Die Metal Krieger / September 2012

13/09/2012 CA - Santa Ana, The Observatory (USA)





TRANSCRIPTION

Hello, this is Markus from Moonsorrow and you're watching Der Metal Krieger!

This is Carol from Der Metal Krieger and we are here at The Observatory in Santa Ana, just a few hours before Korpiklaani's headlining Manala tour, and here with us we have Moonsorrow, who are supporting them tonight. We have Ville, Marko and Markus from the band. How are you guys doing tonight?

[Various jokes]

I think you are a little more than halfway done with this North American tour. Tell me a bit about what you've seen as far as the energy of North American crowds versus what you guys are used to out in Europe.

Ville: I wouldn't compare, because I can't remember that far, but on this tour the energy of the audience has been outstnding.

Marko: Even quite fanatic at some venues. In San Francisco it was mad.

Markus: Way better than in the previous tour.

Marko: I don't know what the reason is, maybe it's our setlist.

So did it surprise you? I definitely know that sometimes, especially here in L.A., one kind of gets the feeling that people are sitting there with crossed arms, but it seems like you guys have definitely gotten good responses.

Marko: Yes, very intense, with moshpits and all.

You had moshpits here?

Marko: Several.

Really? That's very interesting, considering some your newer material, which we'll certainly talk about later. Your newest album is called As Shadows We Walk in the Land of the Dead, it was released in February via Spinefarm, and since then you've had some time to get some feedback. What has been the general feedback?

Ville: Critics like it, and audiences like it as well, judging on...

Marko: Even we like it!

What do you guys think?, you have evolved quite a bit from your folk metal roots, in your  Chapter V: Ravaged album you took on this huge black metal. How are you guys feeling as far as the evolution of Moonsorrow goes?

Ville: We just do what we want to do.

Marko: It's been very natural since the beginning, the whole development of things. For example, on the third album we got those progressive rock elements besides all the traditional folk stuff or metal in general, and during 2005 or so we just got the idea that we had to make our sound much rougher and grimmer. Then we sort of went back in time to the roots of Moonsorrow, to the demo period...

Markus: Yes.

Marko: ...and we are still continuing in that way, that path of mixing the sound of the early days, that was based on mostly symphonic black metal, and... and... I don't know, there is this blacker stuff and progressive stuff, and lately, the traditional influences have been put away a bit.

Ville: They appear in a different shape. We still have a lot of that folky stuff over there, but...

But it's harsher, it's something like Chapter V, where there was this distinctive very black metal.

Ville: Yes, but it had folky elements as well, it's just not as prominent as with the other bands in the same league.

Marko: It's not that happy joy-joy oompa-oompa fiddle fiddle. It's darker, it's more intense... In Finnish traditional folk music, the majority of it is very dark, very sad and melancholic, and we always took our folk influences from that kind of music. So that's why we sound so depressive. :)

Ville: We are depressed.

One thing that does add to the depressive mood is the length of your songs. I was going through your discography and you realize that once you get to album 4 you guys started to get bold and brave with your 12-minute, 15-minute—the longest is 30 minutes and 25 seconds, I believe. How do you keep your energy when you're playing to live audiences, and how do you keep the energy of your audience too?

Ville: It just happens...

Marko: Eating healthy food, [everyone laughs] try not to drink so much before the show...

Just say that alcohol puts you in a trance or something so that the 12 minutes go by.

Marko: I think people, the crowd, are just acting very naturally to our songs. The energy from the crowd comes very naturally. We almost don't have to do anything. If we just stood there, shoegaze, whatever, they would still be doing the moshpit.

They did moshpits here, that I find very interesting.

Marko: But then again, we don't shoegaze. We headbang a lot and...

Ville: We have a lot of energy on the stage.

Marko: It's like doing exercise or something, like workout, really, for me.

Markus: For all of us, somehow.

Marko: It's good sport, you lose weight and everything.

All your records have been released on Spinefarm. However, you've recently made the switch in April to Century Media. Why did you make this change, and what do you think Century Media is going to do for your future records?

Ville: The answer to the first question is that sometimes you just...

Marko: The contracts run out.

Ville: ...you need a change. Contracts ran out several times and we re-signed to Spinefarm a few times, but sometimes you just need a change, and we felt that this was the right time.

Marko: I would confirm the Spinefarm era as a marriage that after certain years is just not going anywhere, you know... I don't know if you're married or not, but... [in a mocking voice] I've been married for one year and I can feel it now! It doesn't go anywhere! [everyone laughs]

There's a whole other interview to tell Marko's personal life!

Marko: But you know the expression. We somehow felt like it didn't go anywhere. The promotion was always the same, very... there was something, but not really anything special.

Okay, I totally understand you.

Ville: With Spinefarm we all have to realize that they certainly helped to establish the band, they actually made us what we are now. It's not out of disrespect to them or anything, but we felt that we needed a new kick to the butt, and we all thought that with Century Media it might be possible. They have been really interested, we had a few meetings before they even directly asked about the signing.

Now comes a question from a fan on Reddit. Asator wants to know if the shift from the folkish sound was fully intentional and if we can expect a return of your folk elements in the future.

Ville: You never know. [laughs] We never know ourselves. We just do what we do.

Marko: I think on the next material there will be more dynamics. The way I see Chapter V and Like Shadows, they're very like... you put the CD on, they are like CHVVVVV [separates his hands vertically, moves them to the right while he makes this low-pitch "white noise", joins them again at the end] and then it ends.

