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The favorite Finnish pioneers of melodic metal are back with a new album. They decided to give their songs a gentler look, and their acoustic adventure is being brought to fans not only through live performances but also through a new recording. About this and other adventures he has experienced with the band, the songwriter and unmistakable voice of the band, Tony Kakko, spoke to us.

The last time I spoke with Henrik and Pasi in Zvolen, you were on tour for the album Talviyö. It was one of the last concerts before the global pandemic was declared. But as I noticed, despite the current situation, you and the band have been managing to appear on various stages, mainly in Finland. How does it feel as a musician when you can’t travel as much as you were used to?

It’s a huge change. No one expected it to last this long. But we’ve been touring for twenty-five years, and I must say that for me personally, it was a welcome change of pace. I really needed a break for a while because, alongside everything else I do, it was basically impossible to take a vacation. First, I write songs, then we handle promotional matters, and everyone, of course, wants to talk to me because I’m the singer and songwriter. And finally, we go on tour, which ends after a year and a half or maybe two. Everyone else then rests and enjoys their free time, but that’s when I start writing new songs. That’s been my life for the last twenty years, so what’s happening now was a blessing in a way. Of course, it was hard, but the chance to completely switch off from the band for a while gave me a lot of good. Also, my children are at an age where it makes a big difference whether their father is home or not. In that sense, it’s great. I realize it’s a big misfortune, but perhaps it had to be. As they say, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I must add that I’ve made plenty of lemonade and I’m ready to sing again.

As I have already mentioned, recently you’ve been performing more at home in Finland. In the autumn of 2021, you celebrated the band’s twenty-fifth anniversary with several concerts. When it’s finally possible, are you planning to take the anniversary show worldwide?

Yes, that’s the plan. We still plan to tour South America this May. That’s in just three months. We’ll see if it works out, but yes, it will be the 25th Anniversary Tour. That’s what we have planned for the near future in terms of heavy metal concerts, because we are still planning shows as part of the Acoustic Adventures Tour MMXXII with our acoustic set. So yes, the plan is to bring the tour wherever it’s possible and safe.

You joined the band at the end of 1995 when it was formed. You’ve lived through the Tricky Beans and Tricky Means eras and are the only voice of Sonata Arctica. How do you feel after twenty-five years in the band?

I feel good. The band is a huge, living part of my life and who I am. I’m also grateful to have at least one original member with me in the band and it is drummer Tommy. We’ve worked together from the very beginning, and it’s great to have him by my side. We never really believed, or even dared to hope, that the band would last and we could still do it at our age. I’ll be forty-seven this year, so I can say that it has become a profession and can’t be called a hobby anymore. I honestly don’t know what else we could do. It’s really great. I would compare it to starting a business as a young person and having it succeed so much that it provides a living for over twenty years. It’s very fulfilling.

You’ve already released ten studio albums and play all over the world. Did you ever imagine in the early days that Sonata Arctica could achieve what can safely be called worldwide success?

No, of course not. I remember our first European tour with Stratovarius and Rhapsody in 2000. Until then, I had never been outside Scandinavia. Never. And suddenly, I visited about twenty countries. It was an enormous adventure, and I never took these things for granted. It’s always a great joy to visit a new place, a new country, new cities, and meet new people. It’s a great gift, it’s amazing. We realize it has become a normal part of life for us, but from the perspective of friends, it’s easy to see that our profession is really very special. It’s something many people will never experience.

How do you remember the beginnings of the band, the whole process, and the development of events?

We started from zero. We didn’t even have a name at first. None. We played covers, but then I started writing my own songs. That was the beginning. It was so innocent. We had no expectations. We played local shows, and when we got the chance to perform outside our hometown, it was a huge adventure for us. Those were truly innocent times. I remember the reaction of my now-wife when we got a recording contract at the beginning of 1999. The first thing she said was, Oh no! At that time, we were just dating, but even then she saw where it was heading and how I wouldn’t be home. But we never got too carried away, thinking fame would go to our heads. We remained the same guys from the small town of Kemi in Finland. More people know us now, but I don’t think we changed as much compared to other people. Everyone changes, of course, but our profession didn’t change us.

Now I’d like to move closer to the present. When you started your first Acoustic Adventures Tour, the Talviyö tour was still ongoing. How was it for you to sing the same songs in both metal and acoustic versions in a relatively short period?

