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Interviews : Stratovarius – “I’m always happy to hear when people get positive energy from our music” – (An Interview with Timo Kotipelto)

By on October 21, 2013

StratoFinnish symphonic power metal band Stratovarius have been at the forefront of the power metal movement with a career spanning nearly 25 years. The band are currently promoting their brand new album, ‘Nemesis’, and are gearing up to tour their first ever tour of Australia this week. Metal Obsession had the pleasure to speak with vocalist Timo Kotipelto, prior to the band’s arrival in Australia.

Metal Obsession: What was the whole recording process for your new album, “Nemesis” like?

TK: It was very relaxed, at least for me. [laughs] We recorded all of my vocals in a cottage in the middle of nowhere. Matias (Kupiainen) was recording and producing the vocal lines. We recorded vocals five hours a day and every night we did something very common in Finland. We all went to the sauna and had a few beers. This beats being locked up in a studio anytime!

MO: Did you have any particular goals in mind when you started making this album?

TK: Every time we write an album, we always want it to be the best album ever, but it doesn’t happen every time. You just compose songs that you feel comfortable with and hopefully at the end of a day you have a gem in your hands. This doesn’t happen too often either. Unfortunately, we didn’t plan that this album was going to be. Matias (Kupiainen) produced the album so he had more to say about the over all sound and structure.

MO: What do you take inspiration from for lyrics?

TK: My inspiration comes from different sources: books, movies, daily life and nature. Very often I get ideas on the tour. Going to different countries, seeing different places and meeting a lot of people can be an eye-opening experiencing for me.

MO: It would be great to get some inspiration recommendations from you!

TK: I am a huge fan of history books. Especially Egyptian history. One of the best books is actually written by a Finn! The writer Mika Waltari is very known in Finland and you should check out his book called “Sinuhe the Egyptian”. Also Christian Jacq has written many entertaining books related to Egypt. What comes to movies I do love good science fiction like Blade Runner and Star Wars saga.

MO: To me it feels like a very powerful and uplifting album, like I feel stronger just listening to it! Is this something you aim for at all?

TK: Well, we are labeled as a power metal band so it should be that way! [laughs] Just kidding.

I’m always happy to hear when people get positive energy from our music! Music is meant to uplift you when you are down and some songs can ease the pain. It’s the reason why most of the artists are making their art. They are writing about their feelings. Good and bad. We don’t aim to make uplifting music really. But maybe it happens naturally since here in Finland we don’t see too much sun during the winter time and we can easily be quite depressed. To fight the depression you can make energetic power metal!

MO: Does the band use home studios at all for recording albums?

TK: It varies. Guitars, bass, drums, backing vocals and mixing were done in a big studio here in Finland. Matias, our guitarist is a co-owner of a big studio so it was an easy solution to do a lot of stuff there. Jens Johansso,did his keyboards in his studio in Sweden and as I said earlier my vocals were recorded in a home studio.

MO: Does much of the album get written in the rehearsal room? Or is it mainly written at home and then brought to the band to work on it?

TK: We have 5 composers in the band nowadays so we have quite a lot of songs to choose from. Everybody is composing at home and then we are sending our demos to everybody else. Very often we are also recording proper demos to get a better view on the material we have. Then we will decide what songs will actually be recorded for the album, what will end up as bonus songs and what are just left overs. This is a long process since last time we had more than 20 songs to choose from.

MO: Do you get a really good feeling when you start playing a new song and it feels like it clicks?

TK: It happens quite often when I hear somebody’s demo the first time that I am thinking “there is something but…I don’t know…”. When the song is recorded it very often turns out to be a cool one. First impression is not always right when the song is still missing proper vocals and other instruments. When we are playing the new songs live the very first times it always brings a smile to our faces! When we have been touring for over a year with the new songs, we get a better picture which songs are better live songs and should be also played in the future.

Stratovairus Australia Tour 2013

MO: How do you actually come up for the vocal melodies for the songs?

TK: When I am composing my own songs the melodies very often come first and then the chords. If I am composing a melody for somebody else’s songs the first idea is very often the one that fits the song the best. It just might modify it a bit.

MO: How do you take care of your voice when you are on tour? Have there ever been any moments where you thought you may have damaged it?

