Jani Liimatainen

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THE DARK ELEMENT – Feat. Anette Olzon & Jani Liimatainen – Announce New Album “Songs The Night Sings”, Out In November, Video For Title Track Unleashed

Posted by tarjavirmakari on September 5, 2019
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

the-dark-element

THE DARK ELEMENT is a musical project featuring vocalist Anette Olzon (ex-Nightwish) and Finnish guitarist and songwriter Jani Liimatainen (Insomnium, Cain’s Offering). November 8th will see the release of their second album, entitled “Songs The Night Sings”. Today, the band presents a video for the album’s title track, which you can see below.

Pre-order “Songs The Night Sings” and stream the title track HERE: https://radi.al/SongsTheNightSings

Limited edition, 180g, gatefold vinyl and merch bundles available from the Frontiers’ webstores HERE: http://radi.al/FrontiersMusic

“Songs The Night Sings” takes off where the self-titled debut left off, with immaculate vocals from Anette and fabulous anthems written by Jani.

“It’s a thrill that we’re releasing yet another album and for me it’s been even easier to record this one since me and Jani now know each other really well. For me, this album is bigger and better and I believe the ones who liked the first one will really like this one too. All I can say is that I already long to do another album. Hep hep!” says Anette.

Jani adds, “I think the album is very heavy, but still hyper melodic, and this time we are even exploring new musical territories we didn’t on the previous album. Now that me and Anette have one album together under our belts, we have found the style we want to pursue and also the ideal way of working together. Given all this, I think it’s safe to say that with this album you’ll get even more of what made the first album so good, only it’s gonna be bigger, better and bolder!”

the-dark-element-cover

THE DARK ELEMENT made their live debut in June 2018 at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden. They also completed a short Japanese tour and performed at the Frontiers Rock Sweden festival in October at Fryshuset Klubben in Stockholm. More tour dates are planned for this upcoming album, so expect to see the band on stage again soon.

Since word of this project initially got out, fans were frothing at the mouth with anticipation for its arrival. And no wonder considering the talent involved! Anette is widely known for being the fabulous voice on the hit albums from Nightwish, “Dark Passion Play” and “Imaginareum”. Jani has recently been busy in Insomnium as well as Cain’s Offering alongside Stratovarius singer Timo Kotipelto, but left a deep mark on the minds of all Power Metal fans thanks to his time in Sonata Arctica.

The resulting debut album released in November 2017 took no time to prove that the resume of the individuals involved did indeed add up to the musical output.

Tracklisting:
1. Not Your Monster
2. Songs The Night Sings
3. When It All Comes Down
4. Silence Between The Words
5. Pills On My Pillow
6. To Whatever End
7. The Pallbearer Walks Alone
8. Get Out Of My Head
9. If I Had A Heart
10. You Will Learn
11. I Have To Go

Line-up:
Anette Olzon – Vocals
Jani Liimatainen – Guitars, keyboards, programming
Jonas Kuhlberg – Bass
Rolf Pilve – Drums

Produced by Jani Liimatainen

INSOMNIUM Reveal Details Of New Album “Heart Like A Grave”, Welcome Jani Liimatainen As Additional Guitarist

Posted by tarjavirmakari on July 20, 2019
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

INSOMNIUM-july2019

On October 4th, 2019, Finnish melodic death metal masters INSOMNIUM are going to release their new album “HEART LIKE A GRAVE” via Century Media Records worldwide.

”The concept of the album is to delve deep into the heart of the Finnish melancholy. We’ve been inspired by some of the bleakest and saddest songs, poems and tales that truly capture the essence of northern gloom. Land where the frost ravages the harvest and creeps inside the souls, summer ends before it even starts, wife leaves, little brother dies in snow on a Christmas morning, and the golden days of youth are forever gone. So there are echoes of Harmaja, Rautavaara, Vainio, Peltoniemen Hintriikka and of course our own petty, miserable lives.” – INSOMNIUM.

Consisting of ten songs and over an hour of music HEART LIKE A GRAVE evolved to be an epic tour de force of Finnish melancholy. With four composers in the band the sound of Insomnium is now richer and more versatile than ever before. In the name of Nordic collaboration the Swedish wizard Jens Bogren has been doing the mixing and mastering and made HEART LIKE A GRAVE to the best sounding Insomnium album ever.

