Mandrake Zine / June 2000

Link

Answered by Ville Sorvali


Please tell about the very beginning of Moonsorrow. (When , how, why and by whom was the band formed?) Please tell a bit about your previous projects - were you two already making music or doing something else in the musical field together at the time?

[Ville] Moonsorrow was formed in 1995 by Henri and me. Why? For the sake of playing some more music... we had this paganistic concept we wanted to express, so to say. And how? The same way we formed all the other projects back then, i.e. the other one of us got an immortal idea and consequences followed. So we had a significant number of different projects already, however those projects are more or less dead by now. Moonsorrow has survived through the years, because it was something we really wanted to do and eventually it even became an actual band. The projects we had prior to Moonsorrow included such legends as Ahti and Masturbory as well as dozens of one-rehearsal projects that never recorded anything (at least not to be published). We were really expressing ourselves in every way from thrash metal to folk music... and as we were kids, the results were usually pretty terrible. The experience, however, was valuable.

About the band name - is there any deliberate reference to the Celtic Frost classic "Sorrows of the Moon"? Do you know the song and the alternative version "Tristesses de la Lune" - what do you think? Would you consider covering the track (despite the fact that it has been done before by Therion and Nocturnal Mortum)? What does the concept of Moonsorrow mean? Should it be placed in your heathen views?

[Ville] So you revealed it! Actually it was that Celtic Frost track our band was originally named after, and when Henri introduced the compound for our moniker, I thought it would be a good symbol for picturing our band. And it is. Moonsorrow consists of two powerful words, the combination of which can have many meanings; it doesn't require any strict concept to be connected to, and neither have we ever felt like doing so. I don't know if it particularly reflects our heathen views, but it for sure suits our music and also our Finnish origin. I mean, as a posteriori as my impression would be, our music pictures "moonsorrow", and "moonsorrow" as a symbol mirrors the dear Finnish melancholy or whatever. About the Celtic Frost track then, I think it's a good, innovative piece in itself. (I don't quite get the cross-artistic attempt in the French version, but undeniably it shows how "ahead" the band was at their time.) Covering that track isn't a totally excluded option, but we haven't thought about it before. If we decide to cover a track, we are led by the criterion of being able to give something new to the song as arranged by Moonsorrow and it shouldn't matter if the same track has been covered a thousand times before if only our version would be distinguishable from the others.

Looking over your discography, a striking element are the cancelled releases. What went wrong with the "Thorns of Ice"-demo? Why didn't it satisfy your expectations? Did lack of experience play a role in that? Then for the promo '97 - what happened here? Were you in a phase that experimenting was a higher goal in itself at the time? Were you striving for originality? Why did you take these recordings up in your discography though they were never released?

[Ville] What didn't go wrong with "Thorns Of Ice"? We recorded it very shortly after Moonsorrow was formed, which roughly means that we hadn't had enough time yet to find our own style, to some extent resulting in numbness and naivety of the compositions. Of course we also had severe lacks in our experience, but I think it didn't play such a role in the unsuccessfulness of "Thorns Of Ice". After all, the songs were pretty damn easy to play. Not that the music in itself would have been a total failure - in retrospect it was a good picture of our capabilities in 1996 - Moonsorrow just didn't sound ready yet. I remember that we were about to release the demo anyway, but thanks to the divine intervention of half of the mastered material disappearing mysteriously we very cleverly withdrew from the idea. Then for the promo '97 - the disaster. It wasn't like we would have been striving for originality, we never were; we just wanted to try and write a different, somewhat joyous song. If it wasn't a horrible attempt already, I made it a nightmare by trying to sing clean! Furthermore, we blew up the mix by making the channels distort very badly. The simple reason why these recordings are placed in our discography even though they do not exist, so to say, is that they still have their position as milestones on the path of Moonsorrow - they are a part of what we have done.

In my opinion, with each release by Moonsorrow, it's like listening to a completely different band. What do you think of this? What's the reason for this? I can understand like "natural development", but this is really extreme. Have you found a musical direction now you will stick to or will we never know what to expect from Moonsorrow?

