Biography
Who is Emppu Vuorinen?
Early life and musical beginnings
Born Erno Matti Juhani Vuorinen in Kitee, Finland, he is the oldest sibling in a family of five. Emppu Vuorinen has a twin brother and three younger sisters. He began his path with the guitar as a private study when he was twelve years old, though he had previously started playing as a hobby at age ten.
During his elementary school years, he became friends with drummer Jukka Nevalainen. Later, he met Tuomas Holopainen at a concert performed by the band Nattvindens Gråt. Before the formation of his most famous project, Emppu and Nevalainen played together in groups called Nidhro't and Ambrosia.
Formation and work with Nightwish
In 1996, Emppu Vuorinen founded Nightwish alongside Tuomas Holopainen and vocalist Tarja Turunen. The band originally began as an acoustic project, and Turunen was brought in to sing on three specific songs. Over the years, the group evolved into a symphonic metal act.
Emppu Vuorinen serves as the rhythm guitarist for the band, often providing support for orchestral arrangements or keyboard lines. He also contributes lead melodies and solos. His playing style incorporates techniques like legato, tapping, sliding, and alternate picking. While he used more lead guitar work on the first three albums, his approach became more focused on serving the song's atmosphere in later recordings. He also co-wrote songs for the band between the albums Oceanborn and Dark Passion Play, and he wrote the track Whoever Brings The Night entirely by himself.
Other musical projects
Beyond his primary band, Emppu Vuorinen has been involved in several other musical groups. He formed the AOR band Brother Firetribe in 2002 after moving to Kerava. He recorded and produced albums for this project, including False Metal, Heart Full of Fire, Diamond in the Firepit, and Sunbound. He eventually left the band in 2020 because of his busy schedule.
He also contributed guitar parts to the Brazilian metal band Almah to assist his friend and vocalist Edu Falaschi, but he did not join the group permanently due to his commitments with Nightwish. Also, his past band credits include playing with Barilari, Altaria, and Darkwoods My Betrothed. He departed from Altaria in 2004.
Personal life and achievements
Outside of music, Emppu Vuorinen has achieved success in judo. He holds a black belt and has earned a bronze medal in the Nordic youth championship. He also secured two gold medals during his time competing in the Finnish youth championships.
He maintained a recording studio in Kerava with Tero Kinnunen. For his contributions to the local cultural scene, Emppu and his colleague Marko Hietala received an award from the city of Kerava.
Birthday and age
Emppu Vuorinen was born on June 24, 1978, which makes Emppu 48 years old today. That birthday falls under the Cancer sign. Emppu shares the date with 68 other famous people.
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