Amorphis
Your Past Gives You Power

14.05.2013

Amorphis belong to the top league of internationally renown Finnish metal bands. Over its long-running career, they went through a difficult time of self-searching and seem to have found a success formula: an instantly recognizable massive sound, lyrics based on Finnish book of epic poetry “Kalevala”, remarkable vocals by Tomi Joutsen, and peculiar mystic atmosphere. Starting from “Eclipse” (2006), this is how the musical phenomenon called Amorphis can be defined. The band’s followers have been enjoying each opportunity to dive in the mythic world of Amorphis ever since, and "Circle", the Finns’ latest offering, which was released in April, is yet another trip into the depths of their home country’s history. However, the band also has something different for the fans this time around, and we got Tomi Joutsen on the phone to tell us more…

You’re going to release your new album this April, so how do you feel about that?

Oh, I’m really looking forward to what’s gonna happen with this album. A couple of weeks ago we had the first pre-listening here in Finland and there were some reporters from Europe, not only from Finland, and they were really satisfied with the album and did some good reviews, so the feedback has been really positive so far. I’m just looking forward to playing these new songs on stage, because then we’ll know if they are good songs or not…(laughs) But theoretically it’s really nice.

And does the feedback from reporters really matter for you? You know, some musicians say they are more interested in what their audience thinks…

Well, of course it matters. I don’t read all reviews, but if I see a good review somewhere I will read it. Of course it’s important. But if the reviews are really bad, it’s still okay, because it doesn’t mean that the album is bad. (laughs) And I don’t think that our main goal is to have “number one” hits all over the world. The most important thing is to do something that we like and if we manage to do it so that someone else also likes our album, that’s great. And now we think that our fans will like this album, because they’ve been listening to our music for a long time, they know this band, they know what this band is all about and they know the concept of this band and we try to follow that concept with every album, even though every album is really different from the previous ones, of course… But we have some kind of atmosphere that you can feel on every album, and our fans like it.

As far as I understand this album isn’t based on Kalevala, though all your previous works were. Why did you decide to drop the subject? Are you tired of it?

I think we are a little bit tired, you know. And I think we can go back some day. But this time we wanted to do things in a different way and distance ourselves a bit from Kalevala. We also changed the producer and the studio and we changed our working process a little bit too. We wanted to have… maybe not really “new”, but some “fresh” things for this band. We wanted to continue working with Pekka Kainulainen, the guy who’s been writing those Kalevala-based lyrics for us, but this time we kind of gave him free hands to do some kind of story or some kind of concept and he was really happy about that because it’s something that he wanted to do before. It worked out really nice, it’s really a beautiful story, which is totally his own, even though there are some motifs from Kalevala, so we haven’t totally forgotten this important book, but there are also a lot of things from his own life. So in a way I can say that it’s also a very personal album.

But that’s personal to Pekka Kainulainen…

(laughs)

And what about you? Is this concept of fighting an evil fate and finding your own way close to you? Actually, you have to somehow “animate” his lyrics, and that can be difficult if it’s someone else’s personal story…

Yeah… When I saw this concept for the first time – and of course it wasn’t finished then – and I read it for a couple of times, I thought it was really beautiful in a way. It’s not a traditional hero story, it’s not like a “big” story, it’s more like a story of a person. And that’s really interesting, there are some parts that really happened to me too, there are some interesting ways of seeing life and it’s a really optimistic story in a way, which is quite important nowadays… So it’s not a problem for me to bring this story to the public. I really like this concept and there are some lyrics that are close to my outlook, so they make me think, “Yes, that’s how life goes”. Sometimes you are lost and you don’t know what to do and you need to look back and find your history and maybe then you can find yourself again – that’s what this album is about. And it’s not a problem for me to sing those words because I personally can’t write any lyrics and I’ve been singing other people’s lyrics all my life, so that’s not a new thing for me… And it feels really natural because I know Pekka, he’s a friend of mine and I think we have some similar views in life. So for me it works perfectly. No problems!

You had worked with Marco Hietala for ten years, but this time you asked Peter Tägtgren to produce your album. Why?

There’s a couple of reasons and one reason is that we knew before that Marco will be very busy with live shows (with Nighwish – ed.), so we were pretty sure that he won’t have any time for this. And the second reason is that we’ve known Peter for a long time. I think that the guys met him about 20 years ago when Amorphis and Hypocrisy were on tour together. A couple of years ago we met Peter in Finland and we said that it would be interesting to record an Amorphis album with him in the future. Of course we know his works very well, he’s been in this music business for years, and we know about his long career with Pain and Hypocrisy, so we knew that he could be the right guy and that he’s really down-to-earth and professional and so on. So there were many reasons to work with him and I think we made a great choice because this album sounds fresh, there are some new elements and even though it’s not a completely new start, it’s something new for us.

