Scorpio: Hello Tony! Congratulations on the new album "Unia"!
Tony Kakko: Thank you, Volodymyr!
What can you tell us about your new full-length?
Well, it's our new album, hehe. It's slightly different from what we've done before - the average tempo is slower than on the previous albums. The song variety is wide; the songs are quite different from each other. The production is better.
Will there be nice ballads like "Tallulah" or "Last Drop Falls"?
The song "Under Your Tree" is a beautiful ballad with real strings and just a few vocal parts, so it's very minimal. The "Don't Say a Word" type of song is "Caleb". It's actually continuing - or beginning - the story that "Don't Say a Word" tells.
What about speed/power metal songs?
We don't have that many speedy songs on the album. "Black and White" - the first track on "Unia" - is pretty speedy; it's the fastest and hardest composition on the album. "Unia" isn't some huge speed metal parade, but the sound is heavier.
Many of your fans consider your first two albums, "Ecliptica" and "Silence", the best SONATA ARCTICA albums. Why do you think that is?
Honestly, I don't know. I understand why many people like "Ecliptica" and call it the best album. With any band, you can find many people who say the very first album was the best, because it was made before they became famous. That's OK. I have my own opinions about many bands' albums. For example, I think "Visions" is the best STRATOVARIUS album, but there are many people who'd disagree. Everyone's free to have their own opinion.
You've also filmed a new video...
It's for the number two track on the album - "Paid In Full". We shot the video in our hometown Kemi, where we still had about a metre of snow, and the sea was covered with ice. We played on the ice - we put the drums and instruments right on it. We also brought a pyrotechnician with us. He was blowing up dynamite, so we had 25-30 metre high ice columns flying into the air. Really great! It was a sunny day and we played until the sun went down. There's a wonderful sunset in the video. You have to see it!
Will it be available on your website for download?
Yes, I think it'll be on our website pretty soon.
What about rotation on TV channels?
I don't know yet. Hopefully. That would be pretty nice.
What are your touring plans? Will you come to russia or Ukraine?
Hopefully we'll play in russia. We live right next to russia, heh. We've had many plans to go there, even with dates set, but something always went wrong. Local promoters had problems and couldn't do it, or we got a huge tour somewhere else, or something else came up. Something always goes wrong. But we still have plans to come and play in russia - Saint-Petersburg and moscow. It would be terrible if we didn't make it.
Yes, many Finnish bands often come to russia. ENSIFERUM recently performed in Saint-Petersburg.
Yes, they're great. I like their music. NIGHTWISH and CHILDREN OF BODOM have played in russia too.
You just mentioned NIGHTWISH. Your comments on their split with Tarja Turunen, please.
Well, at first it was a shock. I knew something was wrong in the band. Tarja has launched her own career. I'm happy for her, because I've always liked Tarja a lot. But NIGHTWISH have already found a great new singer.
Do you know who it is?
Yes, I know, but I can't tell, haha!
You've performed with Tarja, singing together. Do you want to continue this tradition and perform with someone else?
Well, it would be fun. If someone asked me, I'd do it with pleasure. It's interesting to do something unusual, something special.
SONATA ARCTICA have also presented some nice cover songs: "Fade to Black" (METALLICA), "Die with Your Boots On" (IRON MAIDEN), "Still Loving You" (SCORPIONS), and you always made nice arrangements of your own, presenting your vision. "Still Loving You" in particular has a different tempo from the original. Do you plan to record more covers and release them on singles and B-sides?
We've recorded two cover songs during the "Unia" recording sessions. The first will be on the "Paid In Full" single - it's a Gary Moore song, "Out in the Fields". It's not really that different from the original. The other cover is still a secret; we're working on it and it'll be released later.
What do you think is harder: playing a total copy of the original, or making your own arrangement?
They're both hard, really. But I'd say making your own version is much more fun. You can do whatever you want, make changes if you think they're necessary, and you don't have to worry about the melody because it's already there.
What about the vocalist? When you sing someone else's song, you might try to imitate them, but sometimes you physically can't reach their vocal range.
