Jaska Raatikainen
Encyclopedia
Jaska Ilmari Raatikainen or Jaska W. Raatikainen (born July 18, 1979) is the drummer of the band Children of Bodom
.
, in Finland
. His first instrument was the piano, and during most of his childhood also played the French horn in a big band - a fact which later led him to be introduced to Alexander Kuoppala
. It was only at the age of 12 that he began playing drums, he had his first double bass pedals before he owned a drum kit. He was inspired by musicians such as Scott Travis
(from Judas Priest
) and Mikkey Dee
(from Motörhead). He has two brothers; Jussi Raatikainen, who plays for numerous professional Finnish metal bands, as well as Julius Raatikainen, who plays for melodic death metal
band Kauna.
When Jaska met Alexi Laiho
at school in the year of 1993, they realised that they had similar ideas and musical taste. Thus, they began playing together and idealizing the band which would one day become Children of Bodom. Jaska played a vital role in the formation of the band, since he was the one who brought both Alexander Kuoppala
and Janne Wirman
to their line-up. He also contributed some keyboards to their first demo, Ubiquitous Absence of Remission.
He is a quiet and reserved person who spends a lot of time by himself. Most of the time, he stays in single rooms in hotels and generally picks the beds on upper corners while travelling on tour buses. Interviews with him are rare, and despite being one of the founding members, he lets Alexi and Henkka Seppälä
do most of the talking.
Up to the recording of the album Hatebreeder
, Jaska was endorsed by Sonor drums and by Sabian
cymbals. He eventually lost the deal with Sonor and for some time played with different drumsets, until settling with Pearl drums
in 2003. His drumsticks are custom Millennium II sticks from Pro Mark with his name engraved on them.
Jaska has had some side projects, some of them unrelated to music. In the year of 2000 he was asked by the director of a popular Finnish soap opera
(Siamin Tyttö) to play a special part on it. He played a character named Rauli for three episodes, until the character's death. He did have the chance to show some of his drumwork before that happened, though. According to Jaska, he had always dreamed of acting, but does not plan to take his career further.
He has also helped quite a few bands when they needed a competent drummer. During Sinergy
's 2000 Europe
an tour, he replaced Tommi Lillman, who had injured his leg. The problem, however, was that this happened three days before the start of the tour, which meant that Jaska had to quickly learn how to play ten of Sinergy's songs. Despite the high degree of difficulty, he managed to perform very well, and fans of both bands enjoyed seeing both Jaska and Alexi on stage together with Sinergy. On the Suicide By My Side
album's booklet, the band wrote a dedicatory to Jaska for, on to their own words: "saving our tour".
Jaska has also played in Virtuocity and Evemaster albums, but since those are both studio bands, he does not have to worry greatly about Children of Bodom's tour schedule, which already has to be calculated ahead to some extent, due to Alexi's active participation in Sinergy.
On the 2002 tribute to Chuck Schuldiner
- mastermind of one of the most notable death metal
bands of all time, Death - Jaska, who is a fan of the band, played a couple of cover songs with Norther
.
Since 2003 Jaska has a side project with Norther
guitarist Kristian Ranta
entitled Gashouse Garden, which has not yet been signed to any recording label.
In early 2010 Jaska became the father of a baby girl.
8"x8" Tom Tom
10"x8" Tom Tom
12"x9" Tom Tom
14"x12" Floor Tom
16"x16" Floor Tom
22"x18" Bass Drum x 2
14"x5" Snare
Cymbals
14" Meinl Byzance Traditional Heavy Hi-Hat x2 (both sides)
20" Meinl Mb20 Heavy Ride (left)
8" Meinl Byzance Traditional Splash x2
18" Byzance Brilliant Medium Thin Crash x2
20" Meinl Byzance Traditional Heavy Ride (right)
20" Byzance Brilliant Medium Crash
18" Byzance Brilliant China
Pearl Hardware
DR-503 Icon Rack + PCX-100 and PCX-200 Rack Clamps
H-2000 Eliminator Hi-hat Stand
Pearl Demon Drive Double Pedal
CLH-1000 Closed Hat
S-2000 Snare drum stand
CH-1000 Cymbal Holders
TH-100S Tom Holders
D-220 Roadster Throne
Sticks
Promark Evelyn Glennie 740 drumsticks
Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom is a Finnish heavy metal band from Espoo. Formed in 1993, the group currently consists of Alexi Laiho , Roope Latvala , Janne Wirman , Henkka Seppälä , and Jaska Raatikainen...
