• It's not a secret that Celesty belong in the Finish school of melodic power metal. However, what distinguishes them from all the other Stratovarius clones is that they are not copycats, but on the contrary they manage to give a freshness and develop this sound. Now, with the release of their debut album we had a word with their bassist Ari Katajamoki. read what he told us...

1.FIRST OF ALL GIVE US SOME INFO REGARDING THE BAND. WHO ARE THE FOUNDERS AND WHICH IS THE CURRENT LINE UP?

• ORIGINAL MEMBERS LEFT THE BAND AND THE ONLY ORIGINAL MEMBERS TODAY ARE ME AND JERE LUOKKAMÄKI. WE HAVE HAD SOME DIFFERENT LINEUPS DURING THESE YEARS. THE BAND NOW IS: (IN ORDER OF JOINING THE BAND)
• JERE LUOKKAMÄKI - DRUMS
• ARI KATAJAMÄKI - BASS
• TAPANI KANGAS - GUITAR
• J-P ALANEN - GUITAR
• KIMMO PERÄMÄKI - VOCALS
• JUHA MÄENPÄÄ - KEYBOARDS

• WE THOUGHT THE NAME CELESTIAL WAS TOO COMMON, AND COULD HAVE GIVEN A WRONG IMPRESSION ABOUT THE STYLE OF MUSIC WE PLAYED. CELESTY IS A BETTER NAME FOR OUR BAND. TO MY MIND NAME CELESTY BRINGS AN IMAGE ABOUT SOMETHING COLD AND NORTHERN, AND COS WE'RE FROM COLD AND DISTANT SKANDINAVIA I THINK THAT IT PERFECTLY SUITS TO US..

• SOME JUST GET BORED OF PLAYING, I GUESS, AND SOME WE HAD TO REPLACE WHILE LOOKING FOR WORKING LINEUP. WE'RE HAPPY WITH THIS CURRENT LINE-UP. I THINK EVERYBODY HAS GOT SOMETHING TO BRING TO THIS BAND, AND OUR MUSICAL SKILLS ARE IMPROVING FAST. OUR RELATIONS WITH OLDER MEMBERS ARE OK.

• WE RECORDED TWO DEMOS:
• I    WARRIOR OF ICE (2001)
• II    TIMES BEFORE THE ICE (2002)
• THESE DEMOS BEGIN A TRILOGY WHICH WE PLANNED TO DO. WE LIKED OUR SECOND DEMO SONG VERY MUCH AND RE-RECORDED THEM TO OUR ALBUM ALSO, ALTHOUGH LYRICS AND SOME TITLES HAVE BEEN CHANGED. THESE SONGS ARE (DEMO NAMES): CHARGE, POWER OF STONES AND HEART OF ICE.

• YES, REIGN OF ELEMENTS IS A CONCEPT ALBUM. STORY COMES FROM FEATHERPENS OF OUR GREAT WRITERS; JERE LUOKKAMÄKI AND TAPANI KANGAS. IT IS AN INTRESTING BATTLE OF "GOOD AND EVIL",WITH SUPRISIES, AND OF COURSE, THE ELEMENTS ARE INVOLVED THERE TOO. WELL, THE CONCEPT ALBUM IS A LONG PROCESS TO DO BUT IT'S MORE INTRESTING ALSO, COS YOU GET MUCH MORE DEPTH TO YOUR RECORD.

• MANY LABELS WERE INTRESTED, IN FACT SOME EVEN BEFORE OUR SECOND DEMO. WE DECIDED THOUGH IT'S BETTER TO RECORD OUR SECOND DEMO AND HAVE IT READY BEFORE. WE WANTED TO KNOW THAT IT SOUNDS MORE OF US, AS TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS THEN. WE DECIDED ARISE RECORDS TO BE THE BEST CHOICE TO US, AND HAVE BEEN VERY SATISFIED WITH THEIR WORK SINCE. THE THING THAT ARISE RECORDS IS SPANISH, DON'T BOTHER US, AS SPAIN IS NOT REALLY TOO FAR AWAY FROM FINLAND.

• I THINK IT'S GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH EASIER SUCCESS, MANY FINNS FOR EXAMPLE ME, LIKES METALMUSIC AND THERE JUST ARE MANY GOOD METAL GROUPS HERE THAT WILL GET A LOT OF ATTENTION WORLDWIDE. I THINK POWERMETAL IS NOT SO POPULAR IN FINLAND LIKE DANCE\POP MUSIC IS. THERE ARE ONLY FEW RADIOSHOWS THAT PLAY IT HERE.....A LITTLE.. I REALLY HOPE THIS WILL CHANGE.

