Interviews

The anticipation was great leading up to interviewing Timo Kotipelto – the now ex-singer of power metal powerhouse Stratovarius. It was also for purely selfish reasons. One, I’ve always been a big fan of his. Two, my fledgling forays into singing in a band had led me to try to sing along with him. And three, he has a fine reputation of being a very personable and forthcoming guy who will actually ask *you* questions.

On the occasion of the release of Kotipelto’s second solo effort, Coldness, we talked on the phone in what became a rather rambling and genuine conversation that started with his feeling about leaving Stratovarius (something that you can feel still weighs heavy on his heart), to cars and the whereabouts of the real Derek Riggs.

Maelstrom: How do you feel about the split up with Stratovarius? Despondent? Happy? Relieved?

Maelstrom: Was Coldness written like the previous one, sort of in the downtime of your being in Stratovarius?

Timo Kotipelto: “Evening’s Fall” and “Take Me Away” are a little bit older. Those I tried to use for the Stratovarius Elements albums. I guess Mr. Producer didn’t like the songs so much, so I thought, “ok, maybe I can save them for my later works.” Most of the songs I composed last year (2003), between January and May. But there was also Startovarius touring in between.

Maelstrom: So you didn’t have your 100 percent focus on it.

Timo Kotipelto: Mmm... not that much, but what counts is the lyrics – that’s a totally different story. I wrote them between last August and December. Then, I had a lot of spare time. The plan was that there wouldn’t be any touring for Elements pt.2. I was planning to release this album anyway. But of course, when I composed the songs, I was still in the band, and I was thinking I would have a short break from the band, instead of being completely out of it.

Maelstrom: I think what’s relevant about your solo work is that one can see how it’s different from Stratovarius. I had heard that Tolkki didn’t let you write the songs in Stratovarius. Is that true?

Timo Kotipelto: That is true. He wanted to compose everything himself.

Maelstrom: And now we get to hear what you would compose, and think, as you develop this style, what the future will yield.

Timo Kotipelto: It’s still open. I haven’t been composing lately. I do have some basic melodies in my head. It’s hard to say how the next album will turn out, and when it will come out. It all depends on how this album will be received by the fans, and whether there will be touring.

Maelstrom: Would you ever join another band again?

Timo Kotipelto: I’ve been getting quite many offers.

Maelstrom: Well, sure!

Timo Kotipelto: But I’ve been telling everyone that I want to concentrate on the promotion of this album. Right now I could see it possible closer to the end of the year, or early next year. I don’t have any plans then. But the music should be interesting to me, and the guys should be.... at least cool, and not so complicated. Heh. Also, the band should be established, which means they have done some touring and recording, because it doesn’t make any sense for me to start on the zero level with some demo band.

Maelstrom: Well, any “zero level” band that you’d join would automatically go up to I don’t know what level simply because of your being in it. But I understand what you’re saying. I was thinking of Michael Kiske of Helloween when I formulated this question – he’s my favorite singer...

Timo Kotipelto: He’s good.

Maelstrom: ...but, he quit Helloween (quit/left/got kicked out... whatever), didn’t join any other bands after that – did some side projects and guest appearances here and there... he did put out a record with his new band last year, which I loved. But he never really joined another band, and never really, in my mind, lived up to his name after he left Helloween.

Timo Kotipelto: That’s true. But I also think he changed his music style.

Maelstrom: Why doesn’t Derek Riggs draw any more? (Riggs is the guy who did all the covers of Iron Maiden, the last few Stratovarius covers – including the famous dolphins, and Kotipelto’s first album cover – with the Egyptian dude with the weird breasts)

Timo Kotipelto: You’ll have to ask him.

Maelstrom: I wish I could!

Timo Kotipelto: I didn’t want to use him for Coldness (below) because he probably doesn’t know anything about ice or cold weather. I wanted to use a Scandinavian guy.

Maelstrom: I much prefer the art on the new record than the one before.

Timo Kotipelto: It’s much better, yeah.