INSOMNIUM-cover

HEART LIKE A GRAVE tracklisting

Wail of the North
Valediction
Neverlast
Pale Morning Star
And Bells They Toll
The Offering
Mute Is My Sorrow
Twilight Trails
Heart Like a Grave
Karelia

Furthermore INSOMNIUM welcome new guitarist Jani Liimatainen to join the band.

The band comments: ”In 2018 it became apparent that Ville could not combine the heavy touring anymore with his another career as a lecturer in York university. Hence, we decided that a third guitarist was needed to get the machinery running properly. We did not have to look far, since Jani Liimatainen had already been a live guitarist on several tours. And since this dude is amazing musician, vocalist, songwriter and all-round nice guy the decision was really a no-brainer. Now we are stronger than ever!”

Ville comments: “Since 2010 I’ve been combining touring and band life with my science career. However, couple of years ago it became clear that it has become impossible for me to put my 100% in both. This is partly because of more demanding role at the University of York but also because Insomnium has been growing steadily year by year leading to increasing amount of touring with every album. With Jani on board, we have secured a steady live line-up to keep delivering fierce live shows all around the world with me joining the band when time allows.”

Jani adds: “It is a great honour to join such an amazing band. I had already been touring with the guys on and off since 2015, filling in for Ville whenever needed, so when they asked me to officially join the band the answer was pretty much a no-brainer. I am looking forward to sharing many more metal moments with these guys who I am proud to call my friends.”

In November the band shall embark on a comprehensive European tour with the support from the US extreme metal kings THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER and Finland’s fiercest quintet STAM1NA.

METAL HAMMER, EMP, BANDBOND, MUSIX and METAL.DE present:
TOUR LIKE A GRAVE 2019
INSOMNIUM
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER
STAM1NA (*)

12.11.2019 (FR) PARIS / Alhambra
13.11.2019 (FR) BORDEAUX / Barbey
14.11.2019 (ES) BARCELONA / Razzmatazz 2
15.11.2019 (ES) BILBAO / Santana 27
16.11.2019 (ES) MADRID / Cats
18.11.2019 (FR) LYON / Ninkasi Kao
19.11.2019 (CH) PRATTELN / Z7
20.11.2019 (AT) VIENNA / Arena
21.11.2019 (PL) CRACOW / Kwadrat
22.11.2019 (PL) WROCLAW / Pralnia
23.11.2019 (CS) ZLIN / Winter Masters of Rock
24.11.2019 (DE) DRESDEN / Reithalle
26.11.2019 (HU) BUDAPEST / Barba Negra

27.11.2019 (DE) MUNICH / Backstage Werk
28.11.2019 (DE) LUDWIGSBURG / Rockfabrik
29.11.2019 (DE) LINDAU / Club Vaudeville
01.12.2019 (IT) ROME / Largo
02.12.2019 (IT) TREZZO SULL’ADDA (MILAN) / Live Club
04.12.2019 (DE) LEIPZIG / Felsenkeller
05.12.2019 (NL) LEEUWAARDEN / Neushoorn
06.12.2019 (DE) OBERHAUSEN / Ruhrpott Metal Meeting (*)

07.12.2019 (DE) GEISELWIND / Christmas Bash (*)
08.12.2019 (DE) BERLIN / Astra Kulturhaus
09.12.2019 (DE) FRANKFURT / Batschkapp
10.12.2019 (DE) HANNOVER / Capitol
11.12.2019 (DE) HAMBURG / Markthalle
12.12.2019 (LU) LUXEMBOURG / Den Atelier (*)
13.12.2019 (BE) ANTWERP / Trix (*)

(*) without STAM1NA

THE DARK ELEMENT – Featuring Anette Olzon And Jani Liimatainen – To Release Debut Album On November 10th

Posted by tarjavirmakari on August 30, 2017
Posted in: News. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

Frontiers Music Srl is to release “The Dark Element” featuring Anette Olzon and Jani Liimatainen on November 10th! Title track is now available, stream it here:

“The Dark Element” is a new musical project fronted by former Nightwish vocalist Anette Olzon together with Finnish guitarist and songwriter Jani Liimatainen. The combination of these two talents promises to deliver a debut album that will be a huge statement in the European metal scene.

