Interview mit Tony Kakko von Sonata Arctica

You just finished a succesful gig at Wacken Open Air with SONATA ARCTICA. Who is actually putting together the setlists for gigs like this? If you pick the songs from previous albums, do you choose the songs that you think are the favourites of the fans, or do you pick your own favourites?
We´ve made like these tentative setlists of different lenghts together and then just edit them when ever it feels necessary. Usually this whole thing is done by me and Henkka. The others just approve.

In previous interviews you said that you didn`t have too much time to record the new album and I feel that you are not 100% satisfied with „The ninth hour“? Why was it not possible to give you more time? I believe it should be the main concern of the label and the band to have the best possible outcome of an album, especially with a band like yours that always delivers great art?
Well, it´s always the same way with us. We seem to run out of time. But that´s mostly because I always come up with new ideas while recording OR like in this case, I did not get the songs written in due time because of the North-American tour we had supporting Nightwish right at the time I was supposed to be working on the tracks. So it was just some extra stress, that´s all.

Of course it would be great to have months and months to re-think and redo things afterwards, before the release, cause you always come up with new ideas later, but…well, it is what it is. You might never get the album out if you could just make it perfect in every way. Or I would not. Thank god for deadlines. Albums needs to be ready a certain time before the planned release date. I am very happy with the album, regardless. I´m never 100% satisfied. It´s something that will never happen with anything. You can always do things better or at least differently which at times equals better in my mind.

The other band members were in the studio already and you sent over the material to them, so they could start working on it meanwhile, before you joined. If you do that, do you have an exact imagination of how it should sound like in the end, or are the others free to include their own ideas and interpretions?
I make pretty precise demos. They have usually everything there, drums the way they should be, guitars, bass etc. and naturally the keys, as it is my instrument.
But of course the guys just can add in their own bits here and there, essentially make it sound like it was actually played by a human! (laughs) Usually the outcome resembles my demo at least a little. In some cases the difference is very small.

For „The Ninth Hour“ you took an old song from „Stones Grow Her Name“ and developed it („Among The Shooting Stars“). How many songs do you actually have in your archives that are unreleased although they have the potential to be a very good album track?
I have a lot of songs in my “drawer” that have not yet found the right dress, let´s put it like that. The older I get, the more patient I am with these. Might well be some of the songs never get out, at least by me. Maybe I´ll leave those to my kids to finish! (laughs)

Furthermore, you have the „Stalker“- subject in many of your albums. What was your first inspiration for this? Did you know someone who had to suffer from this, or was it just a fantasy that fascinated you?
I think it started back in the day with these “Scream” movies and such. Wanted to make a sonic movie of my own in a way. Personally I have no experiences of this nor do I know really anyone who has. I think. (laughs)

I believe in the past the fans‘ favourite was „The End Of This Chapter“. Do you still sometimes play this song live?
Have not touched “Chapter” in a looong time but it´s something we´ve talked about doing in the future. I love those “chapter-songs”.

You played keyboards in the past. Can we hope for a special track in the future, where you play keyboards and sing to it live on stage? Maybe without the other instruments, just you with the keys on stage for one song?
I play some keys on almost every song on the album. Doing something like that live would be interesting. Gotta keep that in mind.

In past interviews you said that you became some kind of bored during the tour for „Stones Grow Her Name“. How is it nowadays? Close to becoming bored or harried?
It´s been a pretty good combo lately. Not bored. Was nice doing some old power metal era tracks, which weirdly seemed to be like these “wtf” -moments for a lot of fans. Suppose there are tons of people who have found our music after we drifted away from the “true power metal”, a word I use carefully. I don´t think we ever had the power metal core a real power metal band has, but rather something undefinable and different.

The break you took from the band for half a year, is it a sign for slowly losing interest in the continuance of the band? Or will SONATA ARCTICA always be your „baby“?
SONATA ARCTICA is my baby (18 years old or almost 22 years old, depending how you think), a brotherhood and a job, all at the same time. I´ve been working on this side project for a while, just to be able to do something unchained, free and wild for a change, but that does not affect SONATA ARCTICA in any way.
My “break” was a period of rather intense work, but I really felt necessary to cut ties with this baby for a while. I needed it.