Maelstrom: It’s... it’s not even close. (Laugh)

Timo Kotipelto: (laugh) Yeah, it was a pity for me to realize that Riggs is just using computers nowadays.

Maelstrom: Have you heard the theory that Metallica, even though it looks like the same people, have in fact been taken over by aliens?

Timo Kotipelto: Haha. I’ve never heard about this.

Maelstrom: It’s a pet theory people have. It’s like the Paul McCartney died one. Have you heard of that one?

Timo Kotipelto: No!

Maelstrom: That one is totally on another level. It’s a full-blown conspiracy theory. It goes that Paul McCartney died in 1969 and that ever since, a double has been taking his place.

Timo Kotipelto: HAHAHA!

Maelstrom: And there are 100s of “clues” that he did. Anyway, I’m sure you could read up on this by typing in “Paul McCartney death clues” on Google, if you have time to kill. But getting back to what we were talking about, I think a similar thing has befallen Derek Riggs... that’s *my* pet theory. Hahaha!

Timo Kotipelto: Haha! Ok... You have any proof?

Maelstrom: Well, look at his artwork!

Timo Kotipelto: (laugh) Well, ok, that’s true.

Maelstrom: What happened?

Timo Kotipelto: I actually asked him why he doesn’t use oil paintings anymore. He told me that when he did the Powerslave cover (one of his best, pictured below at left - Roberto), which I like a lot... I wanted to have the same feeling on Waiting for the Dawn... below at right) and he told me it wasn’t possible, and that “the Iron Maiden guys made me go to fucking Hawaii to do it there, and it took three weeks, and then another three weeks to dry!” He also explained that it was very difficult to add details later.

Maelstrom: I read an interview with Riggs in some DYI skater magazine. It was shocking! They asked him what he thought of Iron Maiden’s music, and the answer was simply, “yuck!” Wow.

Timo Kotipelto: Yeah.

Maelstrom: I have to say it’s really a big thrill to speak to you. I’m in this band and I’m the drummer. It’s a power metal band and we’re in San Francisco. Basically, it’s impossible to find a singer for this kind of music here. Most people have no idea what it is, or they’re not interested....

Timo Kotipelto: (laughs)

Maelstrom: ... so I said, “oh, fuck it, I’ll take singing lessons.”

Timo Kotipelto: You did?

Maelstrom: Yes, I’m taking them.

Timo Kotipelto: How is it going?

Maelstrom: Oh, it’s going ok... one of the songs I’m learning, because it’s a combination of being simple for us to cover and because we like it, is “Hunting High and Low.”

Timo Kotipelto: Oh, good, good.

Maelstrom: When you were learning to sing, what were the biggest hurdles and challenges for you? What did you learn that was realy important?

Timo Kotipelto: When I started singing, I wasn’t thinking whether I was singing high, low or baritone. I remember one of the first songs I sang with a local band back then was “Spotlight Kid” from Rainbow, and that was pretty high already. The first years, if I remember well, I had some problems with being quite hoarse after singing a couple of hours. But somehow I built up the stamina. My vocal chords got stronger and I was lucky to have some sort of right breathing technique, because since then, in the last few years, I don’t have that problem, as long as I take care of my voice and don’t drink too much and I sleep enough.

Maelstrom: Indeed, air control seems to be the most important aspect of singing. What are you doing with your air?

Timo Kotipelto: You have to have the support. And it has to be there a millisecond before you sing the note. If you don’t have the support with your diaphragm, it’s too late. It depends on what kind of sound you want to have and what notes you want to hit. You can also direct the air flow into the canals that are inside your head. And the higher you go, the more falsetto you sing; you have to think you’re actually singing lower, but you direct the air flow more into the upper head. I recently got a pretty ok book on Amazon called Secrets of Singing by Jeffrey Allen. There’s also another one by Seth Riggs.

Maelstrom: Do you ever record your vocals “dry”? (with no effects)

Timo Kotipelto: Yeah, I’ve been doing it. It’s easier to stay in tune if there isn’t that much reverb.

