Review Fix Exclusive: Armored Dawn’s Timo Kaarkoski Talks Goals And More

Review Fix chats with Armored Dawn’s Timo Kaarkoski, who discusses the band’s origin and goals for the future.

Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?

Timo Kaarkoski: All of us got involved in music at a very early age. We can give you some examples, like Eduardo (vocals), who started playing the piano because his mother used to teach piano; Tiago (guitars) was very influenced by Brazilian music, and his father was also a musician; Rodrigo started playing the drums at the age of 14 and he is a self-learner. We had different influences to start in music, since classical music to Thrash Metal.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Kaarkoski: There’s nothing very special about it, it’s very common actually. Usually, one of us gets in studio with new ideas, a theme, a voice melody or a guitar riff. Then all members start working on it, until we have an entire music done.  

Review Fix: What is the Brazilian music scene like?

Kaarkoski: Unfortunately, Brazil is a difficult place for any metal band. There’s no much space in the media for us. For some unexplained reason, Brazilians only seem to value their own bands, after they make name for themselves outside the country. There’s a lot of great metal bands here, but the scene is underground. Too many people prefer to pay to see cover bands, than those who write their own music. 

Review Fix: What inspires you?

Kaarkoski: Fighting our own daily battles is our greatest inspiration.

Review Fix: What does music mean to you?

Kaarkoski: None of us could ever live without music. It’s the true expression of what comes from the soul, and you’re able to put all that feeling in a song through your instrument. Music has present us to our best friends and some of the most special and important people in our lives… As if this were not enough, we have the opportunity to live from our music. It couldn’t be better, really. We can say that music is everything to us.

Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?

Kaarkoski: First of all, we need to say that we’re not a Viking Metal band. We just like the Viking theme and write out it. We have influences from many different things, as Power Metal and Thrash Metal, now we are also influenced by some more modern elements. So, it’s only Metal. 

Review Fix: How are your live shows different from your studio work?

Kaarkoski: At the studio we are always very focused, whether composing, recording or rehearsing. Every show is very special. We are very focused as well, obviously, but the atmosphere is completely different. At the shows we have the chance to meet our fans and see them headbanging and singing our songs. Surely, it’s the best reward for a musician: to see his fans thrilled with his music, and that’s what makes our work in studio so different than the live shows. 

Review Fix: Why does Metal matter?

Kaarkoski: By many people, metal is still seen as music for powerless, minorities that need to be exalted, it’s kind of the voice of the excluded. The vision we have is that Metal brings people together, at the shows you can clearly see this union, and you can also see all repressed feelings being released. Metal gets people out of depression, inspires, makes people more determined to face their problems and fears, that’s all that makes it so special. 

Review Fix: What inspired your latest single? 

Kaarkoski: Well, all the album “Viking Zombie” was based a story that Eduardo (vocals) created. It’s important to say it’s a fiction. He really is into this Viking theme and studies it a lot. Basically, the story is about a viking who died in a battle, but didn’t go to paradise, Valhalla. He asked for a new chance to live and Odin answers his request, but in this new life, he is a zombie. So, he is out of his time and became a misfit in the society, and  then he has to learn how to deal with it. Our last single “Zombie Viking” is like just a chapter of all this story. Musically speaking, we were inspired by many more modern bands, so this single is the reflection of those new influences, it’s entirely different from what we’ve been doing all these years. 

Review Fix: What are your goals for 2020?

Kaarkoski: Take over the world! We are busily booking shows from all corners of the globe and we REALLY hope to be able to visit as many places as possible. 

Review Fix: What’s next?

Kaarkoski: Shows and more shows. Also, we are slowly starting to write some new material for the next album.