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July 24, 2008 |
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Jens Johansson
August 31, 2005
By Tony Antunovich
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It's no secret that STRATOVARIUS have been plagued with enough drama in the last year and a half or so that would actually make watching your favorite prime time reality show(s) time well spent. All joking aside though, the series of events that had unfolded took STRATOVARIUS on one giant roller coaster ride and seriously jeopardized the future of the band. At the very heart of the problem was band leader/guitarist Timo Tolkki's battle with manic depression, which eventually led to a breakdown when everything came crashing down on him last Spring. However, time heals all wounds, and now STRATOVARIUS have patched up the holes of the past and are back at full-strength with a brand new album and a new world tour, which will include a first-ever North American trek beginning on September 17 at ProgPower USA VI in Atlanta, GA.
In this exclusive interview with METALEATER, keyboardist extraordinaire Jens Johansson explains the turbulent events that led to the breakdown, the journey back, Jari Kainulainen's departure, and the band's new direction, among other topics.
It's great to see the band back together as a solid unit. What is the overall feeling within the band right now?
I think it's rather good. I think everybody has learned a lot about each other in the past year and a half or whatever. With greater understanding, I think it's easier to work and it’s easier to be friends. It's pretty okay at the moment.
How is Lauri Porra adjusting to his new position in STRATO?
Well, I guess he has to find out how he can cope with us, but I think he's going to work out nicely. Of course, I've worked with him before because he played bass with (Timo) Kotipelto's solo band and I did a couple of gigs with those guys to fill in for the keyboard player (Janne Wirman) that Kotipelto normally uses.
The new album sounds great. Most of the material IS different from the band's previous works, but I really feel the fresh new sounds adds diversity to the mix and creates a whole new atmosphere for the band's music. From my perspective, it seems like this is a whole new beginning for STRATOVARIUS. Would you agree?
Yeah, it is. It probably sounds like it too a little bit. Just on a personal level, of course, it was very close that this album didn't even get done, you know. But that doesn’t always reflect in how it sounds. Basically whatever stuff Timo Tolkki did last year, I think his instincts were right - that we needed to change things around a little bit - to shake things up a little bit. Maybe he took it to the extreme at the time - I mean changing the singer and drummer and all this stuff that was going on at the time - but I think in general, despite all the stuff that happened, I think we're sort of back to the point where we trust him in the lower things - for sure all the musical decisions and stuff like that. Like I said, the idea was basically okay because I think with "Elements I & II" we took that direction pretty much as far as you can take it - with this bombastic orchestral type of power metal, you know. Yeah, I'm very happy about it.
To me, "Maniac Dance" and "Fight" stand out from the pack as more sort of modern rock or even, dare I say, pop-sounding - not in a bad way, but they're definitely different. But I think the other eight songs have that traditional STRATOVARIUS "ingredient".
Yeah. I think this band has always sort of been like a pop band. Sorry to say it, but some metalheads might be deeply offended - I don't really know - but I think it's always been about very melodic heavy music and I think that's still what we are doing on this record, except the only thing which makes it different from the past is that we've stepped back a little bit from this "artsy-fartsy" stuff with an orchestra and very long extended compositions. So I think whether they like it or not, it is pop. A lot of the stuff that we have done in the past is pop as well; it's just that it sounds very heavy (laughs).
Yeah, a lot of the stuff that you've done in the past has been a mixture on every album.
I think the idea is basically good how we developed it in the end. I think it turned into that we sort of pinned ourselves into a corner with the last two records because there was really nowhere to go from that point. Of course, we could make more of these records - like more "Visions" records as well - new songs of the same style - but this is a good development for us somehow.
Did your decision to entitle the album "Stratovarius" have anything to do with the "new beginning"?
Yeah, of course you only have one chance to make a self-titled and this probably would be the best opportunity to do it because I think we are sort of like back from the dead. If we wouldn't have made this album I think the band would the band would have become permanently gone. For sure it's like a new beginning.
You can also notice that on the album cover. There is a little bit of a difference in the symbol - a cut in the middle. Who came up with the concept for the cover?
It was Mattias Norén who made the logo. It was (Timo) Tolkki's idea to have a very clean cover - to have the logo in gold on black.
When it came to the writing and production of this album, what goal did you want to accomplish?
