It’s the dawn of spring 2020. During one morning, Esa Holopainen’s mobile vibrates laboriously, and the guitarist picks up the phone. After some quintessential compliments, there comes the core question. “Esa, would it be the right time to start working on your solo album?”

This gentle voice belongs to Nino Laurenne, renowned music producer and owner of Helsinki-based recording facility Sonic Pump. Esa Holopainen doesn’t have to think for too long, the electric guitarist extraordinaire already knows the answer.

Fast forward to early 2021. Esa Holopainen is sitting on the comfortable sofa inside Sonic Pump. His first solo album –released under the artist name SILVER LAKE – has been just mastered by Svante Forsbäck (Rammstein, Volbeat, The Rasmus). “I’ve been thinking of doing my own record for years, and Nino’s call came at the right time”, nods Holopainen. “I mean, when Nino – who ended up mixing and producing the album – opened this can of worms, the worldwide pandemic had already destroyed all plans concerning 2020, and I was starkly aware of the fact that I had spare time on my hands. So it didn’t take long to comprehend that this is it, time has finally come to do something on my own – for the first time in three decades!”

some of my longtime friends and favourite singers if they would be available”, says Holopainen. “Thankfully, it didn’t take long to find out that superb artists such as Anneke van Giersbergen (ex-The Gathering, VUUR), Björn “Speed” Strid (Soilwork), Einar Solberg (Leprous) and Jonas Renkse (Katatonia) would be happy to join the project.”

DIGI:

01. Silver Lake
02. Sentiment
03. Storm
04. Ray Of Light
05. Alkusointu
06. In Her Solitude
07. Promising Sun
08. Fading Moon
09. Apprentice

LINE-UP:

Guitars - Esa Holopainen
Keyboards - Vili Itäpelto
Bass - Pasi Heikkilä
Drums & Percussion - Sampo Haapaniemi