Aarni
Encyclopedia
Aarni has been described as an avant-garde metal band from Finland, which consists primarily of Master Warjomaa and, occasionally, some session musician
s. Although many sources claim the existence of other band members, these may be fictional characters (probably created by Warjomaa himself) and include a French count born in the 17th century and a cartoon character with a T-shirt with Aarni's logo.
Aarni's music bears similarities to funeral doom metal (in Reaching Azathoth, for example) and has sometimes similarities to folk metal
(The Weird of Vipunen). Their style has been described as almost orthodox doom metallish Lovecraftian-Jungian Kalevala
avantgarde music. The band themselves sometimes use the term Chthonic Musick. The lyrics of Aarni include varied themes such as Finnish folklore, transhumanism
, Lovecraft, paganism, parapsychology
, psychoanalytical
theories and mythology
. The lyrics have been sung in English, Finnish
, Latin
, and occasionally in Enochian, Ancient Egyptian
, Ouranian Barbaric, Swedish
, and Glossolalic
.
band called Umbra Nihil, playing lead guitar. Aarni released a demo in 2001, and a split album
with Umbra Nihil the following year. After a second demo in 2002, Aarni finally released its first full-length album, Bathos, in 2004. Aarni was signed to Firebox Records
's subsidiary label Firedoom Music, but is now signed to Epidemie Records. Aarni released their second album, called Tohcoth, in February 2008. In late 2008 Aarni also released a CDR EP titled Omnimantia.
, Taoism
, Camel
, and H. P. Lovecraft
, that he belongs to the Homo Superior species, and that his favorite place is Cydonia
. Along with many other artists, Warjomaa has named Black Sabbath
, Candlemass
, Hawkwind
, King Crimson
and Van der Graaf Generator
as his musical influences. In a fan interview in June 2006, Warjomaa stated:
, an actual count living in the 18th century.
, in which Muumipeikko is one of the main characters. According to Doomintroll, the band wants to support the anarcho-shamanistic attitude of moomintrolls.
Mistress Palm (also referred to as Mrs. Palm) is the fourth claimed band member. She is depicted as a rather elderly woman in an apron holding a dish brush and opening her mouth in dismay. She has been thought to be a computer program or artificial, phlogiston-driven rectoplasm.
concept of quaternity. On the news page (also referred to as the "Unspeakable Tidings"), the news are listed chronologically. However the dates are said to be written in the form corresponding to these in the Discordian calendar
. These dates follow the "DD/SS/YYYY" form, as stated on the official website. Therefore e.g. the year 2007 CE is noted as 3173 AM.
, Latin
, and occasionally in French
, Ancient Egyptian
, Glossolalic
, Swedish
, Ouranian Barbaric and Enochian. In several songs, the lyrics refer to the Cthulhu Mythos
.
In "Squaring The Circle", the lyrics say "zero equals two". This may be a reference to the ideas of Aleister Crowley
and similar to the "4=1" statement on top of the band page of the official website. In "The Thunder, Perfect Mindfuck", it is said "I am the shameless and I am ashamed" as well as "I am falsehood and I am truth". These could be considered paradoxical and controversial as the Gnostic poem the lyrics seem to be based upon, The Thunder, Perfect Mind
.
"Persona Mortuae Cutis" appears as a cover version of the Slayer
song Dead Skin Mask translated to Latin.
in 2002.
Duumipeikon paluu and Demo 2001 were re-released together in 2003, and re-re-released as a remaster in late 2008. "Duumipeikon paluu" translated from Finnish means "The Return of Doomintroll".
, on November 8, 2004.
VV from Umbra Nihil played session drums on the album. Oneiroscope means 'an instrument for watching dreams'. V.I.T.R.I.O.L. is an acronym for "Visita interiora terrae rectificandoque invenies occultum lapidem" in Latin, meaning "Visit the innermost of the earth and by rectifying what is there, you will find the hidden stone." The Thunder, Perfect Mindfuck refers to the gnostic
poem The Thunder, Perfect Mind
.
