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ARION - Helsinki 2015 - InterviewIts been a big year for Finnish melodic metal band, Arion! Theyre off to a great start after the Emma-nominated hit that was their first release, Last of Us, and now theyve recently swapped out Viljami Holopainen for Lassi Vääränen on lead vocals. With a new album on the horizon, Musicalypse grabbed them after their recent show at On the Rocks in Helsinki on September 17th, 2015, to check up on how things are going! You guys are fresh off the stage from your first show with Lassi on lead vocals howd it go? Lassi: It was pretty amazing, actually. Its always awesome to play with these guys. Iivo: Yeah, I feel the same. I have the feeling that the show was quite right. Lassi is great and everything went all right. Lassi: I tried my best! Iivo: Maybe a little bit of basic mistakes here and there. Lassi: It was fun. Naturally, the first time is never perfect. How did it feel for you, Lassi, on stage with the other guys for the first time? Lassi: It was fun, like I said. I was really nervous the whole week. Ive been nervous all the time. Ive been trying to learn the lyrics and the songs, also. I did my best tonight and I think I remembered all the lyrics. Iivo: One mistake. Lassi: Aww shit! But yeah, it was awesome! Like I said, playing with these young guys Im actually 6 years older, but it has been awesome. There is a young energy that I get from these guys. These guys are pretty different stylistically from your other bands, Cønstantine and Loudguns. Whats new or exciting or challenging with this style of music for you? Lassi: I dont know. Challenging is that Iivo has made such hard songs to sing. I cant even explain it. Actually, this music style that Arion is playing is playing is my favorite music style. I love Kamelot, Symphony X, and those bands, so this is like a dream come true, to play in this band. This music style I love these songs and all that stuff. How did you guys meet one another and join forces? Iivo: Viljami was telling us that he was quitting the band in late June or something like that. Our first reaction, of course, was to search for a new singer. We went onto the internet and checked out YouTube and everything, if there were any talented guys left without a band. Then, I think it was a couple of days only, our orchestral arranger, Perttu Vänskä, he was like, I found this guys called Lassi. He sings quite nice. What do you think, Iivo? I was like, Thats freakin rock n roll, man! I like it very much! Its a little bit different than Viljami, but I liked that kind of sound for the new songs I was secretly hoping for that. I was quite happy. Then we had a studio-live session where we tried Lassi out with a couple of our songs. They were Seven and Shadows and Youre My Melody and I Am the Storm and those kinds of songs. Lassi did them perfectly. I was like, Who is this guy? How can he sing this cleanly with that great sound? Lassi: Thank you! Iivo: I was very impressed and, straight-up when he sang Seven, I was sure that this was our guy. We were gonna take this one. On that same day, I actually said he would be included. Lassi: I think the first song that we played together was Seven and after that song, Gege and you just came to me, you did this [makes fist bump with Iivo], and I knew then that okay This is going well. Lassi: This is going really well! What new element do you feel that Lassi brings to the band vocally, and how do you think itll affect the upcoming material for the next album? Iivo: I feel its going to be a little bit of a change, but its a good direction for me. I have written songs which are more straight-up rock n roll compared to progressive/epic songs like Burn Your Ship or Watching You Fall. Those will be left behind a little bit and we will do more stuff like Seven and the song we did here today Im not going to say the name of that song, actually. I just realized that I dont know if its going to be the final name, but for example, I Am the Storm fits Lassi perfectly. Songs with that kind of vocal sound and vocal tone suit Lassi very well, I think. Its going to be a little bit more simple and straight-up. Simpler and a bit more pop, but also with the manly vibe Lassi gives to the band. Im feeling that with the new songs. Im really liking the direction were going. What do you think? Lassi: I think the new songs are, like you said, made for me. When we first went to the studio to do those demos for our new three songs, we did that in like 4 hours and it was there. The song that we played here tonight, I think thats the best song in the whole world. It fits me and my voice perfectly. Was any of this new material written before Lassi joined? Iivo: Actually, I had already written every single song before Lassi joined the band, but I started writing the lyrics after Lassi joined, so I tried to reflect Lassis voice to those lyrics, to be more aggressive and that kind of stuff, because it fits Lassi perfectly and he has very strong articulation. Its really aggressive and I like to bring that out in the lyrics when writing for him. Now youve had your first show and youve already released the teasers from that other session. How do you think the fans have reacted? Are they going for it? Lassi: The first video was I Am the Storm and it was really positive. Iivo: It was a great response, I think. Lassi: I did not go to Facebook to check the new comments on our studio-live song from Shadows because I didnt want to see those before this show. Iivo: Lassi wasnt quite satisfied with that one. I dont know why. I liked it very much. That second session we gave out, Shadows, it wasnt that well-received compared to I Am the Storm but for the band, it actually sounds awesome. We are really happy with that one. I think that the fans have taken Lassi very well. Of course it always raises feelings for some that Lassi is a little bit different compared to Viljami, and some people may feel that its a bit difficult to adapt to, but I think Lassi will bring us up. Lassi: It takes time. Even with big bands like Nightwish, its not easy. Do you guys have any hopes or expectations going into the studio to record the next album? Iivo: Hopes or expectations Or comments at all, I suppose. Iivo: I have a lot of faith in those songs. I think that this might be the start of something really big and good. Lassi: I feel the same. Iivo: I have really high hopes for that. I have really, really good faith in those songs. My expectations are really high. Im also very excited for our fans and many people to hear Lassi sing for the first time in the studio. Its really important for everyone. For now, everyone is judging Lassi just for those live sessions and our lives concerts, so its not comparable with a fully-recorded studio album. Im really waiting to release the first song with Lassi. Its going to be really important. Lassi: Iivo has written really amazing songs. I can say that. Do you guys have any final comments to give to the fans out there? Lassi: I think were gonna do our new single really soon. Its coming out maybe in a few months. Iivo: I really dont know about that, but we hope so! Lassi: We hope so, so keep waiting and come to our shows! I think were going to have a few shows really soon, so see you guys there! Great! Well we can say that were on board, we loved the show, and were really looking forward to the next album! Best of luck in the studio and well see you again soon! Text: Amy Wiseman You may not copy, modify or use this report anywhere without permission. |
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