.
Biography
Jaska Raatikainen was born in the town of LappeenrantaLappeenranta
Lappeenranta is a city and municipality that resides on the shore of the lake Saimaa in South-Eastern Finland, about from the Russian border. It belongs to the region of South Karelia. With approximately inhabitants Lappeenranta is the largest city in Finland...
, in Finland
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...
. His first instrument was the piano, and during most of his childhood also played the French horn in a big band - a fact which later led him to be introduced to Alexander Kuoppala
Alexander Kuoppala
Alexander Kuoppala is a Finnish musician. He was the rhythm guitarist from the Finnish heavy metal band Children of Bodom from 1995 to 2003. He played on their albums Something Wild, Hatebreeder, Follow the Reaper, and Hate Crew Deathroll...
. It was only at the age of 12 that he began playing drums, he had his first double bass pedals before he owned a drum kit. He was inspired by musicians such as Scott Travis
Scott Travis
Scott Travis is a Grammy Award winning American rock musician, best known as the drummer for the English heavy metal band Judas Priest and the American heavy metal band Racer X.-Biography:...
(from Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
) and Mikkey Dee
Mikkey Dee
Micael Kiriakos Delaoglou , better known as Mikkey Dee is a drummer/songwriter in the Heavy metal band Motörhead. A Swede of Greek descent, he has been known for his speed and precision since his mid-80s stint with King Diamond.- Early life :Delaoglou began his musical career with local bands...
(from Motörhead). He has two brothers; Jussi Raatikainen, who plays for numerous professional Finnish metal bands, as well as Julius Raatikainen, who plays for melodic death metal
Melodic death metal
Melodic death metal is a heavy metal music style that combines elements from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with elements of death metal. The style was developed during the early and mid-1990s, primarily in England and Scandinavia...
band Kauna.
When Jaska met Alexi Laiho
Alexi Laiho
Alexi "Wildchild" Laiho is a Finnish singer, composer, and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead guitarist as well as lead vocalist for melodic death metal band Children of Bodom, and he is also the guitarist for Sinergy and Kylähullut...
at school in the year of 1993, they realised that they had similar ideas and musical taste. Thus, they began playing together and idealizing the band which would one day become Children of Bodom. Jaska played a vital role in the formation of the band, since he was the one who brought both Alexander Kuoppala
Alexander Kuoppala
Alexander Kuoppala is a Finnish musician. He was the rhythm guitarist from the Finnish heavy metal band Children of Bodom from 1995 to 2003. He played on their albums Something Wild, Hatebreeder, Follow the Reaper, and Hate Crew Deathroll...
and Janne Wirman
Janne Wirman
Janne Viljami "Warman" Wirman is a Finnish musician; he is the keyboardist for the bands Children of Bodom and Warmen.-Biography:Born in the town of Espoo, Finland, Janne Wirman began playing the piano at the age of five...
to their line-up. He also contributed some keyboards to their first demo, Ubiquitous Absence of Remission.
He is a quiet and reserved person who spends a lot of time by himself. Most of the time, he stays in single rooms in hotels and generally picks the beds on upper corners while travelling on tour buses. Interviews with him are rare, and despite being one of the founding members, he lets Alexi and Henkka Seppälä
Henkka Seppälä
Henri Samuli Seppälä , better known as Henkka T. Blacksmith, is the bassist of the Finnish metal band Children of Bodom. Henkka is responsible for backing vocals both on studio and live....
do most of the talking.
Up to the recording of the album Hatebreeder
Hatebreeder
-Trivia:* The intro from the song “Warheart” is from the film Amadeus, Laiho’s favourite movie. The line is saying “From now on, we’re enemies. You and I.”.* The guitar solo of Black Widow is taken from a section a piece by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...
, Jaska was endorsed by Sonor drums and by Sabian
Sabian (company)
Sabian is a Canadian cymbal designer and manufacturer. It is a leading manufacturer of cymbals along with other top companies such as Zildjian, Paiste, and Meinl.-History:...
cymbals. He eventually lost the deal with Sonor and for some time played with different drumsets, until settling with Pearl drums
Pearl Drums
Founded in 1952, the is a multinational corporation based in Japan with a wide range of products, predominately percussion instruments.-History:Pearl was founded by Katsumi Yanagisawa, who began manufacturing music stands in Sumida, Tokyo on April 2, 1946...
in 2003. His drumsticks are custom Millennium II sticks from Pro Mark with his name engraved on them.