Ville: Yes, it's a crushing wall of sound.

Marko: But for the next one I'd like, we would like, to do something more like this [moves his hand from left to right drawing a wave in the air].

Something more unpredictable?

Marko: ...probably...

We never know! You know what? Who will come and interview us, they will know! [or something like that]

Markus: That's true.

Marko: At the same time, we want to have our listeners crushed under the wall of sound and fierce blackmetalish blast beats and everything. We want to include as much as possible. But still to keep it within some limits and not to go too far, too psychedelic-progressive or too fast, I don't know, Darkthrone.

Oh, no, please! We'll have an intervention if that happens.

Marko: In Moonsorrow it's easier to say what we cannot do than what we can do.

Ville: And we can do a lot of things.

Marko: It's easy to say that there will never be any kind of industrial elements in Moonsorrow, or electronic.

Ville: But it's as easy to say that in Moonsorrow you haven't seen anything yet.

But we're all looking forward to seeing it and seeing you guys progress! Thank you all so much and good luck with your show tonight.

Transcribed on 22·II·2021.

Metalitalia / Early-mid 2003

Link

MOONSORROW – Quando il metal serve per raccontare antiche leggende…

Pubblicato da Paolo "Cernunnos" Vidmar | 0 commenti

Anni fa gli Amorphis avevano timidamente cercato di farci assaporare le atmosfere della cultura finnica tradotte in musica. Ora ci sono i Moonsorrow a farci entrare in una dimensione distaccata, dove a parlare è l’amore per la propria terra, la Finlandia, il paese dei mille laghi, ma non solo… Il black metal con il tempo si è sbiadito, ora il metal epico domina la proposta dei Moonsorrow, forse gli eredi più accreditati al patrimonio lasciato dagli scandinavi Bathory. Il chitarrista della band, Mitja Harvilahti, ci introduce in un mondo oltre i confini dei ghiacci perenni…

CIAO MITJA, SINCERI COMPLIMENTI PER IL VOSTRO BELLISSIMO “KIVENKANTAJA”! POSSIAMO CONSIDERARLO IL VOSTRO MIGLIOR ALBUM ,ANCHE GRAZIE AD UNA PRODUZIONE ECCELSA…
“Grazie! Sì, ‘Kivenkantaja’ è senza dubbio il nostro miglior album, fino a quando non uscirà il nuovo ovviamente (ride, nda)! Sono totalmente soddisfatto della produzione, anche stavolta lavorare ai Tico-Tico Studios è stata un’esperienza bellissima e divertente”.

COM’E’ STATO TRATTATO IL VOSTRO ALBUM DALLA STAMPA? SIETE SODDISFATTI DELLE VENDITE FINO A QUESTO MOMENTO?
“L’album ha ricevuto davvero notevoli responsi. Non eravamo sicuri di come il pubblico e la stampa avrebbero potuto reagire, ma i commenti sono stati molto positivi e siamo molto soddisfatti di questo. Siamo anche abbastanza contenti di come stanno andando le vendite, è stata una sorpresa esser venuti a conoscenza del fatto che ‘Kivenkantaja’ era entrato nel sedicesimo posto della classifica qui in Finlandia! Però bisogna anche ammettere che non è facile vendere bene fuori dai nostri confini dato che cantiamo in finlandese; la nostra musica è poco esportabile da questo punto di vista”.

DATO CHE I TESTI SONO IN FINLANDESE, CE NE PUOI PARLARE? L’INGLESE NON E’ UNA LINGUA ADATTA PER DESCRIVERE LE VOSTRE SENSAZIONI?
“Ville, il nostro cantante, scrive tutti i testi e i contenuti cambiano da cd a cd. Ci sono alcune canzoni ancorate a fatti storici realmente accaduti, altri testi riguardano racconti fantasiosi e leggende antiche. I testi di questo nostro ultimo album sono molto poetici e al tempo stesso astratti (almeno lo sono per me…). La maggior parte delle canzoni sono malinconiche o riguardano la rabbia e la tristezza. Per contro ci sono alcuni casi in cui trattiamo poesia eroica. In ogni testo di questo album c’è un forte legame tra uomo e natura. Dovresti leggere i testi per farti un’idea più precisa. Tutti i testi li puoi trovare tradotti in inglese sul nostro sito internet. I Moonsorrow non cambieranno mai la propria lingua per l’inglese! Perché dovremmo farlo? Per avere più ascoltatori? No. La nostra lingua madre è troppo importante per noi, è un elemento essenziale nella nostra musica”.

POSSIAMO CONSIDERARE I MOONSORROW UNA ‘PAGAN METAL BAND’? QUAL E’ LA GIUSTA DEFINIZIONE PER IL VOSTRO GENERE?
“Senza ombra di dubbio i Moonsorrow sono una band pagan metal! Noi chiamiamo la nostra musica ‘Epic Heathen Metal’, ma anche folk metal, pagan metal, viking metal può andar bene come definizione. Non mi interessa di rientrare per forza di cose all’interno di un genere ben definito”.

LA CANZONE D’APERTURA, “RAUNIOLLA” E’ FORSE IL BRANO PIU’ COMPLETO DELL’ALBUM: CI SONO CORI, PASSAGGI ATMOSFERICI, FEELING EPICI E MOMENTI AGGRESSIVI. SEI D’ACCORDO CON QUESTA IMPRESSIONE?
“Sì, lo sono! Quella canzone è totalmente epica!”.

