Finntroll
Encyclopedia
Finntroll is a folk metal
band from Helsinki
, Finland
. They combine elements of black metal
and folk metal
. Finntroll's lyrics are mostly in Swedish
, the only exception being the song "Madon Laulu" on Visor Om Slutet
. Finntroll's first singer Katla decided to use Swedish over Finnish since he was part of a Swedish-speaking minority in Finland and the sound of the language seemed to better suit the band's "troll
ish" outfit. Despite several vocalist changes, this tradition has since been continued.
According to bandmembers Vreth and Skrymer, they took their name from an old Finnish legend where Swedish priests coming to Finland had an encounter with a wild-looking man who killed most of their party. The survivors came back bearing the tale of the Finn-Troll.
Finntroll's lyrics mainly deal with legends and tales revolving around the fictional Troll-King "Rivfader" and the trolls fighting against the Christians who entered their lands and spread their beliefs. A recurring theme is the story of two priests named "Aamund" and "Kettil". The first three full length albums feature a rather short but fierce song about the two men who constantly get themselves into trouble with the trolls, only to get beaten up and mutilated over and over again by the wrathful followers of Rivfader.
As of February 2010, the band's discography includes 5 full-length albums and 2 EPs, their latest album Nifelvind
was released February 17 in Finland.
(guitarist of Impaled Nazarene
) and vocalist Jan "Katla" Jämsen
. Their first demo, "Rivfader" ("Ripfather"), was recorded about a year later, in 1998. After the demo recording, drummer Samu Ruotsalainen (from Barathrum
, Shape of Despair
and Rapture
), guitarist Samuli Ponsimaa
, keyboardist Henri "Trollhorn" Sorvali (from Moonsorrow
) and bassist Sami Uusitalo
joined the band. The record label Spinefarm got interested in the band then, and made a contract, yielding the album Midnattens Widunder
("Monstrosities of the Midnight") as a result.
The next step for Finntroll was the album Jaktens Tid
("The Time of the Hunt"), which was released in 2001. This album managed to climb to rank 20 of the Finnish album charts, exceeding expectation of band and publisher alike. The following wave of popularity attracted the attention of Century Media, which began promoting Finntroll for the rest of the world. The following summer, the band had their first time playing on open air festivals in Finland and other countries.
The year after the release of the album Jaktens Tid proved to be a misfortune for Finntroll: some tours had to be cancelled, and in the aftermath of his problems, vocalist Jämsen had to retire from the band due to a viral-based tumor
in his vocal cords which could not be removed surgically; he retired after the release of the EP Visor Om Slutet
.
Said EP was recorded in early January 2003, in a forest cabin near Helsinki
. It was an "acoustical experiment", where Jämsen and the new vocalist Tapio Wilska
(of Sethian
and Lyijykomppania
) shared the singing duties among them. "Melodies of the End was released as a mid-price EP and held rank on the Finnish midprice chart for several weeks.
On March 16, 2003, shortly before the release of Visor Om Slutet, guitarist Teemu Raimoranta died when he fell off a bridge in Hakaniemi
, Helsinki. Although they had lost their last remaining founding member in this tragic event, the band did not dissolve, but after some time decided to go on, touring Europe
for two weeks, supported by the band Katatonia
. Guitarist Mikael Karlbom was hired as a replacement for Raimoranta.
In 2004, the band released another EP, Trollhammaren
("The Trollhammer"), a prequel to the soon to follow album Nattfödd
("Nightborn"). This release earned them international acclaim and had the band embarking on their first North American tour, along with the influential thrash metal band Sodom
in early 2006.
During 2005, keyboardist Trollhorn decided not to play live anymore due to private reasons. A replacement for shows to come was found in Aleksi "Virta" Virta of the band Imperanon, whom he knew from Sibelius Music College in Helsinki, where Trollhorn had been teaching. After some auditioning and rehearsing, he became a steady part of the touring line-up.
On January 29, 2006, Tapio Wilska, vocalist of the band since 2002, was fired from the band. In a statement issued on the band's website, Wilska states that he would like to keep the reason for his dismissal private.
Following Wilska's parting with the band, they decided to take on Mathias "Vreth" Lillmåns
of Chtonian and Twilight Moon as a full-time member on vocals.
