Viral (en)

Timo Komulainen, also known as mad, is a vocalist, guitarist and a composer, who is responsible for the one-man band Viral. Antediluvian Hunger, Viral's first and possibly last album, tells a story of glory, corruption, and hope. The journey begins from Earth, long past abandoned by life, that is hiding a terrible secret within its core. It ends in a war of epic proportions on Fomulor Prime, an alien planet far away from the story's starting point. Although new to the music business and working without label, already, he is well-set on his quest to bring forth yet another band, Omniavatar. We stole a bit of his time from the recording studio to inquire about his doings and asked about his previous works...

interview Viral (FIN)Omniavatar... For those who are unfamiliar with your work, could you share a little bit of your background and the kind of music you create?
I was born in Finland, one of the great lands of Metal, where I still reside. My family has always been very musical and I was taught violin at an early age. In high school I teamed up with a bunch of friends to play covers, which was my first brush with harsh sort of vocals.

I've written both fictional and factual texts for longer than music, which explains my desire to combine them both. Both of my albums have been composed based on a story. The story progresses with the music from the first track to the last, and I use a lot of progressive elements to further enhance the effect.


Why have you decided to call your new project Omniavatar, what does it stand for?
I see life as something very diverse. I don't want to limit myself in anything, especially when it comes to something as powerful as music. Omniavatar, as a name, gives me the freedom to express anything I want. "Omni-" can be understood as all, all encompassing. "-avatar" has many meanings, but in this case it stands for "a beholder", someone or something observing the world. Omniavatar is my way of viewing the world and the universe from numerous perspectives.

Could you tell us of what we might expect from the new album and the different elements. Just a brief comparison to your previous project, Viral?
The music on United Earth, the upcoming album, is very, very diverse and progressive. However, my aim has been to make it cohesive and pleasant to listen to as well. I want to create daring music, but preferably not at the expense of alienating listeners who are used to more chorus centered styles. :) United Earth is not for everyone, I'm sure, but my belief is that it will ring true for a lot of people.

As for some examples of what I'm trying to say, in one song there is a beautiful duet of a male and a female voice, while elsewhere you can find blast beat BM. Death Metal, Heavy Metal, Space Metal, Jazz, Black Metal...

Omniavatar shares many similarities with Viral, but I didn't change the name without a reason. While Viral had more of the dark Black Metal elements, Omniavatar has more light and diversity to it. However, that is not to say any of it is about bunnies and rainbows. I see the themes and events as something mature and meaningful, as something truthful derived from the real world.

Will the female vocals be used a la Sarah Jezebel Deva in Therion or Cradle of Filth?
I do most of the vocals, but no matter what voices I am able to produce, I'm still a man. One of the story's three main characters is female, and so is the second vocalist involved in this project. She will even do some leads, in addition to short spoken lines and background vocals.

The lyrics on the album 'Antediluvian Hunger' from Viral encompasses Sci-fi themes... Will this new one also revolve around Sci-fi tales? If so, why not the beheading of nuns, eating human remains or anything profane and blasphemous?
You must be referring to the roots of Black Metal. To me those guys were and are angry and frustrated. Religions are run by the people, not angels and other supernatural forces. If such things as angels and god (s) exist, they are beyond our reach and wrath. The problems we face lie in the societies, and religions are but one representation of them. Thus, I use heavy and dark musical elements to express things that, in my opinion, are closer to the truth than hurting and hating other little people like you and I.

Yes for Sci-fi elements. Yes for epic space battles. Yes for love. Yes for faith in unlimited potential of the humankind.

When can we get our hands on United Earth?
At the moment we are finishing u
p the recordings of the rest of vocal parts (it's the end of June 2010 now). All guitar, drum and piano parts are in the can already. The album should be ready before the end of September 2010 and IT WILL BE FREE to download! Yes, the music itself will be free. I will have to think of other ways of collecting support from my listeners - that is, if they want to see us live and do more music like this.

What kind of expectations do you have after the release?
Honestly, I have no idea of what will happen. Of course I'm hoping that my music will be well received. I want to be able to travel and do live shows. I want to write more music, because there seems to be no limit to what I can do with it. But this is hard work and I need support to continue, so if the album fails to help my cause, I will reconsider my priorities.

Whatever will happen won't change my feelings towards what I have accomplished. I am proud of the album and I'm sure it will find its listeners - it's just a matter of time and place. ;)

Viral... Were you involved in any other band before Viral?
I've been involved in many bands over the years, but none of them were very meaningful to me. I acted as a vocalist in all of those past projects and this is the first band in which I compose and play guitar in addition to doing vocals.

