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Biography of Epe: "The Way Of Fantasymetal" So, this moment came. I have been told that I should write this down. I must tell you that this is an uncomfortable moment for me, because we are now talking about my life's work, and my life. There is the another reason for my uncomfortable state too. It is this: Trying to tell about Fantasymetal to others is like explaining universe to your children. But I have been forced to do this, so I now give it a try... may all the Gods shelter me! It all started when I first time heard music of Richard Wagner. It was the year 1985. That moment permanently changed my attitude towards music. I realized that music can be more than just "something you can buy from shop". Hence! Have you ever heard music that turns your inside totally in to a new order? Every time I remembered that song I was swallowing my own tears! Now it is time to tell you a little bit of myself. I can not tell you about Fantasymetal if you do not know my background. I was born in to an artistic family. I have always been surrounded by classical music, ballet, opera, fairy tales etc. and i still love them. When I was a young boy I played ocarina-flute. I even took ocarina lessons, but because "row row row the boat" didn't stay in my head for very long it was time to try ballet. Ok, I went to ballet lessons but all I was interested in was the swords, helmets and armour that I found from the warehouse of the ballet school. The end of my ballet career came quickly and it was time to try to play guitar. I took acoustic guitar lessons for about three years... But something was missing. Then I got my first electric guitar. At that moment I knew what had been missing... the power! I started to practice power chords and minor melodies (read Superminor). That was the time I met Hannu Leiden. He was the one who truly started my "heavy metal life"! Great "thank you man" goes to Hannu, the guy who showed me that heavy metal can tell stories. If I remember it right we are now at the year of 1978, time to play in a band. Ok, there was couple of "bands"... But when it came time for Troy, the beginners time was at its end. Troy was my first "real band". Then started the Radon years. Radon was truly the pioneer band of power/speed metal in Finland... But still there was something missing... it was the union of story and music. In the beginning of the year 1990 I took a paper and a pen in front of me. I wrote the word Legendos, underlined it and started to write. I wrote by bursts about one year before my first story was finished. It was a fantasy story called "Legendos: Voyages of Feldor Thundermind". I was very relieved. It felt like the universe itself have accepted my writing. I bet that if I had never started to write I would have quit making music. So purifying was that experience, so many doors was opened in my head by writing. Now I had a story line for lyrics... But music waited itself. By the name of all Gods I tried! I tried to combine fantasy lyrics to speed/trash/death/power metal. But very soon I realized that fantasy lyrics need other kind of power, the power that comes from heart and soul... not from muscles! That was the time when Fantasymetal was taking its final shape. There was a break point when I actually felt the presence of Fantasymetal and now we are at the point of this story when I start to hesitate. Should I open this book wide open or should I round the truth? I chose honesty. Honesty is very important part of Fantasymetal and philosophy of Norseman... so be it! Following the text is not ordinary story of the heavy metal band member. From here starts the hard part of making music. A fact is that the normal way is to avoid bad times. "Never tell about bad times" is the common rule. I believe that you have both, the bad and the good, but they do not have power if you do not understand that your life grows from both of them. This is also the border of reality and fantasy. We easily think only good moments of our life (thank all Gods of those), but throw away the bad ones. Sad truth is that bad moments of our lifes makes us better people than good ones. If one always succeeds he will become a evil person! Then there will be no benevolence. Okay, now i started to preach. I try to get to the point... ...this is the truth: It was a beautiful and clear winter night. I was alone at my home. I was very frustrated, heavy hearted and sad... three heavy metal bands behind and nothing left in my hand. I was very angry to myself and asked myself: "Is this the end? Can you do anything to avoid the end of your dream, to combine story and music?". I poured lot of beer in to my sorrow and tried to be in silence... NO WAY!...was the words I heard in my head. Somehow I woke up from that state, took my acoustic guitar and started to play. Two hours I cried and played... then I was sober and I understood that in my hand was my first Fantasymetal song. Aurora Borealis, my first song where music and story really meet each other. I realized that the book of Fantasymetal is now open for me. That was the day of birth of Fantasymetal and Norseman! The world of fantasy is full of surprises. The way of fantasy (and Fantasymetal) is not an easy way... it is the way that is walked by those who truly belive that imagination is the mightiest source of power! The one who walks the way of fantasy knows these rules: 1. You must pour your heart and soul into that what you are doing. 2. You must throw yourself in to the world you are dreaming of. 3. You must be humble, impulsive, intuitive and you must trust your imagination without calculations. 4. You must know that you are not walking alone. Friends and power are walking with you, they are always by your side. 5. You must accept everything and everybody you see while walking this way. 6. You must understand that this way has countless number of sidepaths ("long live the world of fantasy... and its all dimensions"). I quess that you understand now that this is not an easy way to do music. There are much easier ways (music is only one sideway at the way of world of fantasy). But it is the only way for me and Norseman! I can tell you that i have tried many other ways, but found them very weak ways. I shall now close this book to the words that hopefully explains you something about "The Way Of Fantasymetal": "Farewell this feeling so wrong boring life, it is not kind From here starts my life so strong created by my own mind." "Powerpoem of Tulgar Thundemind" Legendos: Voyages of Feldor Thundermind Esa Jussinpoika Eerola "Hyvästi tunne roima, tylsyys arjen tuoma. Tästä alkaa voima, oman mielen luoma." "Tulgar Ukkosmielen voimaruno" Legendos: Feldor Ukkosmielen retket Esa Jussinpoika Eerola Epe Norseman