A new album, titled Ur Jordens Djup
("From the Depths of the Earth"), was released March, 2007. This fourth album put more emphasis on epic keyboard riffs with very loud but melodic guitar. Former vocalist Katla was brought in to write the lyrics for this album. The last song contains an acoustic hidden track entitled Trollvisan which can be heard at 11:03 minutes. It is commonly believed to be the installment's "Aamund och Kettil-Song", yet there is no mention of the two priests in the lyrics, the song rather refers to "de kristna" ("the Christians") in general.
After being a session member on keyboards since 2005, Aleksi "Virta" Virta was made a full time member in late 2009.
The band has recorded a live performance for its upcoming first live DVD. A release date is yet to be confirmed. They have released their fifth album, titled Nifelvind
("Underworld's Winds"), and Katla has again written the lyrics. The progress on the album was recorded by Trollhorn in a studio diary found here. On January 15, 2010 Finntroll released a music video for the new song "Solsagan" on their MySpace
page in preparation for the album release. The new album was then released in February 2010.
With:
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...
band from Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. They combine elements of black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
and 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...
. Finntroll's lyrics are mostly in 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...
, the only exception being the song "Madon Laulu" on Visor Om Slutet
Visor om Slutet
Visor om slutet is an all-acoustic folk metal album by the Finnish band Finntroll. It was released in 2003 by Spinefarm. It was the first album to feature Tapio Wilska on vocals....
. Finntroll's first singer Katla decided to use Swedish over Finnish since he was part of a Swedish-speaking minority in Finland and the sound of the language seemed to better suit the band's "troll
Troll
A troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, the term troll was a generally negative synonym for a jötunn , a being in Norse mythology...
ish" outfit. Despite several vocalist changes, this tradition has since been continued.
According to bandmembers Vreth and Skrymer, they took their name from an old Finnish legend where Swedish priests coming to Finland had an encounter with a wild-looking man who killed most of their party. The survivors came back bearing the tale of the Finn-Troll.
Finntroll's lyrics mainly deal with legends and tales revolving around the fictional Troll-King "Rivfader" and the trolls fighting against the Christians who entered their lands and spread their beliefs. A recurring theme is the story of two priests named "Aamund" and "Kettil". The first three full length albums feature a rather short but fierce song about the two men who constantly get themselves into trouble with the trolls, only to get beaten up and mutilated over and over again by the wrathful followers of Rivfader.
As of February 2010, the band's discography includes 5 full-length albums and 2 EPs, their latest album Nifelvind
Nifelvind
-External links:**...
was released February 17 in Finland.
History
Finntroll was founded in 1997, by Teemu "Somnium" RaimorantaTeemu Raimoranta
Teemu Raimoranta was a Finnish metal musician. He was the founding guitarist of Finnish folk metal band Finntroll along with vocalist Jan "Katla" Jämsen. He was active in Finntroll as a guitarist until his death in 2003...
(guitarist of Impaled Nazarene
Impaled Nazarene
Impaled Nazarene is a Finnish black metal band that incorporates elements of grindcore in their sound and punk rock in their aesthetics. The band is currently signed to Osmose Productions of France....
) and vocalist Jan "Katla" Jämsen
Jan Jämsen
Katla is a Finnish singer, most notable for co-founding and singing in folk metal band Finntroll.-Finntroll:In 1997, Katla and Somnium got drunk on a party and founded a band...
. Their first demo, "Rivfader" ("Ripfather"), was recorded about a year later, in 1998. After the demo recording, drummer Samu Ruotsalainen (from Barathrum
Barathrum
Barathrum is a Finnish black doom band. They originate from Kuopio but have since re-located to Helsinki. The first letters of their full-length albums spell "HEIL SOVA" , which completes their original eight-album plan. However, there have been rumours about a new record ever since the Anno Aspera...
, Shape of Despair
Shape of Despair
Shape of Despair is an Atmospheric/Funeral Doom metal band from Finland that was formed in 1995 as Raven until 1998, when the band decided to change their name to the current one.-History:...
and Rapture
Rapture (band)
Rapture is a doom metal/melodic death metal band formed in 1997 in Helsinki, Finland.-History:In 1999, Rapture signed a contract with Spinefarm Records and released their debut album, Futile, in late 1999. The album was also licensed to Relapse Records for distribution outside of Finland. In early...
