In the early 2000's, when Excalion released teir first album, they were called the new Stratovarius. Yes, they had everything to become "the next big thing" from Finland, but for whatever reason that didn't happen. Did it stop them? No way! The band kept on releasing new albums on a regular basis and all of them were good - inspiring European power metal with a lot of melodies and great musicanship. The new album simply entiteled "VI" keeps that line. I've got in touch with Excalion's mastermind Jarmo "Jappe" Myllyvirta (thank you to (Angelo Mora of Scarlet Records for making this possible!) and with some help of Tero Vaaja (ex-guitarist of Excalion who still helps the band with lyrics) we discussed everything related to the making of "VI".
How it feels, when the album is ready but there still some time before it will be released? Do you just let it go? Or do you keep on analyzing the songs and think what could be done differently?
Jappe: It feels great that the hard work is done and we are really happy about how it sounds. There is always this downside that you have to wait for the album to be released and heard by everyone. But that is how things work. I can fairly easily let go of analyzing things and just enjoy the results. Usually you listen to the tracks a lot during the process, so after everything is ready you need a break from it anyway. After some time, you can go back and listen to them with more objective ears. After some more time, I can go to “constructive criticism” mode. By then I’m usually making new music and learning from what we have done before.
Could you tell me about the making of “Once Upon a Time”? Which songs came up pretty fast and natural and which ones took a lot of time to finally satisfy you?
Jappe: I think this time every song worked out pretty fast. I have this “method” that my songwriting process is always 1-2 songs ahead of our rehearsing process. So I always have at least one song in the making in my head. I do not make extra songs; I mean, there are no complete songs discarded and unpublished. I like to either put my full effort on an idea or drop it before it goes any further. I guess I’m kind of selective in that matter. “Keitele” – the opening track – was fun, because it was made in demo sessions on shores of Lake Keitele. We had this cottage where we recorded demos, and I was playing this theme, and Henri was outside and heard it. He told me to continue with that and started playing drums on it. One hour later it was done, and we named it after the lake that we saw through the window. “Soulbound” was fun to do, and I felt confident about it all the way. It is still fun to play. There are quite many tricky things to play in various songs and some are quite fast also, so sometimes we had to push ourselves to the limit. Again, I find this also a fun thing to do.
Many bands even don’t rehearse before recording sessions and don’t go together in studios — they record everything at homes and send tracks for reamping, mixing and mastering. Don’t you think that it reduce the creative process? And what is your approach to this process?
Jappe: Basic process was the same as before. I come to rehearsals with a song and start to show and tell the guys what I have in mind. Then we play the song together part by part. After that, we play through the whole song and work on the arrangements together. Usually, we get through one song in one rehearsal session. In the next session, we polish it, work on it more and of course learn to play it in the technical sense. This does not include vocals yet at this point. Vocals are usually made afterwards when the lyrics are also ready. With this album, we recorded the basic tracks of drums, guitar and bass live. I think it can be heard. It is more natural, yet it is still tight. After that, more guitars and all the keyboards were added. Finally on top of that, vocals. We collaborate a lot on all of this, and actually this phase of making the music and rehearsing is my favorite stage.
Jappe, you’ve been the main songwriter in the band. How do you present your ideas to others being a keyboard player? Do you play other instruments, or do you write everything with keyboards?
Jappe: I have the main idea and song structure ready before we start rehearsing it. Usually, I just show the song part by part on my keyboard, and then we just gradually play it together. We are really efficient in this, and the other guys have learned to quickly process what I mean. That is quite amazing. I am not sure if I could do that if I was in their shoes. I don’t own any other instruments, but I have some really basic knowledge of guitar, like chords etc. I compose either on keyboards or just in my head before turning to keyboards. I also use handwritten notes to help memorize things.
Tero: Jappe used to have at least one other instrument. I borrowed him one of my guitars 20 years ago, and it got “Japped”, meaning he never returned it!
Other band members also contribute to songwriting. Is it spontaneous thing, or do you sit down with Henri Pirkkalainen or Marcus Lång and say, “Hey, I have a riff. Maybe you can add something to it?”
Jappe: As I said, I always have the song structure, chords and the main riff, riffs or melody ready before presenting anything. I also have the main feel of the song or atmosphere. Then we go through it together, rehearse it and then analyze it and build it up further from there. Nowadays, vocal melodies are built on top of the instrumental parts. With this new album we collaborated more, and basically everyone contributed to the melodies. Marcus and Henri especially.