TK: Sleep is the most important thing for a singer. Especially for a singer like me who is  singing very high notes. Also I should remember to drink enough water. Dehydration is a big enemy for the vocal chords. I used to sing 11 shows in a row but nowadays I try to limit it to 5. My voice needs some rest too. I am thankful that my voice has been in a quite all right condition through the years. I did have a difficult bacteria infection a couple of years ago. That dried my vocal chords very badly and I had singing problems for a long time. But that’s in the past now.

MO: How do you all stay healthy and able to put on such powerful shows during long tours?

TK: I am trying do some sports. Mostly jogging and working out at gym. That helps my singing a lot. When I am in a good shape I can also sing longer time without losing my breath. I do take some vitamins too when on the road.

MO: Is Australia somewhere you have wanted to tour for a while?

TK: It is! Definitely! For many years I have envied the bands that have been able to tour in Australia. We have tried to ask our booking agent if there is any chance to do some gigs in Down Under. So far the answer has been “there is no interest/it doesn’t make financially any sense!”.  This time I was basically telling them that it doesn’t matter if we lose some money by going there but I want to do it. And, here we are!

MO: What is Australia’s reputation as a touring destination?

TK: Some of my fellow musician’s who have been there say it’s very cool to tour in Australia. But of course the distance between Finland and Australia is quite a lot. And it costs a lot to book the flights for the band and crew. I am really looking forward to these two shows. I hope there will be some fans and we can give them a good show. It would be great to come back with the next album too and maybe play more shows.

MO: What has been one of your most memorable moments on tour?

TK: I have done so many shows in my life that I can’t really remember them all. It is always nice to go to a new town or especially to a new country. Sometime something unusual might happen. Like what happened in Edmonton back in 2009. We played our last song and the PA caught fire! Luckily no one was hurt and it was quickly extinguished. Or when I burned my hand at Wacken Open Air festival. I also remember many nice moments on the stage when I’ve been hearing the fans singing the song with me or meeting a fan after a show and realising how much our music has touched them in a positive way.

MO: It was quite a while ago now, but how did you originally audition for Stratovarius?

TK: When I first met Timo Tolkki and played some demos for him, I got the feeling that they might be interested in me. Two weeks later I did go to the studio to do a proper audition. I learned four songs from older albums and sang them with the band. At the time they were already in the studio recording an album that would later be released as, ‘Fourth Dimension’. I remember that it was nice atmosphere and I really enjoyed singing with them. After the actual audition we went to the local pub and had a beer together. That’s when they welcomed me to the band.

MO: Typically, how much of the year do you spend on tour? How much time of the year do you just get to relax at home?

TK: I depends on the year. If the album is out we might end up touring 3-5 months for it. Some years it’s more and some years it’s less. Everything is depending on how well the album is doing. Nowadays the whole music business is completely different compared to 10 years ago and more difficult. More and more bands are touring at the same time and the competition is harsh. On top of that the economy (at least in Europe) has not been so good during the last couple of years. I am very happy that Stratovarius have fans out there that want to see us playing live! Without their support we would not be here.

MO: Would you ever consider making another Kotipelto album?

TK: I have done 3 of those but that was during the time I couldn’t really compose anything for Stratovarius. Nowadays the situation is different. If I have good songs they might end up on the Strato album. I have some song ideas that might not really be Strato style but what to do with them, not sure yet. I have lately been very busy doing acoustic duo gigs with Jani Liimatainen (the former guitarist of Sonata Arctica). Jani and I have also been composing some stuff together. When I have more time maybe we will launch a new project or something.

MO: Any famous last words?

TK: Thanks for the interview. We can’t wait to get down to Australia and meet our fans and play for you all. It will be a dream come true to finally play Australia.

Wednesday 23rd October – Billboard The Venue, MELBOURNE (18+)
w/ EYEFEAR + DARKER HALF
Tix: www.metalmassacre.com.au / www.moshtix.com.au / www.ticketek.com.au / www.oztix.com.au

Friday 25th October – The Hi Fi Sydney, SYDNEY (18+)
w/ EYEFEAR + DARKER HALF
Tix: www.metalmassacre.com.au / www.thehifi.com.au

About

Anwar is the editor-in-chief of Metal Obsession.net. When Anwar isn't busy promoting tours, interviewing bands and reviewing awesome music, he loves to collect metal vinyl and play video games. Follow Metal Obsession on Twitter and Facebook