NON PENSATE DI SOSTITUIRE IN FUTURO LE TASTIERE CON STRUMENTI TRADIZIONALI IN MODO DA DARE UN TOCCO ANCORA PIù ‘ANTICO’ ALLA VOSTRA MUSICA? AD OGNI MODO L’USO DI TASTIERE CHE FATE E’ ECCELSO…
“Inizialmente volevamo che questo album suonasse più acustico, ma avevamo un budget ristretto e non potevamo permetterci un’orchestra. In futuro tutto è possibile, dipenderà da come saranno le nuove canzoni. Forse faremo a meno delle tastiere (anche se non lo credo!), vedremo come ci evolveremo musicalmente. Suonare strumenti ‘veri’ è sempre interessante e se ce ne sarà l’opportunità lo faremo”.

QUALI SONO I GRUPPI CHE TI PIACCIONO CHE SUONANO UNA MUSICA SIMILE ALLA VOSTRA?
“Personalmente credo che gli Enslaved siano in assoluto i numeri uno! Sono un loro fan sin dai loro primi album e il loro sound mi ha molto influenzato, ma non quello dei loro ultimi due album che non ho apprezzato troppo. Anche gli svedesi Thyrfing sono una buona band e i ragazzi sono simpaticissimi! Bathory ovviamente! Non si possono dimenticare le influenze dei Bathory nei Moonsorrow quando tu ci ascolti; sono stati sicuramente la nostra maggior influenza musicale. Mi piacciono anche i Finntroll ed i Ensiferum, ma soprattutto mi piace bere assieme a loro!”.

“MATKAN LOPUSSA” E’ UNA CANZONE MOLTO PARTICOLARE E DIVERSA DALLE ALTRE. SEMBRA IL RICHIAMO DI UNO SPIRITO SCIAMANICO. CREDI CHE IN FUTURO INCREMENTERETE IL ‘TOCCO ETNICO’ DELLA VOSTRA MUSICA?
“Non saprei… abbiamo solo qualche riff pronto per il prossimo album ed è troppo presto per dire come ci muoveremo in futuro”.

QUAL E’ IL MESSAGGIO PIU’ IMPORTANTE CHE TRASPORTA LA VOSTRA MUSICA?
“Il paganesimo, l’anticristianesimo, le tradizioni nordiche: tutti sono aspetti molto importanti per noi. Noi non vogliamo predicare, vogliamo soltanto esprimerci liberamente. Suoniamo musica principalmente per noi stessi e quando alla gente piace ne siamo felici! Diffondiamo il messaggio della musica, che racchiude un lato spirituale molto importante”.

QUAL E’ L’ASPETTO DELLA VOSTRA CULTURA FINLANDESE DI CUI ANDATE FIERI?
“Difficile a dirsi… il suono e lo spirito finlandese dei nostri testi, che sono figli del nostro paese e natura e di quelle esposioni nordiche che noi cerchiamo di far confluire nella nostra musica. Non stiamo vendendo l’iimaginario basato sulla sauna o sulla vodka finlandese come fanno altre band! Ad ogni modo sauna e vodka comandano (ride, nda)!”.

CREDI CHE LA CULTURA SAMI ABBIA INFLUENZATO INDIRETTAMENTE LA VOSTRA ATTITUDINE MISTICA NEL COMPORRE LE CANZONI? POTREI FAR L’ESEMPIO DEL BRANO “MATKAN LOPUSSA”…
“No, non lo credo. Non ci sono influenze Sami in quella canzone. Be’, forse qualcosina, ma le canzoni attuali suonano più kareliane e russe piuttosto che finlandesi”.

COME VANNO LE COSE CON L’ATTIVITA’ LIVE?
“Al momento abbiamo in programma solo un paio di concerti sicuri e si faranno in Finlandia. Spero presto di suonare nell’Europa centrale, ma non c’è niente di suicuro per ora”.

GRAZIE PER LA TUA DISPONIBILITA’, MITJA. SIAMO AI SALUTI…
“Rimanete pagani! Rimanete nel metal e bevete! Visitate il nostro sito internet www.moonsorrow.com!”.

Onslaught Radio / August 2012

Link


10·VIII·2012
Bloodstock Open Air, UK






TRANSCRIPTION

You played on the Ronnie James Dio stage earlier today. What was the experience like for you?

Playing on a stage with that name is an honor, and we don't play in England too often, so that's a very special occasion for Moonsorrow. Although it was an early show, 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the audience was full of energy and we were very warmly welcome, as usual in England. We like it very much in here.

What are the English crowds like compared to the rest of Europe? Here we have a reputation for being a little bit crazier.

It's hard to tell, because we played so early. Considering that, it was fantastic, but if we had played at 9 o'clock in the evening, who knows what kind of havoc there would have been! But as for comparison... There are good audiences everywhere. There are different types of, let's say, fanaticism, for example in Mexico, or last October we were in China, and on one show we did there, they had never witnessed any Western rock and roll band. It was in a city called Harbin. And well, obviously, because they never saw any rock bands, it was very easy, Ville just told them "let's go fucking crazy" or whatever and people were spilling beer and whatnot. But it doesn't really matter where we are playing, in what conditions we are playing. Of course, playing here is top notch...

