Elias Viljanen
Encyclopedia
Elias 'E.Vil' Viljanen (born July 8, 1975) is a Finnish
musician, known for being the guitarist
for Sonata Arctica
since 2007. Viljanen joined Sonata Arctica in spring 2007 in order to replace Jani Liimatainen
, who left the band in August 2007 to fulfill his civil duties in Finland. The decision was only made official on August 8, 2007, but Elias Viljanen had been known to replace Liimatainen in concerts during the spring and summer tour. Viljanen cites KISS
, Metallica
, Slayer
, and Whitesnake
as his musical influences.
." He got his first acoustic guitar a year later, but did not get an electric guitar until nearly four years later. After finally convincing his parents to let him purchase his first electric guitar (a white Leadstar), he took a few guitar lessons and learned some basic chords, but believed that if he wanted to learn rock'n'roll, it'd be something he's have to teach himself. So, around age thirteen, Viljanen began playing in local bands immediately after, heavily influenced by Metallica's
early thrash metal. At age seventeen, he was given his first record contract.
In the early 90's, Viljanen was introduced to the music of Steve Vai
and Joe Satriani
, but initially wrote it off as "just music for sports." As time went by, however, he developed a love of Satriani's music, calling it the "bluesiest rock'n'roll," and considers Vai "God." Viljanen also lists Dream Theater as his progressive metal influence that pushed him towards the style he is today.
To prepare for his three-demo, The Axe-Master, Viljanen practiced for 2–3 hours each day for nearly four months. While he may have had doubts before, they were now erased, as the demos and recording became both a dream and an obsession. Viljanen never dreamed of getting a serious record contract out of it, but sent his demos out anyway. The record company Lion Music, however, replied and offered him a recording contract. Thus, eighteen years after the dream began, Elias Viljanen's first album, Taking the Lead
was born.
Feedback for Taking the Lead was overall positive, placing in the top ten hard rock/shred CD's at guitar9.com in 2003. Steve Vai
himself also got Viljanen's CD, and gave him some encouraging feedback as well. In 2004, Lion Music again offered Viljanen a record contract when he sent in new demos, and he entered the Studios with Evil Spirit in early 2005. Recording went well, and he emerged satisfied with the completion of his second solo album, The Leadstar
.
in 2007, filling in for their guitarist Jani Liimatainen
on tour. On August 8, Sonata Arctica formally released a letter naming Viljanen the official guitarist in Sonata Arctica. Liimatainen had apparently not been fulfilling his mandatory civic duties as declared by the Finnish government, and this had caused a rift in between him and the other members of the band. Viljanen took up the mantle as guitarist with much controversy, with many hard-core fans still wanting Liimatainen to be a part of the project. But Sonata Arctica were adamant, as was Liimatainen, and Viljanen thus maintained his status.
Viljanen toured with Sonata Arctica in support of their album Unia
in late 2007 and early 2008. During the time off from tour in 2008, he began work on his third studio album, but the recording of Sonata Arctica's sixth studio album. So, Viljanen entered the studio with Sonata Arctica for the first time in the earlier half of 2009, recording the album The Days of Grays
. As they were touring at the time of the release, Viljanen did not get to begin recording work on his album until early 2009. Later that year, his third studio album with Evil Spirit was released, Fire-Hearted
.
. He enjoys the racing video game Need for Speed: Underground
, likes parrots and his favorite sport is ice hockey
.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
musician, known for being the guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
for Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica are a Finnish power metal band from the town of Kemi, originally assembled in 1995. Their later works contain several elements typical of progressive metal.....
since 2007. Viljanen joined Sonata Arctica in spring 2007 in order to replace Jani Liimatainen
Jani Liimatainen
Jani Allan Kristian Liimatainen is the former guitar player and one of the founding members of the power metal band Sonata Arctica....
, who left the band in August 2007 to fulfill his civil duties in Finland. The decision was only made official on August 8, 2007, but Elias Viljanen had been known to replace Liimatainen in concerts during the spring and summer tour. Viljanen cites KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, and Whitesnake
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...
as his musical influences.
Early life
Viljanen was born in 1975, and started playing the guitar at eight, in 1983. Initially, he says that he began playing "because his dad forced him... and, of course, I wanted to be like KISSKISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
." He got his first acoustic guitar a year later, but did not get an electric guitar until nearly four years later. After finally convincing his parents to let him purchase his first electric guitar (a white Leadstar), he took a few guitar lessons and learned some basic chords, but believed that if he wanted to learn rock'n'roll, it'd be something he's have to teach himself. So, around age thirteen, Viljanen began playing in local bands immediately after, heavily influenced by Metallica's
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
early thrash metal. At age seventeen, he was given his first record contract.
In the early 90's, Viljanen was introduced to the music of Steve Vai
Steve Vai
Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
and Joe Satriani
Joe Satriani
Joseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...
, but initially wrote it off as "just music for sports." As time went by, however, he developed a love of Satriani's music, calling it the "bluesiest rock'n'roll," and considers Vai "God." Viljanen also lists Dream Theater as his progressive metal influence that pushed him towards the style he is today.
