Okay, thank you.
I'll have a look when I'm on my way to university.
If I buy it, I'll scan it for you lot.
COB Interviews
- Thread starter COBHC Webmaster
- Start date
Okay, thank you.
I'll have a look when I'm on my way to university.
If I buy it, I'll scan it for you lot.
children of COB
Deadnight Drinker
^Thanks!
You will be very wellcome
In recent Rock Hard there´s a long interview with Jaska. I´m not gonna be able to translate it before weekend comes, but then I will, I promise
You will be very wellcome
In recent Rock Hard there´s a long interview with Jaska. I´m not gonna be able to translate it before weekend comes, but then I will, I promise
It would be great if you translated it
Interview with Jaska is too rare..
sleeper666
MetalMutha
children of COB
Deadnight Drinker
Covers covers covers is there nothing else to talk about. Same old fucking questions. Get real.
This has probably already been up but its Alexi and Janne at Wacken 2006 talking about Wacken interview is at 4:18 after In Your Face performance. I posted this cus I hadn't seen it and someone else might not have either
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sleeper666
MetalMutha
children of COB
Deadnight Drinker
Thanks! Hadn't seen that one! And really good hq vid of IYF, I really like that whole gig. I watch it every now and then, it's pretty good
mocobhc
Member
Thanks for the new Henkka and the Wacken 06 interviews!
Here´s the translation of the Jaska interview in recent Rock Hard Magazine:
Argentina, Chile, Brasil, Mecixo, America, Japan, Hongkonk, Singapore, China, Russia – what is appearing as a route of some world traveller comes out to be nothing else but the route for the last COB tour. We spoke to drummer Jaska Raatikainen about the covers album “Skeletons In The Closet”, tango dancing, do-it-yourself and – of course – alcohol.
Jaska, you´re in the middle of your rehearsals for the upcoming tour. Did you have holidays and relax during the last weeks?
Not really, because I am building my house which is taking much time. I´m in building it for more than two years now with some breaks in between, but I don’t want to lose control. If you hire a building contractor you don´t really know if they do what you want. Atm I´m building a few planks for my terrace and constructing balconies. The rest of the band doesn´t feel very comfortable because of the danger of injury, and when I exchange hammer with drumsticks it´s quite an adjustment, but I don´t care.
Your band buddies Alexi Laiho and Janne Wirman did a trip to LA during their free time. Did they fear to be recruited to help you building your house?
They wouldn´t have been any help anyways, so I think it was good for them to clear off to LA. But their trip also shows that the band´s in a good mood and that we´re still friends with each other. If you´re spending your holidays together after having been on tour for such a long time, you really like each other. COB is still some small family without separate tour busses or separate hotel rooms. I´m gonna fly to Buenos Aires together with our bassist Henkka a few days before our next tour will start to spend a nice weekend there. The tango dancing world championchips will be there right at the same time. So beware, all of you dancers: COB rhythm fraction´s gonna be in town ;-)
COB has been very successful in the States, also because you did some endlessly long tours over there recently. Have you been aware at the beginning of your career that it takes so much effort to crack the American market?
No. And it´s good we haven´t, because otherwise we maybe wouldn´t have taken the risks back then. We had our first success in Europe and Japan, and even in Europe it took us six or seven years before we could headline for the first time. In America we started from zero and had to cut our way through again.
Do you think your status in America right now is some kind of zenith of the bands´ career right now?
No, the high point for me was our first headlining tour in Europe, definitely. I don´t remember any details, but this tour was so important for the bands´ spirit. For the first time we really believed that we could make it. And the tour when we were opening for Slayer was like a dream coming true. We had been waiting for about three or four years before the tour could be confirmed, and we were happy as children. And what is more, Slayer and the crew were so kind to us – that was a real difference compared to the tour with Slipknot.
Why?
I think we ought to not have done that tour. Slipknot didn´t need us to sell out the venues, and we felt like being a fifth wheel.
But at least you had the chance to see Joey Jordison live, the drummer who´s said to be the true successor of Dave Lombardo in the extreme metal scene.
I get along with Dave really fine. I could watch some of his shows behind the drums, standing next to his roadie. That´s a really great perspective. And Dave is still in a great shape after all these years. I like Joey´s playing on the albums, but I think he isn´t that tight live. But I couldn´t watch him that closely because we weren´t allowed on stage during the Slipknot shows. In contrast to Dave and me, he triggers his drums during the shows.
You already mentioned some high points in your career – what was the down point?