Well, the songs were written by Tolkki when he was like in the height of this "manic" phase. He was diagnosed with manic depression. He actually wrote the songs when he was as high as a kite (laughs) - sort of like February or March of last year - and I think what he wanted to accomplish was a change, no matter what shape it came in. Of course, he wanted to a thousand new ideas every day about what to do. But the basic idea was good. Some of the stuff he implemented was maybe a bit chaotic - like changing singers and getting a female drummer or whatever it was. After that point - after his breakdown and stuff - it was not so much about the album anyway. I mean I didn't know if this album was going to be made or if it was going to be some other album or if it was going to even be the band. We just had to focus on the practical problems because at that point Tolkki was not really in any shape to work really. He was in a very bad state mentally - just depressed, you know.
He almost couldn't get out of bed. In that situation it's not really possible to work. So I think we just had to step back from everything and let nature take its course so to speak - and let his body heal itself from this trauma - and just focus on the practical problems, which were plenty to think about. And, of course, to also come to terms with it. I think he probably had as hard a time with it as everybody else - to accept this new reality. I mean, he was born with this condition or whatever. It's good sometimes and it's bad sometimes and you just have to accept it. I would say it took like six or seven months for everybody to come to terms with that, and of course all the practical problems. So that's what took us so long. Once all that was settled, it was actually rather easy just to make the record.
So, in your words, how did the breakdown of the band all start and how was it all patched up?
Well I guess it started when Tolkki's parents got together (laughs) - because he was born with this thing and of course what happened was that he was manic enough to try to start a band and write songs. It's been the driving force behind the whole project (STRATOVARIUS) all these years without us realizing it. What happens with these guys is that at some time in your late 30's you're going to have a defining episode - this is going to be like the worst or best, however you want to put it, manic episode you've ever experienced. Unfortunately in his case, he happened to have this right just as the bank account was full of money from Sanctuary - because we had signed this huge deal. So I think what happened was he had all these ideas - he probably perceived it as us guys trying to hold him back a bit. And of course, he wouldn't have any of that. He would just think that every impulse that he had was the correct one because it had worked in the past.
His impulses had basically taken the band to the point where it was at time. So I guess he was thinking like we were wimps, scared, not willing to take enough risks with a lot of things or whatever. So I think he got rid of the two most sensible people in the band which was Kotipelto and Jörg (Michael) because I think he felt that these two guys held him back the most. And of course, from then on, he would just have like ten new ideas every day and I didn't really know half of what was going on because I live so far away from Finland. They had this huge mud-slinging thing in the Finnish press. It was all over the tabloids in Finland. Basically, in April I think, he sort of realized.... I mean part of him probably always understood that what he was doing was very chaotic, but some other part of him kind of felt good about it that he was just like.... euphoric.
I think what happens is that reality catches up with you biologically and of course also in real life, there were a lot of plans he made that all of a sudden he realized that they weren't going to work - financially, legally and with his studio and all these things. I think it just basically all came crashing on top of his head in April.
I think a lot of people don't understand that there are a lot of people in this world who do suffer from depression.
Yeah. I think especially in the performing arts. I think in his case you have to think of it also as not only bad because if he wasn't manic, he wouldn't have pushed the band to where it is. A normal, sane person wouldn't devote his life to a band because the payoffs are very, very uncertain. Very many people who put all their energy behind bands fail miserably. I mean, they never get anywhere. You never know if you're going to be successful or not. So I think you have to be a little bit insane to even get involved in this music business. I think he would have been completely well-adjusted, of course he never would have started the band; he would never have written all these great songs. So, part of it is also coming to terms with that fact - that you can't just write him off as a lunatic. You have to also see the positive sides of it because if he would have found out earlier - if he would have medicated away all these manic tendencies - he never would have made this band the way it is now.
We could hear a lot of what Tolkki went through on his solo album "Hymn To Life".
I think at that point he didn't even realize that he had a chemical imbalance. I think he was just thinking that all of this stuff was stuff that happened to him. Of course, on that record and also on this new STRATOVARIUS record, I think all of the lyrics are about what happened to him. A lot of the stuff is very person on this one too.
I can hear that - on "Maniac Dance" for example.
Yeah. All the songs that he wrote the lyrics for are about this stuff. I guess that's probably just about how he felt - sort of ashamed and very euphoric at the same time. So I think it's great. The video for that is also interesting.
How is Tolkki's health status now? How is he feeling?
