(This interview was conducted by a journalist close to the band)

The new line up was announced on Thursday. Itīs all over the media and quite surprising for many people it seems.How do you feel about the reaction?

TT: It is quite surprising. I have received about 20 emails, where my life has been threatened directly. Be them real or not, it surely doesnīt feel nice. I am sure the amount of hatred doesnīt feel nice for MissK neither, who has just joined STRATOVARIUS.

MK: Well, I donīt care about those. Itīs my career that I am thinking about here. I see this whole thing from an entertainerīs point of view. I am an entertainer.

I was asked by Timo Tolkki to join this band, after we had met many times, talked about life, music and all. We have made lots of demos together and the new songs sound really really promising. It was me who contacted him however, when I heard that Timo Kotipelto left the band. I saw my chance and I took it and here I am!! To stay, like it ir not!!

JK: I donīt know about the reaction, I have been drinking Jack Daniels for the whole week. What fucking reaction? The only reaction I know has been when I have been vomiting in the mornings.

Hmm, I see. I hope you feel better already.

TT: What makes me wondering is the amount of hate that this line-up change has generated among the fans. It seems I will be crucified, no matter what I do. I personally feel that I have given STRATOVARIUS fans a lot of music along the years, organized lots of tours and done thousands of interviews. I think I have given them a lot! And still they say I donīt respect them and that I should respect them more? I say that respect is a mutual thing. All the outbursts from my side have only been reactions to very violent and arrogant reactions from people who call themselves "STRATOVARIUS fans". And now when people see a bit of blood (itīs real blood by the way), they freak out.

MissK, how do you feel about this blood issue and why are you showing your middle finger?

MK: I like blood. Elisabeth Bathory used to bathe in blood of young virgins. That sounds exciting to me! Do you think I should try that sometime? I eat babies for breakfast!! HAHAAAAAAHAAA!! The middle finger is not directed to anyone by the way!! But have you seen "Kill Bill" by Tarantino?

No I havenīt.

Jari, how do you see this blood issue?

JK: I havenīt even seen the pictures. I have been too busy driving my mountainbike in my apartment. Besides, I just had a claustrophobic attack in the park. That was horrible.

Timo Tolkki, you are drinking vodka straight from the bottle as we speak. Why are you doing that?

TT: This whole violence shows that mankind hasnīt truly learned anything from the past. If you consider this: If a simple rock band is able to generate this much hate and direct death threats, then how is it with larger things and with things that REALLY matter?

Is it any wonder why we still have wars in the world when you look at this fucking reaction from STRATOVARIUS fans? So thatīs why I am drinking vodka straight from the bottle.

Are you still going to therapy?

TT: I quit that, but now I think I have to go back there. Perhaps start taking antidepressive medication again. This whole thing might make the whole band enter group therapy. I heard there is really good group therapist in Germany, who is specialized in problems of rock groups.

Besides I am facing 1,5 Million Dollars lawsuit from Sanctuary, so itīs all downhill for me now anyway.

You saw your father commiting suicide when you were just 12 years old. Have you gotten over that?

TT: None of your business asshole. Why do you have to ask that? I will never get over that. When your own father cuts his wrists with razorblades and jumps down from the 4th floor in front of your eyes, donīt you think it will have some influence to you?

I am sorry I asked. Sorry Timo.

TT: Ok, no prob. You journalists just want to sell your fucking magazines! I know you! I know you!

MissK and Jari, how are the new STRATOVARIUS songs?

MK: We have been singing some old songs that Tolkki has selected carefully. I can sing all the songs though, with my range it is no problem for me to sing "Father Time" and songs like that.

The new songs I havenīt tried so much, because Tolkki has this new psychological producing style where he doesnīt really tell the band in advance how the songs are. We just get some guitar riffs and thatīs all. I guess they are doing some recordings already.

JK: I never rehearse because I am so good. I have played in this band always. It is my band actually! You guys just donīt know this. Besides I have more important things to do than to play. Like drinking and driving mountain bikes. My mountain bike costs 25 000 US Dollars by the way and it is a fucking nice piece of equipment!

Hmm I see.. MissK, but your vocal performance in your previous band has been criticized among the STRATOVARIUS community.

MK: I can understand that. They were recorded years ago and I always told the guitar player of that band that the songs are written in the wrong fucking key for me!! Too fucking low! He never listened. It is an amateur band really, itīs not even a band you know. Just one guy.

TT: I never based my choice of MissK to those soundclips. Frankly, they are quite horrible. What people think? I was convinced about MissK when we met several times and talked about life and music and played together. She is truly an amazing perfomer, everybody will be surprised in the end when they will hear it! The songs in that old band of hers, were quite poor in my opinion with horrible production and completely in a wrong key for MissK. Her talent was wasted to death and now she has the chance to prove what she is really made of.

Many people expect Nightwish number 2?

TT: Thatīs because to the masses everything is black and white. The new songs have absolutely fucking NOTHING to do with that style. Do you think I am stupid or something?

(at this point the interview had to be stopped because Tolkki was already so drunk that he could barely talk anymore. His assistant took him to rest and I continued with MissK for a while).

So MissK, how do you see Timo Tolkki?

MK: He is such a gentleman with me. He listens to my feelings, fears (yeah, even I get scared sometimes!!) and what I want. I have never met anyone like him before. You know that he almost became a psychotherapist because of his fathers suicide. It hurt him so bad. He has over 600 books in his library and he is intelligent and well read and always been to me a really really nice and calm guy.

So he has an alcohol problem, thatīs too bad. He always says to me that he hasnīt got an alcohol problem, the alcohol has a problem with him. He has such a great style of humour. Really black. Many people take everything what he says literally, but many times itīs just his humour.

(at this point Tolkki returns and surprisingly looks completely sober!!!)

TT: I get these attacks sometimes, sorry. I am missing a gene and that results that I get drunk very easily and get also sober very quickly. Sometimes.

I see. Last words for STRATOVARIUS fans?

TT: Remember that I am the guy who wrote all the fucking STRATOVARIUS classics! I wrote them all! I wrote Paradise, I wrote Hunting, I wrote Black Diamond!! I wrote Father Time, Kiss of Judas!! I wrote all those classics completely, also the vocal melodies. Kotipelto just wrote a few lyrics, but to me the music is what really counts. Lyrics are really not that important on a larger scale. He never wrote any of the music or melodies of any of my songs. Just a few lyrics. And even on those songs where he wrote some lyrics, the song titles were always mine. I compose like that you know. I always come up with the title first. So donīt come to tell me to leave the band I created and in which I have been in 20 years!!!

If you donīt understand my decisions, then you are always free not to listen to it or buy it. Donīt buy fucking stuff you donīt like!! So all I want to say is that although I do understand the disappointment of the fans in generally, I do not understand and accept the violence and prejudism concerning the lineup change. Through the tough times you see who your REAL friends are!!

And at the end of the day my Friends, it is just a FUCKING ROCK BAND!!!!

Thank you Timo, MissK and Jari.