[Ville] I have to disagree, because I can find the characterising "Moonsorrow-sound" on all of our recordings. Perhaps it's because I've been there, but if you compare "Tämä Ikuinen Talvi" with "Metsä", you rather easily notice that it's made by the same band, only two years older and wiser. It's faster because we wanted it to be faster and it's more symphonic not only because we wanted it to be that way, but also because we had obtained better synth equipment; on "Metsä" there already are traces of "orchestral ambitions", just played with a terrible game-console-alike instrument. And if you compare "Suden Uni" with these demos, you can only conclude that musically it's not so radically different from either one! The most striking element must be the reduced speed, but we wanted it that way, and as you know "Metsä" you know that it's not a new thing for Moonsorrow. Although I do not foresee such radical turns in our continuation now, we will always develop, and on the next release - as with every previous work - we will again be closer to how we wanted it all to sound. And don't say you don't know what to expect... expect Moonsorrow!

Your first released demo "Metsä" sounded like Immortal (Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism-days) with keyboards to me. What's the most memorable response you got to this demo? What do you think of this recording nowadays? Will you ever re-record these tracks? Thinking back of the recording session - what comes to your mind?

[Ville] That reference was new to me indeed! I don't think "Metsä" sounds like Immortal at all, but that's your opinion and I can't argue with it. Rather, it reminds me of Enslaved (which I think was a part of the purpose), but be it what it is, "Metsä" is a good effort and I'd say we can be proud of it. Thinking back of the recording session, I remember it was going really smoothly, because it took us only a day to record and mix everything; we weren't trying to make any hi-fi stuff you know. The sounds are bad and so are the vocals, but the songs themselves turned out good. And because of their potential, we have already discussed re-recording the tracks, probably for some exclusive release. We have already rearranged "Hvergelmir" and played it live and it sounds marvellous indeed. The most memorable response to "Metsä" must be from a reviewer who concluded "horrible sounding computer drums, boring riffs and annoying sounds", giving us 1 point of 5... or from the other who asked "what's actually positive here?", still giving us 0,5 points more. Well, of course there were the folks who liked the demo, but they weren't the critics.

Your second official demo "Tämä Ikuinen Talvi" has become an absolute masterpiece. But as with the birth of beautiful children - the labour was hard! Please tell about all the things that went wrong. How did you cope with this? Weren't you taken by total despair after so many fuck-ups?

[Ville] Thank you very much for your compliment. I'm very satisfied with that demo as well, and perhaps part of the satisfaction is in the happy ending of the painful recording process. So where to start? The first obstacle was that we had several problems with booking the studio of Sibelius-lukio, because it was often full and a few times even double-booked - which shows something about their organisation. And on one of the occasions we entered that studio the mixing table had simply disappeared! (Or was it just broken? Hell, I can't remember.) When we finally got things together and got as far as recording the synth tracks (including the drum computer), everything was destroyed, and we had to start all over again. And when we finally got on the recording again and managed to take in the synths and the guitars, everything was destroyed again when we were recording the bass! I have to admit that we were both very pissed off because of everything that had happened, but I think it only increased our will to get "Tämä Ikuinen Talvi" done. Anyhow, it was a huge relief when we finally made it.

Up to and including "Tämä.." you worked with a drum computer instead of a actual drummer and in previous interviews you stated that Moonsorrow would always be the 2 of you. What made you change your mind and led to the introduction of Baron Tarwonen? Did the option of playing live play a role in this? Do you like the way it is working out?

[Ville] On our demos we worked with a drum computer (on "Thorns Of Ice" I actually played the drums, but as it was never released, fortunately no one will be able to witness that) mainly because Henri did most of the arranging and he was already recording something with the programmed drums as the basis when I got to hear the new material. Also, it would have been impossible to obtain proper sounds from real drums on home studio conditions, and last but not least my skills weren't adequate for the beating. However, we wanted to have lively drumming for our album, and so we ended up asking Baron Tarwonen to join in. After all, he is one hell of a drummer! Before him it seemed that Moonsorrow would function the best with only the two of us, but how wrong were we after all... our unity in this three-piece is perfect and new blood has really helped to enhance the "Moonsorrow-sound". Tarwonen also made it possible for us to play live as a band and that is a step forwards indeed.

You have already done some live-playing - what was it like? (experience, response, line-upŠ what about the accordion?)

