville does not manage to show off his voice in combination with these instrumentals.

Overall, even though many of the tracks are similar to each other, this album is definitely an entertaining one and does not let you get bored. With “Screamworks: Love In Theory And Practice”, HIM have changed their style enough to attract new fans, and to not disappoint the older fans at the same time.
Review: 8/10

Tracklist:
1. “In Venere Veritas”
2. “Scared to Death”
3. “Heartkiller”
4. “Dying Song”
5. “Disarm Me (With Your Loneliness)”
6. “Love, the Hardest Way”
7. “Katherine Wheel”
8. “In the Arms of Rain”
9. “Ode to Solitude”
10. “Shatter Me With Hope”
11. “Acoustic Funeral (For Love in Limbo)”
12. “Like St. Valentine”
13. “The Foreboding Sense of Impending Happiness”

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Albums Released in 2009: Top 10

Filed under: General by Unia — Leave a comment
March 10, 2010

Finnish Albums:
1. Stratovarius – Polaris
2. Sonata Arctica – The Days Of Grays
3. Cain’s Offering – Gather The Faithful
4. Korpiklaani – Karkelo
5. Leverage – Circus Colossus
6. Eternal Tears Of Sorrow – Children Of The Dark Waters
7. Amorphis – Skyforger
8. Elias Viljanen – Fire-Hearted
9. Sapattivuosi – Ihmisen Merkki
10. Revolution Renaissance – Age Of Aquarius


Non-Finnish Albums:
1. Hans Zimmer – Angels & Demons OST
2. Doro – Fear No Evil
3. KISS – Sonic Boom
4. Trans-Siberian Orchestra – Night Castle
5. W.A.S.P. – Babylon
6. Delain – April Rain
7. Epica – Design Your Universe
8. My Dying Bride – For Lies I Sire
9. Hammerfall – No Sacrifice, No Victory
10. Dream Theater – Black Clouds And Silver Linings

Note: This is just my subjective list of what I think were the best 10 Finnish and non-Finnish albums released in 2009. I obviously didn’t listen to all albums that were released the last year, just to those from the bands that I like or some that I was curious about.

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Tarja Turunen live in Bucharest

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March 10, 2010

“I have a little wish to come back here, in Sibiu, in 2007.” Tarja Turunen said in the ending of an interview taken after the last one of her classical concerts, in December 2005. After almost four years of waiting, Tarja’s Romanian fans were thrilled when the wait had finally ended. A concert was announced in Bucharest, on the 22nd of June 2009, which was part of the “Summer Storm Tour”, promoting her album released in 2007, “My Winter Storm”.

Shortly after 8:00, the lights went out in the hall, Tarja’s band appeared on the stage: Mike Terrana (drums), Kiko Loureiro (guitars), Maria Ilmoniemi (keyboards), Doug Wimbish (bass) and Max Lilja (cello) and started to play the first notes of “Enough”, followed by Tarja who walked in the center of the stage and started to sing. By that time, everyone who had seats near the stage left them and tried to get as close to the stage as they could, in the photographers’ line. “Buna seara, Bucharest! It’s really wonderful to be back, it’s wonderful to be able to come to sing for you once again. Thank you so much for coming and welcome to my storm!”, Tarja greeted the audience and they started to play “My Little Phoenix”. During the first Nightwish song she sang, “She Is My Sin”, the security was already trying to make the fans go away from the stage, but not with much success. Tarja then described the following song, “Damned And Divine” as being one of her favorite songs from the album and about “vampires and eternal nights”. “Minor Heaven” was one of the many songs in which Tarja got to show off her beautiful voice and to amaze the audience. The well-known “I Walk Alone” was followed by an awesome instrumental song of the band, a.k.a. “Ciaran’s Band Set”, the one that is always played before “Ciaran’s Well”, the heaviest song from the album and setlist.

“Now, for my dreams I hold my life”, Tarja hinted on the next song, which definitely didn’t need any other introduction: “Sleeping Sun”. “Lost Northern Star” and a cover of Alice Cooper’s “Poison” were followed by a combination of four ballads “Wisdom Of Wind”, “Boy And The Ghost”, “Our Great Divide” and “Calling Grace”, during which almost everyone in the audience sat down and listened silently to Tarja’s voice. Next was a big surprise, a new song that had never been played live before, “If You Believe”, during which Tarja remained alone on the stage and played the keyboards. “Nemo”, probably the most famous Nightwish song made the fans go crazy once again; everybody was jumping and singing along with Tarja, and “Sing For Me” was officially the last song of the concert. A few minutes later, the band returned on the stage to perform “Oasis”, the only song from “My Winter Storm” that was composed entirely by Tarja. Before “The Kinslayer”, another one of the many surprises, she dared everybody in the hall to stand up: “You wanna have one more? If everyone of you stands up, we’ll do you one more. So let’s keep on rockin’, Bucharest, or what? Yes, yes, yes, this is for you!” The last song was “Die Alive”, and Tarja thanked her fans once again for coming and said that she is hoping to come back after the release of the next album, “What Lies Beneath”.

Tarja managed to combine her own solo songs as well as Nightwish songs from her past in a way that the audience seemed to enjoy all of them just as much. Together with the talented musicians who accompanied her, Tarja’s concert was the best concert in Romania of this year for many of the people attending it, a concert that she and her band obviously enjoyed just as much as her fans.

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