Pure Holocaust / March 2003

Link

Answered by Mitja Harvilahti

1.- Tell us something about Finnland. Which costumes do you have, are they different from the rest of the european countries?

Good question for a start!! My knowledge on clothing and costumes is very limited but i´ll try to get to the point: Finland is a fucking cold country, so our historical costumes are thick and warm. When people in Samoan Ilands wear some bikini kind of stuff made of hay and flowers, we´ll have to wear fur and layered clothes. I guess every country has its own way to dress but i´m not too familiar with that stuff. Gotta go to museum to check it out..

2.- How is your new work "Kivenkantaja"?

Kivenkantaja is Bigger, Better, and more folkish than its predecessors "voimasta Ja Kunniasta" and "suden Uni". It´s very epic and there is a strong melancholic atmosphere through the album. Songs are even longer than before and there are new elements musicwise and other to find. You´ll be surprised perhaps.

3.- What do you expect from Moonsorrow with "Kivenkantaja"? What do you want to say?

I don´t want to expect anything really. the more it succeedes the better it feels, so i don´t set any goals for our succes. I only know how much we worked for this album and i know that people can hear it when they listen to it. As far as i´ve heard, people have liked it very much. Because this album is more progressive, and in a way more difficoult to listen than V&K, i thought it would get some negative critique from those who like the faster stuff. But only very positive response so far.

4.- Tell us about your new album "Kivenkantaja", its theme, technics, time of recording and some anecdotes.

"Kivenkantaja" (Stonebearer) is a melancholic album. It´s theme is mostly about anger and sorrow expressed in a very poetic "Moonsorrow" way. It was recorded at very famous Tico-Tico studio in Freezingly cold town called Kemi in the southern Lapland. The actual recording process including mixing took some 3 weeks, wich was just about enough for us. There are often more than 100 tracks in one song and truckloads of instruments, so we are very lucky to have such an experienced engineer as Ahti Kortelainen is to work with us. We did alot experimenting with different instruments and sounds before going to studio, so we didn´t have to mess with them there. My favourite instrument on this album is so called "polkuharmooni" a traditional harmonium that you can hear at the end of the song "jumalten kaupunki".

5.- Looking back to the last works of Moonsorrow, are you satisfied?

Yes i´m very satisfied. there have been alot of development on every record and we have improved our sound and consept every time and still there is nothing to be ashamed of.

6.- Talking about the recovering of your culture, is it something that becomes with family, the school, the state?

I guess all of those are important. Finland might be the most americanized country in europe, but i think our traditions still stick in us surprisingly well. There are so many levels in recovery of culture like arts and music. The most important thing is to realize that we have something important in our culture to take care of and develop instead of worshipping the big wheel of globalization.

7.- What do you think of you being stigmatized as nazi? What's your opinion about this political thoughts?

What's your opinion about this political thoughts? This is one question that pops up very often for some reason. Usually i ignore this because i don´t want to mix music and politics with this band. First of all, I hope I´m NOT stigmatized as a nazi. And why would i be? There is no nazism whatsoever in my ideology or in Moonsorrow´s ideology. Why would i respect those who stole the ancient peaceful symbols (swastika, suncross) and turned them into the symbols of murder and facism? Why would i respect those who caused so much devastation in Scandinavia and even killed some of my relatives that were only civilians? Being proud of your roots and cultural heritage doesen´t make anybody a nazi.

8.- How do you think "Kivenkantaja" will reach your fans?

Quite well i think. We have a better distribution this time, so there are more potential record stores and listeners.

9.- What is the relation between "Kivenkantaja" and the rest of Moonsorrow's works?

Kivenkantaja is a kind of a new page in Moonsorrow´s saga. "Voimasta ja kunniasta" was clearly a consept album and "kivenkantaja" continues from where V&K ended.

10.- Has it been good or bad for you to make your music so similar to Finntroll and Ensiferum?

We don´t make our music intentionally similar to those bands. We are part of the same genre. We all have elements incommon like folk-music wich is the solid base for all these bands, but we all have our own style. Ensiferum for example is much more power metal oriented than we are. And Finntroll is more humorous and "humppa"(style of folk music in Finland) influenced. But yes, we have supported each other very much, so in that way it has been good to have bands with similar style in Finland.

11.- What do you think about your music getting as far as Southamerica and so well being?

I´m simply amazed about it!

Since we sing in Finnish, it sounds funny to me that we sell most of our records abroad. I´m just grateful and proud of it.

12.- The first works of Moonsorrow were Black Metal, but nowadays that style is going away and you're nearest to Viking Metal, why is that?

Hard to say. I think it was very natural to go this way because this folk "thing" gave an exrta egde to our sound and lyrics. Pure black metal jus wasn´t the thing that came out from moonsorrow. And of course these pagan themes are very important to us.

13.- Which bands have influenced you in all of your works?

Oh well, bands like Bathory of course. Enslaved have also been influental, as well as some other scandinavian Folk and metal bands, but one very important band in our all albums have been King Crimson and few other proge bands. Now with Kivenkantaja you can hear their influence clearer than ever.

14.- What are the lyrics about, nordic mythology and something else?

The lyrics are very poetic and usually fictional but sometimes roughly linked to some historical event. The lyrics are not usually based on some certain mythology anymore. Ville Sorvali who writes the lyrics is a very talented writer and he really manages to deliver the pagan mood and strong atmosphere that are needed in Moonsorrow´s music.To me it´s quite hard to tell what the lyrics are all about but i see them as mythical and epic tales from the times when myths were alive and christianity hadn´t been rooted in our soil.

15.- Have you ever played live, if it is so, How was the audience reception?

Audience have been extremely good for us for the last 2 years, and it still shocks me everytime when people sing along in our gigs and bang their heads insanely. Nothing can beat the feeling of being onstage. Not even sex!

16.- If you've played live, have you done it only in Finnland or other countries of Europe too?

So far we only have played in Finland, but hopefully we get gigs abroad someday soon.

17.- Typical question, Do you know something about Chile?

Well of course i do! I even have some friends from chile. I hope to get there someday and see the mountains and drink too much chilean vine!

18.- Finally. Some words to Moonsorrow fans.

Stay Pagan listen to metal and drink mead! See you on tour or in Walhalla! Check out our website www.moonsorrow.cjb.net to get Henri´s recipe for the ultimate WAR MEAD!