Formation of Elias Viljanen and Evil Spirit
As 2001 approached, Viljanen felt that he had to get his own project going. He spent several months writing down his music ideas he'd had for many years, but never expressed. He did have doubts, however, about his solo project, stating:To prepare for his three-demo, The Axe-Master, Viljanen practiced for 2–3 hours each day for nearly four months. While he may have had doubts before, they were now erased, as the demos and recording became both a dream and an obsession. Viljanen never dreamed of getting a serious record contract out of it, but sent his demos out anyway. The record company Lion Music, however, replied and offered him a recording contract. Thus, eighteen years after the dream began, Elias Viljanen's first album, Taking the Lead
Taking the Lead
Taking the Lead is the first solo album by Sonata Arctica guitarist Elias Viljanen. It was released in 2002 by Lion Music.-Track listing:-Credits:* Elias Viljanen - Guitars* Rami Herckman - Bass guitar* Tomi Ylönen - Drums...
was born.
Feedback for Taking the Lead was overall positive, placing in the top ten hard rock/shred CD's at guitar9.com in 2003. Steve Vai
Steve Vai
Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
himself also got Viljanen's CD, and gave him some encouraging feedback as well. In 2004, Lion Music again offered Viljanen a record contract when he sent in new demos, and he entered the Studios with Evil Spirit in early 2005. Recording went well, and he emerged satisfied with the completion of his second solo album, The Leadstar
The Leadstar
The Leadstar is the second solo album by Sonata Arctica guitarist Elias Viljanen released by Lion Music.-Track listing:# "Lord of the Strings" - 01:24# "High-Powered" - 03:45# "Touching the Sky" - 04:28# "Unity for Life" - 03:09...
.
Sonata Arctica and Recent Work
Elias Viljanen traveled with the band Sonata ArcticaSonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica are a Finnish power metal band from the town of Kemi, originally assembled in 1995. Their later works contain several elements typical of progressive metal.....
in 2007, filling in for their guitarist Jani Liimatainen
Jani Liimatainen
Jani Allan Kristian Liimatainen is the former guitar player and one of the founding members of the power metal band Sonata Arctica....
on tour. On August 8, Sonata Arctica formally released a letter naming Viljanen the official guitarist in Sonata Arctica. Liimatainen had apparently not been fulfilling his mandatory civic duties as declared by the Finnish government, and this had caused a rift in between him and the other members of the band. Viljanen took up the mantle as guitarist with much controversy, with many hard-core fans still wanting Liimatainen to be a part of the project. But Sonata Arctica were adamant, as was Liimatainen, and Viljanen thus maintained his status.
Viljanen toured with Sonata Arctica in support of their album Unia
Unia
Unia , released on May 25, 2007, is the fifth full-length studio album by the power metal band Sonata Arctica, following the album Reckoning Night. The first single from the album was "Paid in Full", released on April 27, 2007. The album has more progressive metal styles than their previous work...
in late 2007 and early 2008. During the time off from tour in 2008, he began work on his third studio album, but the recording of Sonata Arctica's sixth studio album. So, Viljanen entered the studio with Sonata Arctica for the first time in the earlier half of 2009, recording the album The Days of Grays
The Days of Grays
The Days of Grays is the sixth full-length studio album by Finnish power metal band Sonata Arctica. The album was released on September 16 in Finland, September 18 in Europe and September 22 in North America through Nuclear Blast...
. As they were touring at the time of the release, Viljanen did not get to begin recording work on his album until early 2009. Later that year, his third studio album with Evil Spirit was released, Fire-Hearted
Fire-Hearted
Fire-Hearted is the third studio album by metal musician Elias Viljanen as solo artist. The album features Marco Hietala and Tony Kakko on vocals. Also contributing is Jari Kainulainen on bass, Henrik Klingenberg on keyboards and Mikko Sirén on drums...
.
Personal life
Viljanen has stated that, if not a musician, he would likely be a silversmithSilversmith
A silversmith is a craftsperson who makes objects from silver or gold. The terms 'silversmith' and 'goldsmith' are not synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product varies greatly as does the scale of objects created.Silversmithing is the...
. He enjoys the racing video game Need for Speed: Underground
Need for Speed: Underground
Need for Speed: Underground is the seventh racing game in the Need for Speed video game series developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts in 2003...
, likes parrots and his favorite sport is ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
.
Elias Viljanen
- Taking the LeadTaking the LeadTaking the Lead is the first solo album by Sonata Arctica guitarist Elias Viljanen. It was released in 2002 by Lion Music.-Track listing:-Credits:* Elias Viljanen - Guitars* Rami Herckman - Bass guitar* Tomi Ylönen - Drums...
(2002) - The LeadstarThe LeadstarThe Leadstar is the second solo album by Sonata Arctica guitarist Elias Viljanen released by Lion Music.-Track listing:# "Lord of the Strings" - 01:24# "High-Powered" - 03:45# "Touching the Sky" - 04:28# "Unity for Life" - 03:09...
(2005) - Fire-HeartedFire-HeartedFire-Hearted is the third studio album by metal musician Elias Viljanen as solo artist. The album features Marco Hietala and Tony Kakko on vocals. Also contributing is Jari Kainulainen on bass, Henrik Klingenberg on keyboards and Mikko Sirén on drums...
(2009)
As Guest
- CelestyCelestyCelesty is a Finnish power metal band from Seinäjoki, formed in 1998. The band has released four albums, of which their latest includes a collaboration with the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra and a professional choir....
- VendettaVendetta (Celesty album)-Band members:*Jere Luokkamäki – drums*Juha Mäenpää – keyboards*Teemu Koskela – lead and acoustic guitars*Tapani Kangas – rhythm guitars*Ari Katajamäki – bass*Antti Railio – vocals-Guest musicians:*Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra – orchestra...
(2009) - Guitar solo on "Feared By Dawn"
Sources
- Profile on the Official Sonata Arctica Website
- Official announcement concerning the departure of Jani Liimatainen