Streaming audio interview with Jens

[kickass]

http://www.metalexpressradio.com just posted an audio interview with Jens. Just click and listen to him talk about the new album and the forthcoming tour! Cool stuff!

[fifthtea_sausage]

Thanks for the interview, and by the way, welcome to the board.
The exact link of the interview is:
[url]mms://media.metalexpress.no/metalexpress/sound/interview/Stratovarius%20interview.wma[/url]

[Stratofanius]

Great interview, but sound quality isn't very good.

[BERTA]

it would be possible that somebody "write" this interview ,i cant understand very well... ....

If somebody can...thanks in advance....

[MaFiaBoY]

it would be possible that somebody "write" this interview ,i cant understand very well... ....

If somebody can...thanks in advance....

Same here !

[stratoplayer]

dam it i cant open it...

[Aresius]

nice

[CottonCandy]

I cannot open it, either.

Yea, be nice if someone could have it printed here.

[fifthtea_sausage]

I'm going to go ahead and bump this thread, as the audio interview is now working.

[Cristiane]

it would be possible that somebody "write" this interview ,i cant understand very well... ....

If somebody can...thanks in advance....

Same here !

maybe some native english speaker could do it?

I could try, but I'm not sure I'd make it very well
and now I'm back to college and I have no time at all... again...

[The Enigma]

.
Since I had some hours to spare, I made a transcript of the interview with Jens.
There might be some mistakes, though, since English is only my third language.

ME: Metal Express has the hounour today of being joined by Jens Johansson from Stratovarius, the keyboardist to also at stints in the past with Malmsteen and with Dio. Jens, welcome!

Jens: Thanks!

ME: Just right in to what's new with Stratovarius, obviously the biggest key here is the new album which is self titled. Can you give me some insights into that album?

Jens: Well, if I call these things... mmm... I mean very strange year... I mean the band. Of course I've had a very strange year to myself personally too, just like one of those albums that almost didn't get made, I would say. But here we are and of course it did get made, and of course we are very happy it got made, you know. But I must be happy also with the way it sounds, believe or not, I mean of course not everybody's gonna say that, you know, but I actually like it because it's... I think somehow a direction change was needed anyway at some point. Of course, I mean, it's a long story behind it what actually happened to us. The main problem I guess, whatever how you call it, it was this guitar player and main songwriter of the band, called Timo Tolkki, was diagnosed manic depression last year and of course before he actually was diagnosed, I mean, nobody really knew he had this, I mean, we just thought maybe he is bit eccentric sometimes but still a great guy but of course, I mean, this is a lot more serious than being a little bit eccentric.

So, basically the past year went sorting out how to deal with us just as the band and of course he had to adapt a lot himself too and of course as perhaps three lines... I mean if you followed anything what was going on in the web those times, he had this like huge manic episode last year... beginnig of last year. And of course he created a lot of problems or whatever stuff that needed to be solved because of that and on top of with of course he wasn't feeling so great coz he was like depressed out of that.

It basically took us like a year to make the record and sort out that stuff and get everybody on the same page again. So it was little bit difficult, but I think in my opinion anyway sort of worth it. I mean that's after all why the band was put together in the first place was to make records.

ME: How would you wave all like us the musical style of this record on things done in the past?

Jens: I would say it's like a step back from the excesses, and I would say bombast or whatever of the previous two records at least beacuse they were like very ambitious when it came to like very fast songs and high singing and very very complicated and expensive orchestral arrangements and stuff like that. It's basically a step back from that, than I think... of course I mean even both keys like manic depressive I think we basically trust him as for his musical decisions, everybody else in the band still and I think his instinct was right when, you know, the basis that would be needed, maybe not as much he had proposed last year, I mean he had desided to add a female singer to do all this really really out there stuff, but of course I think, still I think what he was into was maybe we were becoming a little being stagnant or whatever with the power metal stuff, which I think we did rather well, but still it's difficult without repeating yourself particularly with albums like that. I actually liked the two albums Elements One and Elemnts Two but I can also imagine how it can be bit complicated to listen to like for normal metal fan with all this stuff like fluttering along.

ME: This album being self titled you often times as a signature of a band. And often times the signature album of the band fully exemplifies the personality of the band and involves the whole band. Was the whole band really involved in the writing of this record?

Jens: Not in the writing, no. I thought it's a strange story. All these songs were actually written by our guitar player last year I guess while he was in the height of his manic phase but in the end, I think like I said his instinct was correct I think, it was just like some of the details for he wouldn't have worked in reality, so I actually don't think it as for a signature album different from the stuff we have done in the last five years or so. But I don't really know, I mean it's good anyway, like it's a change of direction for sure. Truly it's not a signature album and some people are going to be pissed off, they're gonna go fuck, there's no double base drums and no real high singing which we've done a lot but... I think, in my opinion anyway it is good, like a breath of fresh air for a little bit forthis stuff.

