Talking with . . . Thunderstone
Interviewed 6/29/2005 by Brett VanPut
Interview with bassist Titus Hjelm
Guitarist Nino Laurenne (ex-Antidote) started Thunderstone in 2000 and they signed with Nuclear Blast for their 2002 self titled debut. A derivative metal album, things changed when vocalist Pasi Rantanen developed a vocal style more familiar to bands like Deep Purple and Dio and Thunderstone returned with the impressive 2004 release The Burning. Their latest, Tools of Destruction, takes things a step further and Thunderstone have developed into a fine band. We emailed some questions for bassist Titus Hjelm to answer.
How do you feel about Tools of Destruction?
I feels great. I think that with this album we have found the sound and vibe that best represents where we all come from.
Did you want to make Tools of Destruction any differently than The
Burning or would you prefer to not look at the past, only to the future?
As you can see, the production time between the two albums was very short, so we basically put together songs that we felt sounded good. Everything came more or less naturally. The crunchiness was already evident in The Burning and Pasi's voice just has evolved in the more Dioesque direction without any conscious thought to make it sound rougher.
I was not a big fan of the debut, but The Burning and Tools of
Destruction have both blown me away; how do you feel about the debut?
It is a good album, but of course you can hear that we didn't really know what we wanted to do at the time. It was Nino's project alone and we really became a band after the first tour and The Burning.
Do you think it was necessary to make changes in your sound and in the singing style on the second album in order to improve Thunderstone?
Like I said earlier, there was little conscious effort to change the sound. We have always thought that if a song is good, it should be on the album, whether it sounds like something different that we have done in the past or not.
What is it like living in Helsinki? What's your favorite part of living in Finland?
I would not live anywhere else in Finland. It's hard to explain to somebody who's not a native, but there is a wide gap between the capital and the rest of the country. Not that I don't like playing shows in the rest of the country, I just wouldn't live anywhere else.
How did you come to get involved with metal? Do you feel you have the desire and dedication to make it a lengthy career with Thunderstone?
I heard Kiss' "God of Thunder" when I was nine years old. That's how I became involved. And sure I have the dedication, but as long as we're not making millions out of this, it has to be for the fun of it. I don't mind a couple of setbacks, but when the fun is gone, that's when you should evaluate things again.
What is your touring situation? Will you be doing any touring this year? Is it difficult finding tours or the time to go out on the road?
We are currently negotiating a European tour, but nothing's been confirmed yet. Without touring the promotion for this kind of music is not very good, they don't really play us on M.T.V., you know. Besides, touring is fun and we always find the time to go drinking around the world for a couple of weeks.
I see you've worked with Timo Tolkki in the past, how was that
experience? He was saying some crazy things about a year ago- what was your take on the bizarre happenings of Stratovarius in the past year or so?
Timo is a great and a really sweet guy and we've always restrained from commenting his or Stratovarius' situation. I'm happy that they're back on their feet.
I feel it's been unfair to read Thunderstone compared to Sonata Arctica and Stratovarius, considering you have your own sound, especially with the vocals- I would more likely see comparisons with Deep Purple or Dio, but with a modern touch to the music- what's your take on the music you create?
You pretty much summed it up there. Old school metal and melodic 80's stuff is where we come from. It is natural for newcomers to be compared to other bands but I'm happy that with the new album we've shaken off most of that crap.
What are your plans for summer?
We're doing a couple of festivals in Finland and maybe in Europe too (this year the confirmations come really late). Aside from that, drinking beer and grilling sausage- a favorite Finnish summer pastime.
I often read that Finnish people are heavy drinkers- is this a way to combat the depressing weather?
That's a way to combat anything, even the nice weather.
Final comments?
A big thank you to all of the people that have supported us. We hope to see you live as soon as possible (keep harassing those record label people for an opportunity to see us play). And the usual Thunderstone proverb: Drink beer and get naked.
Discography:
2005... Tools Of Destruction (Nuclear Blast)
2004... The Burning (Nuclear Blast)
2002... Thunderstone (Nuclear Blast)
Current line-up:
Pasi Rantanen... vocals
Nino Laurenne... guitars
Titus Hjelm... bass
Mikka Rantanen... drums
Kari Tornak... keyboards
www.thunderstone.org
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