Well, now he's actually doing sort of okay. Of course, you never really know - you start thinking, "Is he manic now or he just normal?" - and I think he is probably going through the same thing also. But whatever the fuck he is, I'm much happier to see him this way - like laughing and maybe being a little bit manic even. I would rather see him that way than how he was in August last year when he was very, very sad and stuff. So it doesn't really matter. At least now he's aware of the fact that he might have a manic episode again and he might crash again somehow. I think if you know it beforehand you're going to be better armed because you can sort of anticipate what's going to happen better. And if you start feeling paranoid you can basically start medication earlier. So I guess we just have to deal with it. It's how he is and that's how it is.
With regards to Jari (Kainulainen), was it something that had been building up for a while or did it happen suddenly?
It sort of came to the conclusion when he realized what the tour would actually involve. Out of all of the guys in the band, he was probably the least interested in being in the band anyway. I mean, he didn't really care so much about it. So I think in some terms he was probably the most normal guy in the band because I don't think he was doing this to boost his ego. I think in my case and in Tolkki's case - probably in all of the other guys' case - it's more because.... like we even have a lack of confidence or whatever and we want to boost our egos. That's how we got into playing music in the first place. I think in his case he was so happy about playing bass and he could take it or leave it - and he just got married to the love of his life and he just wants to spend more time at home, you know. He doesn't really enjoy going on a smelly tour bus with a bunch of alcoholic lunatics for six months (laughs). Part of me understands it completely.
I mean, the sane part of me is wondering why the hell I'm putting up with this stuff, but the insane part of me is saying, "Oh it's great to play live!" But in some terms he is probably smarter and saner than the rest of us - and skipping this shit and focusing on what's more important.
Touring is not the easiest thing to do.
Yeah it's like a shrimp sandwich. I mean all the travel and being away from home is what you have to endure because it's fun to play live still but it would be good if it were possible to do it without the traveling. But it's not really possible, so that's the sad part. In my own case, I'm still insane enough that I think it's fun - that the good outweighs the bad, you know. In his case, the good didn't outweigh the bad. I think he could just take it or leave it. It's basically a healthier attitude I think.
Do you still speak with Jari?
Yeah, of course.
The other thing is that you've been doing this for a lot longer than Jari had.
It's hard to explain, but he was never really so interested in the band. I mean it was not like we were hanging out so much - of course he lives in Finland - but he wasn't hanging out so much with the other guys anyway. It was never an issue or life or death for him somehow. I know for Tolkki this band is his whole life. I mean he's really been working extremely hard - really dedicating himself to it. In my case, I'm probably not quite as seriously into the band as he is, but still much more than Jari was, of course. Like I said, he couldn't really give a fuck sometimes if he was in the band or not. It doesn't mean that he is a bad person; it actually means that he's well-adjusted because he's got his priorities straight somehow.
Regarding the band's direction, how would you address fans that might be upset with the new music?
Well, we've been doing pop for the last ten years now. We've been sneaking it into their ears. Hopefully they won't be too angry. I mean, if you listen to like Britney Spears or something, some of the stuff that she's doing is not so far from what a lot of the melodic metal bands are doing.
You think so?
Yeah. Actually the guy that produced some of her records - Max Martin - he's actually an old metalhead - this old Swedish metal guy. So I guess he's been sneaking metal into her stuff and I think there is like a lot of cross-pollination (laughs). It's true. Max Martin used to be your normal loveable greasebag metalhead working in this store in Stockholm - Record Heaven I think it was called. And of course now he's a multi-millionaire. But I think he's definitely coming from a metal background.
I know that can't predict how things will unfold, but is this the direction that the band will continue with in the future?
I would say so, but I think what we'll end up doing - we'll just trust Timo Tolkki and whatever he comes up with because if he says we're going to do a Reggae album I that I'm crazy enough that I will probably go along with it (laughs). Let's see what he comes up with. But like I said, his instincts are usually good. Maybe if he starts talking about having a female singer and stuff I will probably raise one eyebrow and think a little bit about it. I think when you have been in a band like this for so long you shouldn’t really change the singer. It's my opinion with these types of things. But apart from that I don't know. Let's see what happens. I think it's going to be the new direction, yeah. I imagine so. I don't think it's possible for us to step back to this "Elements I & II" sort of direction, because I think we took that as far as it can go really.
I agree with the female singer bit.
It's not that I have anything against female singer. The thing is we have so much baggage with STRATOVARIUS with a male singer, specifically with Kotipelto, so I think it's perfectly okay to make music with a female singer but you just have to put a different label on it; I mean you shouldn't use the STRATOVARIUS label.
