KORPIKLAANI – Folk N’Beer Metal Stories!

1. How did you decide to cover the classic ANTHRAX track “Got The Time”?

Samuli: It was the summer of 2018 when I heard the Anthrax-version from the radio and started to hear it as a Korpiklaani-version. I wasn’t a member back then but I said to Jonne that this song would sound great with folk instruments. Jonne thought it was a great idea and it was decided that it was going to be on the next album. 

2. Did you change the lyrics or make any special orchestration?

Samuli: A fun fact is that the drums were originally recorded 10 bpm faster in the studio but we decided to slow it down a bit because there were too many lyrics in the song!

Jonne: Lyrics are totally different. Our lyrics are about a man who would like to drink alone but all the time some drunken idiots are on the door and behind the window trying to drink along which piss off the dude.

3. What do you remember from the film shooting of the promotional video of the track Ennen (Got The Time)?

Samuli: It was hell of a day! We had over 30 degrees celsius and no wind at all at the swamp.  Also all the bugs were teasing us all day! We had fun but it was an exhausting day!

Jonne: Exactly! Too hot to film anything. I had a bad hangover too and I didn’t dare to help it too much by drinking more which was totally OK from the director Markku Kirves in this case. Not cool at all for me. When you finally get permission to drink, you don’t dare to do it.

4. According to your Facebook post” “The video producer encouraged us to drink while on a video shoot and we were very happy to do as directed!”. Any funny and unseen stories from the film shooting of “Ennen”?

Samuli: It was a fun moment when Jarkko and Cane decided to jump into the eye of the swamp. They said it was refreshing!

Jonne: And Sami almost fell down at the end of the video. He didn’t need to act like that….

5. Do you think that folk instruments could replace the electrical instruments?

Jonne: In some cases yes but I like to keep them both in this band.

6. What is the concept of your latest album “Jylha”?

Jonne: Jylhä has many murder stories. Real stories which are unsolved. Swamp is a good place to get rid of people and leave the murder unsolved like so many times during Finnish history. This is a land of a thousand lakes…and million little swamps full of unloved murder stories. Only spirits hover at night.

7. The third track from the album (Levaluhta) includes some Reggae elements in terms of orchestration. Have you ever thought of adding other music elements in your recordings?

Jonne: Our music has always been a mix of many kinds of styles and that’s a big part of this band and us as musicians. We never fear to add something cool or even weird things if we get a good laugh or nice feeling about it. We don’t want to limit ourselves in any musical way.

8. Is there any specific message behind your decision to use non-English lyrics for your recorded material?

Jonne: For me it is just easier to carry emotions and feelings using my mother language. Also for some reason English never “fit to my mouth” so well. Maybe it doesn’t even matter. I’m just a boy from the northern countryside, so let the people hear and feel it.

9. Who did write the lyrics for your latest album “Jylha” and what is all about?

Jonne: Tuomas Keskimäki wrote all the lyrics on this album. We made minor changes here and there but I left pretty much free hands to Tuomas this time. He was reading so much about those murder stories at the same time when I wrote music on this album and somehow music and his thoughts crossed together very well. This is a heavier album than the previous one, so those stories match well with the music.

10. Where and how did you record your latest album?

Samuli: We had a plan to do this one at the same place as many earlier Korpiklaani albums. We had booked Petrax studios but they closed their doors when the virus came. Luckily we were able to go to Sound Supreme studios in Hämeenlinna to make the album. It is the studio of the producer Janne Saksa. We had really good sessions there and it was a huge pleasure to work with Janne again. 

Jonne: Guitars and some acoustic things we recorded at my studio too but Janne was there to take care of recordings and producing there also.

11. Do you plan to tour in the next months?

Jonne: We can’t say anything than we god damn fucking hope so!

12. What is the next step or challenge for Folk Metal in general?

Jonne: Folk metal will keep on getting up! Good new bands are coming and we old farts try to keep it alive and fresh as well.

Peace, Love, Folk and Metal !!!

regards,

Samuli Mikkonen & Jonne Järvelä