[Ville] Playing live is always a great experience, and especially with Moonsorrow it seems that we are a "live band" above all. Just unfortunately we haven't got the chance to play live too often. Considering that we're still a young band with no name, the response from the audience has been certainly positive. At all but one of our gigs there has been a pleasant number of people and they have seemed to like what we're doing. Our live line-up differs from the arranging and recording line-up so that Henri plays the guitar and the keyboard duties have been transferred to a man called Lord Eurén. Also there is another guitarist called Shadow to strengthen our live sound. So far the accordion has been played from the synthesizer, although it wouldn't be a bad idea to use the real instrument instead. Mostly the question is about who would play it.

You said you did some reckless promotion after the release of "Tämä"- in what way? You managed to score 4 offers for a record deal!! From which labels? Why did you choose for Plasmatica? Plasmatica is a rather young label - don't you consider that a risk? (will they keep their promises, will they do a good job?..) How is the collaboration/communication going so far?

[Ville] Reckless is a relative term; for us poor students it meant nothing but sending a 100 free copies of the tape to record labels and zines which weren't chosen too carefully (the costs for this operation were circa $200, about as much as what we paid for the recording). Although we got response from only a fraction of those 100 people, we eventually scored 4 offers for a deal as you said. Mentioning the 3 other labels that were in the "contest" is not relevant, but I can say the reason for rejecting their offers in the first place was that they had an inadequate studio budget or insufficient conditions for promotion - two things that are of the highest importance in a deal. We didn't choose Plasmatica only because their offer was the best we got, but because it was truly good. Yes, Plasmatica is a young label, but if there's no risk, there is no gain either. Seriously though, I had been in contact with Carlos (the head of the label) for a while before "Tämä Ikuinen Talvi" was even out and because of all the trading we had done prior to the negotiations I was already convinced of his reliability. Also I sensed a sort of a promise in his label, and now when I have witnessed two of his releases coming out (Kranium and Unhola), I can be sure that they do a good and serious job. They really work for their bands so that everyone in their team can feel that they have priority.

Tell us about your debut album (When and how recorded, changes in style of music, expectations, etc, etc). I must really congratulate you with the great production by the way - who produced the album? (how much studio time in which studio?)

[Ville] Our debut album "Suden Uni" was recorded, mixed and mastered in Tico-Tico Studio (Kemi, Finland) during the short period in between the 7th and the 16th of February 2000 (8 hours a day, excluding the weekend) and the result - as you are able to hear - became simply astonishing considering the schedule. It was really produced by us, but a huge gratitude about the result is of course to be paid to the universal guru Ahti Kortelainen, who was our engineer. The composing process of the album didn't take quite as short, though, as the first notes of the material were written shortly after "Tämä Ikuinen Talvi" was finished. Our style, however, begun to require more musical imagination and so we had to abandon many of the old ideas during the course. Most of the composing was executed in autumn 1999 and two of the songs were still unfinished in the beginning of 2000. Also the lyrics went through such a long hard way, and there are a few lines on the album that I wrote just a few days before the studio. In January/February when we started seriously rehearsing for the album, we collectively arranged all the songs to 5% from the final. Changes in style of music? Well, as I already meantioned in the 4th question, this album is decisively slower (or should we say "less fast") than "Tämä Ikuinen Talvi" - on the same occasion, it is also much heavier. There are more folk influences and the proportions of the songs are more epic. I could well describe it as "bombastic heathen metal" and I dare say that it's more Moonsorrow than anything we have done before. Ok then, what do we expect from the album? Nice question. We have already achieved the primary goal, i.e. the satisfaction of ourselves. But of course we also hope that many people will enjoy it and that everyone who could like it could get it in their hands. Money and fame are not important, after all we're doing this for our own enjoyment, but as we're not rich, all bucks we could ever earn with it are of course welcome!

Though the songs on "Tämä" already had an epic touch, I think this aspect of your songs has grown to be more important - the same goes for the influences from folk music - do you agree? What has caused this change? Have the later Bathory-albums influenced you in your music in any way?

