Amberian Dawn – Exclusive Interview
Amberian Dawn is a Finnish symphonic metal band, founded in 2006 by multi-instrumentalist and composer Tuomas Seppälä. Known for their blend of symphonic grandeur and melodic metal, they have been a significant presence on the Finnish metal scene since their debut.
Amberian Dawn made their mark nearly fifteen years ago with their debut album River Of Tuoni, which quickly broke into the top of the Finnish national charts. Their rich melodies, references to the Karelian-Finnish epic Kalevala, dark lyrics, and the dynamic interplay between Heidi's vocals and band leader Tuomas Seppälä's keyboards made them a memorable act on the Finnish metal scene, even if they never quite broke into the mainstream. After that album, Amberian Dawn parted ways with Heidi and replaced her with Päivi "Capri" Virkkunen, who brought a powerful pop-style vocal delivery. With Capri, the band took on a new sound, re-recorded old hits in a fresh format, and released five albums, the most recent being a tribute to ABBA's hits, which came out in early December.
Today was the release of your new album "Take a Chance". Congratulations! How do you feel now? What are your impressions of the work done? Have you managed to achieve your goals?
I'm happy with the results. The recordings of this album went really well and the album sounds really good.
How did you come up with the idea to create a tribute album? I know that you recorded the song "Lay All Your Love On Me" for the album "Looking for You". But why ABBA?
We already recorded LAYLOM and played it live on stage on our tour with Lacuna Coil in 2018. We got such a good response that it was easy to decide on making a full cover album.
What guided you when choosing songs for this album? You have chosen not only the main hits of ABBA, but also quite rare songs for covers. Were there any other songs in your plans initially, or did you immediately know which songs would be included in the upcoming album?
I chose the songs very carefully. I wanted to choose the songs which would work perfectly with our style. There are a lot of big hits, of course, it's almost impossible not to choose big hits, because most of ABBA's songs are big hits. But I also wanted to include some of my favorites, like “Head Over Heels” and “The Day Before You Came”.
I'm happy with the results. The recordings of this album went really well and the album sounds really good.
How did you come up with the idea to create a tribute album? I know that you recorded the song "Lay All Your Love On Me" for the album "Looking for You". But why ABBA?
We already recorded LAYLOM and played it live on stage on our tour with Lacuna Coil in 2018. We got such a good response that it was easy to decide on making a full cover album.
What guided you when choosing songs for this album? You have chosen not only the main hits of ABBA, but also quite rare songs for covers. Were there any other songs in your plans initially, or did you immediately know which songs would be included in the upcoming album?
I chose the songs very carefully. I wanted to choose the songs which would work perfectly with our style. There are a lot of big hits, of course, it's almost impossible not to choose big hits, because most of ABBA's songs are big hits. But I also wanted to include some of my favorites, like “Head Over Heels” and “The Day Before You Came”.
What songs did you like working on the most? Are there any songs in the tracklist of the album that are especially dear to you?
All of the songs were great to work with, but if I would have to choose just one, it would be “The Day Before You Came”. I used a lot of time, especially with the keyboard parts. I wanted to achieve part of the original magic of that song.
Capri's voice organically fit into ABBA's songs. What about music? How long have you been working on new arrangements? Was it hard to remake ABBA's pop dance music to the sound of Amberian Dawn?
We recorded the album in maybe 15-16 months. We had some breaks between the recording sessions, so the actual recording time wasn't that long. I made most of the arranging work before we start the recordings. It took a lot of time but was also fun at the same time.
All of the songs were great to work with, but if I would have to choose just one, it would be “The Day Before You Came”. I used a lot of time, especially with the keyboard parts. I wanted to achieve part of the original magic of that song.
Capri's voice organically fit into ABBA's songs. What about music? How long have you been working on new arrangements? Was it hard to remake ABBA's pop dance music to the sound of Amberian Dawn?
We recorded the album in maybe 15-16 months. We had some breaks between the recording sessions, so the actual recording time wasn't that long. I made most of the arranging work before we start the recordings. It took a lot of time but was also fun at the same time.
What are your plans now? What will you do first now? Perhaps the release of music video or lives?