The new album sounds more progressive and epic to me. There are no happy tunes (let’s say it like this) like “Sunshine Path” . Is it just a coincidence? Or was it something that the album’s concept required?
Jappe: This time I had no concept in mind like I did with emotions. I just wanted to make faster and more powerful songs, still not forgetting our own sound. Personally I feel that "OUaT" is less progressive, and the progressive elements are not especially planned. It just comes naturally.
For whatever reason I have a feeling that the album is somehow connected to the theme of Outer Space and stars. Perhaps that’s because of keyboards sound in some songs and mentions of stars in some lyrics. Am I right? Is “Once Upon a Time” a concept album?
Jappe: "OUaT" is not a concept album in any way. Lyrically, it is a collection of themes and stories. Even though there were four writers, it still works as a whole.
Tero: I think by now we all know more or less how Excalion lyrics usually feel and sound. We all write in our own way inside a certain style, so to speak. So I think that’s why the themes may always feel interconnected, even when they aren’t deliberately written that way.
The album starts with the song “Keitele”. I know it’s a place in Finland near your hometown. But what is the message of the song? It’s quite long for an intro but it has only four lines of words…
Keitele was written in a very spontaneous way in a cottage next to Lake Keitele in Central Finland. It came out very fast in one summer afternoon and it was planned to be an instrumental at that point. Later on in the recording phase, Henri suggested adding some vocals and lyrics for it. I’m happy he did. As I mentioned before, “Keitele” was written in the cottage by the lake. My house is also near the same lake. Almost every day I walk on its shores or paddleboard on it, and in the winter (like now) I take walks on the ice. The lyrics and the idea for the vocals is to celebrate Keitele and tell a snippet of its history and the way it was crucial for the trade and livelihood of people living on its shores.
“Words Can’t Heal” is a real power metal anthem, and I enjoy every bit of it! But what is the story behind it? Is the song about broken heart?
It is an accusation or confrontation with someone who has mistreated you or done you wrong. So yes, it can be a song about a broken heart.
“Amuse Me” is a very sarcastic song, and you quote Fucik’s “Entry of the Gladiators” (a.k.a. circus march). What this song is about? Were you inspired by a certain place or a certain story?
Henri wrote the lyrics for it, so he can comment on that. Musically, I had this funny techno drum loop and just started to jam on top of that. The song took form really quickly.
The theme of the song had this amusement park style mood in it, and the working title of the song was the Finnish word for amusement park, “tivoli”. The lyrics have this dual meaning. On one hand, it’s a story about visiting an amusement park with inflated expectations, but naturally it can be seen from a societal perspective as well: a jester making empty promises of improving the lives of people but instead steering them in the most harmful way.
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“Once Upon a Time” (the song) is such a good combination of music and lyrics — they really compliment each other. How did you work on this track?
The idea and composition started from the keyboard sound in the intro. That was the spark for the inspiration. Then the rest of it came kind of naturally, and I feel that my personal trademarks can be heard in it. We changed some arrangements along the way, and we played it a lot in the rehearsals because it is really enjoyable to play. Tero made great lyrics for it.
Tero, could you comment on the lyrics? It’s interesting to know how he got this idea that “We're the stuff of which tales will be told”? That must be like an insight…
Tero: It’s a theme that seems to come up often in Excalion lyrics, about the timelessness of stories and imagination. “Centenarian” on Dream Alive was actually something similar. “Once Upon a Time” is also about how human lives are finite, but we can live on in the stories and memories of others. If you were a part of something good and beautiful that someone remembers, in that sense you can live forever. I like that thought - it’s nice if people find the lyrics resonating.
Tero, you used to write a lot of lyrics for the band even when you quit the band. Why did you write only a couple of lyrics this time?
Jappe: We didn’t plan it one way or another. I wanted to write more lyrics and asked the other guys to do so as well, including Tero. Henri and Onni had ideas for lyrics, so it was natural that they wrote too.
Tero: It’s partly my fault, I think - I had a period when I was really busy with work and with lots of life happening, and I simply did not have anything, did not even feel able to write any good lyrics. And this time there was no need, because the others contributed such good stuff.
“The Band of Brothers” is one of Tero’s lyrics. Is it about Excalion?