ME: Do you have any particularly favourite tracks I suppose on the album?

Jens: I think... of course it changes little bit here and then... I would say maybe these "United" and "Maniac Dance" which is truly the two single songs.

ME: And "Maniac Dance" will have a video, or has a video?

Jens: Yeah, it's already made, but I don't think it's going to be published. In festivals it'll be available on line up, but maybe not for another four or five days.


ME: What's the feel about video, is there a particular theme or... ?

Jens: Yeah, the whole album is basically about mental illness, so it's sort of following that concept of it, it's very manic, very fast cuts and frantic. I really like it. Basically about having an insomnia, not been able to sleep and having all these thoughts run through your head. I guess you have to see to understand.

ME: One of this still I guess strife within the band that hugely so I guess it's been resolved, but you had a change the base player. Can you talk a little about that?

Jens: Yeah, it's basically the thing with old base player Jari, it's just he was not so much into this, I mean like I told about the tour's going to be very long and of course he's like pfft, I guess his heart is not really into it so much any more so he was like basically hesitant about it anyway and...

ME: ...decided to step aside. And who do you have in substitute now?

Jens: We have this guy called Lauri Porra, another Finnish guy, thats going from a Finn to another Finn.

ME: His background is what?

Jens: He's very well known in Finland. He has played with Sinergy and Timo Kotipelto solo band and with somebody called Warmen, just the keyboard player from Children of Bodom solo project, but I think he is like so far supporting sounds just doing studio jobs, he is a very good studio musician too. He can play upright and so like he is quite well schooled but he is a good metal player too, so he looks right.

ME: Do you envision him as being a permanent member?

Jens: I think so. I think so, yeah.

ME: The band has been around in one form or another since the mid eighties. How do you view now the band's culture compared to the earlier days?

Jens: You mean within the band or you mean within the scene?

ME: Within the band itself. It was harassing. You guys matured by twenty years I suppose, since you first started, so how do you view the culture of the band today?

Jens: Well, I've only been involved in ten years, but it's very long for me as well. The second longest time I was in was five years, almost like a lifetime, but I think the culture now - of course last year was horrible because there was so many problems, but I think now everybody has very good understanding of each other. Of course it doesn't mean we are going to continue like this forever, at some point we just have to fuckin say "enough" to this stuff but I think that while we managed to get through last year I think team worked proffessional. Having said that, of course I cannot guarantee that we will stay together for another ten years, I mean, you will never know, ten years with one line-up, it's very long time. Of course now we changed the base player, so it may leave some life, I don't know, let's see.

ME: One of the things too, I guess relieves from North American perspective or since European perspective, the popularity of Stratovarius especially in Europe and particularly I guess also in southern countries, which has always been pretty elevated from day one. The United States and North America has been a bit tougher to crack. Are you guys making more focus towards that this time?

Jens: Of course by doing gigs, yes. I mean it's not really been only us, the whole scene has been difficult here for the last ten years. And I think for us now the time is truly better lastly to come here, it's been a lot of other bands who have done a lot of groundwork here basically, in touring and strafing. I think we have a quite nice tour while we are riding on the tracks of bands like Nightwish or Children of Bodom or whatever who have been touring here. So I think it's more of a scene issue, when I think about five years ago we talked about playing here too, and I was always like aargh, fuck, forget it, it's gonna be pizzeria, it's gonna be horrible gigs and stuff, but now it seems that scene has woken up. Maybe has something to do with internet or maybe has something to do with... I don't know what really, but it just seems to be more awake now than it was five years ago, but I think it's a good thing.

ME: More receptive.

Jens: Yeah.

ME: Jens we're about end for today, but I'd like to give to you the microphone to play any message you like to your friends out there everywhere.

Jens: Thank for calling KC, KC did keep the faith, you know, thanks for and if not, I understand that too, because there was a lot of weird shit happening last year, but I guess we are serious about being back and hopefully you'll like the album being different from the other stuff and see you on tour. I guess that's it!

.

[Cristiane]

.
Since I had some hours to spare, I made a transcript of the interview with Jens.
There might be some mistakes, though, since English is only my third language.

hey! good job!
and thanks a lot! :kiss1:

[stratoplayer]

yeah, thanks a lot

[Stealth]

The guy was asking some quite stupid questions. It seems to me that poor Jens didn't exactly know what to answer in some cases!

"Radio guy: Do you envision him (Lauri) as being a permanent member?"

"Jens: No. I think he won't last a month. He's too immature and arrogant. He has no business playing in Stratovarius."

Well ok, that wasn't Jens' answer, but it would have been nice if he would have said that. What the hell was he supposed to say?

[CottonCandy]

I'm glad he took the time to translate that interview&bring it to us. Not everyone can access internet stuff like that!

It was a good informative interview, too--stresses the importance that we must move on, that there is always second chances.

Yep--Strato will have a Terrific USA tour!