Metalius / Germany 1/2003
First of all, we have to talk about the band history of course. Could you briefly tell me, how SNAKEGOD developed and introduce the current band members? For example, what are their professions, what are their individual characteristics and their input in SNAKEGOD, in which other bands have they played before, do they have interesting hobbies etc.
Snakegod are:
Jari Tiura - vocals
Jani Hölli - keyboards
Petri "Pete" Repo - bass & background vocals
Marko "Make" Ruokonen - guitar
JARI: Before Snakegod, I was in a band called Bourbon. Make and I met by accident when I made a demo recording with Make's brother. If I remember right, that was 1997. Make asked me to play some cover songs with him, and that was the birth of Snakegod, although not yet by this name. First there were a few other musicians with us till we found Jani and Pete. We recorded some demos, I sent them to Mastervox Records, they liked them very much and then came already the "Invitation" album. After some hard jamming of course :-) I build the vocal melodies in Snakegod, and give hints to the guys how the song should go. My main influences are Ronnie James Dio and David Coverdale but nowadays I also appreciate Jorn Lande very much. As for my profession - I'm a private entrepreneur. I don't really have any hobbies. Because my aims in whatever I do are so high, so that it doesn't really feel like a hobby. Sometimes my aims are also too high :) But if I have time, I like to spend my holidays on the countryside with 3 beauties.
JANI: Well, my job is playing the keyboards in Snakegod. I joined the band shortly before we started to record our debut album "Invitation". I'm a freelance musician and besides that I do 3D-modelling and visualization on the computer. I have played keyboards practically my whole life. I started to take classical piano lessons at the age of 9, and when I was 15, I began to play in rock bands. I have played now over 15 years in rock bands, and I have played with many popular Finnish artists, but Snakegod was my first band which got a record deal. Music and playing are both to me, job and hobby. If I had an enormous amount of money, I would collect old Mercedes-Benz coupés and convertible cars :)
PETE: I play bass and sing the background vocals (not on the "Invitation" album though, that was a lady), and I write most of the lyrics. Before Snakegod I played in The Struggle and Diastole. In those bands I handled the bass and lead vocals. I have also muddled in countless different projects. I'm a professional luthier. My last job was building a bass guitar for Timpa, Hanoi Rocks' bass player. Interesting hobbies? No, they are not interesting… I just like to relax with my playstation and I have two dogs. I'm more the quiet type.
What is the idea behind the bands name SNAKEGOD... where did the inspiration come from ?
PETE: Our name actually comes from our earlier names. First we called ourselves Snakebite, until we noticed that there already exists a band with that name. Then we were Snakegarden but it didn't really feel right. Still, we wanted to keep the "snake" in our name somehow, so we decided for Snakegod. Later on, we discovered that the Snakegod is a God in Egyptian Mythology.
A question / remark specifically to your vocalist Jari: I really like your vocals a lot, but I think you could still contribute more to the characteristic style of SNAKEGOD as your voice is a hybrid between a classical rock singer and a metal shouter, your performance is very good already but I have the feeling you still sing a bit too let's say shy ! Could you comment on that ?
JARI: Thank you :-) But actually I really don't sing quiet or shy, even if it seems so on the album. It depends very much how a song is mixed and how many effects are added. I sang the recording quite loud and clear. The main idea was to get a clear and melodic performance with emotion. Scratches come later anyway. The melodies are developed during the rehearsals, so already there I have to fight against all kind of 'noise' to get my voice out of the speakers, and thatswhy I must sing clearly and with full force.
But anyway, I'm glad about the result. If you listen very carefully for example to "Another Part Of Heaven", you may find that " force" there.
(This might sound too critical, that's not my intention ! I think you are excellent songwriters and I am really enjoying your music.) PETE: Thank you very much. We don't mind critic. Only some things were beyond our influence, like for example the mixing and mastering of the album, actually the whole production. We would have loved to be more involved in it and we certainly take care to have a word about it in the next production. The same with the album cover. We also had no influence on that, but always get blamed for it. But of course people don't know that when they criticize those things.
How did you get the deals with Mastervox and how did it come to the cooperation with MTM Records ?
JANI: Before I joined the band, the guys had sent a demo to Mastervox, and Mastervox said immediately "let’s do a couple of new songs". Then Mastervox signed us and four months later we recorded the "Invitation" album. After that, the guys from Mastervox met MTM at the Popkomm in Germany in 2001, and MTM got the license from Mastervox and released the album worldwide.
