Rock the nation / March 2011

Interview with Henri (plus special cameo appearance by Mitja) conducted by Audrey Dujardin in the beginning of March 2011, during the fourth European Paganfest, apparently for the promotion agency Rock The Nation. The background music is Varg. Sense? I also think it makes none...

No link in this one, since I didn't find it anywhere else than in Youtube.

Edit: alright, Youtube link. Transcription below.


 


TRANSCRIPTION

 

Does it make your skin soft?

Markus: Sometimes.

We are in Leipzig, Hellraiser, in the backstage with Moonsorrow. Moonsorrow has been one of the most played bands on the Paganfest since it started. It's become a habit, even for you! I mean, I know you tour a little bit less than the other guys in the band, but this is your second Paganfest, right?

Henri: Yes. Yesterday was the first opening gig of the whole festival and we always don't perform very well in those circumstances. So it keeps getting better and better all the time, I hope.

But I know for Moonsorrow it's a little bit tricky, because your drummer was just on tour for a long time in America and just arrived yesterday right for the show and you didn't have time to rehearse. But for Moonsorrow, you guys, you still do tour a lot compared to other bands, and this kind of package is something you guys are used to, so I assume it wasn't such a big problem for Marko [to have been done?]

Henri: Yeah, it wasn't such a problem when... The only problem was with... Because we had to rehearse new songs, and we need to play them together for like two months before, one month before the festival started. Well, it turned out to be okay-ish, I think.

Yesterday was Austria, today is East Germany. What do you expect for tonight?

Henri: I will never understand how East Germany differs from Germany anyway, but, well, I expect tonight... crazy people. Lots of patched vests and brutality in the audience and beer drunk people.

And the fact that the lyrics are in Finnish, did you notice that it bothers anybody or do people sing along the same way... Some people learned the songs maybe, in Finnish, did you notice that?, or do people just do la la la, they don't know the words but they know the music?

Henri: Anybody can just use the phonetic, they don't even have to understand what's going on, they can mimic the words. I don't think it bothers people that much.

What song of Moonsorrow, when it's played live, is the one with which people go the craziest?

Henri: It's really really hard to say, actually, because... I may repeat myself here, but because I haven't done that many live gigs lately, it's really hard to say.

Mitja: It's "Pakanajuhla", unfortunately.

I thought it would be "Jumalten kaupunki" or "Kylän päässä" or...

Mitja: They're close second, but "Pakanajuhla" is the one that people really get nuts. But we won't play it any more! Sorry! [says goodbye with hand]

It's like Finntroll saying they won't play "Trollhammaren".

Mitja: Well, we realized that if we're going to play it, we need to play the whole song, with the acoustic outro, so if we ever play it again it will be that worse.

Can you introduce Moonsorrow for those people who have been living under a rock for the last ten years and tell them why should they come own and watch Moonsorrow live?

Henri: Well, I think Moonsorrow must be one of the most religious bands in the festival. If you want a religious experience, come to see us.

There is a lot of blood and a bunch of sexy Finnish men.

Henri: Especially me.

Transcribed on 13/01/2021. Just because.