Biography
Kenziner is the brainchild of 24 year old guitarist Jarno Keskinen of Riihimäki, Finland. Jarno composed all of the music, played all ot the electric and acoustic guitars, bass and keyboards on the group's debut recording 'Timescape'.
Jarno first picked up the electric guitar at 11 and was immediately impressed with some of the popular heavy metal bands of the times such as Iron Maiden and W.A.S.P. Later at around 16 as Jarno improved his abilities he became enthralled with classical greats such as Bach, Vivaldi, Paganini and Corelli. At this point Jarno became heavily involved with classical violin sequences, arpeggios, minor diminished chromatic runs and practised heavily each and every day.
In 1994 Jarno sent a demo tape to Leviathan Records which caught the ear of David T. Chastain. David encouraged Jarno to continue writing and send in additional materials. In 1997 David decided to produce Jarno's first album stating: "There are a lot of great guitar players in the world but what sets Jarno apart from the rest is his incredible compositions."
Joining Jarno on this recording are 2 musical greats in their own right. Dennis Lesh (Trouble, Chastain, Stygian) handled the extremely complicated drumming. Dennis' experience helped add maturity to the intensity and reworked some of the original parts to make the release sound more heavy and less busy. On vocals is the very talented Stephen Frederick. Stephen has been involved with many well known acts in the past such as MCA recording artist Billy The Kid, Producer/guitarist Brendan O'Brien, Atomic Shelter Bruno Langer and David T. Chastain. Stephen comes from influences with more emotional content as opposed to just screamers. David says: "We auditioned singers from all over the world for this project but Stephen's emotional delivery fit the music absolutely perfect." Originally this record was planned to showcase Jarno, but halfway through the recording it was obvious to everyone that the vocals were equal in brilliance. Stephen can also play a little guitar so he understands the talents of Jarno and therefore there is a mutual admiration amongst all players.
Jarno choose to play all other instruments on the album than drums. "No one we aditioned could handle the parts as well as I could in the studio", Jarno states.
While the music itself runs the full gamut from massive musical chops to subtle acoustical brilliance, the lyrical content centers on the journeys of soul mates throughout time. A deep and sorrowful journey where they try and try again to return to a time where all was perfect, the Timescape.
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