ODDLAND (Sakari Ojanen) INTERVIEW
Progressive Metal has witness a surge of good quality young bands over the last few years but only a handful have managed to make such an amazing impact from the start as Oddland – a Finnish quintet whose debut release “The Treachery Of Senses” is now out on Century Media records. My obsession with this album was such that I contacted the band’s label, pleading them to arrange an interview. My request was granted and it was only a week or so later that I had the band’s frontman Sakari Ojanen on the line for what turned out to be an informative and enjoyable chat. The future of Progressive Metal seems to be in very capable hands, my friends!
By Yiannis (John) Stefanis.
• Hi there Sakari and thanks for calling. How are you feeling today?
Sakari: I am feeling great, thanks.
• Well, I am also feeling pretty great and partly responsible for that is your debut release “The Treachery Of Senses”. I am really looking forward to this chat as I believe that what I now hold in my hands is by far one of the most impressive Progressive Metal debuts in recent years.
Sakari: Wow, that is very cool!
• This album is indeed a very pleasant surprise for fans of Progressive Metal, a term that I hope that you don’t mind me using when describing your music.
Sakari: Oh no, we are absolutely fine with it.
• I am only really asking as I believe there is a ‘theme’ right now where artists of similar musical orientation to yours feel somewhat baffled by the use of this term by us music journalists.
Sakari: I think that the term has been passed around pretty carelessly but it is an apt description of the kind of music that we make.
• Ok, with that being agreed, let us move on. Since you guys are a new band and this is indeed your debut release I believe that it is worth introducing Oddland to our readers and the people that are going to read this interview. You guys have been around for almost ten years but the direction you are now following was adapted let’s say sometime round 2008, right? What was it that prompted that change to begin with? Why did you choose to abandon your more straight-forward Rock approach for the sake of more technical-orientated music?
Sakari: Well, I guess that one thing that kind of happened, and it happened quite naturally, was that our skills as musicians grew and developed and so we began working on more challenging stuff. So that was one thing; the result of us evolving as players, but…I don’t know, we just kind of…I guess we also started to listen to more Progressive bands and that we kind of expanded our appetite towards that direction…I don’t know – it’s just the kind of thing that happens naturally. The Progressive ‘thing’ was not something that we calculated; we just wanted to do things that sounded interesting to us and I guess that the thing that sounded more interesting is the music that people classify as being Progressive. I don’t know, is that a boring answer? That’s the only thing I can think of (laughs).
• No, I believe that this is a very satisfactory answer which makes sense. I often wondered while listening to your album that it was maybe because of the fact that you didn’t start your career as a Progressive Metal band that things actually now work to your benefit with regards how much room for development you allow yourselves and how many different kinds of influences you are capable of bringing to the table, so to speak. You sound much different from most young bands who start their career in the hope that they will end up sounding like Yes or early Genesis. I am quite interested to know if you in fact agree with that.
Sakari: Yeah. It is very good that we all have such a different background because we all like different styles of music and I guess that shows as there are a lot of different elements into our music. It’s not like…how shall I put this…it was not a conscious decision to make this kind of music – it just kind of happens, you know?
• Spontaneity in music is probably the best attribute as there tends to be more honesty involved and the end result is more natural. That is what I get when I listen to “The Treachery Of Senses”…
Sakari: You know, it is very difficult answering such questions because describing how our sound and style comes together is something that I find to be very difficult. It is hard to break it down into pieces, you know? I am sorry (laughs).
• No worries. I was happy to see that I am not the only person that praises your work; there are other fellow journalists who sound equally happy and equally supportive and I believe that less than a month after the album was released you have had the time to reflect on what you have achieved and evaluate your own work. When you do sit back and listen to the album and then you read all those positive things about it, what the is feeling that you get as a result? Are you at all stressed with regards what your next step will be?
Sakari: Yeah, yeah (laughs). Well, we weren’t really expecting to get such a positive feedback on the album. We knew that we had made a good album, we were very satisfied with it, but it was still a great surprise to us because…there have been so many good reviews out there that it has been quite overwhelming. It was good to get such a response, what you could describe as an official, how can I say this…approval from the critics and the media. We just actually performed our album release show let’s say and now this is the first time that I am thinking about what the songs of the next album will be all about and I really don’t know what to think. At first I was kind of stressed thinking “oh man, how are we going to make something that people will like as much as this one” but then I thought that we will just have to make…we will have to simply follow the same procedure which is to just play the music that we really like and take our time in making it because it’s really important. We took a lot of time into making this album and I want us to take a similar amount of time to make the next album as well so that we don’t unnecessarily rush things or anything like that.
• How realistic is such a thing? My experience talking with artists for many years is that when most labels find out something that is good and profitable for them they tend to try to push things to the limit and squeeze bands dry. That, I am sure you agree, can have a very negative effect on a band’s career as the last thing that any band wants is to be forced to release an album that they do not feel strongly for, just to keep the momentum going. Your label, Century Media, is a big name in the music market but they are not really known for heavily investing in Progressive music. That makes it interesting for me to find out what the next step will be for you guys, having liked your debut so much.
Sakari: Actually they (note: Century Media) really gave us artistic freedom with the album. I really think that there was a possibility; because we are a very young band…when you are young you are not so sure about yourself and that leaves you kind of open. If they were to give us more direction or advice or try to intervene in the creative process I think that we would have been too receptive towards that but they really didn’t want to influence the creative side too much. They really let us do our own thing and we are really, really grateful for that! Our collaboration with Century Media has been really good so far; they have been really kind to us and I am hoping that this collaboration will continue and also that they will continue giving us artistic freedom and plenty of time in order to prepare our second album.
