henrik & elias sonata arctica

Interview by: Mary Evans

Date: 22 March 2011

Venue: Academy, Manchester, UK

Photos by: Sonata Arctica / Nuclear Blast

Hi guys, can you introduce yourselves?

H: I’m Henrik and I play keyboards…

E: I’m Elias and I play guitar.

So you guys are about half way through this UK tour, how has this been going?

E: Really, really good I think…

H: Yeah, we had an off day yesterday so we are a bit slow. Off days are the hardest for me…

E: Yeah!

What has the crowd reaction been like because you’ve not been back for a while have you? I know you played Bloodstock last year, but as far as club shows…

H: Yeah, I think we played the last club shows in 2008 here in the UK. It’s been good, I think. It’s hard to tell because when we’re up there we’re having a good time and you think everybody is having a good time and they’re saying ‘Hooray’... so you think things are going well and hopefully that’s the truth!

You’re touring through til the end of April now… how do you find these longer tours?

H: Well, it depends. Of course now we’ve been out, we left home at the end of February, and we have one week more before we get home for a few days. It’s tiring at some points but, I mean, once you get up there and get to play…

You forget all about it?

H: Yeah, that’s what makes it worthwhile.

Now that you have such a large back catalogue, how difficult is it for you to choose a set list that the whole band is happy with?

(both laugh)

H: Its impossible!

E: Yeah it’s impossible actually… you just try to do songs from each album but that is hard also.

(laughing again)

Are there any particular songs that you just won't play live?

H: Nooo, I don’t care, I’ll play anything! (laughs) It depends, I could try and think of some songs that I could say ‘No, we’re never going to do that live’.

But, is there anything that just really doesn’t work?

H: Well I mean there are some songs that we’ve tried and then we go ‘Ahh this one doesn’t work’… like with Deathaura from the new album, we tried it at a couple of shows and we felt it didn’t work, but the audience thought it worked... but we get to choose! Probably it will make a comeback in a few years when we go, ‘Did it really work or not?’ and then we play it and it works or it doesn’t.

And on the flip side, is there anything you really like playing yourself?

H: No, I don’t like music! (laughs)

No, but some people have a favourite to play live don’t they?

E: Yeah… I like Last Amazing Grays.

H: It’s a bit boring that one!! (looking at setlist) I like to play, we’re doing a short instrumental thing where we play solos and some stuff together, that’s fun! Don’t Say A Word is always great… we’ve played that live now over 300 times or something like that but it still doesn’t get boring! In rehearsals, of course, it is the most boring thing in the world.

So, now that you guys are getting older… I know that you were party animals back in the day, do you still party as hard when you’re out on tour?

H: I think the average going to bed time for the two of us and Marko is between 6am and 9am in the mornings…

H: (laughs) No, we haven’t lost it, of course maybe we behave a little bit better even when we’re wasted... most of the time at least.

(laughing)

You two are the new guys as such... what was it like joining the band considering they’d been together for some time? Henrik, you’ve been with the band quite some time haven’t you?

H: Yeah, I’ve been in the band now for eight years so, they had only been touring for two or three years before that as a band. I dunno, you just go in there… maybe Elias has something more to say about that?

E: The guys have taken me really well, they're supportive and stuff like that, no problems.

Is Tony still the main songwriter?

E: Yeah…

Do you guys have much input?

H: Ahh, with the arrangements yes, and of course all the solo stuff is up to us, but he always keep asking ‘Bring some songs, bring some songs’ but I think somehow it works best when he writes all the songs!

Is there a new album on the way?

H: Ahh, there will be!! (laughs)

Are you in the process of doing anything about it?

H: Yeah, Tony has made, he makes these like home demos, and he has maybe ten or twelve songs more or less ready for us to start to f*** with…

Well it’s been a couple of years hasn’t it since the last album?

H: Yeah, we started touring with this album in the fall of 2009. Next August we will play the last shows with this album and then by that time we will have played like a hundred and eighty shows, it’s been a long tour!