[Ville] As can be understood from the previous question, I definitely agree with you on the interpretation about the growth of epic and folkish aspects. With Moonsorrow we have always wanted to reach the ultimate in epic and folk themes connected to METAL, so the development is certainly the most natural; we have advanced in our skills of composing and arranging music and I'd say our taste has increasingly gone for the better. Also we have given up ripping others off (which, despite the futility of excusing, has never been completely intentional), even though there still are some familiar atmospheres disgustingly shining through, the most obvious of which indeed are reminiscent of the "viking-albums" of Bathory. However, anyone can separate "Suden Uni" from "Twilight Of The Gods" on very clear grounds.

Do you know the Finnish band Furthest Shore? What do you think of their work?

[Ville] Yes, I know the band but I haven't had the chance to check out their production on a larger scale. I'm sure you wouldn't have asked this question as completely irrelevant, so do you think we sound like them?

On your debut album you use rather unusual instruments like an accordion, a mouth harp - who's idea was this? Can we expect more of this kind of instrument extravaganza?

[Ville] Great that you took notice of them! Both of these instruments were Henri's ideas, and although I had a slightly reserved attitude towards the accordion, it turned out to serve our music damn well. The funny part of it was that we had originally planned to play the accordion with keyboards - simply because we didn't own an accordion and no one of us was supposed to be able to play it anyway - but when we sneaked around in the studio we found this age-old instrument and Henri actually practised to handle it within a few hours! And so we ended up recording a live accordion on our album. We are not actually talking about an instrument extravaganza, but yes, accordion and mouth harp will remain in our selection, most certainly. Our hope is also to add a few more real instruments instead of playing everything with keyboards, but as a matter of economy it remains to be seen.

Don't you think it's a shame that non-Finnish listeners/readers can't understand your lyrics (for they are in Finnish), especially considering the fact you once said you want people to interpret your lyrics for themselves? Will you print translated versions? Maybe switch (back) to English someday?

[Ville] It is a shame that people who can't understand Finnish can't understand my lyrics either, but when translated they wouldn't have exactly the same content anyway. I first tried to compose English translations for the lyrics on "Suden Uni", but after days of pondering and numerous attempts I realised that it wasn't going to work. However, I ended up writing English frame stories for all the songs and I hope that these could help foreign listeners to understand the texts. Of course the Finnish people are now left with much better opportunities to interpret the lyrics for themselves, which has never been my purpose, but it's just that I have found writing in my mother tongue to bring forth better expressions. Writing some lyrics in English (or in other languages) in times to come is always possible, it merely depends on in which language I can express a thought in the most effective way.

(Please tell a little about the content of the lyrics for "Suden Uni")

[Ville] Well, as much I would hate explaining my lyrics, I can never avoid that it seems. So here a brief piece-by-piece content for those who hunger for something general (I still wish to leave the deeper interpretation of the lyrics, or the frame stories at least, to the listeners). There are two historical songs, the other which is based around the famous axe murder on Köyliönjärvi and the other which scans the demise of the vikings. This anti-christianly heathenish approach is also used to display the common fact of christians stealing the traditional pagan feasts. Then there is our home-sweet-home anthem, a song about the heathenish relation to death and lastly a lyric my beloved Kaija Kokkonen could tell more about. If there is a general "theme" connecting all these lyrics it must be paganism.

To what extent are your lyrics influenced by Finish folklore/mythology? What do you think of the way a band like Amorphis used it? In an interview for Domain'zine Henry said that folklore/mythology still have quite an impact on the daily lives of many people in Finland. Could you tell me how and illustrate how big this impact is?

[Ville] Direct references to Finnish mythology in our lyrics are few, it is rather the primaeval sphere of ideas they reflect; honour, unyielding disposition in front of an enemy, deep respect for nature, beliefs of afterlife and so on. Writing about mythology does sound tempting, though, but for some reason I haven't done it yet. Okay, we do have mythological lyrics on "Metsä", but they are about Scandinavian mythology (which also played a role in Finnish culture, but is not that we comprehend as the Finnish mythology). The way Amorphis has employed Finnish mythology is good P.R. for it and I think they've done it pretty well, the only minus being that they haven't bothered to dig deeper than just the oral heritage collected in the 19th century - by that time Finland had long been inhabited by Christians. I wouldn't say that the old folklore would have any actual impact on the daily lives of regular Finns, however it is remarkable how strong a position the divinities still have in modern language (the sea is still "the realm of Ahti", people are still talking about elves and gnomes doing all kinds of little stuff and so on, and yeah, of course the Finnish word for thunder is ukkonen)... but it really isn't the recipe for revolution, is it? Fortunately the number of people interested in their national heritage is gradually increasing and we might see it actually affecting the society someday.