The Bathos cover was painted by Tuomas M. Mäkelä (of the ambient band Jääportit) based partially on an earlier artwork he had done.
Magister Warjomaa said about it: "We wanted a colourful cover, because I feel very bored with the usual dark-hued album art most metal bands choose for some pathetic reason. But mainly we wanted that cover because to us it has a spaced-out, candlylike and pleasing feeling. THC green feels such a beautiful colour..."
. This album featured Sampo Marjomaa
as a guest vocalist.
The Tohcoth cover artwork was realized by Genius Albert Frankenstein & Master Warjomaa.
from everything".
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
s. Although many sources claim the existence of other band members, these may be fictional characters (probably created by Warjomaa himself) and include a French count born in the 17th century and a cartoon character with a T-shirt with Aarni's logo.
Aarni's music bears similarities to funeral doom metal (in Reaching Azathoth, for example) and has sometimes similarities to folk metal
Folk metal
Folk metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. As the name suggests, the genre is a fusion of heavy metal with traditional folk music...
(The Weird of Vipunen). Their style has been described as almost orthodox doom metallish Lovecraftian-Jungian Kalevala
Kalevala
The Kalevala is a 19th century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and mythology.It is regarded as the national epic of Finland and is one of the most significant works of Finnish literature...
avantgarde music. The band themselves sometimes use the term Chthonic Musick. The lyrics of Aarni include varied themes such as Finnish folklore, transhumanism
Transhumanism
Transhumanism, often abbreviated as H+ or h+, is an international intellectual and cultural movement that affirms the possibility and desirability of fundamentally transforming the human condition by developing and making widely available technologies to eliminate aging and to greatly enhance human...
, Lovecraft, paganism, parapsychology
Parapsychology
The term parapsychology was coined in or around 1889 by philosopher Max Dessoir, and originates from para meaning "alongside", and psychology. The term was adopted by J.B. Rhine in the 1930s as a replacement for the term psychical research...
, psychoanalytical
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
theories and mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
. The lyrics have been sung in English, Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, and occasionally in Enochian, Ancient Egyptian
Egyptian language
Egyptian is the oldest known indigenous language of Egypt and a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. Written records of the Egyptian language have been dated from about 3400 BC, making it one of the oldest recorded languages known. Egyptian was spoken until the late 17th century AD in the...
, Ouranian Barbaric, Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, and Glossolalic
Glossolalia
Glossolalia or speaking in tongues is the fluid vocalizing of speech-like syllables, often as part of religious practice. The significance of glossolalia has varied with time and place, with some considering it a part of a sacred language...
.
History
Aarni was founded in 1998, in Finland, by Master Warjomaa (occasionally known as Mahatma M. Warjomaa). Master Warjomaa is also an active member of a doom metalDoom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
band called Umbra Nihil, playing lead guitar. Aarni released a demo in 2001, and a split album
Split album
A split album is a music album which includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There have been singles and EPs released in the same nature, which can be referred to as split singles and split EPs respectively...
with Umbra Nihil the following year. After a second demo in 2002, Aarni finally released its first full-length album, Bathos, in 2004. Aarni was signed to Firebox Records
Firebox Records
Firebox Records is a Finnish record label based in Seinäjoki, Southern Ostrobothnia. The label is well known in the underground heavy metal scene. They specialize in doom metal....
's subsidiary label Firedoom Music, but is now signed to Epidemie Records. Aarni released their second album, called Tohcoth, in February 2008. In late 2008 Aarni also released a CDR EP titled Omnimantia.
Band members
On Aarni's official website, the band section contains four members (also referred to as "Responsible Cultists"), as well as information concerning each of them. The four members of the band are Master Warjomaa, Comte de Saint-Germain, Doomintroll and Mistress Palm. Warjomaa commented on this in a 2004 interview:The number of Aarni is five and five is the number of Aarni. Think a while about this and you will see... because Aarni consists of four personalities plus me. Why four? Because I've chosen to adhere to the (Jungian) concept of quaternity - four personality types, four seasons, four equinoxes, four elements, four stations of the sun, four stages of the human life, four cardinal directions, four Qabbalistic worlds, four limbs of the human body, four main themes in Aarni's songs, four basic human brain circuits of Timothy Leary's theory etc. Visualize the pentagram representing human existence: there's four points combined in/ruled by the fifth. It's all of course symbolic. Or is it?