We had a good weather today as well, didn't we?

Yeah, it's better than in Finland! This is very rare during summer.

To us too... So, if somebody was to find Moonsorrow for the first time, how would you describe your sound? What makes you unique? I've heard the term "epic heathen metal".

We made that up ourselves some years ago. But then again, the word "epic" nowadays... Do you think it's a bit overused?

It is getting that way, yes, but it's still very much relevant.

It is, yes. You could say Moonsorrow being epic as fuck. Can I say that? [laughs] Yes I can? But some words... We're definitely Finnish, because we sing in Finnish and we're not going to change that, it's gonna be Finnish or nothing.

Superb, that sounds fantastic.

It's very hard to tell. We are the band that does very long, boring songs, for some people, for most of the people, but those who understand what it is all about get it very easily. Even my father, he's 70 years old and...

Big metal fan?

No, not at all, he sings in a choir and... But he respects a lot what we are doing and he comes to our shows in Helsinki. It's crazy.

Pretty awesome, actually. So, your last album was released in February 2011 — are there any sort of plans for a new album in the near future?

Yes, we just secured a new record contract with Century Media, and Henri, our main songwriter, he's also in Finntroll, as you perhaps know, he's doing a new Finntroll album first, and after that, and after whatever stress vacation he must have after that, we will slowly start to write new songs. Or actually, maybe we will start with Ville and Mitja and Markus even before the whole Finntroll stuff is finished. We're just trying to go to our rehearsal place and do it the old school way, because that's not really the way we have done the albums in the past. It's normally being Henri or myself, at home, doing MP3s, sending them over, "I have these ideas", or even whole ready songs. But this time we really wanted to do it the more old school way, just have some... well, maybe jamming is not the right word, but just on a normal way, "I have this riff, what do you have?, oh, maybe those could fit together". We try to approach it a bit differently than what we have done before.

Superb. So...

As for the schedule or whatever, I would say late next year for a release.

I look forward to that. Do you have any more shows lined up after Bloodstock in the UK?

Actually, tomorrow we are going to do our first show ever in Ukraine, in the Carpathian Mountains, there is this metal festival about which we don't have much information beforehand, but from what we heard, it's located in the mountains, over a thousand metres high, so I'm looking forward to the view and everything. That will be our last festival for this summer, and in three weeks we will start the North American tour with Korpiklaani and Týr and Metsatöll from Estonia. It's going to be a 4-week tour covering the major cities in the States and something in Canada also.

Are you going to be due back in the UK anytime soon?

I hope we can do some mini-tour at least next year, because we regret we have been skipping the UK all these years. But, I don't know, you must push your local promoters more, because we play everywhere. Last October we did China, four shows in China with very primitive equipment, but we had a lot of fun. We were totally tourists there. But hey, we played in Shanghai for 600 people, we played in Beijing for another 600, and we never thought we would play for that many people in China. It was awesome.

That sounds very awesome. To wrap things up, do you have any messages for your fans, anything you'd like to say?

In the UK? Well, uhm, I don't want to be sorry for not playing here more often...

No, don't be sorry.

...but be patient, push your local promoters and whatever. I hate to play only every four years here. It sucks that most of our tours are skipping the UK for some reason. We will make a correction for that next year or... Yeah, next year.

Superb. Thank you very much for your time, it's been an absolute pleasure, and [to the camera] catch you guys later!

Transcribed on 19·II·2021. I was in that Ukrainian festival up on the Carpathian mountains, the name was Carpathian Alliance, and it was fucking awesome. It was terribly cold for August and the sound in most of the concerts was horrible, but the general atmosphere and especially the location were amazing. The place was a ski resort called Zahar Berkut, in a village called Volosyanka, few hours away from Lviv. Other bands in the line-up were Arkona from Russia, Týr, Carpathian Forest (in an actual Carpathian forest!), Inquisition, Dark Funeral (who gave me a lift to the hotel the first night) and a few smaller ones, including a then-promising but eventually short-lived Ukrainian act called Viter. You can check some of my photos and videos here, here, here and here.

Moon TV - April 2002

This is Moonsorrow's first ever appearance on TV. It features the premiere of their first video clip, "Sankarihauta", and an interview in Finnish (subtitles are welcome!) with Marko and Ville. Originally broadcasted on April 15th 2002. More info in chapter 3.2 of the Unofficial Moonsorrow Biography:

More info in English
Más información en castellano



(Note: the pitch in the first half -the videoclip- has been raised in order to avoid copyright issues.)

Campus Entertainment / May 2012

Link 1 - Link 2

Sunday, 06 May 2012 16:24

Business with a Touch of Art: Ville Sorvali between Moonsorrow and Metalheim Agency

Written by Theo Teräväinen

Considering the high uncertainty of the business field nowadays, it takes a serious portion of courage to dive into music business and furthermore, to stay there for years. The music industry is a constant whirlpool, spinning and changing all the time. Working with music has become an exciting venture but indeed not that easy to handle.
Ville Sorvali is an outstanding example of pursuing passion for music by combining a job in the music business and being an active musician. He had been working in the field for years already when in 2008 they founded Metalheim Agency together with Teemu Suominen. Nowadays Ville is a booking agent and producer at Metalheim and the bands for which he is currently booking shows include famous names such as Deathchain, Enochian Crescent, Kiuas and Sotajumala. On top of that, Ville is the bass guitarist and vocalist of the thriving Finnish band Moonsorrow.
How does Ville feel about the music industry and its state nowadays? He reveals his attitude and experience in an interview with CE News.

