Imagine this scenario: Let's say someone completely unknown to Korpiklaani contacted you and confronted you with this question: "How do Korpiklaani sound like?". What would your immediate answer be?

It sounds as folk as metal can be.

So, Korpiklaani is out with their second release entitled "Voice of Wilderness" now.  Did Voice of Wilderness turn out as expected? What do you expect from this release?

In accident it came better than what we expected. Everything went very smooth and fastly at the studio. We had a very good feeling and atmosphere to do it and I`m sure it sounds on the album. It would be fun if we would get some gigs, maybe little tour and festivals because of this album, this is our major expect because gigs are the best part of whole band thing.  Maybe in Roskilde festival ???? We are very free during 30. juni - 3. juli :)

How would you compare Voice of Wilderness to your 2003 debut, "Spirit of the Forest". Is there anything that you didn't get a chance to put on "Spirit of the Forest" that we can expect to find within your sophomore album?

Voice of wilderness is more ready someway. We really found our ownest "knowhow" to make music Also it just came better songs to the new one. Those gigs after the Spirit of the forest album affect a lot too to my composing because we saw what kind of songs got the best possible feedback from the audience. I didn`t think about that when I made the songs but I noticed that when the new songs were ready that it affected a lot which kind of songs I sterted to make more seriously even to the demo level. There is some songs which are older than previous album like the songs Spirit of the forest, Native land and Beer Beer but every other song is made after the Spirit of the forest album. Those songs aren`t really ready until now so I let them to mature and to incubate.  Beer Beer was on the Shaman: Shamaniac album also. It was named Vuola Lavlla. This is different kind of version of the song now and the lyrics are in English. Then it was sung in Sámi language. The song Spirit of the forest we recorded to the Spirit of the forest album as you might be thought easily :) but we didn`t succeced with the song so well then, so I skipped it from the album then. However, song stayed to dig in my head, so we needed to put it to the new one. Now it gives nice change inside the new album.

Do you have any other news for us, any upcoming concerts to support the new album, will the album be released on vinyl?

That vinyl thing would be cool as hell but I think they are not going to do it at Napalm Records. We have a festival gig at Summer-Breeze Germany. It is only Festival gig in abroad to next summer so far. Next weekend we have a cool gigs with Eläkeläiset in Lapland. We have a gig in Hulluporo areena (Grazy reindeer arena) at the both of the nights, friday and saturday. I fear that it will be very beerful weekend.

What's your view on the current Finnish metal scene?

Metal scene is just fine here in Finland. Metal is still marginal music but it`s nice to notice that metal scene grows year by year. Here in Finland has rose lot`s of new metal magazines and net portals and of course many good new bands. Places take more metal bands and many people go to the concerts. Now is the good time to various of Finnish metal bands like Nightwish, Finntroll and many others. It affect freshly to the whole scene. These days you can get metal music to all of the taste of music and all kinds of moods. I mean if you like folk, there is folk metal music, if you like classic, there is classical metal...metal to every possible music taste.  I can`t see the end of to it because it goes forward all the time. So my general view on the metal scene today is that it is stronger than ever.

Now, you write all of your own music... what's the best atmosphere for writing a song?

I don`t know because I make music all kinds of moods and atmospheres. It`s always accident which kind of songs it comes. I can`t really make by forcibly the music. The songs just comes to me from somewhere when I play the guitar. Of course it would affect that I like to play those fast and funny songs on the gigs more that slow ones. We can get the better feeling with the fast songs. I make music in different moods and it sounds on the albums. I don`t want to make only one kind of songs thinking this is our line.  Of course I keep in my mind what Korpiklaani is in it`s deepest truth. I want to keep it like we play folk songs but in hard way. We have our own way to make music. We can be very happy sounding but right after that pretty mystic. We are like Finnish human nature, first seems like happy and funny but mystic and dark in the next second. The music is as Finnish as it can be but there is no any national fury, idea or something like that. Having fun with the audience is our major thing to do.

How is the Korpiklaani's way of writing a tune?

I make the songs pretty far at home. I demo record it with drum machine and I play all of folk melodies with guitar. Then I send it to other members and Hittavainen usually send me the violins and other folk instruments to the demo songs. Juho lives here at the same town as I, so he record his accordion lines here at my home these days. Then we make arragment changes at the practising room with the whole band. Making the lyrics is always been harder to me than making the music and I wish help with it from the other guys at the future.

On your new album there's a track entitled "Beer Beer". As a huge fan of beer myself I'm pretty curious about this track.  Is the song a tribute to beer and is beer an important part of the Korpiklaani culture?   We all know how Finns love to party! hehe

We are all huge fans of beer also and we drink it as much as our wifes let us to do it which means not so often that we wanted but maybe it`s just a good thing. Beer Beer is a tribute to beer and being drunk.

What are your favourite folk/viking metal bands?

Bathory, Moonsorrow, Týr and Falchenbach.

What are the pros and cons about being in a band?

Good thing to being in a band is the gigs and free beer. Bad things are being out of money all the time because this is expensive hobby still at the these days. Waiting everywhere is big bad part of being band also.

What's your 3 favourite Korpiklaani songs and why?

Journey man, Wooden pints and Hunting song. It`s simple and joy to play these songs at the gigs and when playing these songs we can get the best feelings and feedbacks from the audience.

You feel game to give readers of Scandinavian Metal your top 5 list of albums relreased by bands from Scandinavia only?

Amorphis - Elegy
Peer Günt - Don`t mess with the country boys
Finntroll - Jaktens tid
Tyr - Eric the Red
Moonsorrow - Voimasta ja kunniasta

Any final remarks to the readers of Scandinavian Metal webzine?

I hope to see you on the gigs !

Check our website and join the clan of the woods forum.

See you !

[This interview was first published on the now defunct scandinavianmetal.info webzine]