You once said, you`re not a religious person. But of course some lyrics on „The ninth hour“ point out to, that maybe you think the world would be a better place if people had something to believe in, maybe Gods?
I believe religion was a very important thing in terms of making people fear something at first, pull them together and somehow function as a moral backbone of the people. Teach the good things. But of course, us being what we are, greed ruined that as well, which lead to wars, murder and what have you. I would like to believe in the goodness of man, which is in so many of us, but unfortunately that kind of a blind faith in goodness can be and will be abused eventually by someone.

Or has this failed? Does a religious believe improve the world? Or does it make everything worse?
…dunno, maybe this is not the right moment to dig any deeper into this. (laughs) “Religion” and “god” are words that I use the same way I use words like “love”. They bring in a colour in what you write, a strong color.

What about Karma? Do you believe in Karma?
I sort of do, yes. I have this very specific form of “lining karma” that always leads me to the line, shopping or passport control, you name it, that just hangs. It stops before I get there. And it´s never because of me, it´s always some old lady you decides to pay the 1.425,23EUR payment using coins. Small coins. OR the register breaks or something. OR the shift of the clerk ends and the new one comes in and that shit takes 10 mins to finish. There´s always something.

But what I´ve noticed is that after enough lining has occurred, something extraordinarily nice will happen to me and sort of reimburse all the lining and waiting I´ve done. Then again, sometimes I´m left with a debt and some extraordinary weird never-happened-to-anyone-before lining shit will rain on me. That´s my karma there. Also, I do believe in the goodness of people. Good things you do come back to you.

In one of the first interviews shortly after the release of „The ninth hour“ you mentioned that you would enjoy hearing „Life“ in the radio? Has it happened? Maybe in Finland it was played in mainstream radio?
Yeah, it has happened in fact. A few times. The weird thing is that usually hearing my own song on the radio is my cue to change the channel! (laughs) I´m on vacation!! Well, I mostly listen to talk radio anyway.

Is a real „rockstar life“ something you desire (let`s imagine one day you`d be as famous as Iron Maiden)? Or would the price to pay for this would be too high (having no private life anymore regarding being photographed all the time etc.)?
Oh god no. Well, I think Iron Maiden play that game beautifully currently and of course I would be shitting myself if I said I would not like SONATA ARCTICA to be as successful as Maiden! But I don´t yearn for the highlife, being in public eye all the time and so on. As long as I would be able to lead a relatively normal life, yeah, would not mind one bit. I sort of have that right not, so not complaining. But then again, show me a band that would not wanna feel what it´s like to be the biggest and most loved band in the world and I show you a liar.

In the past you stated that you have „1 million facebook likes“ but not as many album sales. Is this the reason for making your hardcover albums look extraordinary sometimes (looking like a little book or suchlike), to improve the sales numbers? Or does your label have all these ideas and it`s not so important for you, how many „special“ versions there are?
The album artwork is actually very important for ME. I want the package to look nice, have details and tell a story of its own in a way. It´s nice to pick up an old album, sleeve thru the booklet and remember all the times it was created, fresh and new. And I think fans deserve that. I think if you buy a physical copy of the album, you should have a nice booklet to go with it. What´s the point otherwise. Unfortunately that kind of thinking is fading in the marginal…sad really. But it is what it is.

„The Misery“ unfortunately was not part of the Wacken setlist. The live version of this track (on your live DVD) is the best I ever heared. It takes my breath away everytime I listen to it. It is so much better than the version on the original record. I wonder how this is possible that the live version is so much better than the album version. How do you get yourself in the mood to present such a song so intensely on stage?
Our songs usually get better live. Dunno why it is or actually why don´t we just record live albums… hah, hmmm…makes me think. You get a lot of energy from the audience and of course you are living the song more intensely on the stage.