Hello Ville! First of all, how did you decide to go into music business?

I was always driven by music, but actually starting to work with it (other than just playing) happened by a series of accidents. We were running a small fanzine with friends in late 90’s, and when we quit I was asked to write articles by a few magazines. During the course of time I became the editor in Inferno and when I was eventually relieved from the position I started to send applications to magazines, record labels, agencies etc. just for the fun of it. I was hired by Firebox Records for a short period of time, during which I also started to write articles for Soundi. Then Teemu (Suominen) asked me to help with promotion in his newly founded company, and when he eventually resigned from Live Nation Finland (with whom he had been working for a while as a booking agent) we decided to set up Metalheim. So I definitely didn’t plan this from the start, but I’m more than happy to be here now.

Metalheim Festival

Could you describe a typical day spent working for Metalheim? In contrast, have you had any extraordinary situations?

The typical day passes mainly with emails and phone calls, and sorting out show info and such on my laptop. And if all goes well regarding a show that I’m setting up, nothing particularly exciting will happen. Sometimes I have meetings with people that lead me out of the office (or from home, since I’m also working from home at times). I also go to see a lot of shows, either by our artists or by bands that I’ve been hinted to see. Extraordinary situations happen now and then but they are also not of a more exciting nature than an artist calling me in the middle of the night because their hotel reservation is missing or about some other miscommunication.

Which artists have you worked with over the years?

We’ve had a handful of artists on the roster of Metalheim, and apart from those I’m working with currently, I’ve also had a history with the likes of Profane Omen, Insomnium, Korpiklaani, MyGrain and such. I’ve also produced a few albums for Profane Omen, Dauntless, The Chant and then some. Musician-wise my main activity has always been Moonsorrow, in which I play bass and do vocals, but curiously I’ve also played with Amoral and a number of more or less interesting side projects.

What is then your connection with the bands that you are booking for? Is it important for you to be closer with the artists and like their music or is it all pure business?

I would never like to work with an artist whose music I don’t like, because then the work wouldn’t serve its purpose to the full extent. I am passionate about what I do, and always aim to build a good working relationship with the bands I’m working with. As I’m an artist myself, I will always look at things on the artist’s perspective and try to find the best solutions for both the client and the company.

‘Obviously it is not personal, it is business, but without the humane touch it wouldn’t make much sense.’

You are also a successful musician. How do you combine your passion for the art with the art of business? Is it hard to balance?

As a musician, I think I have a lot of perspective for both the artist and business sides of things. There are reasonable ways to make business with art, but the art should always come first. Selling a genuine product is infinitely more satisfying than selling something you don’t really believe in. The balance is sometimes hard to find, but I guess I’ve managed pretty well so far. Haven’t sold my soul yet. (smiles)

As an artist, can you think of a certain gig that you will never forget?

There are quite a few actually, but I guess the ultimate “Spinal Tap” moment during my career (with Moonsorrow) took place at a small Lithuanian festival in 2005. We were supposed to travel there first by ferry to Estonia and then by van through Latvia to Lithuania, but when we got to the ferry terminal our other guitarist didn’t have his passport so we had to go without him. So already on the ferry there were only 4 of us instead of 5. During the van ride I started losing my voice, and eventually lost it completely, having to write text messages on my phone to the other members asking if they knew any of the lyrics. Eventually our drummer agreed to do the vocals, because he at least knew the right arrangements, if not the lyrics. During the show both the guitar and the bass cabinets broke down, so all the audience could hear for most of the time was the drums, the keyboards, and the drummer singing complete nonsense from behind his kit. Someone has it on video, but I haven’t got hold of it. Later in the evening a member of the audience came to me saying that it was the best show he had ever seen! How cool is that?

Sounds like quite an experience! So, you have played in countries all over the world but where have you had the most supportive audience? Do you prefer touring in Finland to touring abroad?

Touring in Finland is completely different from touring abroad, because in Finland you just don’t do weekdays (which in this case are Sunday-Tuesday) because of apparent lack of audience. However some weekend shows can be really mindblowing, but it all depends on the current conjunction of planets and other celestial bodies. The audience in Finland is really supportive when it has had its alcohol. Some audiences abroad that have really made an impression have been in countries like Russia or Mexico, where people just go absolutely nuts when a live band is playing. The latest out-of-this-world experience was in two cities in northeastern China where no other western band had ever played before. Visiting places like that is something that I really like to do.

Ville on stage with Moonsorrow
Photo by Cecil

Can you explain the basic process of producing a live event in Finland?

If you’re the one who organizes the actual event, you have to book the bands, book the venue and virtually book everything and hire all the personnel the venue doesn’t provide as part of the deal. You might also have to deal with such issues as local transport and accommodation, in case it isn’t in the contract that the booking agency from which you bought the bands will handle that, and also be prepared to actually work in person during the event because there is always something that goes wrong. If you instead work as a producer for the booking agent (some booking agents are also producers themselves), you have to take care that everything goes well for your band attending the event. It starts with getting the contract signed, the riders approved, sending posters to the organizer to help promote the event if necessary, and ends with compiling an itinerary for the band (based on venue info) so that the band only has to know when to be where and to play. In between you might have to hire a crew, a driver and a car and provide the band with a hotel at the location (or whatever they prefer).

