Good grief it’s been a long time since I wrote last time! It was an extremely busy summer not only in mastering but also relaxing on my vacation... Well, busy while relaxing? Yes, I ”mastered” over 1000 photographs taken from the gigs in spring and summer but haven’t had enough time to choose the best ones to put into my web site. Also it was just too hot in Finland this summer that you couldn’t use your brain without sweating around. So the updating was left here in the autumn.
I had not really began my holidays when I received a mail from Universal Music Group asking me to master the new Killing Joke album because they were happy with the EP I mastered earlier. Work was supposed to be done ”already tomorrow, please”. I kindly asked for a few extra days of mercy to get back to the studio because I was 400 kilometres away from Finnvox in the middle of extraordinary hot Karelian summer. You can only guess was that OK! How the hell are people booking mastering dates in central Europe, especially in summer time? With one hour advance notice?
Finally that Killing Joke came from opposite direction. That small band from Finland (that’s how the KJ’s management called Kotiteollisuus) did an own fantastic version of Pandemonium for the upcoming Killing Joke tribute album. Kotiteollisuus will be there with some other small bands from all over like Metallica, Foo Fighters, Tool and Meshuggah for example. In Pandemonium this Karelian power trio is reinforced by gents like Tuomas Holopainen (Nightwish), Mikko Karmila (himself) and Miitri Aaltonen (Monsteriser). Almost the same assembly is performing in the forthcoming live DVD filmed and recorded in club Nosturi, Helsinki. The band is in quite rebellious but relaxed mood and having real fun in this last gig of their long tour. If you check my photos from the concert you know what I mean. East’s gonna rise again!
From modern eastern Finland we will move smoothly to ancient Karelia again. After checking the live gig from the recently released Forging The Land Of Thousand Lakes DVD I still affirm Amorphis to be one of the best bands playing alive at the moment. It’s a pity that the wonderful 5.1 mastering was ruined in the authorization of this DVD – never trust a hippie. Anyway it was an unexpected and comforting surprise getting my own copy of Skyforger gold record. Now I also have three in a row of Amorphis gold records among others on my wall of fame. Thanks for the band! And while still being excited of the live album this highly productive band brought me already new stuff to be mastered… Well not really new but fresh re-recorded versions of the best tracks taken from the first three albums. Goddamn they did Magic to these old Mayhem tracks!
In June I mastered an album for a Valencian band called Uzzhuaia (http://www.uzzhuaia.com/). and I sold my soul immediately to this robust rocking true solid rock group from Spain. 13 Veces Por Minuto was already the second album I mastered for them, but at least now I fell in love with softly flowing Spanish language, fat and brisk sound (http://www.manueltomas.com/) and melodic hit tracks. This band I should see perform alive. Esos chicos no se necesitan corbatas! To be fair, go and check also all other toro-rockers from my “All list”. The number of pins on my Spain map is increasing fast.
I also had time in the summer to visit a few rock festivals. Kivenlahti Rock in Espoo, my hometown, was small enough to have a familiar and warm atmosphere. I also saw Sonata Arctica after a long time. Myötätuulirock in Vantaa was also a good experience: great line up of bands and as cherry on the top I got my gold records of Mokoma and Stam1na in ”not so official” solemnity where Marshal Annala from Mokoma and Sakara Records played as the master of ceremony. In midsummer I jumped on my motorbike and drove to Jämsä because of a kind invitation from promoter Timo Isomäki and Timo Löyvä (Kolmas Nainen) to check Himos festival. Himos was absolutely one of the best organised rock festivals I have ever been to! There was an excellent service and warm atmosphere. This trip included an exciting return trip back home in the middle of the shimmering night avoiding wild animals like elks, rabbits, one cat and a fox – unfortunately not together.
Tuska Metal Festival is the most important and best place to meet friends and business companions. I’m a bit afraid of moving the festival to another location next summer. Kaisaniemi Park in the centre of Helsinki has been the best place ever to organise a rock festival. I guess it just came to the end in this size and format so the organisation is forced to carry through the removal. Ankkarock in Vantaa is normally the final summer festival in Finland. I visited that for the first time. Ankka is too big to achieve the same familiar atmosphere that Tuska and Himos had. Anyway I saw some good acts there too - Children Of Bodom and Michael Monroe for example. And I had a fascinating remembrance together with Sami Yaffa again.
In April I had the possibility to listen to Tuomas Holopainen’s first demo versions for the next Nightwish album. The last weekend of August I was invited to the ending party of Nightwish Summer Camp 2010 (http://www.nightwish.com/fi/band/reports?c=16). and was able to listen to band versions of the same demos. The programme consisted of sausage eating accelerated by alcohol and heavy drinking lubricated with sausages.
Just to make it clear for you, here’s the list of the last updated photo folders: Kolmas Nainen in Tavastia and Himos, Kotiteollisuus in Himos, The 69 Eyes in Semifinal, Ajattara in Dantes, Amorphis and Stam1na in Nosturi, Stratovarius in Oulu and Backyard Babies, Michael Monroe, Metsatöll, Tarot & Mokoma in Tavastia Helsinki.
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