Yes, it's hard sometimes, but you have to find your own way of singing it. Of course, if I were covering NIGHTWISH, I definitely wouldn't be singing like Tarja, haha. The most important thing is the song, and you have to make it your own rather than copying what someone else has done. You have to use your own voice and your style. That's the main reason people do covers of other bands' songs - to find their own way of doing them, an alternative way.
Have you ever taken vocal lessons?
No, I've never taken any lessons. I should, because I have a lot of faults and mistakes in my singing technique, but I don't have the time. So I'm self-taught in the art of singing. Maybe one day I'll take some lessons and find out what's really wrong, because I want to do this until I'm very old, and I don't want to ruin my "instrument".
What about keyboards? Is it the same story?
Yes, I studied keyboards for about two years, but I got tired of it because they kept telling me I couldn't use certain chords because they were technically wrong. So I started playing in a band where I could do whatever I wanted.
Many metal musicians are self-taught, but some of them pursue professional training after gaining some popularity.
Yes, absolutely. It's really important - when you have some success with a band, it becomes your profession more than a hobby. And of course, when you do something for a living, it's good to improve your professional skills.
I read your brief biography on the SONATA ARCTICA website, and I noticed you've never played in any other bands besides SONATA ARCTICA.
Actually I have, hehe. I had one band that was totally different. We played in the vein of WALLS - old people's dance music. We played in bars. It was a long time ago, it was fun, and we made some money.
Do you have any plans for a solo project?
I'd like to do some other things as well, but I don't want to start another band because a band is a lot of work. Maybe someday I'd like to do a solo album, but not today or even next year. Other projects, like writing music for films or something different from what I do with SONATA ARCTICA - because I like making music and SONATA ARCTICA isn't the only thing I enjoy doing. I like every kind of music, from classical to black metal. When I have time, I write songs that are totally different from what we put on SONATA ARCTICA albums.
What young Finnish heavy/power metal bands can you recommend? For example, I've listened to TWILIGHTNING (review for Plague-House Puppet Show (2004) album)...
Yeah, they're cool - they have kind of an 80s style, like MOTLEY CRUE stuff. They were actually supporting us at the last show. We also have rising new stars STURM UND STRAND. They're really young guys, 14-15 or something like that, and they have one big hit at the moment. We'll see what comes of it.
What can you say about MACHINE MEN (read the interview with MACHINE MEN)?
Yes, they're cool. It's good that you mentioned them, because they were supporting us on the European tour. I've heard their first album, and it's really great.
I've also heard the "Scars and Wounds" album. It's like heavy metal in the vein of newer IRON MAIDEN material.
Yeah, it's something like Bruce Dickinson's solo material. And the singer, Tony, can really imitate Bruce Dickinson's voice.
What bands would you call your best friends - bands you spend time with outside of touring and the stage?
NIGHTWISH mostly. Tuomas is a good friend of mine. Also Timo Rautiainen. You can go and have a beer with many metal bands, because everybody knows everybody. But Tuomas and I go hiking once a year.
Now a big-picture question. What will happen with power metal in 5-10 years?
I don't know. As for SONATA ARCTICA, I can't call "Unia" a traditional power metal album - it's far from power metal cliches. But I'm sure that power metal, and metal in general, has a lot of potential. In Finland, it's like pop music - it's totally mainstream. You can hear metal music everywhere these days.
That's cool! Your president is a woman, so what's it like living "under the rule" of a woman, heh?
She doesn't bother me in any way. I like her, I voted for her, because I thought she was the best option. The role of the president in our country isn't that big - she doesn't have much power. It's mainly about representing Finland abroad. She does her job well and Finnish people like her.
You mentioned that you go hiking, so describe Finnish nature for us.
Well, we have hills and valleys...
...and a thousand lakes, hehe...
...a thousand lakes, exactly. Lakes are everywhere: little ponds, large lakes. We have a lot of pristine forest. Especially when you go to Lapland, the far North - you can actually drink from a spring with very cold, clean water.
Have you ever met Joulupukki in Lapland?
Yes, a couple of times when I was a kid, haha!
Haha! OK, Tony, your last words for your fans in russia and Ukraine.
Ukraine... hopefully one glorious day we'll play there. Stay metal! I really hope to see you people on tour. And if we can't make it to Ukraine, come see us in russia.
Special thanks to Florian Fink (Nuclear Blast) for organizing this interview.