Is it beneficial to work in the music industry, both revenue-wise and personally?

For me, it is definitely beneficial on a personal level, because I always loved music and wanted to work with it in all possible ways. It gives a lot of meaning to my life, so to say. Revenue-wise, however, it is sometimes hard to make ends meet. We made our first money with the band somewhere around the release of our 4th album, so I’d definitely not advise anyone to mistake making music as an easy way to get rich. Working for the band (agency, crew etc.) gives a slightly more stable income, but the whole business (on this level) runs with such a small budget that no one is really buying new cars with the money the bands generate. You have to have the right passion for it, there are easier ways to make money anyway.

‘There are reasonable ways to make business with art, but the art should always come first.’

Do you think that your perception of music has changed ever since you started working for Metalheim?

I have worked in the music business for a long time before Metalheim, so I can’t really say that it has affected my perception in any way. Certainly, when I was younger and only played music for the fun of it and didn’t care about anything else, I was a lot more eager to check out all the new bands and virtually listened to music 24/7. Now when I even involuntarily hear new music, I’m probably not that active in finding it anymore.

‘My passion for the art hasn’t changed, I still adore music and everything it has to offer, I’m just an “insider” now if you could put it that way.’

What are the pros and cons of working in the music industry in your opinion?

The definite pro is that I get to work with the thing that I love the most: music. And as said, I have an easier access to new music, which is obviously crucial for the business itself anyway. The con is that I get to see the dirty side of it, and have to deal with money. It is not necessarily uplifting to see how little everyone gets paid after all the expenses, the artist usually having the worst hand. It is also hard to accept that some people are indeed in the business only because of the business and not the art.

So what comes next for you? Any specific ambitions for the future?

I recently started as a booking agent for four bands, so I’m doing my best to improve on that field and gain more reputation. It is enough of a challenge for now, but I still won’t stop expanding my knowledge and skill all about the music business, wanting to explore every side of it. As with the band, we have a few summer festivals and possibly a tour in the fall, after which we will sit down and maybe talk about the future a bit further.

CE News wishes Ville future success in all of his ventures. We thank Ville for this informative interview and hope to stay in touch from now on!

Text and interview by Gabriela Stoycheva
Photos by Gabriela Stoycheva and Cecil

Last modified on Sunday, 06 May 2012 16:29

Rock Oracle / March 2011

Link

Когда группа долгое время не выпускает альбомов, закрадывается опасение, что музыканты, поддавшись каким-нибудь сомнительным веяниям, вдруг решат поиграть со звучанием и выдадут что-нибудь радикально непохожее на то, что ранее покорило сердца фанатов. Поэтому, когда после четырех лет молчания финны Moonsorrow объявили о релизе «Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa» («Мы – блуждающие тени мертвой Земли»), у поклонников были поводы для тревоги. Однако никаких шокирующих перемен не случилось. Правда, на этот раз музыканты в своих текстах обратились не к любимой ими мифологии, а к теме Апокалипсиса. Гитарист Moonsorrow, Mitja Harvilahti, рассказал «RockOracle» о том, как записать «холодный» альбом в жарких условиях и волчьем пенисе, случайно попавшем на мерчандайз группы.

Привет, ребята, как дела? Поздравляем с выходом нового альбома «Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa»! О чем он?

Спасибо! У нас всё отлично. Сейчас заняты обычной работой, связанной с выпуском альбома и подготовкой к туру. У нового альбома пост-апокалиптическая тематика. Это история нескольких людей, которым удалось выжить, они бродят по миру, пытаясь найти место для жизни. Они понимают, что человек сам виноват в разрушении мира, и в конце концов перестают сражаться и убивают себя, обезумев и потеряв все надежды.

Как проходила запись альбома?

Альбом получился очень жестким, мрачным и холодным, хотя работа над ним велась в самое жаркое за последние семьдесят лет лето в Финляндии. Поэтому Хенри совершил настоящий подвиг – ему удалось попасть в нужное настроение и создать атмосферу холода и обреченности. Поверь, это совсем не просто, когда за окном вовсю светит солнце. Мы «собрали» альбом за какие-то два-три месяца – довольно быстро. Наэтот раз большая часть материала записывалась в Хельсинки. У нас был хороший бюджет, и мы могли сами выбирать, где записываться. Так что запись барабанов мы заканчивали в самой большой комнате студии «Finnvox», а остальной материал – в студии«Sonic Pump», за исключением вокальных партий Вилле. Его мы писали в маленьком домике в лесу, чтобы создать нужное настроение. Вся запись заняла около сорока студийных дней. При этом мы ни разу не репетировали все вместе, перед тем как встретились в студии. Поэтому поначалу все немного нервничали, но все шло на удивление гладко, без каких-либо проблем. Это была самая длинная, но и самая забавная студийная сессия. Еще было много посиделок в сауне с распитием пива.

Ваш европейский тур стартовал в марте, как долго он продлится и на каких фестивалях вас можно будет увидеть? В Россию планируете заехать?

Мы собираемся дать двадцать четыре выступления в Европе в рамках «Pagan Fest». А затем отправимся в тур по Финляндии. Мы уже начали анонсировать фестивали, в их числе «Tuska» и «Summer Breeze». Вся информация появится на нашем сайте в апреле. К сожалению, выступлений в России пока не запланировано, но, надеюсь, скоро эти даты появятся!