Master Warjomaa
Master Warjomaa is the alias of the band's most stable member. According to the band's official website, Warjomaa was born in 1974. It is stated that he is influenced by Joe SatrianiJoe Satriani
Joseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...
, Taoism
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
, Camel
Camel (band)
Camel are an English progressive rock band formed in 1971. An important group in the Canterbury scene, they have been releasing studio and live recordings steadily, with considerable success, since their formation.-1970s:...
, and H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
, that he belongs to the Homo Superior species, and that his favorite place is Cydonia
Cydonia (Mars)
Cydonia is a region on the planet Mars, and has attracted both scientific and popular interest. The name originally referred to the albedo feature that was visible from Earthbound telescopes...
. Along with many other artists, Warjomaa has named Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, Candlemass
Candlemass
Candlemass are an influential Swedish doom metal band established in 1984 by Leif Edling , their leader and songwriter. The band is originally from Stockholm. After releasing five full-length albums and touring extensively throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Candlemass disbanded in 1994, but...
, Hawkwind
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
, King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
and Van der Graaf Generator
Van der Graaf Generator
Van der Graaf Generator are an English progressive rock band, formed in 1967 in Manchester. They were the first act signed to Charisma Records. The band achieved considerable success in Italy during the 1970s...
as his musical influences. In a fan interview in June 2006, Warjomaa stated:
"While I prefer a female unicorn deity to a gaseous alpha male vertebrate of cosmic heft anytime, I'd rather choose no deity or deities at all. I think it's high time we stopped worshiping gods and started to aim at becoming gods."
Comte de Saint Germain
Le Comte de Saint Germain (translated from French: "The Count of Saint Germain") is one of the members of Aarni. His role in the band has been stated as "Sensation, alchemical processes and keys to secrets". It is written that he was born in 1665 and is an "ex-human". It is not stated whether le Comte de Saint Germain was an actual individual that lived centuries ago or if he is an entirely fictional character. It may be possible that le Comte de Saint Germain has something to do with the Count of St GermainCount of St Germain
The Count of St. Germain has been variously described as a courtier, adventurer, charlatan, inventor, alchemist, pianist, violinist and an amateur composer. He achieved great prominence in European high society of the mid-1700s, and since then various scholars have linked him to mysticism,...
, an actual count living in the 18th century.
Doomintroll & Mistress Palm
Doomintroll has been represented by a cartoon-style drawing of a person with a very prominent nose, a pipe in the mouth, the Aarni logo on the T-shirt, and a hand sticking up the middle finger. According to Aarni he "originated" in 1998, (also the date of the formation of Aarni) which would make him 6 years old at the time of the release of the band's first full-length album. It is written that Doomintroll belongs to the "Duumipeikko" species. "Duumipeikko", roughly translated from Finnish, gives "Doomintroll". This is a reference to the popular Finnish cartoon series, MoominMoomin
The Moomins are the central characters in a series of books and a comic strip by Swedish-Finn illustrator and writer Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish by Schildts in Finland. They are a family of trolls who are white and roundish, with large snouts that make them resemble hippopotamuses...
, in which Muumipeikko is one of the main characters. According to Doomintroll, the band wants to support the anarcho-shamanistic attitude of moomintrolls.
Mistress Palm (also referred to as Mrs. Palm) is the fourth claimed band member. She is depicted as a rather elderly woman in an apron holding a dish brush and opening her mouth in dismay. She has been thought to be a computer program or artificial, phlogiston-driven rectoplasm.
