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Written by Administrator
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Sunday, 11 November 2007 |
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Today has been one of those days where you really don't want to be bothered with the wicked world. The kind of day where you would more than content just to stay home in a world of your creation surrounded my Metal and mayhem, but alas I like all of us am forced to drag my carcass out of the house and deal with 8 hours of drudgery in the office. Sitting in my Dilbert style cubicle, I throw on the new disc from Ensiferum, Victory Songs to drown out the the bullshit of co workers and bosses. My day is suddenly uplifted as the sounds of Norse myths and legend bang out in my ears propelling my day forward. I am as perfectly happy and content with life, well as content as humanly possible while you're at work, when my boss comes over and taps me one the shoulder asking what I'm listening to. Apparently I was rocking so hard that even wearing headphones the whole office was treated to a double dose of Ensiferum's awesome Folk Metal. I begrudgingly turn the music down wishing I could smash the boss over the head with a two handed broad sword, but taking delight in stirring up the masses for a little while. Its been a long day but things look up when I get an email from Ensiferum's Sami and get some much anticipated insight into the world of Folk Metal. For those out there who have yet to hear of you, can you please give
us a brief history on how Ensiferum came to be?
Markus Toivonen found Ensiferum in 1995. He wanted to combine metal and folk elements in his music and he was strongly influenced by Amorphis:Tales from the thousand lakes. After few line up changes, 4 European tours, 3 albums, 1 Ep and 1 DVD here we are today and future looks bright.
Its obvious that your music has its roots in Finland's mythology and
Folk traditions. Is your music based on any specific legends?
Finnish/Nordic mythology is one of our influences but we think ourselves more as a “fantasy-folk-metal band”.
When you're working on composing your music is it difficult to
interweave Metal is with Folk music?
Nope. Or I think its natural for us to do this kind of music because it comes straight from our hearts.
How would you say your music has progressed with the release Victory
Songs, compared to previous albums like last years Dragonhead?
Of course we have become better composers and we used more real folk instruments in Victory Songs.
Recently your Russian fans gave the band an extraordinary gift and
denominated a star in the Ursa Major constellation to you. How did you
feel to receive such an incredible show of devotion from you fans?
We were speechless. It’s something unbelievable and it’s a great honor. We have the best fans in the whole world! We salute you!
You're style while rooted in Folk and Metal has developed into
something completely different than the sum of its parts. How would
you describe what you do?
That’s really hard because we just create music that we like and experiment things with our music. And hopefully the result also pleases our fans.
Unlike some other countries Finland has a rich and colorful
mythology, do you think keeping myth and legend alive is important to
a country even in today's complicated world?
Yes, definitely. People shouldn’t forget their roots.
Ensiferum is also known as a band who tours alot, but mostly through
Europe. Do you think any of your tour plans will take you outside of
Europe at some point?
Yes we have plans to tour also in America as soon as possible. But I can reveal, that behind the scenes there is something top secret happening… ;)
Are there any other plans for Ensiferum on the horizon?
Hopefully we can keep doing this, became better musicians, make gigs/tours and also write new and better material. Sky is the limit!
Anything you want to add before we wrap?
Take care and enjoy the new album! J
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 11 November 2007 )
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Creating Chaos with UneXpecT |
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Written by Sameerah
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Tuesday, 31 October 2006 |
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Listening to UnexpecT is like being sucked into the vortex of a
twisted carnival. A realm where killer clowns on the backs of giant
laughing hyenas chase you into the waiting arms of beautiful sirens
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 31 October 2006 )
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Read more...
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Written by Sameerah
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Wednesday, 20 September 2006 |
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Some of us may be too young to remember when BFG first began making waves in 1988. We missed their sweep of Europe and the West Coast of the US and those rarely recorded land mark shows. The rest of us will have to be content with hearing your stories, swiping your tapes and finding nuggets of BFG where we can, that is until now. This year BFGâ??s original lineup has reunited to record their first album since 1990â??s Blue. I got the rare opportunity to sit with the living legends, find out what theyâ??ve been up to over the years and get the details of their first new album in 16 years.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 20 September 2006 )
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Written by Sameerah
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Monday, 21 August 2006 |
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Itâ??s about 8am as I sit on the train heading towards the day job. There is a Hellbilly Storm raging in my ears and a notebook in my lap with the words Demented Are Go scrawled across the top of the blank page. For the first time in a long time I think Iâ??m intimidated by an interview. Spark and the many incarnations of Demented Are Go are fucking GODS in the scene; some even credit them with being one of the bands that brought the Psycho Billy sound to the world. Not to mention their reputation for being uh, lets say difficult when it comes to matters of the media isnâ??t helping much either. Iâ??m so absorbed in my thoughts I didnâ??t even notice the guy who had sat down next to me. He was staring at the pages in my lap. He tapped me on the shoulder to get my attention I pulled the music away from my ear in time to hear him say, â??Are you doing a paper on Demented?â? he asked â?? I cant wait til they get here this yearâ?. A sharp draw of breath came into my lungs as I broke the news that Demented are Go will not be allowed to play stateside this year. His mouth dropped in horror and dismay before I could give any further answer the train came to a stop and it was time for my seatmate to leave. He bounded off the train and for the first time I noticed he was wearing a Demented Are Go hoody. So this one is for the kid on the train and I hope it answers all of your questions. Now lets find out why we are being denied Demented Are Go!
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Last Updated ( Monday, 21 August 2006 )
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Written by Sameerah
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Thursday, 27 July 2006 |
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I'm driving through the streets of Los Angeles on the way to work
blaring The Nipples new disc Weekend Toys when suddenly I get the urge to roll to the nearest toy store and pick up a few things like a GI Joe or something Transformers. I know I'm going to make myself late for work with this little run but the urge to toy shop is just too great to ignore. Consequences be damned I rush to the nearest mall and make a mad dash to the toy store, I'm stopped dead in my tracks when I hit the action figure aisle, my heart drops to the pit of my stomach when I realize that most of the toys there fuckin suck, with the newer versions of my childhood classics being the worst of all. Still I didn't go outta my way to be late and still not buy anything so I settle for a plastic Uzi that shoots bubbles still longing for the days when toy guys came with projectiles that could take out an eye and continue on to work. While my toy expedition didn't quite turn out as planned I'm still looking forward to my chat with The Nipples' Art Teat to talk about their new disc Weekend Toys, chicks that don't wear panties and of course old skool toys.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 27 July 2006 )
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