Since word of this project got out, fans have been frothing at the mouth with anticipation for its arrival. And no wonder considering the talent involved! Anette is widely known for being the immaculate voice on the hit albums from Nightwish, “Dark Passion Play” and “Imaginareum”. Jani has recently been busy in Cain’s Offering alongside Stratovarius singer Timo Kotipelto, but left a deep mark on the minds of all power metal fans thanks to his time in Sonata Arctica.

Pre-order “The Dark Element” here http://radi.al/TheDarkElement or at the links below:
•Frontiers: http://www.frontiers.shop (CD & VINYL) 
• iTunes: http://radi.al/TheDarkElementiTunes 
• Amazon: http://radi.al/TheDarkElementAmazon
• Google Play: http://radi.al/TheDarkElementGoogleP

Digital pre-orders come with an instant download of “The Dark Element”.

Follow “The Dark Element” on Apple Music and Spotify to be alerted when new singles from the album are released and to add “The Dark Element” to your favorite playlists:
• Apple Music: http://radi.al/DarkElementAppleMusic
• Spotify: http://radi.al/TheDarkElementSpotify

Anette Olzon and Jani Liimatainen on their collaboration:

Jani Liimatainen: “I have always been a big fan of Anette’s voice and when the opportunity to work with her arose, writing and producing an album, it was something I just couldn’t say no! It has been a blast working on the songs and I can’t wait for everyone to hear the final result. This will be epic! The songs are extremely melodic and to the point. My goal has been to write catchy songs with hooks that will haunt your dreams, and I think it’s pretty much ‘mission accomplished’. Stay tuned for something special!”

Anette Olzon: “I am so looking forward to this album and I believe our collaboration worked like a perfect match and I am really happy that Jani and Frontiers asked me to do this with them!”

Track Listing:
1. The Dark Element
2. My Sweet Mystery
3. Last Good Day
4. Here’s To You
5. Someone You Used to Know
6. Dead to Me
7. Halo
8. I Cannot Raise The Dead
9. The Ghost and the Reaper
10. Heaven of Your Heart
11. Only One Who Knows Me

TheDarkElement-cover

Musicians:
Anette Olzon – Lead Vocals
Jani Liimatainen – Guitars, keyboards, programming
Jonas Kuhlberg – Bass
Jani “Hurtsi” Hurula – Drums

Piano on “Someone You Used to Know” and “Heaven of Your Heart” by Jarkko Lahti
Backing vocals by Anette Olzon, Petri Aho, Anssi Stenberg and Jani Liimatainen
Growls on “Dead to Me” by Niilo Sevänen

Follow the band on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/TheDarkElement/

Anette Olzon And Jani Liimatainen To Release New Studio Album in 2017

Posted by tarjavirmakari on September 16, 2016
Posted in: News. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

anetteolzon-janiliimatainen

Frontiers Music Srl is very pleased to announce the launch of a new musical partnership between singer Anette Olzon and producer/songwriter/guitar player Jani Liimatainen for a new studio album, which will see release on the label in 2017.

Anette is mostly known for being the immaculate voice on hit albums from Nightwish such as “Dark Passion Play” and “Imaginareum”. Jani has recently been busy in Cain’s Offering alongside Stratovarius singer Timo Kotipelto, but left a deep mark on the minds of all power metal fans thanks to his time in Sonata Arctica. They are now working together on a record which promises to be a huge statement in the European metal scene for years to come!

Jani says, “I have always been a big fan of Anette’s voice and when the opportunity to work with her arose, writing and producing an album, it was something I just couldn’t say no to! It has been a blast working on the songs already and I can’t wait for the final result, this will be epic! The songs will be extremely melodic and to the point. My goal has been to write catchy songs with hooks that will haunt your dreams, and I think it’s pretty much “mission accomplished”. Stay tuned for something special!”

Anette adds, “I am so looking forward to sing on an album with Jani and to finally work with Frontiers. I believe it will be a perfect match and I am really happy that Jani and Frontiers asked me to do this with them!”

Frontiers President Serafino Perugino concludes, “I originally envisioned the musical alliance between those two musical giants and the fact that they liked the concept proposed makes me incredibly proud! Working with two high class musicians like Jani and Anette is a true honor and we will do our complete best to please them and to release a record which will make all the melodic and power metal fans very happy!”

Frontiers looks forward to releasing this record in mid to late 2017!