), guitarist Samuli Ponsimaa
Samuli Ponsimaa
Samuli Ponsimaa is the guitarist in Folk Metal band Finntroll. He joined the band in 1998 following the demo Rivfader and has stayed with the band ever since. He is also an artist and has designed all of the artwork for Finntroll, such as Cover and Booklets, Stage Scenery and Outfits, Merchandise...
, keyboardist Henri "Trollhorn" Sorvali (from Moonsorrow
Moonsorrow
Moonsorrow is a pagan metal band formed in Helsinki, Finland, in 1995. Musically, the band incorporates elements of black metal and folk metal in their sound...
) and bassist Sami Uusitalo
Sami Uusitalo
Sami "Tundra" Uusitalo is a bass guitarist best known from the folk metal band Finntroll and the funeral doom band Shape of Despair. He also plays in the folk/doom metal group The Mist and the Morning Dew. Despite sharing the same name with a member of Funebre, he is not the same person.-...
joined the band. The record label Spinefarm got interested in the band then, and made a contract, yielding the album Midnattens Widunder
Midnattens Widunder
Midnattens widunder is a folk metal album by the Finnish band Finntroll. It was released in Finland in 1999 by Spinefarm.-Concept:The lyrical content of the album follows the story of the legenday Rivfader , "king-shaman" of the trollish race, and his war against Christian encroachment of the...
("Monstrosities of the Midnight") as a result.
The next step for Finntroll was the album Jaktens Tid
Jaktens Tid
Jaktens tid is a folk metal album by the Finnish band Finntroll. It was released in 2001 by Spinefarm Records.-Track listing:There is a bonus song on the final outro track: after approximately half a minute of silence, a drunken-sounding polka-type song begins...
("The Time of the Hunt"), which was released in 2001. This album managed to climb to rank 20 of the Finnish album charts, exceeding expectation of band and publisher alike. The following wave of popularity attracted the attention of Century Media, which began promoting Finntroll for the rest of the world. The following summer, the band had their first time playing on open air festivals in Finland and other countries.
The year after the release of the album Jaktens Tid proved to be a misfortune for Finntroll: some tours had to be cancelled, and in the aftermath of his problems, vocalist Jämsen had to retire from the band due to a viral-based tumor
Tumor
A tumor or tumour is commonly used as a synonym for a neoplasm that appears enlarged in size. Tumor is not synonymous with cancer...
in his vocal cords which could not be removed surgically; he retired after the release of the EP Visor Om Slutet
Visor om Slutet
Visor om slutet is an all-acoustic folk metal album by the Finnish band Finntroll. It was released in 2003 by Spinefarm. It was the first album to feature Tapio Wilska on vocals....
.
Said EP was recorded in early January 2003, in a forest cabin near Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
. It was an "acoustical experiment", where Jämsen and the new vocalist Tapio Wilska
Tapio Wilska
Tapio Wilska is the main vocalist of the heavy metal band Sethian. He is also the ex-lead vocalist for the band Finntroll...
(of Sethian
Sethian (band)
Sethian is a Finnish progressive metal band, originally formed in 1998 but whose debut album, Into the Silence, was not completed and released until 2003. That album bears a striking resemblance to the Empire-era of Queensrÿche, though with darker lyrics...
and Lyijykomppania
Lyijykomppania
Lyijykomppania is a Finnish heavy metal band. It was originally formed in 1981, but was disbanded a short two years later. The band regrouped and started again in 1990 and remained together until once again breaking up in 1998. The band got back together in 2003...
) shared the singing duties among them. "Melodies of the End was released as a mid-price EP and held rank on the Finnish midprice chart for several weeks.
On March 16, 2003, shortly before the release of Visor Om Slutet, guitarist Teemu Raimoranta died when he fell off a bridge in Hakaniemi
Hakaniemi
Hakaniemi is an unofficial district of Helsinki, the Finnish capital. It is considered a part of the Helsinki city center. Historically, it was often associated with the working class and worker's associations. However, the cost of living has risen considerably in recent years and is now on par...