Website
At the top of the band page is written "4=1". The motive of this equation is maybe to consider the situation of the 4 declared members and one actual member and/or can be a reference to the JungianCarl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
concept of quaternity. On the news page (also referred to as the "Unspeakable Tidings"), the news are listed chronologically. However the dates are said to be written in the form corresponding to these in the Discordian calendar
Discordian calendar
The Discordian or Erisian calendar is an alternative calendar used by some adherents of Discordianism. It is specified on page 00034 of the Principia Discordia.The Discordian year 1 YOLD is 1166 BC...
. These dates follow the "DD/SS/YYYY" form, as stated on the official website. Therefore e.g. the year 2007 CE is noted as 3173 AM.
Lyrics
The lyrics have been sung in English, FinnishFinnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, and occasionally in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Ancient Egyptian
Egyptian language
Egyptian is the oldest known indigenous language of Egypt and a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. Written records of the Egyptian language have been dated from about 3400 BC, making it one of the oldest recorded languages known. Egyptian was spoken until the late 17th century AD in the...
, Glossolalic
Glossolalia
Glossolalia or speaking in tongues is the fluid vocalizing of speech-like syllables, often as part of religious practice. The significance of glossolalia has varied with time and place, with some considering it a part of a sacred language...
, Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, Ouranian Barbaric and Enochian. In several songs, the lyrics refer to the Cthulhu Mythos
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
.
In "Squaring The Circle", the lyrics say "zero equals two". This may be a reference to the ideas of Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...
and similar to the "4=1" statement on top of the band page of the official website. In "The Thunder, Perfect Mindfuck", it is said "I am the shameless and I am ashamed" as well as "I am falsehood and I am truth". These could be considered paradoxical and controversial as the Gnostic poem the lyrics seem to be based upon, The Thunder, Perfect Mind
The Thunder, Perfect Mind
"The Thunder, Perfect Mind" is a poem discovered among the Gnostic manuscripts at Nag Hammadi in 1945.Thunder Perfect Mind takes the form of an extended, riddling monologue, in which an immanent saviour speaks a series of paradoxical statements concerning the divine feminine nature...
.
Line-up
- Master Warjomaa - Creating, playing, and producing most of the lyrics and music.
- Rhesus Christ - Session drums for Bathos.
- Albert Frankenstein - Session vocalist for Bathos.
Demo 2001
Demo 2001 was released independently by Aarni in 2001. It was the first CD release of Aarni. Its cover features a picture of the Conte de Saint-Germain.- Track listing:
- 1. "Myrrys" - 5:00
- 2. "The Black Keyes (of R'lyeh)" - 5:53
- 3. "Metsänpeitto" - 0:58
- 4. "Persona Mortuae Cutis" - 5:52
"Persona Mortuae Cutis" appears as a cover version of the Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
song Dead Skin Mask translated to Latin.
Aarni / Umbra Nihil Split
Aarni / Umbra Nihil Split was released through Firebox RecordsFirebox Records
Firebox Records is a Finnish record label based in Seinäjoki, Southern Ostrobothnia. The label is well known in the underground heavy metal scene. They specialize in doom metal....
in 2002.
- Track listing:
- Aarni
- 1. "Ubbo-Sathla" - 3:37
- 2. "Myrrys" - 5:00
- 3. "Transcend Humanity" - 12:00
- 4. "Liber Umbrarum vel Coniunctio" - 6:18
- 5. "Reaching Azathoth" - 11:55
- 6. "AnimaAnima (Jung)The anima and animus, in Carl Jung's school of analytical psychology, are the two primary anthropomorphic archetypes of the unconscious mind, as opposed to both the theriomorphic and inferior-function of the shadow archetypes, as well as the abstract symbol sets that formulate the archetype of the...