Tero: Yeah, it is. I wonder how evident it really is? (Laughs) However, I like the idea that everyone can interpret texts as they want, so you’re free to see it in other contexts too. But yes, at first I thought I’d put in the lyrics something explicitly about Excalion, their songs and and being a musician - but then I thought: “Well, maybe better not to make it TOO obvious.” I wanted to make a little tribute to those guys and the band. I played in Excalion for almost 15 years, and those experiences and their friendship is one of the best things ever happened to me. Because I happened to know these talented guys, I got to live all that and be in a band a thousand times better than any I could have ever gotten into by my own abilities alone. They’re just awesome people, and I think they deserve a song about them.
“When a Moment Turns Into a Lifetime” is the most epic song on the album. Was there certain event, that inspired you to write it?
Jappe: It is a story told in general terms about an event that changes your life. For me, the birth of my firstborn was an example of that kind of moment.
Jappe: You got it right. That is the only meaning behind it.
The sound of the new album just kills! Did you discuss with Simone Mularoni, the owner of Domination Studio, what type of sound you wanted to achieve? Or did he have free reign in this field?
Jappe: We worked with Simone already on "Emotions". He has a very solid and recognizable sound in his mixing. This is why we worked with him earlier and the reason we chose to work with him again. We gave Simone somewhat free hands, but naturally we expressed some wishes to retain some of the natural tone of the instruments, such as the way the drums sound.
This was also the first time that we recorded the drums, bass and guitars live, meaning that we played them together at one go. We chose to do this after our previous demo sessions, where we came to the conclusion that we actually lock to each other’s playing with an improved groove when we play together. So instead of recording each of these backing tracks separately, we were in one bigger room in Studio Watercastle, with the fantastic engineer Arttu, and played each song twice to find an optimal and magical version for each of the songs. We knew that Simone would be able to use this live recording approach to our advantage, and we just love how the album sounds.
The band has never done big tours outside Finland. I understand, that now you all have jobs, families and with years debauchery on the road looks less exciting, but why didn’t you try to tour properly in support of the early albums?
Jappe: We have done some gigs here and there, and we did some light-weight touring in Finland. I think the main problem was that we did not find the right people for booking and handling tours. We got some contacts over the years, but many of the plans for going abroad were somewhat unrealistic with huge expenses to pay ourselves. In some cases we also found out that the organizer of a potential tour had previously been in court for scamming bands. Over the years it has also become more challenging to arrange tours, not only due to missing management and booking agency, but also because of our day jobs, families and living in different parts of Finland.
A bit off topic question: the band had 2 major line-up changes — in 2005 and 2014. What happened back then?
Jappe: Good question. In 2005, after the first album, we wanted to put even more effort into the band. It meant more practicing, more rehearsals, and more ambition. Not everyone was ready for that, so we ended up changing the line-up. For some time it worked very well, and we played together a lot. Year 2013 was a bit different. By then we had made 3 albums, and everyone had gotten a bit older and settled down. The drive and energy had decreased within the band. Then-current singer Jarmo Pääkkönen decided to quit the band then, and eventually he moved on from singing altogether. Vesa Nupponen moved to Helsinki, and the distance was too great, so he also quit. But the rest of us just continued. Of course, it was a big setback, but we never thought of quitting. We started to work on new songs and played as a trio in the rehearsal room. Some time later, we found Aleksi for the guitar. We had known him for a while and knew he could play great. Henri saw Marcus singing in a YouTube video and said to me that he would fit Excalion well. We had a few other names in mind also, but everything worked well and fast with Marcus. Soon after that, Tero said that he was moving to Spain, but he had found a replacement for us. Then Onni joined in as bassist, and here we are.
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| Back in the day |
Were there moments, when you thought, “OK, I’ve had enough, this is it”? If yes, what (or who) helped you to keep the band going?
Jappe: To be honest, there were a few brief moments like that, but not seriously. Excalion is an essential part of me, and I think it will not really end as long as I’m breathing. I believe that Henri has the same feeling in him. Maybe in 2014 there was a moment like “What next?” But we just kept on going as always, even without a singer and a guitarist at the time.
In 2025 the band will be 25. I know there is plenty of time, but don’t you want to celebrate it with reissues of your old albums with some bonuses (demos, rough mixes), vinyl versions, re-recorded songs with ex-members etc.?
Jappe: Oh how the time flies, but currently we focus on the upcoming album and we’ll see what happens afterwards.
Any last words to round up the interview?
Jappe: Thank you for the opportunity to do this interview. Hopefully you all enjoy our new music.
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