, Helsinki. Although they had lost their last remaining founding member in this tragic event, the band did not dissolve, but after some time decided to go on, touring Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for two weeks, supported by the band Katatonia
Katatonia
Katatonia is a Swedish metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström .-1991-1993:The early Katatonia releases, such as the EP Jhva Elohim Meth.....
. Guitarist Mikael Karlbom was hired as a replacement for Raimoranta.
In 2004, the band released another EP, Trollhammaren
Trollhammaren
Trollhammaren is an EP from Finnish band Finntroll. It was released on April 13th, 2004 by Spinefarm.In an unusual style, this album incorporates an accordion for the intro and chorus.- Track listing :# "Trollhammaren" – 3:29...
("The Trollhammer"), a prequel to the soon to follow album Nattfödd
Nattfödd
- Personnel :*Henri "Trollhorn" Sorvali – keyboards*Mikael "Routa" Karlbom – guitar*Tapio Wilska – vocals*Samu "Beast Dominator" Ruotsalainen – drums*Samuli "Skrymer" Ponsimaa – guitar*Sami "Tundra" Uusitalo – bass...
("Nightborn"). This release earned them international acclaim and had the band embarking on their first North American tour, along with the influential thrash metal band Sodom
Sodom (band)
Sodom is a German Thrash metal trio from Gelsenkirchen, formed in 1981.Along with the bands Kreator and Destruction, Sodom is considered one of the "big three" of Teutonic thrash metal...
in early 2006.
During 2005, keyboardist Trollhorn decided not to play live anymore due to private reasons. A replacement for shows to come was found in Aleksi "Virta" Virta of the band Imperanon, whom he knew from Sibelius Music College in Helsinki, where Trollhorn had been teaching. After some auditioning and rehearsing, he became a steady part of the touring line-up.
On January 29, 2006, Tapio Wilska, vocalist of the band since 2002, was fired from the band. In a statement issued on the band's website, Wilska states that he would like to keep the reason for his dismissal private.
Following Wilska's parting with the band, they decided to take on Mathias "Vreth" Lillmåns
Mathias Lillmåns
Mathias "Vreth" Lillmåns is the vocalist for the Finnish folk metal band Finntroll, and has been since 2006. He is also the vocalist and the bassist for the bands Chthonian and Twilight Moon. In 2009 he and fellow Finntroll member Samuli Ponsimaa formed the death metal band DecomposteR, in which he...
of Chtonian and Twilight Moon as a full-time member on vocals.
A new album, titled Ur Jordens Djup
Ur Jordens Djup
-Personnel:* Mathias "Vreth" Lillmåns – vocals* Samuli "Skrymer" Ponsimaa – guitar, backing vocals* Mikael "Routa" Karlbom – guitar* Sami "Tundra" Uusitalo – bass, backing vocals...
("From the Depths of the Earth"), was released March, 2007. This fourth album put more emphasis on epic keyboard riffs with very loud but melodic guitar. Former vocalist Katla was brought in to write the lyrics for this album. The last song contains an acoustic hidden track entitled Trollvisan which can be heard at 11:03 minutes. It is commonly believed to be the installment's "Aamund och Kettil-Song", yet there is no mention of the two priests in the lyrics, the song rather refers to "de kristna" ("the Christians") in general.
After being a session member on keyboards since 2005, Aleksi "Virta" Virta was made a full time member in late 2009.
The band has recorded a live performance for its upcoming first live DVD. A release date is yet to be confirmed. They have released their fifth album, titled Nifelvind
Nifelvind
-External links:**...
("Underworld's Winds"), and Katla has again written the lyrics. The progress on the album was recorded by Trollhorn in a studio diary found here. On January 15, 2010 Finntroll released a music video for the new song "Solsagan" on their MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page in preparation for the album release. The new album was then released in February 2010.