What do you think are the major differences between Snakegod and all those Scandinavian melodic metal bands around ? I mean, how would you convince a metal fan to check out Snakegod ?
JANI: Well, maybe our biggest weapon are the strong traditional vocals like of the 80's masters Coverdale, Dio, Plant etc. And our music is melodic and traditional Heavy music.
JARI: I also think that Snakegod really has an individual sound. Our songs are also made that way, that we could play them acoustic as well. I think that is really important because it shows that our music is not only the work of a good producer. Maybe also our image is a bit different from other bands.
PETE: I think anyone who likes Melodic Power Metal and bands like Dio, Whitesnake, Dream Theater and Saga should take a look at our website www.snakegod.com and listen to some samples. Otherwise you might really miss something you might like!
What can you tell us about the recordings for "Invitation" ? Studio, producer, mixing etc., were you happy with the results ?
JARI: We recorded it in Oulu in Mastervox' own studio, which used to be an old sauna. So glamour was quite far from it. Pete broke the toilet almost every day and Immu (Mastervox) always had to open it with his hands. So you could say, Mastervox was deeply in shit with us :)
We never met T.T. Oksala who did the mixing, but I think it is a quite good result for a debut album.
The reactions of the metal press towards your debut album were really good. What happened after the release ? Did you play live often ? How was the response from the fans ? How do you see the album today, if you could record it again, would you change anything ?
JARI: We were very optimistic after the release but then we noticed that the album wasn't easily available for the people, so you can imagine our feelings. We did some gigs, the biggest was at the Sweden Rock Festival 2002. The response was very nice. I'd also like to thank our fans on this way!
If we could do the "Invitation" album again, some things might change, but still I'm proud of it, no question about it.
JANI: Jep, the album reviews were really good and they have delighted us very much. We haven’t had so many gigs yet, most of all because we were so busy to find a new drummer. We practically spent a whole year testing drummers. But also because we don’t have an agency here in Finland, and it’s almost impossible to get gigs. Finland is not really a tour country. It has the same size like Germany but only 5 Million people. And lots of good bands, which all want to tour.
If I could change something on the album, I think I would produce and mix it in a little bit different way. Now it has quite much an 80’s sound, but I think it should have been more modern. The sound of the album is a little bit unclear, for example the sound of the bass is too messy…etc.
You don't have a steady drummer in your line-up, why is that the case ? How was the cooperation with the former HANOI ROCKS drummer established ?
JANI: The reason why we worked with guest drummers lately was, that we didn't succeed to find a good enough drummer. Lacu used to play in Snakegod and he was of course good enough, but Michael Monroe asked him to play in Hanoi Rocks, so Lacu didn't have time anymore to play with us, even though he likes the band. Lacu is our honorary member now and he also helped out in a few concerts last year, when we needed a drummer. After Lacu we have tested many drummers, but they haven’t been talented enough or other things happened.
Since a few months we rehearse with a new drummer who is very talented and we also found a second one. Both guys still study, so if one doesn't have time, then the other one can jump in. Their personalities also fit very good to us, which is important, too.
How do you see the Finnish metal scene, clubs, TV & radio station, magazines ? Are you in contact with many other bands ?
JANI: Well, it is generally harder to get airplay when you play Heavy or Metal and not Pop. But here in Finland you must first be famous abroad before the Finnish music press and media gets interested in you. Unless you have a Finnish label, then it is easier to get into the magazines and radio stations etc. The labels practically own the pages in magazines.
Noone also cared about Stratovarius until they were successful abroad.
Some local TV stations and the music TV channel "Moon TV" are very open and supportive though. But generally we have much more airplay and interviews abroad than in Finland. Even Chile and Japan, which are so far away, show more interest in us than our own country.
We haven’t had soo much contacts to other bands but of course we know many of them. As for clubs, they don't want to take any risk if you are not so famous yet. So you can’t get gigs easily, especially without an agency. But you also don't get an agency if you're not so famous yet. It is a circle.
Bands from Finland often have a very individual sound, what is the reason for this in your opinion ?
JANI: I think here in Finland we have a very special way to make music, and also the world of the sound is very unique. But I don't know exactly the reason why we have so individual sounds between our bands. In any case one of the reasons are the Finnish producers and studios.
What are your alltime favorite records ? Which were the most important rock/metal CDs in your opinion in 2002 and why ?
JARI: Alltimers: Rainbow/Rising, Whitesnake/Slide it in, Dio/Holy Diver and Last In Line, Black Sabbath/Heaven and Hell.