What treasures are there to be found beyond the oral heritage. What are the differences compared to the Kalevala? What has the influence of the Christains been like?

[Ville] Huge treasures. There is so much to know about Finnish mythology and folklore and only a little part of it is exposed in public through Kalevala and Kanteletar. The role of the christians in this has simply been the systematic destroying and suffocating of the "godless" traditions, so that there wouldn't be options for their monotheistic belief. There are many rituals (seasonal/agricultural/hunting rituals, sacrifices, funerals...), spells, holy places of the heathens and everything, there is to be found a deeper knowledge of the gods and other mythical folk and of course there is the entire interesting history of the pagan past. Some of the knowledge may be hard to obtain, and I can't claim to have found all the bits of information myself either. There are various books exploring Finnish traditions and of course there is a dose of information scattered around the internet. It takes the trouble, but (in my opinion) Finnish mythology is so interesting that it's certainly worth it.

You label your music "Pagan Metal" but I dislike this labelling business as much as you do. But how would you describe your music? What are the influences (traditional Finnish folk music?) and what are your sources of inspiration?

[Ville] Epic pagan metal, bombastic heathen metal... it's all the same I think. Labelling does seldom tell a thing about the music itself. The best option would be that everyone could listen to the music himself or herself so that I wouldn't have to tell what we sound like in my opinion. But as many people simply don't have the chance to check out a record before buying it, descriptions and reviews are obligatory to prevent a complete surprise/disappointment. To begin with, our music is metal, giving intimations of its representatives generally known as "black" and "heavy". The songs are rather lengthy, structured in an epic way and arranged to be as bombastic as possible, in which the keyboards play a significant role. Moreover there are the folkish influences bringing in a touch of Finnish musical heritage. The vocals are mostly shrieky but there is also clean singing in places, and the lyrics strongly support the heathenish atmosphere of the music. And even though sounding just like Moonsorrow, it may reveal influences of some other epic metal bands such as Bathory.

Does Finland have a rich tradition in folk music? Do you listen to Finnish traditional music yourself? By which artists?

[Ville] Yes, there is a rich tradition of folk music in Finland. The melodies from centuries and centuries ago are preserved by many musicians, some of whom perform them as they were and some of whom are bringing them into the present fashion. There are numerous active folk music groups in Finland, and there are also a couple of vital festivals devoted to (Finnish) folk music. I like traditional (and semi-traditional) Finnish music very much, all the way from more or less pure folk groups like Gjallarhorn or Värttinä to those who build their folk music on the corner stones of "popular culture" like Hedningarna or Pohjannaula. Also those who use Finnish folk music in music of totally other genres, for example Pekka Pohjola, are generally to my liking.

You say you are heathens - what does this mean to you, to be a heathen? Is there a difference between heathendom and paganism? Have you always felt a heathen or has there been a certain point in your life that you reached a certain insight? Isn't it a very individual thing to be a heathen? Are there general rules & values shared by all heathens?

[Ville] To me being a heathen means at its simplest a profound respect for nature. It also includes living by values that can be characterized heathenish (e.g. sincerity, rightfulness, honour, wisdom, reasonableness) and not accepting the twisted morals of any contemporary religion. I do not worship any heathen divinities as such as I don't see it as a very crucial factor in heathenism itself; I rather consider Ukko and the other fellows to be symbols as which nature could be personified. I don't see any difference between heathendom and paganism, after all they're synonyms, yet they both can appear in many forms (depending on who applies) under the very same name. Heathenism is, as you said, very personal and quite free to be shaped to respond to the needs and conceptions of an individual. There are no general rules in the sense e.g. Christians would understand, but the basic values are somewhat common with all heathens. What comes to the development of my heathenism, it has just inconspicuously happened alongside the growing of my knowledge and the focusing of my interests. I think I can claim to have been a heathen soul since a child, because I was never turned into a heathen. I just hadn't recognized it until recently.