• WE HAVE A LOT OF ENERGY IN OUR MUSIC. OUR SONGS MAY SOUND A BIT SIMPLE TO SOME LISTENERS, BUT THERE ARE STILL MORE THAN THAT. IT'S VERY HARD FOR ME TO DESCRIPE IT. OUR SONGS ARE VERY STRAIGHT, BUT WE'VE GOT THAT UNIQUE "FEELING" IN THEM. I WOULD'T COMPARE OUR MUSIC TO ANY OTHER BAND. WE DO WHAT WE LOVE TO, AND IT SOUNDS LIKE US. TO CONVINCE YOU I MUST MENTION THIS: WE HAVE FUN PLAYING THESE SONGS, WE REALLY LIKE OUR ALBUM AND WE ARE SURE THAT EVERYONE FINDS SOMETHING FOR ITSELF FROM IT TOO. :)

• WE HAVE PLAYED SOME GIGS WITH JANI'S BANDS (SONATA, ALTARIA), SO WE KNOW HIM A LITTLE. WE THINKED IT'L WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE HIM PLAY SOMETHING IN OUR DEBUT ALBUM, SO WE ASKED HIM AND HE AGREED. JANI IS A REALLY NICE GUY.

• WE CAME UP FEW SONGS TO CHOOSE FROM. WHEN SOME WE'RE ALREADY TAKEN WE DECIDED CHANCE IS THE BEST ONE FOR US. WE ALL LIKE THIS SONG, AND I THINK WE MANAGED PRETTY WELL WITH IT.

• I THINK ALL OF THESE BANDS HAVE INFLUENCED US SOMEWAY. THERE'S DEFINITTLY SOME MANOWAR, STRATOVARIUS, HELLOWEEN IN OUR MUSIC, BUT WE TAKE OUR INFLUENCES AS INFLUENCES. MEANING WE REALLY DON'T WANT TO SOUND TOO MUCH LIKE THESE BANDS, AND WE DON'T WANT TO COPY THEM. PEOPLE CAN TAKE INFLUENCES FROM ANY MUSIC THEY HEAR, THEY JUST DON'T NECESSARY "KNOW" IT. I LIKE ALL OF THESE BANDS YOU MENTIONED VERY MUCH, EXCEPT I HAVEN'T HEARD A LOT OF DREAM THEATER, IT'S MAYBE JUST TOO COMPLICATED MUSIC FOR ME. GREAT MUSICIANS ALTHOUGH. IF YOU CAN HEAR INFLUENCES FROM DREAM THEATER IN OUR MUSIC SOMEDAY, THEN JUHA IS ONE TO "BLAIM" CO'S I KNOW HE LOVES THAT BAND :)MEMBERS OF OUR BAND HAVE GOT SO MANY PERSONAL INFLUENCES THAT YOU    SHOULD GO CHECK THEM OUT FROM OUR WEBSITE.

• WELL, WE WOULD FEEL BAD, WHO WOULDN'T? BUT REVIEW IS STILL JUST ONE PERSON'S OPINION. WHEN WE LOVE WHAT WE'RE DOING THEN WE'RE HAPPY, OF COURSE WE'D BE MUCH HAPPIER WHEN SOMEONE ELSE LIKES OUR MUSIC TOO....

• HARD ONE.... THERE'S A LOT OF JOY IN OUR MUSIC, BUT THERE'S ALSO SADNESS...SO WHAT CAN YOU GET WHEN YOU MIX THESE TWO FEELINGS AND ADD SOME ENERGY....:) ??HELP ME...IM LOST

• I'D BE A DRUMMER... :) NO. MAYBE I'D BE SOME SORT OF A PAINTER. THAT WOULD BE ONE WAY TO SHARE(??) MY FEELINGS TOO.

• WELL, IT STILL TAKES A LOT OF WORK AND PRACTICING, BUT ONE THING I LIKE IS THE WAY HOW INTERNET HELPS BANDS TO CONTACT RECORD COMPANIES AND SPREAD THEIR MUSIC WORLDWIDE. YES THERE ARE MANY BANDS BUT I THINK THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. THERE ARE MUCH WORSE THINGS YOU CAN DO THAN PLAY. AND MAYBE: MORE BANDS THERE ARE, MORE GOOD MUSIC THERE CAN BE.

• SORRY. I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING. SO I'LL LET YOU THINK IT...

• THANK YOU!! WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO VISIT US AT www.celesty.net. LISTEN OUR MUSIC!, LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF US!,GET OUR ALBUM AND KEEP METAL IN YOUR HEART! WE ARE HOPING TO SEE YOU AT GIG SOMEDAY!!!