Вы – постоянные участники «Pagan Fest Europe». Это ваш любимый фестиваль?

В этот раз нам пришлось выбирать между своим собственным туром и участием в туре «Pagan Fest». Поскольку эти туры должны были пройти в одно и то же время, мы решили выбрать старый добрый «Pagan Fest», это отличный большой тур с хорошей организацией, собирающий огромные толпы.

Понятно, что лучше всего выражать свои мысли и чувства на родном языке – все ваши песни написаны на финском. Но у вас есть много поклонников за пределами Финляндии. Вы не думали о том, чтобы выпустить альбомчик на интернациональном английском языке, например?

Мы никогда не станем писать песни на английском только для того, чтобы продать больше альбомов. С финским языком мы можем сделать что-то уникальное и гораздо лучше выразить себя. Мы не идем на компромисс. Если мы знаем, что сделаем лучший альбом на финском, мы так и поступим, даже если никто не захочет его покупать. Я не думаю, что нужно использовать английский, чтобы преуспеть. Почему-то никто не предлагает записывать альбомы на русском, чтобы заполучить побольше фанатов. С какой стати английский должен быть важнее русского или испанского? Многие любят нас именно потому, что мы поем на финском. Это придает особый дух нашей музыке.

Хорошо. А сколько времени в году вам удается проводить в любимой Финляндии? Тоска по дому не одолевает?

Большую часть времени мы в любом случае проводим в Финляндии. Большие туры у нас бывают пару раз в год, но мы часто выступаем за границей по выходным. Почти четыре года мы не выпускали полноформатных альбомов, а в прошлом году вообще почти не гастролировали: всего один большой тур по Америке и несколько других выступлений. Но сейчас, после выхода альбома мы готовы покинуть дом и отправиться в тур. Не знаю как остальные, но лично я никогда не скучаю по дому. Мне нравится путешествовать вместе с друзьями. Это гораздо веселее, чем торчать дома.

Ваш первый альбом «Suden Uni» вышел в 2001 году. Можешь рассказать о его обложке? Волк почему-то похож на человека и держит палку…

Так-так… обложку нарисовал Никлас Сундин из Dark Tranquillity. Мы просто купили у него готовый дизайн, когда понадобилась обложка для «Suden Uni». Оригинальная обложка была совсем другой, но «Spinefarm» выкупили права на тот рисунок, и нам захотелось новую обложку для переиздания. Видела, у этого волка еще и пенис есть! Я не обращал внимания на эту деталь, пока мы не напечатали футболки для нашего тура по Канаде. Я не мог понять, почему она продается хуже других футболок, пока не посмотрел повнимательней. Видимо, люди не очень-то хотят видеть пенис на своей футболке. Ха-ха!

Раз уж мы заговорили о вашем первом альбоме, почему бы не вспомнить старые добрые деньки. Какие группы вдохновляли тебя на музыкальные подвиги, и кто имеет на тебя влияние сейчас?

Я в Moonsorrow не с того момента, когда Вилле и Хенри только основали группу, но у нас были общие представления о музыке и металле. Они поняли, что существует большой потенциал в изучении культуры и легенд Севера и использовании этих сюжетов в своей музыке. Я заметил то же самое, когда купил первый альбом Enslaved. Он привнес что-то новенькое в блэк-метал. Лично меня взять в руки гитару вдохновили The Beatles. Где-то в три года я уже понял, что хочу играть на гитаре. Онавсегдаочаровываламенякакинструмент. Естьвэлектрогитарахчто-томагическое. И я просто не мог перестать разглядывать картинки с Джоном Ленноном и Полом Маккартни с их «Gibson» и «Rickenbacker». Я до сих пор одержим гитарами, и сейчас у меня целая коллекция этих инструментов. Когда я слышал Thin Lizzy, Ozzy Osbourneи ранних Metallica, я понимал, что хэви-метал – это моя музыка. Затем я начал слушать Slayer и более экстремальные группы вроде Morbid Angel. Блэк-метал я впервые услышал в 1993 году, мне было тринадцать лет, и эта музыка оказала на меня самое большое влияние.

Как считаешь, сильно ли ты изменился с тех пор? Можешь ли сказать, что добился всего, о чем мечтал?

Мне кажется, что все мы вообще мало изменились. Да, мы уже не подростки, но основные составляющие личности и характера никогда не меняются. Это те вещи, которые делают человека самим собой. Это касается и моральных ценностей. Но я могу сказать, что мы… или по крайней мере я сам, в некоторой степени все-таки изменил свое мировоззрение. Я стараюсь судить о вещах объективно, принимая во внимание разные точки зрения. Я уже не мыслю так категорично, как двенадцать лет назад, когда для меня все делилось только на черное и белое. Я думаю, это справедливо для нас всех. Вы можете увидеть это, если сравните тексты наших демо-записей, например, «Tämä Ikuinen Talvi» с тем, о чем мы поем сегодня.

Вы по-прежнему дружите с ребятами из Finntroll и Ensiferum?

Конечно! Сейчас мы и видимся гораздо чаще, многие стали нашими близкими друзьями, как и ребята из Turisas. Не считая финнов, у нас также отличные дружеские отношения с ирландцами Primordial. Мы вместе ездили в тур по Европе и Северной Америке.

