No link. Should be somewhere in yle.fi but I can't find it. Interview with Mitja and Ville in a Finnish morning TV program on YLE Aamu TV or whatever it's called, March 3rd 2011. English subtitles added by the very nice Youtube user kimmotapio83.
TRANSCRIPTION
There plays the band that honours the traditions of Finnish metal, and makes reputation around the world. Welcome Mitja Harvilahti and Ville Sorvali.
Ville: Than you very much.
We'll return to world domiation in a while, but first let's sort out this music genre. You've been described as pagan, folk, and viking metal with references to 70s prog. Ville, how did this kind of genre blending happen?
Ville: That's quite a genre definition you got there.
I read it on Wikipedia.
Ville: Originally we just started to do metal music without thinking too much which genre it might fit in. Prog influences appeared along the way, and now you hear them there. But I wouldn't say we're any prog actually.
Explain to those who don't know what pagan metal means.
Ville: Pagan metal draws from pagan traditions, connection to nature and such. Myths are very important. The word "pagan" doesn't relate to music in itself. That's why it is a good name — you can do whatever music under it.
You've been a band since 1995 and now you released your sixth album, quite a gloomy one. You have moved from the historical world and the ice of Köyliönjärvi to the end of the world. Mitja, where does the inspiration come from to such forlorn music?
Mitja: It's an interesting theme that you can understand in many ways. Our last album dealt with the same theme, both universally and on a personal level. Then we started to think in which way we hould go with the new album and realized that there was a good continuation possibility. We didn't want to let go of the concept yet and the best way was to take it further on the new album. There's a lot of metaphors in it. You can understand it both in nowadays' world or on other levels. But perhaps the path is now travelled with that theme.
Then comes the new beginning. The news today told that the sixth mass extinction of species is currently at hand. Is this the sort of zeitgeist that the world is ending? Africa is falling apart and so on.
Ville: That is of course a good source of inspiration, what is happening today for example in Northern Africa [the Arab Spring]. I suppose the world is ending, bit by bit in some way, and on this album we envisioned what may possibly happen after the world has ended.
The sample showed that, although your music and lyrics are gloomy, it's however very beatiful music. How do you put this kind of conflict together?
Mitja: I think it's very easy. Conflicts in music and art are most important. The way to make anything more interesting is to have big contrasts. We have lots of influences from both folk music and really heavy metal. By combining them in the right way, they support one another, and you can create quite big themes because there's so much room in the music.
Really big themes, because your songs are more like "works" than just songs. The longest song in the new album is over 16 minutes.
Mitja: Around 2003, after the third album, we moved clearly from songs to works.
Why?
Mitja: The band had evolved into a point where it was easy to write long, epic structures. It was just natural evolution.
Your scheme of things doesn't fit in smaller packages?
Ville: No. Since childhood I've always been more fascinated with entities, rather than songs. As long as I can remember I've been a fan of 70's concept albums. There were a bit longer songs, longer works that entwine together. I'm with that school that thinks albums should just be listened from beginning to end. Individual songs don't count that much.
I personally see this as "listening music" that doesn't work as background music. You need to concentrate.
Mitja: If you try to listen to this in the car or while washing the dishes, it doesn't open up. I as a band member and also the fans say that the albums open up after several listenings, when you start to find songs. In a way I have to grow into the songs, because they're hard to figure by just one listen. A 15-minute giant easily goes in one ear and out of the other. After several listenings you learn to understand the entity better. Of course, it requires patience from the listener. Your way of listening has to be different from those who just listen to short pop songs as background music.
Let's listen to more music and concentrate for a while.
["Huuto" plays, although the title on screen says "Tähdetön", while studio footage is shown.]
This is footage compiled by Mitja. You've been here at YLE behind the camera at one point. Ville, I've heard that you did your vocals in some forest cabin and you had some sort of stronger drinks with you. Is this a normal working process?
Ville: The drinking part is normal, but this time we decided to do the vocals in the woods.
Why? Is it a source of inspiration?
Ville: Yeah. Maybe the most important thing is that, when you take a break, you can go to walk in the woods instead of smoking a cigarette in some industrial area's alley. There's a totally different feel to it in comparison.
That's a good argument. What's special about you i that you have great success around the world, although you sing in Finnish. How is this possible? How have you done it?
Mitja: I think you can't do it, it just happens if it has to happen. The fans found us around our first album. We noticed that most of the feedback came from abroad. We've never exported the band in any way. The fans discovered it through other channels. Our albums have always been bought abroad, but exporting and bringing out our music wasn't our starting point. We just concentrated in making music. But the fans found it and got interested in Finnish culture, music and language. And we've noticed that on gigs. For example, the first time we were in Hungary we noticed that the audience was singing along. A sort of Finland boom was clearly visible, and has continued for the last ten years.
Do they sing correctly or are they a sort of misheard lyrics?
Ville: Well, you can't hear it yourself when you're growling...
You should have a spy in the audience!
Ville: I guess they don't sing the actual words, but try anyway.
Mitja: In Hungary they do, but in America it was just obscure bawling.
There the language studies are a little behind. You're about to tour Europe with the Paganfest festival. Tell us a bit about that.
Mitja: Paganfest has toured since 2008. It's more of a touring festival than a tour. It gathers bands together that have folk music and folkclore influences.
Hey, you got a task in our music relay! Matti esko sent you greetings that you should do a folk metal version of "Rekkamies".
Mitja: It's in the works.
Will Matti Esko do a guest performance?
Ville: We haven't decided yet. That might be a good idea.
He could pull a growl there. Music relay of course continues. Next Tuesday we have Alexi Laiho from Children of Bodom. He's a legendary man too. You have a bit more exciting greeting for him.
Mitja: Yes. Alexi has had some bad accidents on tours. A couple of years ago he fell down from the top bunk of the bus and broke his shoulder, so we have this "Alexi Laiho survival kit" that hopefully will save him from future accidents.
Ville: For a safer tour life.
We are not revealing yet what's inside the box until next Tuesday. Let's say, though, that it has n exciting colour and that it's bigger than the box suggests. Have an amazing and successful tour!
Transcribed on January 26th 2021. Transcribing from Finnish had never been so easy, thanks again to the person who did the subtitles. Side note: Alexi Laiho died earlier this month.
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