It was enjoyable. It was mainly the atmosphere that was different. Comparing a normal Sonata Arctica concert with an acoustic one is a huge change. But the audience is basically the same people, so you know what works and which parts they want to sing along to. But the atmosphere is completely different. Playing a song like Fullmoon acoustically is great fun. People still know where to sing, and I know where to ask them to. Run away, run away, run away… That always works. But regarding arrangements, some faster songs became more emotional or slower, more ballad-like. Simply put, songs that were good for headbanging are now, in acoustic concerts, used for a different purpose. But people can immerse themselves in them and feel them. I think it’s wonderful because you can see another side of the songs or understand the lyrics differently, or even focus on what’s being sung for the first time.

Why did you decide to give your songs an acoustic makeover?

Basically because we wanted to. The first thing we ever recorded acoustically was probably Mary-Lou around 2000. I can’t remember exactly, but even then I felt it would be good to record more of our songs acoustically, but it never became reality. Until now. Sonata Arctica has found a completely new path. We’re now like a train running on two tracks simultaneously. If we wanted, we could basically tour nonstop, just alternating electric metal shows with acoustic ones. It allowed us to play in many new clubs and reach a different audience. But it can also be a double-edged sword. A few months ago, when we played a normal heavy metal show in Finland as part of the 25th Anniversary Tour, I felt a bit bad. I noticed an older couple sitting in the audience, waiting for the concert. When we opened with The Wolves Die Young in its original metal version, they left during the first song. I think they expected an acoustic concert.

That must have been disappointing. But this Friday, January 21, you release acoustic versions of your songs for the first time on an album. The first single from Acoustic Adventures – Volume 1 is The Rest Of The Sun Belongs To Me. This song was only released as a bonus on the Japanese version of Winterheart’s Guild and sounds very different acoustically. Why did you choose it as the first single?

You choose singles to attract attention, and this song worked really well live during the first part of the Acoustic Adventures Tour. Everyone loved it, and it sounded really good. We had a lot of reasons to choose it as the first single and the first taste of the album, and it worked perfectly. The next single will be released on the same day as the album. It will be For The Sake Of Revenge. There will also be a video clip for this song. It’s very beautiful. We chose it for the same reason: it has a good atmosphere and I think everyone will like it. At least, I hope so.

How did you choose which songs from your rich repertoire to turn into acoustic versions?

Some songs transformed naturally, like Tallulah. You just play it, and it’s acoustic because it’s already in its nature. But it was basically a mix. On one hand, we chose songs that are our hits and well known. That’s understandable because these songs attract people. On the other hand, we added less known songs that hadn’t received much attention in their original form. That’s the case for the first two singles. The Rest Of The Sun Belongs To Me was a bonus for Japan, and I think many people hadn’t heard it in its original form. So now it’s like a new song for them. And For The Sake Of Revenge was rarely played live during the Unia tour. Maybe just a few times. So it’s a lesser-known song that deserves a new life. I personally like this acoustic version much more than the original.

On the first part of Acoustic Adventures, there’s at least one song from each album except your debut Ecliptica. Was that intentional or a coincidence?

That’s just a coincidence. We didn’t pay attention to it. We wanted to make two balanced albums. We didn’t want to put all the popular or fast songs on the first album and the complete opposite on the second; that wouldn’t make sense. We treat both albums as equal recordings. The reason why there’s nothing from Ecliptica on Volume 1? Honestly, we didn’t even notice until someone pointed it out in an interview. It’s funny. But Volume 2 will feature at least three songs from the debut.

So on Volume 2, we can expect songs you played live during the tour, like Victoria’s Secret, Black Sheep, My Land, Fullmoon, or Life?

Yes, exactly. This is the type of material that’s a safe bet.

I noticed your acoustic album was supposed to be released last October. Why was it delayed?

Yes, that was the planned date for Volume 2. It was supposed to come out in January 2021, followed by a tour. But the world was chaos, so everything was postponed by a year. Changing tour dates is difficult; postponing something by half a year doesn’t make sense. So we pushed it by a year, including the album release. Volume 2 will now come out in October 2022, at least that’s the plan.

Thank you for your answers. Finally, is there anything you’d like to say to your fans in Slovakia?

Yes, of course. As I always say, take care of yourselves and look after the people around you. That’s probably the only way the world can return to normal and we can enjoy moments together at concerts again. I wish everyone a great 2022, much better than the last year. Sonata Arctica is ready to rock. We miss you. I think all bands miss you. Let’s hope for a better future for everyone.