Members
| Role | Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–1998 | 1998–2002 | 2002–2003 | 2003–2006 | 2006–present | ||
| Vocals | Katla | Tapio Wilska | Vreth | |||
| Guitar | Somnium | Routa | ||||
| Guitar | Skrymer | |||||
| Bass | Ancient Lord | Tundra | ||||
| Drums | Drum Machine | Beast Dominator | ||||
| Keyboards | Katla | Trollhorn | Trollhorn / Virta | |||
| Lyrics | Katla | Tapio Wilska | Katla / Vreth | |||
Current members
- Mathias "Vreth" LillmånsMathias LillmånsMathias "Vreth" Lillmåns is the vocalist for the Finnish folk metal band Finntroll, and has been since 2006. He is also the vocalist and the bassist for the bands Chthonian and Twilight Moon. In 2009 he and fellow Finntroll member Samuli Ponsimaa formed the death metal band DecomposteR, in which he...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(2006–present) - Samuli "Skrymer" PonsimaaSamuli PonsimaaSamuli Ponsimaa is the guitarist in Folk Metal band Finntroll. He joined the band in 1998 following the demo Rivfader and has stayed with the band ever since. He is also an artist and has designed all of the artwork for Finntroll, such as Cover and Booklets, Stage Scenery and Outfits, Merchandise...
– guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
(1998–present) - Mikael "Routa" Karlbom – guitar (2003–present)
- Sami "Tundra" UusitaloSami UusitaloSami "Tundra" Uusitalo is a bass guitarist best known from the folk metal band Finntroll and the funeral doom band Shape of Despair. He also plays in the folk/doom metal group The Mist and the Morning Dew. Despite sharing the same name with a member of Funebre, he is not the same person.-...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1998–present) - Samu "Beast Dominator" Ruotsalainen – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(1998–present) - Henri "Trollhorn" SorvaliHenri SorvaliHenri "Trollhorn" Sorvali, born October 19, 1978, in Finland, is the guitarist and keyboardist of the pagan metal band Moonsorrow, and keyboardist for Finntroll, and also plays for The Wicked....
– keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
(1998–present) - Aleksi "Virta" Virta - live Keyboards (2005–present)
With:
- Jan "Katla" Jämsen – KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
(1997–1998), vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(1997–2002), lyricsLyricsLyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
(1997–2002, 2006–present),
Former members
- Teemu "Somnium" Raimoranta – guitar (1997–2003) (R.I.P. 2003)
- Tapio WilskaTapio WilskaTapio Wilska is the main vocalist of the heavy metal band Sethian. He is also the ex-lead vocalist for the band Finntroll...
– vocals (2002–2006)
Studio albums
- Midnattens WidunderMidnattens WidunderMidnattens widunder is a folk metal album by the Finnish band Finntroll. It was released in Finland in 1999 by Spinefarm.-Concept:The lyrical content of the album follows the story of the legenday Rivfader , "king-shaman" of the trollish race, and his war against Christian encroachment of the...
(1999) - Jaktens TidJaktens TidJaktens tid is a folk metal album by the Finnish band Finntroll. It was released in 2001 by Spinefarm Records.-Track listing:There is a bonus song on the final outro track: after approximately half a minute of silence, a drunken-sounding polka-type song begins...
(2001) - Visor Om SlutetVisor om SlutetVisor om slutet is an all-acoustic folk metal album by the Finnish band Finntroll. It was released in 2003 by Spinefarm. It was the first album to feature Tapio Wilska on vocals....
(2003) - NattföddNattfödd- Personnel :*Henri "Trollhorn" Sorvali – keyboards*Mikael "Routa" Karlbom – guitar*Tapio Wilska – vocals*Samu "Beast Dominator" Ruotsalainen – drums*Samuli "Skrymer" Ponsimaa – guitar*Sami "Tundra" Uusitalo – bass...
(2004) - Ur Jordens DjupUr Jordens Djup-Personnel:* Mathias "Vreth" Lillmåns – vocals* Samuli "Skrymer" Ponsimaa – guitar, backing vocals* Mikael "Routa" Karlbom – guitar* Sami "Tundra" Uusitalo – bass, backing vocals...
(2007) - NifelvindNifelvind-External links:**...
(2010)
Videos
- "TrollhammarenTrollhammarenTrollhammaren is an EP from Finnish band Finntroll. It was released on April 13th, 2004 by Spinefarm.In an unusual style, this album incorporates an accordion for the intro and chorus.- Track listing :# "Trollhammaren" – 3:29...
" (2004) - "NedgångNedgång"Nedgång" is the fourth track off the Finnish folk metal band Finntroll's fifth full-length album, Ur jordens djup. A music video for the song was released in April, 2007, the month following the release of the album....
" (2007) - "Solsagan" (2010)
- "Under Bergets Rot" (2010)