Nature seems to take up a special place in your philosophy of life. Why? What precise role does nature play in your view on life? Who or what created nature? Are you familiar with the Gaia theory? If so, what do you think of it? Should you be considered an environmentalist?

[Ville] To cut it short, nature is the only thing I "believe in", so to say; it is the superior entity and the divine for me. And because from my point of view nature is the "creator" itself, it was never created, it has always been and it will always be. But what makes nature a different "creator" is that it has not to be particularly worshipped., all we need to "sacrifice" to nature is just to live and breathe with it. We all are a part of nature but unfortunately few ever realize it - let alone act according to it. The Gaia theory is a fascinating alternative for comprehending the world and in a way the earth can be perceived as one breathing creature, but I rather deal with it (her) as a sum of all organic and inorganic it counts. We really can't talk about nature as collectively conscious anyhow. I am definitely an environmentalist in the everyday sense of the word, but that's a far cry from any sort of activism.

Living in harmony with nature, what does that mean?

[Ville] Basically it is an ideal of not consuming more than one needs and not harming nature in any way with one's actions. This is of course impossible in practise, as humans as we are, and I seriously cannot claim to have achieved that ideal either. Quite self-evidently, living in harmony with nature also presupposes spending one's time with nature, communicating with it and understanding its ways.

You consider life to be "a unique incident in nature's course' - what's the reason for existing in your opinion? Do you believe that when you die, you live on in one way or another? What happens to your essence/spirit? Please respond to the following statement "Life is not to be enjoyed, it is to be endured" (From "The Prince of Abbysinia" - a 18th century novel)

[Ville] There is no particular reason for existing; we have just been born to continue nature's course. We do not have to strive for anything remarkable while we walk the earth, we just have to try to live our lives in harmony with nature and all its creatures (and the principle concerns everyone no matter if they live in cities, on the countryside, in forests or wherever). Everything we do has a meaning to nature but there are no instructions of what exactly we should do, so it may be concluded that when nature is satisfied with us we can start satisfying ourselves. And, of course, that part of it is very individual. People should seek the joy from life and make it a pleasant experience, and although life is often hard and miserable, it should be endured to be enjoyed again. I don't know if any spiritual afterlife expects us when we die - so far I have rationalized that it doesn't - but our corpses will nevertheless return to earth, continuing the eternal course of nature from the bottom of the food chain.

What is the cause that life is often so hard and miserable? What role does society play in this? Is there any justification for society the way it is in your eyes? Why not "move into nature"?

[Ville] Mostly it's us humans who make our lives miserable; greedy, envious, hostile, untrustworthy bastards always gathering obstacles on each other's way instead of just concentrating on enjoying being. Not only does the society play a significant role in this by encouraging this cannibalism, it also has its direct means of making us all less happy. All students, unemployed people and generally everyone who has too little money to spend in the eyes of our profit-centered society must know this. Basically everything about "the modern society" disgusts me, but that's where we live in and we cannot run or hide from it. Yes, society is justified as a system, but somehow it has all gone wrong and now we find ourselves struggling in this materialistic, superficial, hypocrite forecourt of hell. Moving into nature is a nice thought, but I doubt if any of us crowns of creation would survive there for long, at least not alone. For most people I think the game would end in the search for food.

Are both Henri and you still active for Meathooked zine? Please tell some more about the magazine and why you started it. What is it that makes Meathooked zine stand out? You also include "social critical features/articles. Why? How do you pick the bands for the interviews?

[Ville] As active as it permits; we work for Meathooked 'zine every once in a while which however isn't too often. We are not attempting to make any frequent magazine anyway. It is more about expressing ourselves and occasionally shattering the underground 'zine circles by bringing some quality into them. We have had two issues so far, both containing 64 pages in A4-format full of information and good humour (see how relative the term is). I think it's our individual style of writing and handling various topics that makes Meathooked stand out. By including socio-political articles we have shown our indifference to the "general underground rules"; we are proud to be aware of humanistic issues and we speak about what we want even if some people wouldn't respect or get it. They are not an end in themselves anyhow, but we really would like people to think about what we say. We may or may not write about such topics in the future, all depending on what we have in mind at that time. Concerning the choice of bands for the interviews, I think you have noticed that the spectrum is rather vast. It happens to be that, for the sake of artistic freedom, we all have taken uncontrolled hands to bring anything onto the pages of Meathooked. Usually it happens (surprisingly enough) that we choose to interview bands we like; moreover, it is often our guidance that a person who really has something to say is more interesting to question than someone who does not have any opinion.