We know that Tony has his own project, Northern Kings, and you have your own solo effort Elias… Henrik do you have anything that you work on when you’re not doing Sonata stuff that is active?

H: Yeah, I have a progressive metal band called Silent Voices and we are working on our fourth album, but since everybody has so many other things to do we have been working on it on and off two or three years, but we are only missing vocals for a couple of songs and then it’s going to be done.

Can you describe the other guys in a few words each?

H: F***ing assholes!!!

(laughing)

Tell us about Tony…

E: He’s quite energetic!

H: He’s more like a big brother I think, maybe in some ways the calmest guy. He takes it the most easy.

What about Tommy?

H: He’s getting wilder actually! He used to be also really calm, but he’s getting a little bit wilder…

E: He’s a lot of fun, you know! He likes to make jokes and stuff like that…

H: All the time! Even when you don’t want to hear any more! (laughs)

And Marko?

H: Well everyone thinks he’s really shy and quiet, and that’s actually true! (laughs) But of course, not within the group. He’s the third guy that’s sitting downstairs until the morning drinking and listening to music!

And yourselves… do you want to describe each other?

E: Henrik is like, born to be a rock star!

(laughing)

E: Sometimes it’s funny and sometimes it’s not!

You’re the bad influence in the band!?

H: Yeah, probably!

I remember seeing you a few times on tour!

H: Yeah! (laughs)

And Elias…

H: Well, he’s always going to be the new guy! He fits really good in the party part of the band with me and Marko and he can definitely hold his liquor and beer!

That’s very important in a Finnish band isn’t it?

H: Yeah, you don’t want somebody puking and passing out in the middle of a party!

What’s the worst thing that has happened to you while you’ve been on stage?

E: Nothing too serious.

H: There was once, like years ago, when for some reason I played with a skirt on. I don’t know why and of course I didn’t wear any underwear and during the final bow Tommy just lifted it up! (gesturing to show how far he lifted his skirt up and laughing) But that wasn’t even that bad, I think it was more scary for the guys in the front row for me, but for me it wasn't that bad.

If you could resurrect one band for a night so they could play a show, who would it be and why?

H: Pantera, because it’s the best band in the world, well used to be.

E: Metallica…

H: Yeah, but they’re still here…

E: Maybe, it would be Pantera for me too then.

Who’s been the best band you’ve toured with?

H: We’ve had a lot of fun with Nightwish on a few occasions and well, the DragonForce guys are also crazy…

Yeah, they like to drink as well don’t they!?

H: Yeah, it was really easy to get along with them!

Maybe they are all Finnish as well, I think!

H: I think, yes, secretly they are or something!

(laughing)

Lastly, do you have any hidden talents?

E: Hmm, I don’t know…

H: Like what? Juggling beer bottles or something like that?

Come on, this is meant to be fun!

(laughing)

E: I don’t know… I like to cook but I don’t know if I’m too good of a cook.

H: Elias likes to make food for us. Actually we can’t cook in the bus but he makes sandwiches but only in the morning, like around 5am or 6am or something like that.

Right, so after you’ve been out drinking he looks after you all?

H: Yes, yes!

E: Yes.

H: And he is like ‘You have to eat one’ and we’re like ‘Nah, I don’t need to eat’… and then he says ‘You have to eat!’.

So what he’s doing is preparing you all for your next night of drinking!

E: Yeah, that’s right!

H: I think it’s nice though! It’s a friendly gesture and we appreciate it of course.

Do you have a message for your fans?

H: No!

(laughing)

H: No, seriously, it’s the same cliché as everybody says. We love what we do and being on stage for that one and a half hours makes everything else worthwhile, we appreciate people showing up. Wherever we play as long as people show up we’re happy, so keep on coming and we’ll be back.

Well, thank you very much and I hope it all goes well tonight!

H + E: Thank you!

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