— Hello to you too! I’m doing ok, just moved to a new flat, rehearsing with BP etc 🙂

Your new and fifth studio album ‘The Ignitor’ is due for release on 19th June, how do you all feel about the work on the album, and can you tell me about the writing and recording process you went through?

—  Well, obviously we’re very excited and proud of what we’ve done! 🙂 I recorded first guitar parts late 2009, but as we didn’t have a deal at the moment, we weren’t that hurry to get things finished. We recorded the 2nd Ghost Machinery and Stargazery’s debut album first or should I say we recorded the BP stuff in between…Basically we were recording 3 albums at the same time 🙂

But all was smooth and we had the songs ready already in 2009, so we just picked which songs to be on the album 🙂

Your songs have a very melodic power metal style with catchy riffs, can you tell me what influences this style? And particularly the lyrical content of the songs on the new album?

— I draw my influences from the 80’s metal & hardrock. Bands like Accept, Judas Priest, Dio,  Bon Jovi, Europe, Helloween, Queensryche etc…But i’m a huge music consumer and collector and there are hundreds of bands i love. I try to write from the actual things that has happened to me, my close ones or just something i picked up from the news etc.

The brilliant cover artwork is by Felipe Machado Franco (who has also designed for Iced Earth, Blind Guardian and Rhapsody Of Fire to name a few), what are your reasons behind this choice?

— Felipe did our previous album cover, Empyre, as well as the Stargazery’s debyt, Eye on the sky, and the we just love his works! He is very easy to work with as well as he seem to have somekind of “6th sense” because everytime he has found and captured the very essence of what we were talking about when we discussed about the artwork! Very cool guy and excellent artist!

The band have been together for thirteen years now and there have been a few line-up changes, how have these changes affected the band dynamics?

— Yes, time flies when you’re having fun! 🙂 No question about it and all the credits to our past members, but the band is tighter than ever! And if this is me to decide, this is the final line-up 🙂 And the guys knows that too.

 Each member of the band are all involved in other projects aswell as Burning Point, how do you all split your time to work effectively?

— Well yes, we all have other activities, but we’ve manage to do everything so far 🙂 And ALL the music related I and we do is 110%!

You have a couple of festival appearances this summer, are you planning a tour for later in the year?

— Plans, yes, but we just have to wait and see what happens…lots of irons in the fire, but time will tell. We do have a new booking agency here in Finland as well as other stuff in the plans…let’s hope for the best! 🙂

Can you tell the readers what your early musical influences were, that inspired you to go into music as a career?

— As I mentioned earlier, my roots are deep in the 80’s metal, hardrock and AOR, but I do love the newer stuff too….At Vance, Nocturnal Rites, Dream Evil..list is endless! And of course my all time favourite, Yngwie Malmsteen!

If you could play on any stage in the world, where would it be and why?

— Hmm, it would be cool to play in all these great festivals like Wacken etc…They are just THE FESTIVALS! 🙂

What do you think are the key factors to the success of the band?

— Of course your songs have to be good! But, also very BIG part is the advertizing in magazines and websites etc…it don’t matter how good your album is if no one knows it even exists!

Could you tell me, as I know your fans would like to know, what are the plans for Burning Point over the next ten years?

— New music, lots of new music! 🙂

Thanks a lot for your time and good luck with the album!

— Thank you Ali for doing this interview and all the best to you too!

Pete