Jaska has had some side projects, some of them unrelated to music. In the year of 2000 he was asked by the director of a popular Finnish soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
(Siamin Tyttö) to play a special part on it. He played a character named Rauli for three episodes, until the character's death. He did have the chance to show some of his drumwork before that happened, though. According to Jaska, he had always dreamed of acting, but does not plan to take his career further.
He has also helped quite a few bands when they needed a competent drummer. During Sinergy
Sinergy
Sinergy was a Finnish power metal band started in 1998 by American musician, Kimberly Goss. Aside from Sinergy, the most notable bands Goss has been involved with are Dimmu Borgir; as keyboardist, and Children of Bodom; where she filled in live for Janne Wirman and also contributed lyrics...
's 2000 Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an tour, he replaced Tommi Lillman, who had injured his leg. The problem, however, was that this happened three days before the start of the tour, which meant that Jaska had to quickly learn how to play ten of Sinergy's songs. Despite the high degree of difficulty, he managed to perform very well, and fans of both bands enjoyed seeing both Jaska and Alexi on stage together with Sinergy. On the Suicide By My Side
Suicide by My Side
Suicide By My Side is the third album by the power metal band Sinergy, released in 2002. It shows a substantial progress in their musical style; singer Kimberly Goss performs in a sharper, more aggressive vocal style, and guitarists Alexi Laiho and Roope Latvala perform more technical solos...
album's booklet, the band wrote a dedicatory to Jaska for, on to their own words: "saving our tour".
Jaska has also played in Virtuocity and Evemaster albums, but since those are both studio bands, he does not have to worry greatly about Children of Bodom's tour schedule, which already has to be calculated ahead to some extent, due to Alexi's active participation in Sinergy.
On the 2002 tribute to Chuck Schuldiner
Chuck Schuldiner
Charles Michael "Chuck" Schuldiner was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist.Schuldiner was the singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the band Death, which he founded in 1983, initially under the name Mantas. He also recorded as guitarist and songwriter with his other band, Control Denied...
- mastermind of one of the most notable death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
bands of all time, Death - Jaska, who is a fan of the band, played a couple of cover songs with Norther
Norther
Norther is a Finnish Melodic Death Metal band from Helsinki, Finland.-History:Norther was originally formed by Kristian Ranta, Jukka Koskinen, Tuomas Planman, Petri Lindroos and Toni Hallio in the year 1996 after various of early stage band formations. The band kicked into gear with its debut...
.
Since 2003 Jaska has a side project with Norther
Norther
Norther is a Finnish Melodic Death Metal band from Helsinki, Finland.-History:Norther was originally formed by Kristian Ranta, Jukka Koskinen, Tuomas Planman, Petri Lindroos and Toni Hallio in the year 1996 after various of early stage band formations. The band kicked into gear with its debut...
guitarist Kristian Ranta
Kristian Ranta
Kristian Ranta, also known as Kride, is the guitarist of the Finnish melodic metal band Norther - best known for their single Released, which entered the Finnish "Top 5". Kristian has composed most of Norther's best known songs including Frozen Angel as well as come up with the name of the band...
entitled Gashouse Garden, which has not yet been signed to any recording label.
In early 2010 Jaska became the father of a baby girl.
Equipment
Pearl Reference Redline - Piano Black with Black Chrome Hardware8"x8" Tom Tom
10"x8" Tom Tom
12"x9" Tom Tom
14"x12" Floor Tom
16"x16" Floor Tom
22"x18" Bass Drum x 2
14"x5" Snare
Cymbals
14" Meinl Byzance Traditional Heavy Hi-Hat x2 (both sides)
20" Meinl Mb20 Heavy Ride (left)
8" Meinl Byzance Traditional Splash x2
18" Byzance Brilliant Medium Thin Crash x2
20" Meinl Byzance Traditional Heavy Ride (right)
20" Byzance Brilliant Medium Crash
18" Byzance Brilliant China
Pearl Hardware
DR-503 Icon Rack + PCX-100 and PCX-200 Rack Clamps
H-2000 Eliminator Hi-hat Stand
Pearl Demon Drive Double Pedal
CLH-1000 Closed Hat
S-2000 Snare drum stand
CH-1000 Cymbal Holders
TH-100S Tom Holders
D-220 Roadster Throne
Sticks
Promark Evelyn Glennie 740 drumsticks