Tamperelainen power metal –yhtye Dreamtale on julkistanut kolmen jäsenen poistuvan kokoonpanosta. Vokalisti Erkki Seppänen ja kitaristi Seppo Kolehmainen lähtevät yhtyeestä, basisti Heikki Ahonen puolestaan on erotettu. Syitä kerrotaan olevan useita ja bändin tarinan jatkamiseksi muutos on välttämätön. Jäljelle jääneet jäsenet kitaristi Rami Keränen, kosketinsoittaja Akseli Kaasalainen sekä rumpali Arto Pitkänen kertovat etsivänsä korvaavia soittajia.
Dreamtale perustettiin 20 vuotta sitten. Yhtye on julkaissut seitsemän studiolevyä, joista viimeisin ”Seventhian…Memories Of Time” ilmestyi vuonna 2016. Kitaristi Keränen on ainoa ensimmäiseltä levyltä edelleen mukana oleva soittaja.
Yhtyeen, Seppäsen sekä Kolehmaisen tiedotteet luettavissa alta:
Dear friends and fans,
We are sad to announce that Dreamtale in it’s current form has come to an end.
We have come to a situation where we have to choose whether the story of the band ends here or whether it will still continue.
Vocalist Erkki Seppänen and guitarist Seppo Kolehmainen have decided to part ways with Dreamtale. Also, Bassist Heikki Ahonen has been relieved from his duties.
We want to thank all of them and wish them all the best in the future!
Erkki:
Twelve years is a long time – a quarter of my life, over a half of my adulthood. It is impossible to summarise this in a short statement like this. My decision has multiple reasons. Such decisions are not made hastily. With Dreamtale we recorded four great albums, played terrific shows all over the Old World of which a sold-out concert in Beijing is among my finest memories. Such adventures are a privilege experienced by only a handful of people. One of the best concept albums in the genre and The Island of My Heart shall also live forever in memories.
But all tales have an ending. My story in Dreamtale has now reached its final lines.
I have many emotions bouncing inside of me, but mainly sadness, pride and gratitude. Sadness – for having to let go. Pride – for our accomplishments. And gratitude – for the people with whom we have been writing this story of Dreamtale. Although I have mainly been responsible for the actually process of writing and interpreting the words onstage and on albums, it has been a collaborative effort.
Most importantly I wish to thank Rami for believing in me and giving me the chance to grow and develop as the singer of one of the best metal bands in Finland. Naturally I am also grateful for all the guys in the band, the roadies, the drivers, the promoters and sound engineers. It is a blessing to have worked with you. I have learned a lot – about myself, too.
Finally I want to thank the fans all over the world. I have always pursued the best for the band and tried to earn the respect you have so readily shown. Thank you for the support, the cheers and the joy over the years. Now it may be a time to mourn, but let’s do that together, too. The audience is not a passive receiver for the artists work, but an active companion who partakes in a dialogue. I have always written and addressed my texts to an audience – to you – while naturally fulfilling my own ideas at the same time. This has been incredibly rewarding and I cannot thank you enough.
When someone comes to you in a small Finnish village, after a great gig, under the midnight sun and shares their thoughts about the music and the words, you know you’ve done at least something right. When another one comes to you in the soaking, metropolitan heat of Hong Kong and wants to thank you for the songs, you know you’ve reached someone. Songs bring us together.
And songs will always hold us together.
Thank you.
Seppo:
These last twelve years as the lead guitarist of Dreamtale have included some of the greatest times of my life. We have recorded four full-length albums, done countless awesome shows and got to know so many wonderful people. Despite the fond memories I feel that the time has come for me to focus on other aspects of my life and maybe fulfill other musical ambitions. I want to thank all the guys I have had the chance to make music with and I salute all the awesome Dreamtale fans out there. Thank you, it has truly been a privilege!
Dreamtale pyytää hakemukset kitaristin, laulajan sekä basistin osalta jättämään alla olevaan osoitteeseen:
contact(at)dreamtale.org
Kuva: Ville Repo