Finntroll

Interview date

Janvier 2009

Interviewer

goven

I N T E R V I E W

Interview Henri "Trollhorn" Sorvali


Thanks to give us a part of your time. My first impress, when I had heard Nifelvind, is that this album is more brutal that your first album. A sort of new concept of Finntroll. What's your opinion on this subject ?

Brutality is really on the eye of the beholder, and I would express my sincere gratitude if we have in your opinion achieved to match or even top the sheer violence of the first album. We don´t intentionally do anything within the concept of Finntroll- things just happen. Or rather, mishappen.

When we heard the Finntroll discography, we have an impression of progression, in the intensity of your album. From Midnattens Widunder to Nattfödd, we can think that it's the more melodic period of Finntroll. Since Up Jordens Djup, guitar and metal riff is more presents. What's your opinion ?

I do agree, as we´ve seemingly gone from chord progressions more into « riffing » again. We still have a lot of melodies present, but I think one reason we have gone more into this direction is also the subconscious tiredness of every single band nowadays doing the same boring chord- progressions- meet- folk- melodies- bullshit. We tend to have a small gap on everybody else, even if we didn´t think about it beforehand.

Few years ago, for Nattfödd (I think), I had read an interview where you said : « For this album, we had take our instruments and a lot of alcohol, then, we went in the wood, for long time and we had drunk ... and composed this album » ... Is it your manner to composed song today again ? :)

Heh, actually (it was Visor om Slutet, btw) maybe half of the songs had already been composed beforehand and most of the basis of the songs we composed later were done rather sober. However, we did drink a lot when we had laid the basic structure of a song down, that´s for sure. Doing everything drunk and half- assed, as fun as it sounds, would rather be blatant underestimating of ourselves and the listeners. I´m not saying you can´t achieve anything decent while being drunk in the forest, but there´s a limit how wasted you can actually be in the composing and recording process. No- one really wants to hear some totally badly played and mixed shit with half- assed songs even if the band was notorious of consuming lots of intoxicating substances.

About Nifelvind, how was choose the artworks of this album ?

Skrymer, as usual. He´s our Art Director, and we all are very convinced on his decisions. However, we all do have the possibility to raise our voices on any concerns- usually we just don´t have to.

Always about artworks, Nifelvind looks like Nattfödd for the artworks. But, these two albums are really different. Have you got an explenation about it ?

Drugs and the lack of short- and long- term memory ? Then again, there´s a riff in the new album that sounds a bit like a riff from Vätteanda.

On the re-edition of Midnattens Widunder, we can read « This album is a reflection of the fevered desire of two men, Somnium & Katla to combine traditional Finnish music with fold-tinged Black Metal. » These sentenced presents Finntroll as a project. Was it just a project for fun ?

Hahaha, it´s cool that the ex- chief of Metal Hammer knows this much about the band he´s now releasing albums of. It was Somnium´s musical ideas combined with Katla´s lyrical concepts in the first demo. Skrymer was also supposed to play the bass on the demo, but they ran out of tracks (using an old 4- track tape recorder) so he just drew the covers. After the rest of us joined the band, we all participated on the music writing right away. Hell, I´ve even done four songs to the first album alone, arranged many and contributed on the riffing, too. We also did another demo as a full band before the recordings of Midnattens Widunder, but never released it. It had the songs Rivfader and Segersång (which I was composing with Somnium). In other words, Fintroll was « Somnium´s and Katla´s band » for about three months… we others joined before we even had a record deal.

2002 and 2003 was dark years for Finntroll. With the disease of Katla and the dead of Somnium, The two people who had created this band couldn't continue the adventure. How have you live this sad period, for the band, and for you ?

Well, as stated before in a nutshell, neither of those two were very interested on doing Finntroll anymore anyway. So band- wise it wasn´t such a loss, friend- wise a big one naturally. Had the two guys done everything all the time, of course we probably wouldn´t had continued, but as the « rest » of us had already done the most anyway within the couple of years, we felt that it would be a insult to our creativity and dedication to not to continue with the band.

A character is present in your band since your beginning : Rivfader I suppose it's the Troll's king. What's this character represent for you ? And for the band ?

Rivfader is the age- old king and a shaman, leading the trolls onwards to countless battles against the southern pest. He represents a natural force, wisdom and fierce englightenment by hammer.

A new character come on Nattfödd : Eliytres … a new Troll... Why ?

Why not ? The Saga continues and there is so much unexplainable evil behind the lore it would be a shame to not bring other noticeable characters alive through our music and texts. He´ll rip you a new one when you least expect it !

About lyrics now. Since your first album, you talking about war between Troll and Human. Do you think this war can stop, and human and troll can leave in peace ?

Peace is such a hollow word. Invented by hollow men, the false ones who claim victorious. Throughout history, peace is always demanded by those who already have everything. People who force peace on others are the people who already have the upper hand and are not so keen on losing it. There shall never be peace until the pest is driven away.

About human people in your lyrics, it is mainly a question of christians people, and often, they die under the troll hammer. Are you against religion ? Especially christians religion ?

We are against all Semitic religions. Christianity in the first place, as it affects us the most. However, lately the Muslim religion has started to rise it´s ugly head in our native Northlands as a threat which we oppose. Death to infidels, you see!

Do you think metal is a music which refuse religion ? In the mind of people, it's often associate with Satanism. What's your opinion ?

Metal = Satan. The Devil has always had the best tunes, and I find it rather laughable that someone would claim that christian metal music could even exist. While all metal is not Satanic per se, it has long roots and tradition of being against christianity in a way or another. Metal music is all about rebellion in the end, a concept hardly found couraged in the christian books and scriptures.