(NCS guest writer Kevin Page interviews Tuomas Saukkonen of Wolfheart and formerly of Before the Dawn, Black Sun Aeon, Dawn of Solace, and Routasielu. Wolfheart’s new album Winterborn will be released October 11. This is Kevin’s second NCS interview of Tuomas; the first one can be found here.)
K: The last time we spoke in March 2012 was when Rise of the Phoenix came out. You seemed energized over the new direction of Before the Dawn and were ready to move forward. Now, here we are 1.5 years later, Before the Dawn, Black Sun Aeon, Dawn of Solace, and Routasielu have been stopped, and your sole project is now Wolfheart. What happened ?
T: Well I kept on moving forward . There are a few songs on the last BTD album like “Throne Of Ice” and “Eclipse” which opened the door for Wolfheart musically and I didn’t feel like to follow that path with Before the Dawn anymore. Also Before the Dawn started to feel more and more as a job during the years and I needed to regain the passion toward music even if it meant taking a few steps backwards career wise.
K: Was there a sudden realization one day that “I’m bored, I need to stop this” or was it a gradual thing?
T: A gradual thing. Already while working on Deathstar Rising I felt like this might be the last album for Before the Dawn. Then came big changes and a lot of energy came with that album. But that energy went to music and song writing instead of leading the band.
K: Was there ever a time over the years where it felt mentally draining juggling numerous bands at the same time?
T: Nope. There were times when I felt mentally drained by one band. Sometimes crazy schedules, just simply a lot of work, problems with labels etc. And during those times it was a big relief to have other projects to pour my creativity into. Continue reading »