Ville, you are currently doing your civil service; a necessary evil or do you consider it useful to contribute to the well-being of society?

[Ville] Definitely the first option. It is true that the civil service system offers extremely cheap labour to employers in service of the nation, the commune, the church or certain generally useful organisations, but I believe that a few thousand nearly unsalaried workers per year in often just partly useful tasks do not make such a big difference to the well-being of society. After all, we do not even pay taxes. If the service (either military or civil) wouldn't have been obligatory, I wouldn't ever report for it. Who would want to spend 13 months of his life in civil service anyway? I have to admit, though, that my service in Alppila senior high (a local high school) has been rather comfortable because of the fabulous staff and students and the inspiring assignments, and it is a welcomed break to my studies, but the payment for it does not really contribute to my well-being.

What kind of assignments? Please tell your most amusing experience with the students

[Ville] During my service I have worked as a substitute of the janitor and the school secretary, held tests and lessons (mostly in mathematics, but also in other subjects), organized various happenings, counseled students, helped the staff out in computer problems, stored archives, done some repair and whatever. Basically everything you can imagine happening in a school building. I can't remember anything too amusing at the moment, but the most memorable experience I've got must be the lessons I've held. It was always so nice.

In an interview you said, that after your civil service you are going to study mathematics with the intention of becoming a teacher - is this still what you are planning to do? Why do you want to become a teacher? What charm does the passing on of knowledge have for youŠ or is it simply a well-paid job in Finland?

[Ville] Not only mathematics, but also physics and computer science (long live scientific heathens). Anyway. Supposedly the very idea of becoming a teacher is in my blood, because I first thought about it when I was still very young, 5 years old or so. It must have something to do with the fact that my father is a teacher, and that his father was also a teacher - it's some kind of a curse, I think. Anyway, when I started to grow of age and begun to think for myself, the idea didn't fade but gradually started to seem a worthwhile option... and eventually I applied for a teacher's education at the university. Not because it would be my "natural heritage", but because I really like teaching (thanks to my civil service I may talk of experience) and furthermore I think our knowledge is one of the most precious things we can give to the next generation. Besides, the popularity of teaching is decreasing all the time and thus there will be more jobs to graduated teachers when my time has come. It certainly is not a well-paid job, but as all the teachers I know are able to make a living of it without problems, that's enough! However, I seriously believe that the salaries will rise as the teachers are becoming fewer. But hey, anything can happen and I may become a space shuttle engineer or a roof carpenter instead.

Ville, you are also involved in Meathook Productions. How are things going at the moment? Would you want the label to grow bigger and sign more bands for CD-releases? What about future releases?

[Ville] Again, as actively as it permits. Because of its high level of unprofitableness, we haven't released much stuff lately, concentrating more on the distribution side of it - which however also due to the high level of unprofitableness has slowed down in growth. As everyone knows, we are just a d.i.y. demo-label and the most likely that will never change, but if we got an enormous amount of money it wouldn't be a bad idea to turn MHP into a real label. After all, there still are some unsigned bands who would really deserve a proper cd/lp-release. I don't have a clue about possible future releases other than Lunar Womb's still unfinished 3rd demo, I'm just 99% sure that it will be released as a demo tape.

Henry is making music form money, to earn himself a living. In what way does he do so?.. is he a session musician that can be rent? Does he play in a pop band as well?

[Ville] Henri is a professional musician (although his education is still halfway), making it his work to play for artists in the studio, supplying groups on concerts and composing and arranging themes for whatever they're needed for. It is however surprising how little work Henri has got recently considering that he is really good. He can play anything from lounge jazz to hip hop, as long as he's paid, including pop music. Just note that those bands where Henri is a permanent member (Moonsorrow and those which I list in the next question) are not his employers but a sincere hobby.