 

TIMO KOTIPELTO & JANI LIIMATAINEN: Blackoustic Hits The Finnish Charts

Posted by tarjavirmakari on October 29, 2012
Posted in: News. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

Source: Bravewords.com

Blackoustic, the new album by STRATOVARIUS frontman and solo artist, Timo Kotipelto and Jani Liimatainen (formerly of SONATA ARCTICA) has reached number 13 in the Finnish music charts.

Kotipelto commented: “Blackoustic straight to number 13 on the official Finnish charts! Brilliant! Thanks to all of you wonderful people who bought the album and support our dynamic duo strange mystical journey through Finland!”

Blackoustic was released earlier in the month via earMUSIC.

Tracklisting:
‘Sleep Well’
‘Out In The Fields’
‘Black Diamond’
‘My Selene’
‘Behind Blue Eyes’
‘Hunting High And Low’
‘Where My Rainbow Ends’
‘Speed Of Light’
‘Perfect Strangers’
‘Coming Home’
‘Serenity’
‘Rainbow Eyes’
‘Karjalan Kunnailla’

Check out a Blackoustic track-by-track video feature below:

TIMO KOTIPELTO & JANI LIIMATAINEN: Audio Samples From New Blackoustic Album Available

Posted by tarjavirmakari on October 11, 2012
Posted in: News. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

Source: Bravewords.com

earMUSIC recently announced the release of Blackoustic, the first ever acoustic album by STRATOVARIUS frontman and solo artist, Timo Kotipelto, joining forces with Jani Liimatainen (formerly of SONATA ARCTICA). Audio samples are now available for streaming at this location.

Tracklisting:
‘Sleep Well’
‘Out In The Fields’
‘Black Diamond’
‘My Selene’
‘Behind Blue Eyes’
‘Hunting High And Low’
‘Where My Rainbow Ends’
‘Speed Of Light’
‘Perfect Strangers’
‘Coming Home’
‘Serenity’
‘Rainbow Eyes’
‘Karjalan Kunnailla’

The duo has been working together and playing acoustic shows for a while, the idea of recording an acoustic album together came from the fans, and so Blackoustic will see the light of day on October 19th, as Kotipelto explains:

“The fans were recording our shows with their cell phones and the’ve been telling us that we should make an album, so they could have better quality recordings of the songs to listen at home. At first we were just joking about it, but after a while we thought ‘Why not? As far as we know, not many people have done it before, at least not within the heavier music genre. Our initial idea was to make a self-financed album with a relatively small pressing and then just maybe sell them at our shows”.

But instead of making it a “fan-club release” the duo has opted to work with the label earMUSIC/Edel, which also releases Stratovarius’s work since the album Polaris.

Most of the songs were chosen from the duo’s live set-list, including familiar Stratovarius covers like ‘Black Diamond’ and ‘Hunting High and Low’, but also songs like ‘Serenity’ and ‘Sleep Well’ from Kotipelto’s solo albums have been given the new acoustic treatment; proving that behind great heavy metal song, there’s very often a stunning melody “screaming” to come out. Furthermore, the album includes beautiful cover versions of PETE TOWNSHEND’s ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ and DEEP PURPLE’s classic ‘Perfect Strangers’.

Blackoustic also features a brand new composition, ‘Where My Rainbow Ends’, written by Jani Liimatainen, who says: “I remembered a song I wrote last winter. Originally it was an instrumental track, but after listening back to it I thought that the melody would work very well with vocals. We re-arranged the song into our acoustic format and – as a slave of habit – I wrote the lyrics for it the night before our last day of recording. It turned out surprisingly beautiful and delicate”.

“Jani’s new song is a beautiful ballad”, adds Kotipelto. “We have quite a few ballads on this album, as even the more rock oriented songs tend to sound more ballad-esque when performed by a duo”.

Blackoustic was recorded at Kotipelto’s cottage at Lappajärvi and mixed and mastered by the Stratovarius guitarist / studio wizard Matias Kupiainen.

The duo will also hit the road in Finland in support of the album, although the first show has been on the sea, performing at the Radio Rock-cruise on the Baltic Princess on September 8th.

Tour dates:

October
19 – Nokia, Finland – Bar Pinta
20 – Helsinki, Finland – On The Rocks

November
10 – Kaarina, Finland – Old Texas
17 – Parikka, Finland – Parikkalan Asema
23 – Tampere, Finland – Amarillo-Tampere Sokos Hotel Ilves