05/03/2015 | por: Matias Villanueva A. | No hay comentarios | en: Entrevistas
INTERVIEW WITH TONY KAKKO
“IF YOU ARE WILD ENOUGH, WE MIGHT BE FORCED TO PLAY EXTRA SONGS”
Last year we were honored to have them in Chile, touring in Finland and South America their 15th Anniversary, playing the favourite fan’s songs. And this year, Sonata Arctica is touring, again, in South America with their larger tour ever in this land, promoting the new album “Pariah’s Child”. Their frontman Tony Kakko answered a few questions about this tour and future projects.
How would you qualify Pariah’s Child? How are the sales going and the public’s reception during the concerts?
I think Pariah’s Child has been taken very well by the audience and music has kinda returned to our origins in some ways and it is more power metal than our previous albums. It has been really good, so far, I think we are finally on a bright track again and the next album should maybe reflex as the same thing as Pariah’s Child does, so, we are really happy.
The re-recording of Ecpliptica has been one of the most important milestones from the band to the fans this last years. A lot of bands tend to record EP’s with B-sides or compilations of demos based on their most populars or oldest songs. Have you had any intentions of doing something like that with the demos you have from all your songs or those that are unknown for the public? Maybe you could think of Successor or Takatalvi as an example, which had a great reception back then.
Regarding using the old demos, we have a lot of songs that we could still use on our albums and do things really easy, but, I don’t think that is really that kind of material suitable with Sonata Arctica I think lot of those songs we are going to leave….be….they deserve to be bury where they are jajajaja
Some time ago, we asked you what happened to a lot of songs that you have never played in concerts, or that have not been played in a lot of years. Could it be the time that The Ruins Of My Life, Silver Tongue, The Boy Who Wanted To Be a Real Puppet, Peacemaker or even My Selene could be played during the Latin American Tour? Fans in this continent are always asking for your forgotten songs!
Funny that you asked about “The Ruins of my Life”, because we just talk about getting that song in live shape in some point really soon maybe next year when we start touring again and bring others powermetal and things that we have also in to sets, so yeah, that is really good idea.
What kind of trust you know!? The next time we come around it is gonna be more power metal, but we are in a process of getting our act back in that old-school thing… And we re-recorded Ecliptica and touring with it and Pariah´s Child as well, maybe because they´re really, uhmm… healthy and a good experience for us, and so, we shall keep ourselves from that track of [..?..], bring also a lot of our songs old and goldies back in setlist. Forgotten songs!
How’s the relationship nowadays with Jani Liimatainen, Marko Paasikoski and Mikko Härkin? Have you thought about celebrating the band’s anniversary with a big show and inviting them to perform? Some bands like Metallica, Helloween and Gamma-Ray have tried this formula, having great success.
We are all in good terms with all the ex-members, but I have to say that I haven´t seen Marko since we parted ways after the last leg of our tours we had with him, and Mikko…it must be more than ten years since we´ve seen him or spoken to him. But Jani I´ve seen every now and then, and with this tour in Finland with this album we approached him every now and then. Coming up with some kind of Anniversary show where we have a lot of old members show odds in… I can´t see that kind of thing happening. It would be fine and great, maybe, but you know… one of our first guys, let´s take our first bass player Janne who plays in Ecliptica, I don´t even know if he plays anymore. I don´t know. Never say never!
Could you tell us something in advance from the band’s newest disc that is planned for 2016? Is there any idea of recording an album that is the continuation from Pariah’s Child?
The next album that is planned for 2016, I really do not have anything to say, I have a few songs that are kindly left them over and some songs that are new, but is impossible to say if any of those songs will end in the new album, but I will start writing on the wrote song process later this year when I get some time in home, as I said earlier, it will be on the same page of Pariah’s Child, at least continue on that direction. One of my favorites “Power Metal era” album from Sonata Arctica is Wintersheart’s Guild and I would like to do something similar of what we have there, but there again, I don’t know, maybe something symphony, maybe something different, I don’t know, I lets just go my self crazy when I got home and have a chance to write the new songs.
The two concerts you will perform here in Chile are so close. What’s your opinion about changing the location for one that’s bigger as to making it the biggest concert of the band in Latin America? Which surprises could you tell us in advance of the shows in Santiago and Antofagasta?
Yeah, changing the venue in Chile is, I don’t know, kind of controversial in a way, bigger is not always better, so in some ways it’s inspiring me, because we are really happy of always playing and happy to see anyone back and I hope we have a decent amount of people there and it is going to be a fun show. I’m in charge as a front man of have any huge surprises, we are trying to change the set list on this Latin American tour all the time, like today we had played a different set of yesterday or the day before here in Brazil. We will delivery you the best set we can come out so the next is going to be fucking awesome, trust, come with us!.
What’s your impression of the Chilean fans from your last concerts here in Santiago (2008, 2010, 2013, 2014)? What’s your opinion from the great number of fans in this side of the world and what would be the message you would give to this large number of fans we have in the Chilean fanclub?
The first time we came to Chile was 2002, so uh, I think this is our…sixth time in Chile, right? Unless I´m totally wrong. Uhh, every time we would come there it would be absolutely amazing shows. You guys are just an amazing crowd and, what can I say? Playing in Chile has always been fantastic and we have great Fanclub there taking care of a lot of things and granting great surprises for us, so it´s something we always look forward to.
Do you think there could be a bonus track added to the concert in Santiago in the case the Chilean fans voted for one special song?
Bonus tracks! Uhmm I´m not sure if we are gonna play any bonus tracks per se (per say?), but we´ll change a lot of songs of course, out of all the shows in Chile and, well, yo never know. if you are wild enough and we come to you guys and show up there and you make louder noise than our band and our equipment does we might actually be forced to play for you guys extra songs. You never know! It´s up to you guys.
Hey, you can always vote. If you manage to vote songs that we are already kind of rotating, it´s an option.
Finally, we would like you to send a message to all those that listen to Sonata Artica in Chile, inviting people to your next concerts.
All right, Chile! I wanna see each and every one of you in our shows in Chile, in Santiago and Antofagasta. Come make memories with us. It´s gonna be wordly. Love you guys, see you later (kiss).
