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<< Interviews this month
file under heavy / power metal
Excalion is yet another symphonic power metal band from Finland. What is it that a country, which consists out of 75% of lakes and is habited by loads of reindeers, brings forth so many talented bands? Keyboard player Jarmo Myllyvirta introduces the band and tell us all about the debut cd of Excalion.
Text: Patrick
Excalion will, most likely, not be too well-known among our readers. Could you tell us some about the band?
Hi everyone! Excalion started in December 2000. I asked Henri (drummer), Timo (former bassist) and Tero (bassist, ex-guitar) to come to play some tunes that I had written. And that was it, after those rehearsals we decided to form Excalion and along with that we asked Jarmo (vocals) to join the band. When we were thinking the name for the band, Timo came up with the Excalion (he misremembered some other name) and thought that’s good enough at the moment and we got stuck with it. Every one of us liked Stratovarius when we started, but I don’t hear that in Excalion's sound so much. Bon Jovi is also big thing for us and Symphony X is also important. But generally our influences come from good music. Right now Excalion is: Jarmo Pääkkönen on vocals, Jarmo Myllyvirta on keys, Henri Pirkkalainen plays drums, Vesa Nupponen is our guitarplayer and Tero Vaaja is in charge of the bass.
Being a melodic power metal band from Finland certainly will bring along a lot of comparisons with your compatriots Sonata Arctica and Stratovarius. How do you feel about that?
I don’t like to been put in one category alone at all. We of course like these bands and especially Stratovarius is big thing for us, but we sound a bit different than these band. Many people know Sonata Arctica and Stratovarius so it is easy to compare in them.
Why did you choose the title ‘Primal Exhale’ for the album (as it is not the title for one of the songs)? Do you want to express something with the title of the cd?
We wanted a title for the album that is not a song title. It mainly express that this is our debut album.
Which idea is behind the cover?
The artist is behind of this. He had some cover samples after he had listened our album and this one we liked. I think that it has the similar feeling that in the title of the album.
Can you tell me something of the process of writing a song? In my review I wrote “the songs are composed partially around riffs as well as, and here it shows that keyboard player Jarmo Myllyvirta writes a lot of the songs, a keyboard that is quite leading.” Is there the possibility for the other members to contribute to the songs (musically and lyrically)?
I compose the songs and then I come with in the rehearsals and show it to the rest of guys. Then we start to practise it and think some arrangements for it and change a thing or two if it is necessary. Tero and I are the main writers of the lyrics.
The cd has been recorded in September 2004. Why did it take till the end of June 2005 for the release?
You have to ask that from our record company. There were some delays on the way.
Your first demo (‘Forlon’) was released in 2001. Your music undoubtedly will have changed. Can you compare your music now with the music from the early days of Excalion?
The style is a quite same, but the song are more varied and sound more like Excalion. Everyone in the band has developed as musician so everything sounds better now.
‘Primale Exhale’ will be released in Europe as a digipak with a bonus track (“Luopio”). Why is this digipak only available in Europe and what made you decide to have the vocals for this song in Finnish?
The digipak is available in everywhere else, but in Japan. There we have Art Union Group that handles things in Japan. This ‘Luopio’ is from our first demo and before the studio we did some changes in it. In the first demo it was called ‘Forlorn’. So we renewed like a half of the song and changed the lyrics in Finnish. It was along term plan to do song in Finnish, so this was the one.
As a pre-release to the new cd you have released a three-song promo cd. This has only been sent to the press and is not available for fans. Why did you decide to do so?
When we recorded this “promo”, we called it demo, we just wanted to record some songs before the studio to see how they were like. Nothing more, it all was complete to ourselves to prepare for the studio, but Sound Riot wanted to use it for pre-promotion.
Are the songs from the promo song (‘A Moment in the Spotlight’, ‘My Legacy’ and ‘Reality Bends’) exactly the same as the ones on ‘Primal Exhale’? Why?
Yes they are. It was just a demo for us. So we could see if there was something that could be changed before the studio.
Most recently there have been quite some changes in the band. Timo Sahlberg will no longer continue as bass player and will run the errands of the band and guitar player Tero will take over. In January guitarist Kimmo Hänninen already left the band and was replaced by Vesa Nupponen. How difficult is it for a band to have line-up changes just when you are about to release a cd?
Not difficult at all. Everything has changed to better. We had some difficulties all along to find time to practise as a whole band. Now Excalion sounds better than ever.
Was it difficult to find good replacements?
It took sometime to find replacement for Kimmo, because he was very talented guitarist. But when we found Vesa that problem was solved. Tero wanted replace Timo, so that was easy.
And are you that difficult guys to work with or are the changes in the line-up just normal things in the development of the band?
Normal things, Kimmo and Timo had their own interests and they had some difficulties to find time to practise. So now these problems are history.
How did you guys end up with Sound Riot Records? What made them interested in you?
After they heard our second demo, they contacted us. The demo was convincing enough and they offered a deal for us. After negotiations we decided to sing with Sound Riot.
What are the plans for Excalion for the upcoming months?
Gigs, a lot of practicing and composing new song.
Any final comments or words of wisdom?
Thanks for the interview. Everyone check out the Primal Exhale! Keep On Rocking!
http://www.excalion.com
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