Maelstrom: How important is reverb to your singing? Like, “Hunting High and Low” has quite a bit of it.

Timo Kotipelto: That’s only in the mix. When the mixing guy puts it together, he throws in the reverb, or halls, or whatever. Sometimes I want to have some reverb. Normally I have it, but I don’t necessarily need it. When I’m singing at home, and I have the headphones half on, and I’m listening to music on the other speaker, it’s easy to do the wrong thing if you get caught up in how good your voice sounds reverbed. Sure, it sounds better, but the effect doesn’t help your voice. The basic training should be done without any stupid equipment – just acoustic piano, or something.

Maelstrom: You said in your interview on electricbasement.com that the vocal elements on the Elements albums are much too high. Could you please talk more about that?

Timo Kotipelto: It’s like this: Of course I can sing high – I can hit those notes, like on the song “Find Your Own Voice.” But then again, it’s very difficult to express any feelings – it’s just technique.

Maelstrom: It’s funny that you’d say that. I interviewed (Stratovarius keyboardist) Jens Johansson (a few issues back), and I asked him if you were becoming a better singer. His answer was, “no, I think he’s just learning new tricks.”

Timo Kotipelto: (laugh) Well, it is like this. But on the other hand, it’s easier and easier for me to sing. It’s probably because I’m more relaxed – I don’t stress so much about singing any more. I’m more self-confident, and that’s one of the elements of singing good.

But when it comes to singing high: I wanted the vocal lines on Coldness to be a little bit lower because I think my voice sounds better when it’s that way. If I have more chest register, I sound more like me, and not like every other male singer who is singing very high.

Maelstrom: When I heard Waiting for the Dawn (the first Kotipelto album), I remember thinking it had your best vocal performances at the time.

There is some mention on the Stratovarius website about “getting the old lineup back together.” Would you do that?

Timo Kotipelto: ....n-not at the moment, no. I don’t see any reason to do it. It’s hard to say whether I quit the band or if I was fired, but anyway, I was out. And especially now that Mr. Tolkki has been in the hospital because of some serious mental problems... I talked to one guy who went to see him in the hospital a few days ago, and he said that [Tolkki] was completely..... down, the depression was so heavy. And it’s impossible to work with depression like that. So that question is out of the question, let’s put it that way!

Maelstrom: Was he taking medication when you were in the band? That can help a lot.

Timo Kotipelto: I don’t think he was taking medication, but he was doing this therapy (Kotipelto emphasizes the word “therapy”). He had started it six years ago, when we did the Destiny tour. He was drinking a lot after every show. When we came back to Helsinki, I didn’t see or talk to him for two weeks. Then he told me he started doing therapy. He was acting exactly the same as he was acting last autumn, saying, “hey, man, I don’t need to sleep more than four hours a day! It’s great because I have new ideas and I can do everything!” And of course, that’s the manic part. And when you go up, you come down, and that’s what he’s got now. At the time, I thought it was great he was doing the therapy, but now I wonder... I mean, therapists are just humans, after all... maybe they can’t cure anything.

Maelstrom: Well, if you have a genuine chemical imbalance, you can’t cure that by just talking. I mean, you can help it with diet, but you might need medication.

Timo Kotipelto: That’s true.

Maelstrom: That’s really sad, man. Anyway, considering all this, who do you think will suffer more from this breakup? Stratovarius or you?

Timo Kotipelto: Nobody knows, but it will be interesting to hear this new female singer sing some older stuff!

Maelstrom: This is my prediction: Stratovarius has been one of the most influential power metal bands in the world. There are so many bands that have taken the formula that you guys put together, and no so subtlely copied it. Stratovarius’ formula is simple...

Timo Kotipelto: Yes.

Maelstrom: ...and that’s part of what its charm is. But since your voice was so original, taking you out of this formula (and assuming they stick to the same formula), Stratovarius will now sound like a Stratovarius clone, even though it’s still Stratovarius.

Timo Kotipelto: (laugh) That’s funny.