Well, we don't have so many plans now. Maybe we're going to do some touring or festivals if the chance comes up.
Let's get back to your own music. More than ten years have passed since the begining of Amberian Dawn. Earlier in your albums, you used references to Kalevala and the Finnish epic, now the lyrics have become more magical. How do you find ideas for new songs and albums? What inspires and guides you?
I just compose the music and don't take part in lyric writing. Lyrics have always been written by our vocalist (Capri or Heidi). So, I cannot really say anything about the lyric writing process.
How do you relax when you feel the tension from bad things or events happening in the world? What do you find comfort in?
I like to walk and jog in the forest and also go to the sauna. Also, I like to watch TV and streaming services, like Netflix and Viaplay for example. Amberian Dawn is a band with a long history and recognizable sound.
Well, we don't have so many plans now. Maybe we're going to do some touring or festivals if the chance comes up.
Let's get back to your own music. More than ten years have passed since the begining of Amberian Dawn. Earlier in your albums, you used references to Kalevala and the Finnish epic, now the lyrics have become more magical. How do you find ideas for new songs and albums? What inspires and guides you?
I just compose the music and don't take part in lyric writing. Lyrics have always been written by our vocalist (Capri or Heidi). So, I cannot really say anything about the lyric writing process.
How do you relax when you feel the tension from bad things or events happening in the world? What do you find comfort in?
I like to walk and jog in the forest and also go to the sauna. Also, I like to watch TV and streaming services, like Netflix and Viaplay for example. Amberian Dawn is a band with a long history and recognizable sound.
Have you faced any difficulties lately and how have you managed to cope with it?
I don't recall facing any specific difficulties lately.
What is your driving force? Do you have a set goal that you are striving to achieve, or is music a way to relax and enjoy the process?
It's varied during all these years. Basically, I'm thinking about music almost all the time and I'm developing musical themes & melodies quite often inside my head. Writing music has been just a natural part of my life. When I start producing a new album, it gets more work-orientated though.
Which album or song has been the hardest for you over the 16 years of the band's existence? Why?
All of my albums have taken a lot of work, but maybe the first ones were the hardest to make. I didn't have so much experience in playing in bands and in producing albums. In the beginning, there was a lot to learn during the whole process.
How do you feel about crowdfunding? Does it play a big role when creating albums?
I think that's going to be more and more important in the future. It takes certain skills from hand members. I think it also goes hand in hand with the whole development of social media. Also, it's going to be more and more about non-musical things, more about visual stuff etc.
What do you think can make a listener lose respect for a musician?
I don't know...maybe acting disrespectfully?
Question is from subscribers of your fan group in Russia: Who would you like to collaborate with if you had the chance? Who would you dream of sharing the stage with?
Benny Andersson of course...and if I could name some already deceased singers, I would name Ronnie James Dio of course.
I don't recall facing any specific difficulties lately.
What is your driving force? Do you have a set goal that you are striving to achieve, or is music a way to relax and enjoy the process?
It's varied during all these years. Basically, I'm thinking about music almost all the time and I'm developing musical themes & melodies quite often inside my head. Writing music has been just a natural part of my life. When I start producing a new album, it gets more work-orientated though.
Which album or song has been the hardest for you over the 16 years of the band's existence? Why?
All of my albums have taken a lot of work, but maybe the first ones were the hardest to make. I didn't have so much experience in playing in bands and in producing albums. In the beginning, there was a lot to learn during the whole process.
How do you feel about crowdfunding? Does it play a big role when creating albums?
I think that's going to be more and more important in the future. It takes certain skills from hand members. I think it also goes hand in hand with the whole development of social media. Also, it's going to be more and more about non-musical things, more about visual stuff etc.
What do you think can make a listener lose respect for a musician?
I don't know...maybe acting disrespectfully?
Question is from subscribers of your fan group in Russia: Who would you like to collaborate with if you had the chance? Who would you dream of sharing the stage with?
Benny Andersson of course...and if I could name some already deceased singers, I would name Ronnie James Dio of course.
December 20, 2022
- Tuuli TalvinenFounder & Editor-in-ChiefInterviewer