Mokoma
Encyclopedia
Mokoma is a Finnish
thrash metal
band formed in Lappeenranta
in 1996. Their music also has grindcore
and death metal
influences with traditional Finnish melancholy.
Mokoma started out as a creation of Marko Annala, who is the bands lead singer, and has been the bands only original bandmember. The name comes from Annala's former girlfriends' Karelian grandmother, who said "Voi siuta mokomaa". Which means "Oh gosh, you and your tricks", basically in simple words when put into English. Through the years several members have come and gone, but only Marko has remained constant.
The band started out as a more traditional rock band
with their first two albums "Valu" and "Mokoman 120 päivää". However, both albums sold badly and they were eventually dropped when they suggested to their record dealer (EMI), that they wanted to play something more closer to their hearts, thrash metal. The group moved on and created their own record company, called Sakara Records, and released their third album "Kurimus", which is sometimes regarded as the first thrash metal album sung in Finnish. That was the first release of the members' independent record company Sakara Records
. Since then they have released four more albums and an EP called "Viides vuodenaika", which reached position one in the Finnish albums chart. Their latest album release is "Sydänjuuret".
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...
thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band formed in Lappeenranta
Lappeenranta
Lappeenranta is a city and municipality that resides on the shore of the lake Saimaa in South-Eastern Finland, about from the Russian border. It belongs to the region of South Karelia. With approximately inhabitants Lappeenranta is the largest city in Finland...
in 1996. Their music also has grindcore
Grindcore
Grindcore is an extreme genre of music that started in the early- to mid-1980s. It draws inspiration from some of the most abrasive music genres – including death metal, industrial music, noise and the more extreme varieties of hardcore punk....
and death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
influences with traditional Finnish melancholy.
Mokoma started out as a creation of Marko Annala, who is the bands lead singer, and has been the bands only original bandmember. The name comes from Annala's former girlfriends' Karelian grandmother, who said "Voi siuta mokomaa". Which means "Oh gosh, you and your tricks", basically in simple words when put into English. Through the years several members have come and gone, but only Marko has remained constant.
The band started out as a more traditional rock band
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
with their first two albums "Valu" and "Mokoman 120 päivää". However, both albums sold badly and they were eventually dropped when they suggested to their record dealer (EMI), that they wanted to play something more closer to their hearts, thrash metal. The group moved on and created their own record company, called Sakara Records, and released their third album "Kurimus", which is sometimes regarded as the first thrash metal album sung in Finnish. That was the first release of the members' independent record company Sakara Records
Sakara Records
Sakara Records is an independent Finnish metal / rock record label.It was founded in 2003 by the Finnish metal group Mokoma.Since then the label has added the Finnish bands Stam1na, Rytmihäiriö, Black Bile, Diablo and YUP....
. Since then they have released four more albums and an EP called "Viides vuodenaika", which reached position one in the Finnish albums chart. Their latest album release is "Sydänjuuret".
Current line-up
- Marko Annala - 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...
(also guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
in 1996, founding member) - Tuomo Saikkonen - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
& 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–present) - Kuisma Aalto - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
& 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–present) - Janne Hyrkäs - 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 ....
(2000–present) - Santtu Hämäläinen - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(2004–present)
Ex-members
- Heikki Kärkkäinen - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1997–2004) - Janne Hynynen - 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 ....
(1997–1999) - Roope Laasonen - 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) - Juhana Rantala - session 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 ....
(1999) - Raikko Törönen - 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 ....
(1999) - Mikko Ruokonen - session 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 ....
(1999)
Albums
- Valu (1999)
- Mokoman 120 päivää (2001)
- KurimusKurimusKurimus is an album by the Finnish thrash metal group Mokoma.-Track listing:# "Mene ja tiedä" – 2:52 "Go and know"# "Takatalvi" – 2:34 "Cold spell in spring"# "Kasvot kohti itää" – 4:17 "Face towards the east"...
(2003) - Tämän maailman ruhtinaan hoviTämän maailman ruhtinaan hoviTämän maailman ruhtinaan hovi is an album by the Finnish thrash metal group Mokoma.-Track listing:# "Toista maata" - 4.31 "Other kind"# "Haudan takaa" - 3.21 "From beyond the grave"...
(2004) - Kuoleman laulukunnaatKuoleman laulukunnaatKuoleman laulukunnaat is Mokoma's fifth album, which was released in 2006. It is a concept album about an ended relationship.-Track listing:# "Valapatto" – 2:59 "Perjurer"# "Ärräpää" – 3:49 "F-word"...
(2006) - Luihin ja ytimiinLuihin ja ytimiinLuihin ja ytimiin is Mokoma's sixth album. It was released 2007. Luihin ja ytimiin is not as Death metal as their previous effort Kuoleman laulukunnaat. The album was released in three different versions. Besides normal digipak-edition there was limited edition, which had photographycollage made by...
(2007) - SydänjuuretSydänjuuret-Personnel:* Kuisma Aalto – guitar, backing vocals* Marko Annala – vocals, backing vocals* Janne Hyrkäs – drums* Santtu Hämäläinen – bass* Tuomo Saikkonen – guitar...
(2010)
EPs / singles
- Kasvan (single, 1999)
- Perspektiivi (single, 1999)
- Seitsemän sinetin takana (single, 2001)
- Rajapyykki (single, 2001)
- Takatalvi (free, downloadable single, 2003)
- Punainen kukko (ep, 2003)
- Hiljaisuuden julistaja (free, downloadable single, 2004)
- Viides vuodenaika (ep, 2006)
- Nujerra ihminen (Downloadable single, 2007)
- Sydänjuuret (Downloadable single, 2010)
- Juurta jaksain (ep,2010)
- Sarvet esiin (Downloadable single with Finnish rap artist Petri NygårdPetri NygårdPetri Jukka Mikael Laurila better known by his stage name Petri Nygård is a Finnish rap-artist. He is also known under alias Dream and as Travis Bicle.-Early life:...
, 2010)