Maelstrom: Do you see what I’m saying?

Timo Kotipelto: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Maelstrom: What do you think about that?

Timo Kotipelto: Well, I’m honored if you think like that.

Maelstrom: I honestly do. There’s some manner of admiration due for you being in a band that you say was so complicated for 10 years. That’s a pretty long time!

Timo Kotipelto: It is.

Maelstrom: What kept you going? What was your focus through all that?

Timo Kotipelto: I just love singing. Especially, I love singing live. Seeing all the fans there, and seeing how they actually enjoy it, being part of the show and singing along with me... that’s the biggest compliment you can get, to see the smile on their faces as they sing along with fists in the air. It has been a pleasure to do all of those live shows and touring around the world, meeting new people in new countries. There are so many nice experiences you can’t buy with any money in the world. I wouldn’t change any of that, of course.

Maelstrom: What got me interested in your music was when I saw you play Wacken in 2000.

Timo Kotipelto: You were there?

Maelstrom: That was the show where you burnt yourself rather badly on some pyrotechnics.

Timo Kotipelto: Yeah.

Maelstrom: I found out about that much later. And I was even more amazed, because your on stage presence was, to the end, forthcoming and engaged with the audience, which in retrospect is tremendously impressive. It was like a James Hetfield/Metallica incident for you.

Timo Kotipelto: Hehe, yeah. Well, it was a very “memorable” situation. We did have some pyros before that. But for that show, some of the guys in the band wanted to have even *more* pyros. Normally, they were at the front of the stage, but for that show they were also on the drum riser. The pyro guy had explained quickly about the pyros, backstage before the show. Also, we had never had pyros before on that part of the song. So I went to get a water bottle that was on the drum riser. I was drinking water and then went to get a mic that was on a stand near the riser, and it blew up. An explosion of magnesium at 1,200 degrees Celsius that burnt my left hand, and some hair as well. Lucky me that I closed my eyes and didn’t lose any vision.

Maelstrom: But you went through the whole show like nothing happened!

Timo Kotipelto: Well, I missed one verse and one bridge from the song because I was behind the stage and the roadies were pouring cold water on my hand and wrapping it with a towel. The tour manager asked me if we should stop the show, and I said, “now way. I’m gonna sing it.” It didn’t hurt that much then – I was in a slight shock – but after a couple of hours, it hurt like hell. So they pumped me full of morphine in the ambulance.

Maelstrom: What kind of car do you drive?

Timo Kotipelto: I have an Audi TT.

Maelstrom: Cool! Is it a convertible?

Timo Kotipelto: No, I have the coupé.

Maelstrom: What color is it?

Timo Kotipelto: Black, of course. I’ve been tuning it a little bit, lately. It’s great because it has four wheel drive, which was very nice as last winter we had a lot of snow in Helsinki. It was cool to be at a traffic light, push the pedal and leave everyone behind.

Maelstrom: I went to Helsinki that year I was at Wacken.

Timo Kotipelto: Really?

Maelstrom: Yeah. My lasting impression was being asked by the immigration officer at the airport if I was part of the Hell’s Angels.

Timo Kotipelto: Really?

Maelstrom: Yeah, and I don’t look anything like a Hell’s Angel. But apparently, at the time they were having a big chapter meeting, like, of the world wide Hell’s Angels.

Timo Kotipelto: Oh, that’s true. I remember that. What kind of car do you have?

Maelstrom: I have a ‘93 Nissan Pathfinder. It’s a 4X4 SUV. I’ve had it for 10 years.

Timo Kotipelto: Is it fast?

Maelstrom: Nooo..... but it *does* make flatulent noises when it goes! I like to say it’s because it’s like a muscle car.

Timo Kotipelto: We don’t have this model in Finland. I was doing some research on those and you have stuff over there that we don’t.

Maelstrom: Well, Timo, thanks for your time and it’s been a real thrill talking to you.

Timo Kotipelto: Hey, same here and all the best for your singing.

Maelstrom: Heyyy! Thanks a lot!