Who has ideas like letting Troy Donockley`s overton low whistle record at Waterworld studios in the UK? Who chose him?
Well that would be me. I´ve worked and toured with Nightwish, so yeah…and that one song needed his attention, was just crying for it. Happy he helped us!

What are your biggest mistakes when looking back in band history?
Trying to be something we´re not in some point, suppose. But then again, it was fun at the time doing those speedy power metal no brains songs. But it´s fundamentally not who I am. Hence it sort of is not what SONATA ARCTICA is all about.

Which bands do you look up to regarding breaking new grounds in music? Which band do you dream about to co-headline one day?
Well, bands like Ghost are sort of doing a new thing by doing something old, in some weird way. I like that very much. Would be fun touring with them, for example, but I don´t really see that happening…wink wink. I´d never turn down a Nightwish tour. Queen would be in some way an ultimate high for me touring vice. Not very much co-headlining with any of these of course, rather supporting at least currently! (laughs)

We collected some questions from your fans as well. Something they always wanted to ask you. Here we go:

Do Tommy or Tony remember their first gig and how do they feel about it today?
My first gig was with a different band and the music was very different as well, and I do remember it well. It was fun! Exciting. People were dancing. And with Tommy the first gig was at this “youth house” and that was fun as well. I was doing my military service at the time but got the night off. That was exciting as well. Would be fun and weird playing the same place again.

How did you feel after the release of „Ecliptica“ compared to the realease of „The Ninth Hour“?
I did not listen to “Ecliptica” for a year after it´s release. It was just too scary and sounded so different than it did while recorded. But it actually sounded pretty sweet once i was brave enough to give it a spin later. The release was a bit nerving. I remember feeling numb.
With “9th”…I did listen to it a lot after it´s release. The release felt…dunno, casual maybe. After the whole album charts thing has turned into something I don´t understand or care to understand anymore with all the streams and what ever are there, it has very much lost the feeling of excitement. I don´t even know how it did it Finland, f.ex. Weird really. I felt numb, but for different reasons.

What’s your all time favourite stage memory?
With SONATA ARCTICA … there are too many to name or even remember right now. It ranges from having guests on stage, being as a guest on stage to a normal “best show ever”-feeling and also like helping someone propose to someone during the show. Can´t pick one.
Out side of SONATA ARCTICA, sort of, doing Sonata Sinfonica with Oulu Sinfonia was just simply amazing! Unforgetable. Performing my own songs with a symphony orchestra…wow.

Do you remember the very first song you wrote where it clicked and you realised that songwriting is what you could do in the future?
I sort of do and it was with the other band I had prior to SONATA ARCTICA. I loved the song and when people seemed to like it as well… hmm… yeah.

You played twice in Sao Paulo with voice problems. Were you afraid to loose your voice completely?
It´s a fear a singer must live with. We tour a lot and latin-america tours are extra demanding with lots of not-enough-sleep,early-flight,show,repeat. For a singer whose not 20 something anymore it´s getting more challenging every year.

What are you are thinking about fans that get the band logo as a tattoo? Same applies to signatures.
I think that´s amazing. It´s like this ultimate homage to a band. Depending on which bodypart the tattoo is on! (laughs)

Did you ever consider to re-release the demo tapes?
Not in the form they are, no.

Where you see yourself in 10 years?
I´ll be 52. hmm… suppose I´m still doing what I do at least in some form.

How do you feel about the 10th anniversary of „Unia“?
Hey, happy birthday honey! I did not even think of this. Damn that was a long time ago…

Will you perform „White Pearl Black Ocean Pt. 2“ in future concerts, maybe with a little screenplay like in a broadway musical?
Yes, that is the plan, maybe skip the screenplay broadway stuff, but like we´ve done part one. I´ve done both on Sonata Sinfonica. That was epic.

How about your solo album? Will it ever happen?
A side project, rather, not a solo album. It will happen sooner or later in some form.

Thank you for your time and your efforts and for the awesome show in Wacken.
My pleasure! Thank you! :)