Interviews

Wintersun were touring Europe with the X-mass Metalfest tour together with Hypocrisy, Exodus, Naglfar and Fear My Thoughts. I thought I'd use this opportunity to meet up with Wintersun for an interview at their show in Tilburg (013). Unfortunately, things got a little messed up - so I wasn't able to do the interview face to face, but with the aid of Nuclear Blast I got to send my questions via e-mail, and here's the result.

- Rhoutna (additional questions by Silence)

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It's all gone quite fast for Wintersun after the debut album was released. How do you look back at the past year?

It's been quite busy organizing our live "thing". Getting a rehearsal place and so on... (Thanks to Codeon by the way!). We are a new band, so things take a little bit time to get everything organized. So in early summer we started to do our first liveshows, we did a few club gigs and festivals and it felt really good. And in December we did the X-mass tour (with Hypocrisy, Exodus, Naglfar and Fear My Thoughts) and it was a success. Also I'm always writing music and lyrics, so it's been busy.

It's been about one year now since your debut album was released and it's been even longer since you started working on it. How do you think about the album now that it isn't that 'fresh' anymore and that it's maybe 'grown' on you and on the fans?

I still love the album and every song on it and sometimes I might even listen to it :) It still sounds fresh, but of course I always hear things that should have been better, 'cause I'm little bit a perfectionist.

There's still no one taking on the keys on stage. Are you still busy looking? Or have you given up and decided to stick with the keys from tape?

Well, it's just been easier to do it with tape. The problem is that the guy, or even two guys, have to be really good and with great equipment. He has to live nearby, 'cause I want to work closely. So you can probably understand that I haven't found anyone yet. And on the next album there's gonna be even more stuff, so it's gonna be impossible for one guy to repeat it live. And I want it to sound amazingly live so... anyone, who wants a challenge?

You played your first show outside Finland at the Summer Breeze Festival in Germany. How was it like to play this show and how did the audience react?

It has been our biggest show so far and the audience was great. We were the last band and everyone was still there watching us play, so you can imagine the feeling. I played shitty, but they liked it anyway, heh!

You've just played a couple of festival shows this summer. What kind of feeling was it to be on stage again after this break you had?

It's been really refreshing, I feel alive again, all this new energy flowing in me. But sometimes I've also felt that "I'm too old for this shit!" heh!

Even though Wintersun was basically a one-man project (plus drummer Kai Hahto) on the album, you are a real band consisting of several members on stage. What is it like to play your songs live with other members? Do the songs change a bit then?

A little bit, but not much. We have arrangements for two guitars. Bass is the same, except that Jukka has invented some cool lines there. Kai always improvises which is great. It's really a great feeling to play these songs with a band, and with such great and professional guys! I never thought I would play these songs live, but it actually works so I'm happy.

Do the other members have a say on how your live shows look like or do you still have this "dictatorship" going on?

For the live stuff it's been equal. We make the decisions together. But in the album I want to have the final say, 'cause that was the main reason I started Wintersun, to do my own music without compromises. I guess it sounds a little bit selfish, 'cause the other guys are giving more and more every day to this band and I really appreciate it. Their ideas and thoughts are always welcome, I just feel that I need to make my music the way I want to, otherwise I couldn't do this.

Now you've just finished the X-mass Metal Festivals. How did you like this small festival-tour?

It was really great, but half of the tour I started to get sick. Some days were a living hell for me, but somehow I survived those shows. The audience was mostly always surprisingly amazing for us, although we were the second band and played half an hour, so thanks to everyone who was there to see us!

How did you get along with the other bands ? Did you have time to see some of the shows yourself when you weren't playing?

They all were great, amazing guys! We got along really well. Sadly I couldn't see Fear My Thoughts and Naglfar playing that much, 'cause we played in between of them. I watched Exodus and Hypocrisy lots of times, they ruled!

Are there any particular bands you would like to tour with in the future?

Maybe SYL [Strapping Young Lad] or DTB [Devin Townsend Band], 'cause I'm a big Devin-fan. It would be a dream come true.

A while ago you announced that your new album will be recorded next May and has the working title "Time". How far have you gotten with the songwriting process so far and are there already any details you can reveal ?

Well, I have every song kind of half-ready, it's hard to say. Sometimes it feels that I have so much to do and sometimes not. But we'll see, I think it's gonna be an amazing album. I don't want to reveal any details yet.

To which extent are the other band members involved in the songwriting this time? Do you listen to their ideas or would you rather compose everything on your own?

I will listen if they show me some ideas. But so far I have a strong concept for every song of the album.

You have a smaller time span for the songwriting this time, as some songs on your first album were written years ago. How do you think this affects the songwriting?

Well, not good. I have so much pressure with all the expectations and hype. It's not really a healthy situation to write, but I will have to do it or else... I'll DIE!!! :)

Did you just decide it was time to record a new album or did you wait until you had enough ideas and riffs to put something together?

Yeah, I waited to have enough song ideas and Nuclear Blast was saying all the time "you gotta make a new album fast". Sometimes I feel that there's not enough time, especially when I lost a month of writing for some computer shit.

As we are a webzine especially dedicated to the Finnish metal scene, how do you look at the Finnish metal scene? A lot of great new bands are starting to become known there.

I don't really follow the scene. I like to hear new bands, but so few bands will get my interest nowadays.

Do you think it's hard for a beginning metal band to get signed to a label in Finland?

Nope, if you're good.

Thanks for the interview!