Please tell some about your side projects! I recently heard one track from Finntroll (before I knew Henry was a band member) on a sampler of the German Legacy magazine. A friend of mine was playing it and during the Finntroll track - I especially asked for the CD-cover to check out which band made this great music!! It turned out to be the unknown (to me, that was) band Finntroll. How are things going for Finntroll? I saw they were going to do a gig in Germany on a festival "Partysan Open Air" this summer (please tell a little more about that) What about Baron Tarwonen's other band Gorewinter?

[Ville] At least according to my perception things are going pretty well for Finntroll (the keyboard wizard of which is Henri). They have reached fair sales numbers with their debut album and a second one is already in the plans. For the summer they are booked for many gigs, including two appearances in Germany in August... check out if you're nearby for that band simply kills live! Gorewinter (where Baron does the drumming and vocals and plays some guitar) is not doing as healthy currently, as I haven't witnessed any action in their camp since the demo-cd "Buried By Night", but I'm sure the project is still together and that they will do another recording someday. I just hope they will get a deal because they deserve it for sure. Other bands the members of Moonsorrow are involved in include Circus Of Flesh (attitude wrenching, Baron on guitar), Kuha. (weird rock, Baron on the other drums), Luokkasota (70s' prog/heavy, Henri on keys) and May Withers (dismal rock, Ville on drums), not forgetting the solo project of Henri, Lunar Womb (neo-classical/ambient). There are also Thornfrost (black/whatever metal, Ville on drums/vocals and Henri on keys) and certain other *projects* but their level of activity has been extremely low lately. If you also want to know where our live session members come from, the guitarist Shadow is from a Helsinki-based black metal group Tyrant and the keymaster Lord Eurén is the other founding member of Gorewinter.

Aren't you afraid that Finntroll will impose a threat to Moonsorrow in the sense that it'll take up too much of Henry's time? How do you look at Finntroll's succes? Please tell some more about Tyrant..

[Ville] As far as I'm concerned, Henri has set his priorities into this band. I am not afraid that he would choose to leave Moonsorrow for Finntroll if such a decision had to be made, but even if he chose otherwise I believe it would be carefully considered and thus better for him. I think there has happened no wrong if Finntroll succeeds, after all, it is a great band. If you'd wanna find out whether I'm jealous, no, not a bit. Our time will come. Then Tyrant, ehm... as far as I know, they have one official demo out, recorded in 1998 or something. Perhaps they're not ready to break out from the "demo level" yet, but some day they could be if they keep on doing their own thing.

Finland has the highest suicide rate in Europe, what do you think is the reason for that?

[Ville] As if the Finnish mentality wouldn't be dismal already, in autumnal and wintry times, when it's really chilly and dark many people get extremely depressed. And if they're lonely on the top of it, that's when the suicides happen. When loved ones die, there are people who can't bear the pressure, and because our profit centred society causes so much stress with all its demands, it is the most likely to increase the risk of people taking their lives even more. Also a stereotypical Finn is supposed to be ready to die for his (stubborn) principles, however suicide does not grant martyrdom, does it? Well, I don't know if I got even close with my kitchen psychology, but at least I answered your question sounding intelligent.

I've never been to Finland - if I was to go there, what should I expect? Which phrase (in Finnish + translation) should I definitely remember in case I pay you country a visit?

[Ville] You should expect to see a very beautiful country with snow in winter and sunshine in summer (though on the coast, where I live, winters are mostly wet and summers windy). Our traditional pride is in the midnight sun on midsummer and in the famous ten thousand lakes and the Finnish nature in general. The people though are rather introvert, which must be strange to a traveller from the talkative Central Europe (heh), but you'll learn to cope with them by time. A phrase you should remember is definitely "anteeksi, missä voisin tavata luonnonvaraisia jääkarhuja?" ("excuse me, where could I meet wild polar bears?") or perhaps "yksi olut, kiitos" ("one beer, please"); pronounced exactly as written. But so that this wouldn't become any traveller's guidebook, I'll leave the presentation for the possible time you are actually paying a visit to our country.

If you're not totally worn out by now, please finish off the interview.

[Ville] Although I am worn out (after answering these questions on all work days of a week), I will have to add something like a word of gratitude and respect for the great work you have done to expose us. This interview was certainly the best I have answered recently, and although it took its time, I took a great deal of pleasure from it... and I hope that this chat was as enjoyable for the readers as well! We raise our chalices with you for a new heathen age to come!