Could you please tell a bit more about those “new elements” that you have on this album?

Well, they’re not really “new”, but a bit different from the previous albums. I think that guitars are on top on this album. And maybe the keyboards are a little bit lower. So you can hear all the guitar melodies, they are really important, and I also think that guitars are a little bit heavier on this album. As the singer I also used this death metal kind of vocals for the first time with Amorphis and that was a big challenge for me because I had done it like maybe 10 years ago with other bands, but not with Amorphis. It was Peter’s idea to try how that kind of my vocals will sound with Amorphis and that was great. And our bass-player Niclas (Etelavuori) also used five-string bass for the first time to have really powerful low frequencies down there. So there are some fresh elements that we have on this album, but still you can hear that it’s Amorphis and it’s still our style. It’s a true Amorphis album again.

And what was Marco’s reaction like? Has he heard the album? It’s really interesting to know what he thinks…

 It will be interesting, but I don’t know. (laughs) I’m not sure if he has already heard this album, and I haven’t seen him lately. But I’m pretty sure he’ll like the album. He’s not an egoistic person at all and he can see if someone has done a good job. And there’s no competition between them. Marco has done a great job with us, Peter has also done a great job. I don’t know if we continue to work with Marco in future or if we work with Peter again or if we find someone completely different, but we’re grateful for what they both have done. But anyway, as you said, it will be interesting to hear what he thinks of the album.

And do you want to work with Peter again?

Yes. It was really relaxing to work with him and during his whole stay here in Finland there were no conflicts and he was really into what we were doing, he worked like 10 to 12 hours a day with us. It was a big challenge for him also and everything was great. Of course sometimes it’s really hard to explain yourself in a different language. With Marco it was easy because he also comes from Finland and it’s easier to say something in your own language, you know… (laughs) But yeah, after a couple of days with Peter it all became quite natural and we’re all good friends now, so language is not a problem.

When I interviewed Esa (Holopainen, guitar) a couple of years ago, he told me that you’re the one in the band who’s really into what’s going on in the music industry nowadays. Is it true? Do you try to keep yourself aware of new tendencies?

Well, I read some magazines and try to find some interesting new music. But I’m not like a professor in that thing. (laughs) I just like music on the whole and I like listening to something new. And of course there is some interesting new music that comes out in Finland and outside Finland and I’m trying to find the most important things for me. I sometimes listen to some Finnish punk rock bands, there are some great punk rock bands in Finland… And of course some metal bands. And I also try to check out some bands that come to play here in Finland. I’m not sure if I go to check out High on Fire (U.S. metallers who were to play in Helsinki the next day – ed.). I want to, but I’m not sure if I have power because of all this promotion I have to do. (laughs)

Do you listen to some new music and try to find some elements that you can use in your band, or do you just enjoy the music and that’s all?

I’m just trying to enjoy it. Of course some things get stuck in your brain and you can’t live without them after listening to it a couple of times, but I’m not trying to find something for our music, I’m just trying to enjoy that music and some things happening around in music business. That’s why I’m checking out some new bands. Actually Spotify has been great for me, it helps to find all kinds of music and it’s just a great source of music.

The new album is all about fate, it’s like the main topic of the whole record. Do you personally believe in it?

(sighs) No. (laughs) Or yes. I don’t know. We’re just people and it’s hard to say what’s outside this life. I don’t know anything about that. Of course some people believe in fate. But I don’t think that what you’re doing at this moment is planned. Fate is really important for some people and they believe that everything is lined out before you’re born. I don’t believe in that. I’m just trying to do my best in this life and let’s see what happens after this life. (laughs) I’m gonna die, that’s for sure.

There’s an interesting idea of a guide who can help you change your life. Do you have any guides like that in your life?

I think my guides are my family, my parents and my friends. Whatever you do you can’t separate from your dearest ones, and that’s the most important thing for me. But sometimes when you’re looking back at your history, maybe you can get some inspiration or new ideas or new ways of seeing life and that’s what Pekka is trying to tell in his story. And if you know your own history, your past, it gives you power. That’s also a great thing.

What’s the thing you enjoy the most being in this band?

Pretty much everything, you know. That’s what I do for a living now. That’s what I’ve been doing for 7 or 8 years. Of course there were some bad moments, but not too bad for me. Life’s been quite easy with Amorphis and it’s interesting to do art, to do music and see how people react to our art. And of course it’s always fun to meet new people, to go around the world, to see new places. And I think it’s really nice also to give some emotions to the fans. It’s great to think that we can give some power to the people, some strength… It’s also very important.