Исполняющая викинг-метал скандинавская группа – это звучит вполне логично. Но в последнее время появляется не мало викинг-команд из Чили, Бразилии... Как думаешь, им удается создавать правильную атмосферу в своей музыке?

Ну да, за пределами Скандинавии викинг-метал звучит странновато. Кстати, мы сами не позиционируем Moonsorrow как группу, исполняющую исключительно викинг-метал, скорее, мы играем пэган-метал. Я думаю, что все эти южноамериканские и европейские группы должны продвигать свою собственную культуру, создавать что-то более интересное, чем распевать песенки по сюжетам скандинавской мифологии. В каждой культуре есть огромная возможность проявить себя!

Какие альбомы, по-твоему, должны быть в коллекции каждого металлиста?

Slayer «Seasons In The Abyss», Enslaved «Vikingligr Veldi», Emperor «In the Nightside Eclipse», Napalm Death «Scum», Darkthrone «Transilvanian Hunger», Bathory «Hammerheart», Anaal Nathrakh «The Codex Necro».

Отлично, так и запишем. Хочешь что-нибудь сказать напоследок?

Конечно. Привет всем русским фэнам! Мы очень хотим приехать к вам и выступить перед безумной толпой. Увидимся!

Интервью было опубликовано в журнале

№2 04/2011

Metaleater / November 2008

Link Ville Sorvali
March 2009

By Philip A. Wickstrand
MOONSORROW are a band that everyone needs to know. Casting aside any illusions that they are just another Pagan Metal band, MOONSORROW's discography speaks for itself with their exceedingly well crafted epics and long playing times. To not get lost in an album like "Kivenkantaja" is an affront to the Metal Gods themselves. Soon to be endeavoring on their first ever U.S. tour on Paganfest, MOONSORROW will be making things difficult for those that have to follow them.
First of all, what are your expectations for Heathen Crusade III?
"Haven't done interviews for a long time, so I don't know what to say for starts. Anyways, expectations for the show - I'm just expecting us to have a good time on stage and expect to have at least twelve to fourteen people in the audience who like the show. (laughter)"
What are your anticipations for your tour of eastern Canada?
"I'm really, really looking forward to that because the last time we were in Canada it was terrific. The people were really intense and I'm really excited to go back there to see what we can do out there."
I've heard rumors of a North American tour with Paganfest next year...
"Oh yeah, I heard rumors as well. (laughs) So far nothing is confirmed, but we have an offer to play there and if it becomes reality, I definitely want to do that because we haven't toured the States and I want to do that."
What can we expect from the next MOONSORROW album?
"As much as we can give - we haven't talked about it. (laughs)"
You've been going back towards a more Black Metal direction lately - what was the thought process and reasoning behind that?
"Actually, I wouldn't say it like that because when we started, we sounded quite a lot more Black Metal than we sound now, so I just see it like we're going back to the roots, where we started from, so it's nothing new to us to go to the Black Metal direction because we all grew up with Black Metal and the first demos of the band were quite Black Metal and... uh... what was the question again?"
Just going back to a more Black Metal style than what you had been doing recently.
"I guess it's actually just something we want to do as a band. Everyone wants to do in the band, nowadays, do some rawer music. Less Folk Metal influence because we did it already and we did it as well as we could. We kind of got fed up with it and we just want to go back to where we started from because I think that's the style of music everyone in the band loves the most."
What's your reaction to some of the fan disappointment that's been had over the most recent album, "V: Hävitetty"?
"(laughs) I would say tough luck. (laughs) Every album we will make, we will make it for ourselves and first of all, we want to make music that pleases ourselves. I acknowledge the fact that we have fans who like our music, but we're not making our music for them. If they like it, that's a good bonus, but as musicians, we have to make music that pleases ourselves."
Why did you decide to cover METALLICA's "For Whom The Bell Tolls" and sing in English? I heard that and thought that it was very strange, very different - I'm not used to this.
"(laughs) Actually, I don't know where the idea came from, but Henri did that many, many years ago in his home studio, made a cover of that and he didn't mean it to be recorded or anything - he just made it because he had the free time. We heard it and we were like, 'oh, we have to record that because that's fucking cool!' Then we asked our record label 'do you have any use for a cover song?' They said 'yeah, yeah, of course' and then they gave us the funding to record it in two days in a studio or whatever and then we recorded it."
Can we expect a MOONSORROW DVD sometime in the near future?
"Hopefully, yeah. We've been talking about it for like four years or something, that we should do something, record a live concert, but so far... well, it costs a lot of money and we didn't have the funding because if we do something, we have to do it all the way through, not halfway - we have to hire professional camera people around it and recording equipment and everything. It costs a lot of money, so we haven't been able to realize it yet, but we wanna do it. We might do it before 2020. (laughter)"
Recently, on the Paganfest Europe tour, MOONSORROW along with TYR, were falsely accused of being National Socialist bands...
"Oh yeah..."
What are your thoughts on that?
"Ha... that's utter bullshit. That's my thoughts. (laughter)"
What are your thoughts on National Socialism worming it's way into the Metal scene?
"Politically, I'm on the left, so accusing me to be a National Socialist... that's a big insult. I don't want to have anything to do with that."
What are the future plans for MOONSORROW?
"Conquer the world, have a few free beers in the meantime."
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
"Keep the coffee warm! (laughter)" [FIN]