No. Kotipelto IS the voice of STRATOVARIUS.
Yeah, exactly. I think so too.
Things were not good when we spoke with him last year.
Yeah of course. He was just as confused as everybody else, and in this case you have to add one layer of anger too because, like I said, they had a very public sort of mudslinging - it was sort of one-sided, but there was still a lot of shit in the Finnish press which he hates. I know that he absolutely detests this tabloid paper shit and of course, he was still angry about that stuff - and there were a lot of other things to be angry about too. So it takes a while to come to terms with those things. So you go from being angry to being thinking of Timo Tolkki as a lunatic and you can't trust anything he says and then to get back to the point where you actually realize you can trust him in some things, you have to be a little bit wakeful about some other things but still where you are open about it. There shouldn't be any shame or anything about the STRATOVARIUS situation. Why should there be any shame attached to it?
It's a very common thing that people say, "Ah he's insane!" (laughs), but as long as you are open about it, it should not be worth having a broken leg or something.
Whatever happened to that whole Miss K situation?
Well, this was all the stuff that he cooked up when he was manic. Of course, by May of last year she was as confused as anybody and he (Tolkki) was also very ashamed towards her. He didn't really want to talk to anybody at that point. So I was actually the only guy who kept in touch with her, which was funny since I had never met her, but she was like, "What's going on?" But there is nothing wrong with her as a person or as a singer or anything intrinsically, it's just that when you have such a successful band as we do, I guess you just shouldn't make such a radical change at the same time. It was really impulse-based. I mean, Tolkki just had these impulses to do everything at once, and of course, it didn't really work out. I think she might actually make a solo album and I think Timo is going to produce it at sometime soon. I think they might even be working on it now.
Were the songs that are on your brand new album going to be included in "Pop Killer"?
Well, "Pop Killer" was never going to be called "Pop Killer". It was something that he had in his brain. But yeah I think he wrote the songs in February or March of last year. I'm not sure what his plan was for these songs; I think he just wrote them - in a burst of creativity in two or three days. Of course, at the time we didn't a drummer and he went through all this drummer drama - like on the website with all that stuff. I'm not quite sure if he had a clear idea what the songs were going to be like when he wrote them, but like I said, I think his instinct was right. There was going to be a STRATOVARIUS record somehow maybe with these songs and they were not like the "Elements I" and "Elements II".
Of course, in the end, what happened was that Jörg played the drums as a studio drummer in April right when he had this breakdown - actually I think he had the breakdown because Jörg came there and maybe somehow it donned on him - and of course, you have to let the episode run its course too, and I think by April it had. But yeah, once we worked on the songs a little bit - when I came to Helsinki in April, there was only drums, so I really didn't know what the songs sounded like. I think after turning them over in our heads a little bit - when everything came back together like in November and December - it turned out okay because the basic idea was very good - to change it more to songwriting again instead of orchestral excess. So I think it worked out very nicely in the end.
You guys are going to be taking part in this year's ProgPower USA. How does that feel?
That feels great. It's going to be very good. It will be the first time we play in North America.
Then you'll be teaming up with INTO ETERNITY and then immediately following that you'll be heading back to Europe to double-headline with HAMMERFALL - and with your brother.
Exactly (laughs). That's going to be cool too. Of course, I know all the guys from HAMMERFALL as well. It's actually something we thought about doing for a long time but it never sort of came together because of the way the albums were released and stuff. I think even now it's a bit strange because their album came out in April but it's pretty close. But it's going to make sense for them to do the tour also so I think it's going to be very good.
Jens, in all the places in the world you have played, which spot is your favorite?
That's difficult to say, but I think Brazil is usually a very good place to play anyway. The audience is usually very good. I would probably pick São Paulo or Rio - probably São Paulo because it's usually a little bit bigger audience. It's usually a very good feeling to play in Brazil. All of South America is rather nice actually. The last time in Chile was great too. South America is like sort of the new Japan somehow. It's like the new emerging metal market with really crazy fans.
What can the fans expect from the live show?
Of course, what's going to happen is that we're going to play some of the older stuff as well. So I think it's going to be a good mix of stuff from the new record and stuff from the older records. The live shows are going to be nice. I think the songs are easier to get across live because the tempos are easier - more like normal songs.
Jens, I appreciate you taking time to speak with us today and wish you and the band the best of luck with the tour and the new album.
Thank you. I think the tour now is going to be a piece of cake, but let's see. [FIN]
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