One of the downpoints was when Alexander quit the band. He didn´t want to bear those endless tours anymore. But with Roope we found the perfect replacement and rose up even stronger. Other downpoints have often been in connection with alcohol or cancelled shows. If you´re playing totally hungover, well then you just can´t handle your stuff. Sometimes Alexi freaks out, and I suffer in moments like that.
Do you talk about such situations afterwards?
Yes and no. We´re Finnish, so we like to remain silent sometimes (he laughs).
Because of your musical level you are able to play nearly everything you want to. Do you enjoy a situation like that, or is that just the normal case for COB?
Of course it´s great to have bandmates who can nearly play everything and don´t know any limits. Beyond that, we encourage each other on stage. That´s really great – everyone can have a bad day from time to time, after all. Long tours are a true challenge for me because I have to take care to be in a good shape. When the boys have partied all night before a show, they come up to me during the show and tell me I´m too fast, and I always tell them “You´re the one who´s too slow! Take some cocaine!”
On “Skeletons In The Closet” you released three new cover tracks: War Inside My Head (Suicidal Tendencies), Hell Is For Children (Pat Benatar) and “Antisocial” (Trust). Why did you choose those tracks?
We recorded the Suicidal – track a few years ago during the Blooddrunk sessions, but we had a feeling that it wouldn´t fit to the rest of the album. The other songs were Alexi´s idea. The record label wanted to pack unreleased stuff onto the album as some buying inducement. We had the idea of releasing a cover album three years ago, we just wanted to release all cover tracks we´ve released till then on just one album. Of course you can find or download 90% of the cover tracks in the internet. But for fans who are to lazy for that or who want a complete COB album, Skeletons is the right choice. And you get King Diamond´s “Waiting” as hidden bonus track, where Alexi is rising to top form.
Which songs were most challenging to play for you? There certainly have been songs which sounded pretty easy at the beginning, but turned out to be more complicated.
When someone had the idea of covering Slayers´ “Silent Scream” I wasn´t happy at all, because that track is quite hard for drums. I really broke sweat with this one. CCRs´ “Lookin´ At My Backdoor” and Kenny Rogers´ “Just Dropped In” were one nightmare, but that was Alexi´s fault. I didn´t know these tracks at all, and Alexi showed them to me for the first time only one hour before the recordings were done. I hardly had the time to understand the structure of the drums in those tracks, and when I heard the mastered recordings of the tracks I couldn´t even remember having played them. Alexi likes to get me into trouble (he laughs).
Here´s the translation of the Jaska interview in recent Rock Hard Magazine:
Argentina, Chile, Brasil, Mecixo, America, Japan, Hongkonk, Singapore, China, Russia – what is appearing as a route of some world traveller comes out to be nothing else but the route for the last COB tour. We spoke to drummer Jaska Raatikainen about the covers album “Skeletons In The Closet”, tango dancing, do-it-yourself and – of course – alcohol.
Jaska, you´re in the middle of your rehearsals for the upcoming tour. Did you have holidays and relax during the last weeks?
Not really, because I am building my house which is taking much time. I´m in building it for more than two years now with some breaks in between, but I don’t want to lose control. If you hire a building contractor you don´t really know if they do what you want. Atm I´m building a few planks for my terrace and constructing balconies. The rest of the band doesn´t feel very comfortable because of the danger of injury, and when I exchange hammer with drumsticks it´s quite an adjustment, but I don´t care.
Your band buddies Alexi Laiho and Janne Wirman did a trip to LA during their free time. Did they fear to be recruited to help you building your house?
They wouldn´t have been any help anyways, so I think it was good for them to clear off to LA. But their trip also shows that the band´s in a good mood and that we´re still friends with each other. If you´re spending your holidays together after having been on tour for such a long time, you really like each other. COB is still some small family without separate tour busses or separate hotel rooms. I´m gonna fly to Buenos Aires together with our bassist Henkka a few days before our next tour will start to spend a nice weekend there. The tango dancing world championchips will be there right at the same time. So beware, all of you dancers: COB rhythm fraction´s gonna be in town ;-)
COB has been very successful in the States, also because you did some endlessly long tours over there recently. Have you been aware at the beginning of your career that it takes so much effort to crack the American market?
No. And it´s good we haven´t, because otherwise we maybe wouldn´t have taken the risks back then. We had our first success in Europe and Japan, and even in Europe it took us six or seven years before we could headline for the first time. In America we started from zero and had to cut our way through again.
Do you think your status in America right now is some kind of zenith of the bands´ career right now?
