[b]Oneman-projects. What drives these musicians to produce material without a real band to support them? How do they come up with the idea? Questions that are hard to answer. Even for these musicians themselves, I reckon. Let's ask a new rising star in this tiny cathegory: Jari M�enp��, mastermind of Wintersun![/b]

[img]https://upload.metalrage.com/Jari Maenpaa.jpg[/img]

[b]After leaving Ensiferum you started Wintersun. Was it easy to come up with this new project?[/b]

Actually I didn´t start this project [i]after[/i] [b]Ensiferum[/b]. I was already doing my own music even before I joined [b]Ensiferum[/b], I´ve always recorded music at home with my multitrack recorders, doing demos of my songs. It just stayed at the sidelines, because I loved playing in a band and [b]Ensiferum[/b] was getting bigger and bigger all the time so that kept us all busy. But then I finally got the record deal for my own material. I needed a break from
[b]Ensiferum[/b] to do my record, but our timeschedules didn´t match. So that´s why
we parted ways.

[b]Although the Wintersun debut doesn’t have a title, why is it that your name is on the albumcover?[/b]

I make lots of different music, different styles of metal and I will do albums in the future that I cannot do under the [b]Wintersun[/b] name. So there´s got to be some link that people will know that I have made this and that album. Otherwise every album that I make will be my debut album in a way. A good example would be [b]Devin Townsend[/b]´s career. He´s made lots of different kinds of albums, but his name is on the covers so people will know that it´s his music.

[b]How would you describe the music of this album both lyrically and musically?[/b]

Musically it´s extreme metal music that has big atmosphere. It´s very melodic in lots of ways, melancholic, epic, a little bit folkish and dark. Lyrics are just me exploring my feelings, thoughts, visions, dreams and hallucinations, and going all out on paper.


[b]I think a lot of people have heard Wintersun's sound before. Bands like Kalmah, Children of Bodom and Night In Gales produce a somewhat similar sound of metal. Now, these are only three names, but there are a lot more bands like above mentioned. What, according to you, is it that should make people listen to Wintersun?[/b]

It´s better! ;)

[b]Hehehe, I don’t know about you, but I’d rather sit in the summersun. Winter is a tad too cold for me. Why call your band Wintersun[/b]?

Yeah, I prefer to sit in the summersun also and maybe have few cold ones ;)
But [b]Wintersun[/b] describes the music well. When I listen to the record or when I make this kind of music, I always have visions of cold and relentless winter landscapes and stars, space and the universe. So there´s two dimensions in the music: "Winter" and the "Sun".

[b]Although you have the intention of making a live-band out of Wintersun, all the work on the album is done by you, except for the drums. I know of other projects / bands where it is being pulled off, but because of the technicality of Wintersun, it stands out just a bit more in my opinion. How did you pull this album off?[/b]

It´s quite easy when the songs are ready to be recorded. I just need drumtracks and then I just start to build from there. First guitars, then bass, synths and vocals and there you go ;).
Although it´s more hard work and remembering stuff when you are playing everything yourself, I can say that´s the easy part. The hard part is all the other shit you gotta deal with; I mean the "business side", all the contracts, booking the studios, travelling, paperwars, dealing with regular jobs or social security office, all the money problems and lots of other little things that piss me off. It would be easy just to make music and play, but it´s not like that, there are lots of things you gotta deal with.

[b]You surely must have had a musical education?[/b]

Nope. Just a few beginner stuff guitar lessons. I have learned and practiced everything on my own.

[b]Every band has main influences which make them play the style of music they love. What are your main influences?[/b]

[b]KISS[/b], [b]W.A.S.P[/b], [b]Metallica[/b], [b]Megadeth[/b], [b]Guns´N´Roses[/b], [b]Skid Row[/b], [b]Carcass[/b], [b]Steve Vai[/b], [b]Yngwie J.Malmsteen[/b], [b]Sentenced[/b], [b]Amorphis[/b], [b]Dissection[/b], [b]Emperor[/b], [b]At the Gates[/b], [b]Dark Tranquillity[/b], [b]Devin Townsend[/b], [b]Bal-Sagoth[/b], [b]Summoning[/b]... and the list goes on...

[b]What, according to you, is the most energetic, powerful, emotional, enigmatic band in the world both musically and lyrically and why?[/b]

[b]Devin Townsend Band[/b] or [b]Strapping Young Lad[/b] perhaps. Devin has created music that always gives me the good shivers, I just love it!

[b]When you have the chance to go on tour with Wintersun, which band would you like to ask to come with you and why?[/b]

Haven´t thought about it much. It would be cool to go with bands that I know the members, like [b]Rotten Sound[/b], [b]Moonsorrow[/b], [b]Finntroll[/b], [b]Ensiferum[/b], [b]Thunderstone[/b]... though it would be nice to meet some new faces.

[b]Here and there I read something about Wintersun and some spoke of you as being ‘The Finnish Yngwie Malmsteen’. What is your reaction on that?[/b]

Hahaha! Well Yngwie is a fucking great guitarplayer, so it´s a compliment. But I´m not like him, he seems to be pretty temperamental and a "rockstar" kinda guy. I'm far from it, hehehe!

[b]All of our anxious readers are waiting for some final words of wisdom...[/b]

You´re damned if you do and damned if you don´t.

[b]Thank you very much for your time and I hope we’ll hear loads of good news about Wintersun in the near future![/b]

Thank you! Go check out this site!