• Well, that is something that I definitely wish for you guys. You are of course aware of the term ‘the curse of the second album’, right? Many bands have dreaded the prospect of recording theirs. At this stage, I, from the fan point of view, cannot even begin to imagine what your next step will be and that is because I believe that you have already acquired a certain level of maturity that for most bands takes a decade in order to reach similar results. I don’t mean to cause any unnecessary stress to you but the stakes are definitely high here!
Sakari: Yeah, absolutely. I am actually quite excited about making the next album already but I am also dreading the process of composing it and arranging it because the way we work is really…we don’t really cut any corners there. We just work our songs for as long as it takes to make everybody feel proud of them and are satisfied with. Yeah, it can be really nerve wracking at times but, in the end it is rewarding and, in the end, you do end up with something that most people will be satisfied with, you know? There might be another asshole in your band saying that something is not good enough (laughs) and that we have to change it and make it sound different. Yeah, it’s really…it can be stressful but, yeah, it’s a fan process all the same.
• There are two different categories of musicians out there; the ones that after the release of their album ten to disengage themselves completely as they feel that the circle of creation has been closed and the ones which spend much more time analysing their work in order to reach conclusions that will help them in their next album. Which category do you believe is the one that you belong to?
Sakari: Hmm…I think that I most probably belong in the first category because…I think that what we did was a representation of us evolving as a band and with regards our sound and the kind of music we are making. I am really happy with the album and I am sure that there are things here and there that I would have done differently now if we did the same album again. If we were working on the same album I am sure that it would have come out differently; we would have changed something because this can become a never ending process if you don’t force yourself to stop at some point. It has to reach the point where it feels like it’s a very good effort in order to then stop working with it. I have obviously heard the album a hundred times (laughs) but I do listen to it occasionally I just enjoy it – I am not really thinking about what I could have done differently, you know?
• I believe that I do. Many people, myself included, have mentioned the fact that one of the main reasons why this album is such a successful affair is your vocal performances. I am not suggesting that the contribution of the remaining members is not important, far from it, but a band of this type of music needs a charismatic vocalist and Oddland are very lucky in that respect. In addition, though there are many different influences that are audible, none is prominent enough to suggest an attempt on your part to sound like someone specific, if that makes any sense. It takes much skill in order to achieve that nowadays. Having said that, are there any specific artists/bands which you find to be a real source of inspiration for you guys? Is this how things work for you or is it more on a subconscious level?
Sakari: I would definitely say that things are working more on a subconscious level for me as I listen to so many different kinds of music, I don’t only listen to Metal or Progressive Rock. I listen to many bands that are more Folk in nature and not the kind of music that we are making. Obviously when you listen to songs and hear different kinds of melodies they go into your subconscious and they operate there in their own way. I don’t really…there isn’t anybody out there that I am trying to sound like. There are obviously things that might come out of me that are similar to those from artists that I really enjoy listening to.
• I am sure that this is the case otherwise “The Treachery Of Senses” would not have been such a refreshing album. Ok, so after I started listening to the album and became really infatuated with it I decided that I would be willing to make a trip anywhere close by in Europe to see you guys performing the material live – the environment where all bands really prove their worth. I checked your site for all relevant information and the only show that I found as being advertised is the one taking place on the 29th of June in Helsinki – the Tuska Open Air festival. Playing in a ‘back garden’ festival certainly makes sense as Metal is really popular in Finland but what about the rest of us? Are you guys having any plans of visiting the rest of Europe and the UK for shows?
Sakari: Well, we are very eager to come to both Europe and the UK and play everywhere hat we possibly can. Nothing has actually been confirmed yet with regards a tour; there has been some discussion but nothing has been confirmed yet. We are very eager to go on tour and so we are trying to get something booked as soon as possible. I don’t have anything specific to offer you, I am sorry, but I am hoping that I will soon.
• That’s OK. The fact alone that you mention your willingness to tour is encouraging as there are some new band that are solely interested in studio work and I was hoping that this was not going to be the case with you guys and so I am relieved. It would be a real shame not to see you guys performing these songs live. Patience is a virtue, as they say.
Sakari: Yeah. I hope it will not take too long.
• As a modern band, you seem to have chosen Facebook as the predominant means of advertising your work. Will that be the main or only source of information with regards the band’s activities?
Sakari: For now Facebook is the main medium. We are going to release our own website, I don’t know, sometime during the summer.
• Do you have any other plans with regards promoting the album? Are you thinking of perhaps working on a music video?
Sakari: Yes. We are actually working on, no, we already shot our music video and our director is editing it as we speak (laughs). It should really come out sometime this month (note: May) or early next month and it is a video for the song “In The Eyes Of The Mourning”.
• Ok, I am now officially a very happy man as I believe that to be one of the best songs of the album. I was looking at the track list of the album and the only song I knew that would not have been chosen was “Ire” as I cannot remember the last time that anyone made a video for an eight minute song! Did you enjoy the experience of shooting it?
Sakari: Yes (laughs) – it was fun! This is the first ever video that we’ve done and it actually took place in a Finnish forest during the night so we had to stay awake the whole night (laughs).
• Freezing your socks off, I presume?
Sakari: Yeah (laughs). A little bit of that and also there were a few challenges involved such as setting up the drums in the forest (laughs)…yeah, it was funny. It was kind of hard to stay awake (laughs) but it was fun – a good experience to have had.
• As everything seems to be in place, the only thing left for me to do is wish you good luck with everything that you are working on, thank you for taking the time to do this interview and wish that it will not be long before you guys visit the UK for a show – something I am really looking forward to.
Sakari: Thank you so very much for the interview. I really hope that we can visit the UK and play a show for you guys over there – that will be great!
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