Jens Johansson Stratofoorumilla [url=http://forum.stratovarius.com/viewtopic.php?t=10706]tässä[/url] ketjussa wrote:The decision was mine, Timo's, Lauri's and Matias'. All of us would like to go on making music as "Stratovarius". And then why not? Simple as that. It's just a rock band, like Lennon said.
You pour your collective guts and emotions + plus hundreds of hours of work to make it sound nice into some music, and later it reaches other people's ears and hearts and lifts their day or makes them smile... where on earth is the downside to this!?
It's not as if making the next "Stratovarius" record requires us to club baby seals or start wars. It's just music?
Whom would this music hurt, and why? Think a lot about that one...
Making the charge that so-and-so is a sell-out just because they are in a successful band has a long tradition in this industry. I never buy it. Most people need money to cover their daily life.
I watched the mini-carnage at the Symfonia forum, I agree with many things user RazielZR writes there. That's just my opinion (as usual -- if I type something it's my opinion, I hope I don't have to remind everyone of that, constantly). I don't speak for the band now, I speak for myself.
Of course lots of well-meaning (and sometimes not so well-meaning) advice is always proffered by lots of people, but in the end you just have to decide what feels right. Then the dogs possibly bark some more. The caravan moves on. There is always the option to listen to something else... there are millions of pieces of music in the universe.
I love the direction that "Polaris" and Elysium" took. And the audience response has been INCREDIBLE, in sales and reactions at the concerts. Why should we stop making these people happy.. just because it offends very very few people on earth? (Mainly ONE person it offends quite hugely) Would Deep Purple stop playing or change their name if I wrote them and thought they should call themselves "Bananas" instead? Does Blackmore go on internet forums arguing with his fans about what he thinks Deep Purple should be called? No. Richie walked away.. one last time, and he is not looking back.
I have no idea what the next record will sound like. I just know it will be great with so much talent and passion on the table. The two "new guys" (I say "new" ironically -- their collective time in the band is 10 years now) are fully intergrated, we know each other very well now musically and personally, and we all get along well.
It makes me very sad that Jörg leaves, but I have to accept it. The time we had and the impact he made on the music is something nobody can ever take away from me. I am so fucking proud and sat at the same time.
Reunion with Jari and Timo T could only happen with a) Jörg changing his mind, and b) Lauri and Matias mystically just disappear, and... listen carefully now, we don't fire people.. over my dead body someone is forced out anymore. I still feel very bad for how Jari was treated.
So neither a) or b) has an INFINITESIMAL chance of happening.
Also, Didn't TT made the assertion somewhere (symfonum?) that he actually didn't like TK's!? Neurotic body armor, he couldn't sing anymore, I forget what it was. So obviously it would not be fore artistic reasons eh. "Doing it for the fans" I am not even going to comment.
There are other reasons too that this idea is unlikely, but in the interest in keeping the peace I'll just stop there.