The Metal Observer / September 2001

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Answered by Ville Sorvali

Of Strength, Honor, and Mead

During the past few years, Finland´s prolific metal scene has spawned a throng of talented young folk metal bands such as Finntroll, Turisas, Ensiferum, and Moonsorrow. Drawing influences from polka, humppa, and traditional Finnish music, this horde of trolls and pagan warriors has ravaged the land of a thousand lakes with notable success. Thus, it was an honor to interview Moonsorrow´s singer and basist, Ville Sorvali, on a sunny September afternoon.

Metal Observer: First of all Ville, could you give a brief account of Moonsorrows history?

Ville Sorvali: The band was formed in 1995 by Henri Sorvali (rhythm guitars and keyboards) and myself. We recorded the demo ”Metsä” (”Forest”) in 1997, which was followed by ”Tämä Ikuinen Talvi” (”This Winter Eternal”) in ´98. This one was caught up by Plasmatica Records. Baron Tarwonen (drums) joined us in ´99, and just last year our first full-length album ”Suden Uni” (”A Wolf´s Dream”) was released through Plasmatica. In addition to this, Mitja Harvilahti (lead and rhythm guitars) and Lord Euren (live keyboards) joined us during 2000. Also, a while ago we changed from Plasmatica to Spikefarm (led by the Thy Serpent-guru, Sami Tenetz). Our second album, ”Voimasta ja Kunniasta” (”Of Strength and Honor”) is due to be released on November 26th, 2001.

MO: Who is mainly responsibile for your music and lyrics? Or is it divided equally among the members of Moonsorrow?

VS: I guess Henri does most of the actual music, although I and the rest of the band try to contribute as much as possible. The lyrics, however, are mostly written by myself.

MO: Your music is extremely versatile. Which bands would you say to have influenced Moonsorrow´s style in a decisive manner?

VS: In the beginning it was Bathory, Enslaved, and Emperor. Nowadays it is difficult for the majority of our audience to distinguish other than the Bathory influences. All in all, it is fairly hard to point out all the bands that have inspired our music - there are many.

MO: Do the members of Moonsorrow participate in other projects or bands?

VS: Henkka plays in Finntroll, which might, at the moment, be considered Finland´s most prominent folk metal band. In addition to this, he and Marko participate in a band called Larharyhmä. Mitja plays in ”The Sinkage”, and I myself take part in ”May Withers”

MO: So, how are the recordings of your new album proceeding?

VS: The actual recording and mastering is already accomplished, so now it is but a matter of cover art and other minor details. The recording process was fairly swift and painless: we spent 10 busy days at Tico-Tico studios.

MO: How you would describe the musical landscape and style of ”Voimasta ja Kunniasta” as opposed to, say, ”Suden Uni”?

VS:First of all, the new record is going to be much better than the former one. Naturally, our music has experienced various improvements and developments. ”Voimasta ja Kunniasta” is going to be much darker and a whole lot more sinister than our earlier albums. It has, to a certain extent, some influences from progressive metal, although not too many. This might cause some fans to experience problems in unraveling the mysteries of the new album. The lyrics will pretty much continue the legacy of ”Suden Uni”. One might, however, find ”Voimasta ja Kunniasta” to be a bit more conceptual than it´s predecessor in terms of lyrics.

MO: Your thoughts on the current state of the Finnish metal scene?

VS: I think the scene is managing marvelously these days. A wave of folk metal, including the bands Turisas, Finntroll, Ensiferum, and ourselves, has swept over the country. Pagan metal is flourishing.

MO: Would you like to comment the business-oriented development that the local metal scene has underwent since it´s pioneer days?

VS: Quite honestly, I couldn´t care less. It doesn´t matter to me whether a band sells a hundred or 50000 records, as long as their music is original, thought-provoking, and good. Besides, the success of Nightwish and Children of Bodom, for example, continuously opens new possibilities to smaller bands in Finland. So a big thanks to them...

MO: When did you yourself discover the magic of metal?

VS: It all started in 1988, when my attention was captured by an Iron Maiden video aired on MTV, though I didn´t buy the bands widely hailed masterpiece: ”7th Son of a 7th Son” until having laid my hands upon Metallica´s ”Metallica” (otherwise known as the ”Black” album). A thing promptly led to another, and before long I found myself purchasing records of Emperor! So, thats a brief account of my personal history in heavy metal.

MO: Having thoroughly read Moonsorrow´s lyrics, it seems to me that your views on Christianity and the Christian church are a bit...negative...? True or false?

VS: I consider the church to be, and to have always been, a deterrent factor in Scandinavian life and culture. Suffice it to say that we could well manage without Christianity.

MO: Any upcoming gigs?

VS: Probably after the release of ”Voimasta ja Kunniasta”. The last one was in April, so it has certainly been a while...

MO: Which band(s) would you like to tour with?

VS: BATHORY!! More realistically, though, Einherjer or Thyrfing. It doesn't really matter what kind of music our fellow bands would play, as long as the spirit of unity remains seamless.

MO: Thanks for your time Ville. Is there anything you would like to say to our readers?

VS: Follow the voice of your pagan heart. And drink mead...lots of mead!