2002 the most important could be: Killing the Dragon from Dio cause Masterplan wasn't released in that year, and we haven't had time to do a new CD ;-)
JANI: For me the whole thing started in the late 70’s, I mean the choice of music I started to listen. Thatswhy the three most important records are for me: Whitesnake/Come An’ Get It, Whitesnake / Slide It In, Whitesnake / 1987, Deep Purple/ Burn, Deep Purple / Perfect Strangers.
Then Yngwie Malmsteen has had a big influence on me, and nowadays Dream Theater’s album "Images and Words" is one of my top records.
PETE: I like: Judas Priest, Deep Purple, Rainbow and everything Blackmore does, also Whitesnake, Queensryche, Dream Theater, Queen, Symphony X, Blackfoot, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, TNT, Thin Lizzy, Tarot, Aerosmith, Manowar….. Well, the list could go on forever but that is it for starters.
How important are lyrics for you ? Where do you find the topics, the inspirations ?
JARI: Lyrics are important, at least for me, to give feelings and identity to a song.
Inspiration comes from the moment when we rehearse. When we make a new song, I usually first sing some kind of weird "pseudo English" before the real lyrics are made, and we tape it. Sometimes I can use some of those rehearsal-lines for the choruses, and then comes the song title and verses.
PETE: Some inspirations also come from life of course. Generally we think that lyrics shouldn't be too ready. They should leave some space for the listeners' own imagination and phantasy.
What is the function of keyboard sounds in a good metal songs in your opinion ? So many melodic bands use them, but they are not very creative in that... it seems the keyboards are just there to create a certain atmosphere and to fill in caps.
JANI: I like most a combination of guitars and keyboards like Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Yngwie, Dream Theater and many many more bands have. The most important keyboard sounds for me are Hammond organ, solo synth and strings. Besides that, the piano sound is very popular in the Hard Rock scene. In my opinion keyboards are also very important in the proge/rock/heavy scene. I don’t know exactly what you mean that keys are not so creative?… I think they are, but still guitar is a more important instrument than keyboards when we are talking about Heavy music.
I also could listen to a very nice new song called "Fault-line". To me it seems that the song is a bit faster, heavier than the tracks on "Invitation", very dynamic and with an excellent chorus. Is this track representative for the new material ? When can we expect a new album and what will it be like ?
JANI: Yes, "Fault-line" is a song for our next album, but what you heard is just a demo. It was recorded very fast and Jari got the lyrics the day before. This demo is also not yet endmixed and endmastered and was recorded without producer. We plan to start the real recordings of the second album in April, and the release will (hopefully) be next autumn. The release date depends on our label.
JARI: We all like to do the new album a little heavier. Dynamic is very important to us cause we also use parts which include softer moments or have a different atmosphere. The new album will also have a better cover art J
PETE: I think "Fault-line" is a good example of the new material. It think it will be a bit more progressive than the last album. We have already 3 demo samples of the new material on our website, on the MP3 page.
Do you know the band 220 Volt ? I think they were from Sweden and released several cool albums in the Eighties, "Mind over muscle" being my favorite. Your songs sometimes remember me a little bit on this band !
JANI: Yeah, I remember their name from the Sweden Rock Festival last summer, but we haven’t had time to listen to them. Unfortunately I also haven’t had the chance to hear their albums. The Sweden Rock Magazine also wrote that we remind them of 220 Volt.
What are your plans for the future ?
PETE: Well, first of all, we like to focus on our new album. The second album is usually always a challenge for any band, so we want that it turns out special.
And of course touring would be nice. Actually we had planned a tour in Germany and Austria for May, and our German agency was supposed to organize it. Many German bands had offered us their support and the plan was to play every night with 2 bands, like a minifestival. The tour start was planned extra big with even more bands, to get all the media attention. The agency thought that was a great idea and decided to rent the whole Markthalle in Hamburg and to invite other bands like Bonfire, Rage, Vanden Plas, Primal Fear etc.
Our manager has worked 3 months to organize everything with the support bands and she also booked 2 concerts in Austria. And now it turned out, that the agency only focuses on that one big event in Hamburg, and doesn't care about the tour. And on top of all, they don't even plan to let us play in Hamburg anymore, although that event wouldn't even exist without us!
We have to think what to do now, definitely we won't work with that agency anymore. Maybe our manager arranges a new tour later this year, since she already had booked those gigs in Austria.
Martin van der Laan www.metalius.de