You said you had some “bad” moments. What does “bad” mean to you?

For me “bad” is when things don’t go the way we want them to go. For example, when we went to South America, we had a jet-lag and this kind of stuff and it was hard. Sometimes you are sick, you have a flu or fever or something and you’re on tour, so it’s really stressful. But that’s part of the business, you know. You just have to live with that fact. And you just have to try to do your best. What else can you do?

You’re a very energetic frontman. What helps you to keep your shape and give great concerts over and over again?

I try to do some work-outs. I go to gym and I also do some “sport boxing” or I don’t know how it’s called… It’s like boxing, but it’s not real boxing. It’s more like a work-out thing. And sometimes I play football with my friends. I also try to eat well and that kind of stuff… I think if you try to keep yourself in a kind of shape, it helps a lot when you’re a singer. We have a lot of shows in a year and if you’re not in a good shape you get sick easier.

And what about some kind of “good shape” for your mind and soul?

I think if your body is in a good shape, your mind is also in a good shape. It’s that way for me. And if you’re really tired and you’re not eating properly and smoking cigarettes and drinking all the time you get depressed. That’s what I don’t want to do. But of course I can have some beer and party with my friends, but mainly I spend time with my family and do some sports and that also gives me a lot of pleasure. And I also think that’s important to respect yourself and try to be a good person.

Could you share some future plans of Amorphis?

I think this year we’ll tour pretty much with this album. We’re playing some shows at summer festivals in Finland and in Europe. We’re going to Israel, it’s the first time for us. Then after summer we’ll have a Finnish tour and in November we have a European headlining tour. It’s gonna take us 5 weeks or something. And we plan to go to the States, but there’s no official information. And maybe we can go to Australia. But we need to wait and see what happens… We want to go anywhere, you know. (laughs) But sometimes it’s just impossible. It’s always great to go to some new countries and meet our fans there.

What about Russia?

It would be great to come there. We’ve played many times in Russia, we even had some kind of small Russian tour, it was a bit hard because of flights, but it was nice and we met a lot of good people and a lot of Amorphis fans around Russia. That was great.

What are your most memorable experiences in our country?

Friendly people we’ve met when traveling around Russia. And we just love traveling by train! We always come from Finland in a train to St. Petersburg, and that’s always great. And venues are sometimes quite interesting, you know what I mean. For us it’s really difficult to read your language, because it’s very different, and there can be some problems, because sometimes people don’t speak English at all. But still it’s been fine and I don’t see any reason why we don’t come there again. In St. Petersburg and in Moscow it’s always been a great response for us and I’m really looking forward to coming there again.

It feels like many Finnish bands like traveling to Russia by train…

Yeah!

And I wonder what’s the reason.

I think the reason is that they are “sleeping” trains, so you can sleep there and relax and maybe that’s why it’s better than traveling by airplane. When you’re sitting on that stupid airplane it’s fucking boring. In a train you have a restaurant, you can walk around and maybe smoke a cigarette and stuff like this, so I think it’s really a relaxed way to travel.

Oh, thank you for sharing your opinion, because it was a kind of mystery for me.

Really? Cool! (laughs)

Is it different to play in Finland and to play in some other countries?

Of course there’s some difference. In Finland people are… They are not so… Oh, how can I explain? Sometimes people just stand there, they’re not so…

Energetic?

Yeah, maybe… They just take it easy, you know. If you go to South America, for example, people go nuts there. (laughs) Which is of course great for us. But if you play in Finland it’s sometimes difficult to tell if they’re enjoying our music, if they like us or hate us. (laughs) But of course it’s easier to tour in Finland because of the language and also the venues are great here and everything is working here… And of course it’s great that we know the places and some of the audience.

And what’s the reason of that kind of “cold” reaction of Finnish people? Is that because of mentality? Or maybe that’s because you have so many bands in your country and people are just a bit… well, “fed-up” is not a very nice word, but I just can’t find another way to express the idea…

Yeah, I think it’s more like that mentality thing. People are quite shy here in Finland and that can be the main reason. Of course they react to music and at some festival they go really crazy, but if you play on a workday at some venue and people are going to work next day, they are a bit… you know…

Yeah, I see… Well, it’s time to finish our interview and I’ve got one last question to ask you: could you please try to describe your new record in just 3 words?

Three words? Oh man, that’s almost impossible… Well, I would say fresh, heavy and solid.

Amorphis on the Internet: http://www.amorphis.net

Special thanks to Maxim Bylkin (Soyuz Music) for arranging this interview

Ksenia Artamonova
February 26, 2013
(с) HeadBanger.ru