No, the high point for me was our first headlining tour in Europe, definitely. I don´t remember any details, but this tour was so important for the bands´ spirit. For the first time we really believed that we could make it. And the tour when we were opening for Slayer was like a dream coming true. We had been waiting for about three or four years before the tour could be confirmed, and we were happy as children. And what is more, Slayer and the crew were so kind to us – that was a real difference compared to the tour with Slipknot.
Why?
I think we ought to not have done that tour. Slipknot didn´t need us to sell out the venues, and we felt like being a fifth wheel.
But at least you had the chance to see Joey Jordison live, the drummer who´s said to be the true successor of Dave Lombardo in the extreme metal scene.
I get along with Dave really fine. I could watch some of his shows behind the drums, standing next to his roadie. That´s a really great perspective. And Dave is still in a great shape after all these years. I like Joey´s playing on the albums, but I think he isn´t that tight live. But I couldn´t watch him that closely because we weren´t allowed on stage during the Slipknot shows. In contrast to Dave and me, he triggers his drums during the shows.
You already mentioned some high points in your career – what was the down point?
One of the downpoints was when Alexander quit the band. He didn´t want to bear those endless tours anymore. But with Roope we found the perfect replacement and rose up even stronger. Other downpoints have often been in connection with alcohol or cancelled shows. If you´re playing totally hungover, well then you just can´t handle your stuff. Sometimes Alexi freaks out, and I suffer in moments like that.
Do you talk about such situations afterwards?
Yes and no. We´re Finnish, so we like to remain silent sometimes (he laughs).
Because of your musical level you are able to play nearly everything you want to. Do you enjoy a situation like that, or is that just the normal case for COB?
Of course it´s great to have bandmates who can nearly play everything and don´t know any limits. Beyond that, we encourage each other on stage. That´s really great – everyone can have a bad day from time to time, after all. Long tours are a true challenge for me because I have to take care to be in a good shape. When the boys have partied all night before a show, they come up to me during the show and tell me I´m too fast, and I always tell them “You´re the one who´s too slow! Take some cocaine!”
On “Skeletons In The Closet” you released three new cover tracks: War Inside My Head (Suicidal Tendencies), Hell Is For Children (Pat Benatar) and “Antisocial” (Trust). Why did you choose those tracks?
We recorded the Suicidal – track a few years ago during the Blooddrunk sessions, but we had a feeling that it wouldn´t fit to the rest of the album. The other songs were Alexi´s idea. The record label wanted to pack unreleased stuff onto the album as some buying inducement. We had the idea of releasing a cover album three years ago, we just wanted to release all cover tracks we´ve released till then on just one album. Of course you can find or download 90% of the cover tracks in the internet. But for fans who are to lazy for that or who want a complete COB album, Skeletons is the right choice. And you get King Diamond´s “Waiting” as hidden bonus track, where Alexi is rising to top form.
Which songs were most challenging to play for you? There certainly have been songs which sounded pretty easy at the beginning, but turned out to be more complicated.
When someone had the idea of covering Slayers´ “Silent Scream” I wasn´t happy at all, because that track is quite hard for drums. I really broke sweat with this one. CCRs´ “Lookin´ At My Backdoor” and Kenny Rogers´ “Just Dropped In” were one nightmare, but that was Alexi´s fault. I didn´t know these tracks at all, and Alexi showed them to me for the first time only one hour before the recordings were done. I hardly had the time to understand the structure of the drums in those tracks, and when I heard the mastered recordings of the tracks I couldn´t even remember having played them. Alexi likes to get me into trouble (he laughs).
sleeper666
MetalMutha
Very interesting interview, with some different questions, and cool to get Jaska's perspective on things for a change (you get the feeling
he really considers his answers) - thanks a lot for the translation, mocobhc
he really considers his answers) - thanks a lot for the translation, mocobhc
children of COB
Deadnight Drinker
Indeed reeeally interesting interview with Jaska, kinda makes you want he'd get more hehe. "You're playing too fast" bit was really fun too.
Also, Joonas' gonna like this one, I sense it, particularly the Slipknot bit.
Also, Joonas' gonna like this one, I sense it, particularly the Slipknot bit.
^^thanks mocobhc, that was very great interview. "Alexi likes to get me into trouble" 
Poor Jaska But yeh, like sleeper said, nice to get Jaska's perspective though he thinks the other guys have more to say. Just wish he would give interviews more often.
Poor Jaska But yeh, like sleeper said, nice to get Jaska's perspective though he thinks the other guys have more to say. Just wish he would give interviews more often.
Nice interview if not for the same old cover song questions again, they got annoying a long time ago.. The tour with Slipknot was like sticking a rifle up your anus and pulling the trigger. COB licking the boots of that band, looking up to them.. what a fucking disgrace.