The only project worth mentioning was Bound. I wrote lyrics and performed vocals to songs composed by a guy I was a room mate to. We had a good time and I learned a lot about making music. We released a four track CD with a circulation of about 20-30, sold and given away to friends and family. :)

Did you play the actual keyboard for the orchestrations?
The sounds are synthetic as is the case with most metal albums and my computer played most of them, which, especially in the case of melodies, can be apparent. I played a few things requiring little precision.

You named the Aliens's home planet, Fomulor Prime. Why Fomulor Prime? It sounds like Optimus Prime, I hate transformers...
Ah, well - Fomulor was a fitting word. I found it online. It's from some language and I think its meaning was something relevant. Prime means that it's the first planet of that system - Fomulor I.


In the album Antediluvian Hunger, where was your influences mostly drawn from?
Hmh, influences.. Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, Children of Bodom, Symphony X, Kovenant, Hecate Enthroned, Soundgarden, Marduk... I like so many bands, which serves me well because the themes I portray are diverse. My music has all sorts of emotions and colours to it and the same goes for the new album, and especially for it.

How long did it take to produce the album?
3-4 months for everything - composing, practice and recording.

That's fast...
Yeah, I wanted to show myself I can do an album. I did my best, but I could have done a lot better and that's happening with this second one.

Good, good. I'm sure you have learned something from that experience...
Oh yes, loads and loads

That's how you improve.
That's the ticket.

Overall, are you pleased with the album?
Well, let's just say there are parts that please me, but also ones that make me gringe, but yeah, I guess. Especially considering how quickly I managed to pull it off, with my PC, without a studio or other musicians - just me in my tiny apartment.

Misc... Could you elaborate your process of composing music?
I used the same process with both Antediluvian Hunger and United Earth. First I write the story and its characters: I sketch out
a rough idea of what I want to do and then I start working on the details. Does this and that excite me? What could be done better? A seemingly endless line of improvements and changes follows. Once I am happy with the story, I move onto the music.

By now I have organized the story into tracks and given them names. I know what will happen in each track, and thus I have a rough idea of what the music should be like. If a main character is chased by bloodthirsty aliens, you gotta feel that while listening to the music. It is both a curse and a blessing - you know what to aim for, but it can also restrict you.

The last phase is writing lyrics. I prefer to do it with the music done, because lyrics are on top of the mix anyway. I listen to the music and go through the story, trying out different lines, rhymes etc. I have to keep going until I'm happy with what I've done.

The process never ends there, of course, because new ideas arise over the course of the recording process. If I and others involved have done everything right, the end result should sound a lot better than what we have dared to expect.

I understand you've been playing the guitar for 6 years, what influenced you to pick up the guitar?
I remember starting after I got out of army. It's hard to say why - I had been interested in the instrument for a long time and the time must have been right. I have come a long way, but the way of the guitar is never ending. Electric guitar is the most versatile instrument I know.

Who are some of your Guitar heroes?
Oh, there are so many awesome guitarists out there. Michael Romeo, Michael Angelo, Alexi Laiho, Jari Maenpaa and Marty Friedman to name just a few.

Who do you consider a Metal God?
No one. The way I see it, we all are the same sort of human beings, trying to communicate with each other. Some use music to do that and some of them are very talented at it. But what is the message? There are so many things you can say with music and all of those things have meaning to them. I don't have to choose and I won't. I love both Dimmu Borgir and Soundgarden, while I try to avoid meaningless noise of some of the pop bands out there. Music and business need each other, but the business side of things should never dictate the message. Oh well, I guess I drifted away a little there. ;)

I see so many talented, passionate musicians out there and I cannot bow down to them all at the same time, so instead I keep my back straight and enjoy the view. ;)

Any embarrassing moment you would like to share with our readers?
Oh yes! I used to live in Helsinki, where I worked in the center of the city. One day I was walking towards an entrance to the metro, having left my workplace, when I saw him: Mr. Maenpaa himself, the soul of Wintersun, walking in the opposite direction. When we were walking past each other I raised my left hand to show him the horns, the evil eye. However, somehow I ended up raising but the middle finger! Perhaps I had gloves on, making it hard to do it properly - I'm not sure what happened. All I know is, I kept walking and felt embarrassed as hell. I have no idea if he even noticed the gesture or of what he made of it, but perhaps I will some day. I'd really like to meet him!

Do you have any rants for the readers of Spirit of Metal, let's hear it!?
They are trying to establish metal as religion in the UK, for Pete's sake! I really dig Metal, having listened to it for half my life. However, it's not all there is to music, let alone to life! Dear reader: Metal is but one vessel of musical expression. It is not the truth and other genres are not its enemies. The societies and ideas behind music are what you should concentrate on, not the methods of communication. Learn to understand each other and the world. Wisen up. Earth - UNITE!

Interview done by WinterMadness177

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Anarchy0 - 19 Julio 2010: GOOD
 
InsanePatient - 14 Agosto 2010: NICE! Interview!
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