" - 4:14
- Umbra Nihil
- 7. "Follow and Believe / Fall Without Relief" - 9:12
- 8. "A Mere Shell" - 8:25
- 9. "My Way to the Lakeshore" - 2:04
- 10. "Determination" - 7:09
- 11. "Water in Lungs" - 8:31
Duumipeikon paluu
Duumipeikon paluu was released independently by Aarni in 2002.- Track listing:
- 1. "Myrrys" - 5:00
- 2. "Lampaan Vaatteissa" - 6:03
- 3. "The Weird of Vipunen" - 7:22
- 4. "Transcend Humanity" - 12:00
- 5. "Reaching Azathoth" - 11:55
Duumipeikon paluu and Demo 2001 were re-released together in 2003, and re-re-released as a remaster in late 2008. "Duumipeikon paluu" translated from Finnish means "The Return of Doomintroll".
Bathos
Bathos was released through Firedoom Music, a sub-label of Firebox RecordsFirebox Records
Firebox Records is a Finnish record label based in Seinäjoki, Southern Ostrobothnia. The label is well known in the underground heavy metal scene. They specialize in doom metal....
, on November 8, 2004.
- Track listing:
-
- "Ονειροσκόπος (Oneiroskopos)" - 1:31
- "Squaring The Circle" - 7:50
- "Quinotaurus (Twelve Stars In Sight)" - 3:48
- "Kivijumala" - 11:45
- "V.I.T.R.I.O.L." - 6:33
- "The Thunder, Perfect Mindfuck" - 8:32
- "Mental Fugue" - 6:49
- "Niut Net Meru" - 9:20
- "Kesäyö" - 8:59
VV from Umbra Nihil played session drums on the album. Oneiroscope means 'an instrument for watching dreams'. V.I.T.R.I.O.L. is an acronym for "Visita interiora terrae rectificandoque invenies occultum lapidem" in Latin, meaning "Visit the innermost of the earth and by rectifying what is there, you will find the hidden stone." The Thunder, Perfect Mindfuck refers to the gnostic
Gnosticism
Gnosticism is a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism , and Neoplatonism.A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis...
poem The Thunder, Perfect Mind
The Thunder, Perfect Mind
"The Thunder, Perfect Mind" is a poem discovered among the Gnostic manuscripts at Nag Hammadi in 1945.Thunder Perfect Mind takes the form of an extended, riddling monologue, in which an immanent saviour speaks a series of paradoxical statements concerning the divine feminine nature...
.
The Bathos cover was painted by Tuomas M. Mäkelä (of the ambient band Jääportit) based partially on an earlier artwork he had done.
Magister Warjomaa said about it: "We wanted a colourful cover, because I feel very bored with the usual dark-hued album art most metal bands choose for some pathetic reason. But mainly we wanted that cover because to us it has a spaced-out, candlylike and pleasing feeling. THC green feels such a beautiful colour..."
Pandemia
Pandemia is the name of a song by Aarni that was only released on internet, available only on the official Aarni website. It was originally recorded in 2002, and was later remixed and released on the internet in July 2003.Tohcoth
Tohcoth was released through Epidemie Records on February 19, 2008. The title was taken from the works of Dr. John DeeJohn Dee (mathematician)
John Dee was an English mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, occultist, navigator, imperialist and consultant to Queen Elizabeth I. He devoted much of his life to the study of alchemy, divination and Hermetic philosophy....
. This album featured Sampo Marjomaa
Sampo Marjomaa
Sampo Marjomaa is a Finnish television personality and entertainer. He was one of the first announcers on the television channel Nelonen....
as a guest vocalist.
The Tohcoth cover artwork was realized by Genius Albert Frankenstein & Master Warjomaa.
- Track listing:
- Coniuratio Sadoquae
- The Hieroglyph
- Riding Down the Miskatonic on a Dead Thing
- Arouse Coiled Splendour
- Λογος
- All Along The Watchtowers
- Chapel Perilous
- The Sound of One I Opening
- The Battle Hymn of The Eristocracy
- Barbelith
- Iku-Turso
Omnimantia EP
Omnimantia was self-released as a CDR by Aarni in November 2008. The title means "divinationDivination
Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...
from everything".
- Track listing:
-
- Rat King
- Dimwa Depenga
- This Is Not A Mask
- Hypnagogia
- "Untitled"
- Verivaikerrus / Hurmehanki
- Lovecraft Knew