Link Ville Sorvali
March 2009
By Philip A. Wickstrand
MOONSORROW are a band that everyone needs to know. Casting aside any illusions that they are just another Pagan Metal band, MOONSORROW's discography speaks for itself with their exceedingly well crafted epics and long playing times. To not get lost in an album like "Kivenkantaja" is an affront to the Metal Gods themselves. Soon to be endeavoring on their first ever U.S. tour on Paganfest, MOONSORROW will be making things difficult for those that have to follow them.
First of all, what are your expectations for Heathen Crusade III?
"Haven't done interviews for a long time, so I don't know what to say for starts. Anyways, expectations for the show - I'm just expecting us to have a good time on stage and expect to have at least twelve to fourteen people in the audience who like the show. (laughter)"
What are your anticipations for your tour of eastern Canada?
"I'm really, really looking forward to that because the last time we were in Canada it was terrific. The people were really intense and I'm really excited to go back there to see what we can do out there."
I've heard rumors of a North American tour with Paganfest next year...
"Oh yeah, I heard rumors as well. (laughs) So far nothing is confirmed, but we have an offer to play there and if it becomes reality, I definitely want to do that because we haven't toured the States and I want to do that."
What can we expect from the next MOONSORROW album?
"As much as we can give - we haven't talked about it. (laughs)"
You've been going back towards a more Black Metal direction lately - what was the thought process and reasoning behind that?
"Actually, I wouldn't say it like that because when we started, we sounded quite a lot more Black Metal than we sound now, so I just see it like we're going back to the roots, where we started from, so it's nothing new to us to go to the Black Metal direction because we all grew up with Black Metal and the first demos of the band were quite Black Metal and... uh... what was the question again?"
Just going back to a more Black Metal style than what you had been doing recently.
"I guess it's actually just something we want to do as a band. Everyone wants to do in the band, nowadays, do some rawer music. Less Folk Metal influence because we did it already and we did it as well as we could. We kind of got fed up with it and we just want to go back to where we started from because I think that's the style of music everyone in the band loves the most."
What's your reaction to some of the fan disappointment that's been had over the most recent album, "V: Hävitetty"?
"(laughs) I would say tough luck. (laughs) Every album we will make, we will make it for ourselves and first of all, we want to make music that pleases ourselves. I acknowledge the fact that we have fans who like our music, but we're not making our music for them. If they like it, that's a good bonus, but as musicians, we have to make music that pleases ourselves."
Why did you decide to cover METALLICA's "For Whom The Bell Tolls" and sing in English? I heard that and thought that it was very strange, very different - I'm not used to this.
"(laughs) Actually, I don't know where the idea came from, but Henri did that many, many years ago in his home studio, made a cover of that and he didn't mean it to be recorded or anything - he just made it because he had the free time. We heard it and we were like, 'oh, we have to record that because that's fucking cool!' Then we asked our record label 'do you have any use for a cover song?' They said 'yeah, yeah, of course' and then they gave us the funding to record it in two days in a studio or whatever and then we recorded it."
Can we expect a MOONSORROW DVD sometime in the near future?
"Hopefully, yeah. We've been talking about it for like four years or something, that we should do something, record a live concert, but so far... well, it costs a lot of money and we didn't have the funding because if we do something, we have to do it all the way through, not halfway - we have to hire professional camera people around it and recording equipment and everything. It costs a lot of money, so we haven't been able to realize it yet, but we wanna do it. We might do it before 2020. (laughter)"
Recently, on the Paganfest Europe tour, MOONSORROW along with TYR, were falsely accused of being National Socialist bands...
"Oh yeah..."
What are your thoughts on that?
"Ha... that's utter bullshit. That's my thoughts. (laughter)"
What are your thoughts on National Socialism worming it's way into the Metal scene?
"Politically, I'm on the left, so accusing me to be a National Socialist... that's a big insult. I don't want to have anything to do with that."
What are the future plans for MOONSORROW?
"Conquer the world, have a few free beers in the meantime."
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
"Keep the coffee warm! (laughter)" [FIN]
March 2009
By Philip A. Wickstrand
MOONSORROW are a band that everyone needs to know. Casting aside any illusions that they are just another Pagan Metal band, MOONSORROW's discography speaks for itself with their exceedingly well crafted epics and long playing times. To not get lost in an album like "Kivenkantaja" is an affront to the Metal Gods themselves. Soon to be endeavoring on their first ever U.S. tour on Paganfest, MOONSORROW will be making things difficult for those that have to follow them.
First of all, what are your expectations for Heathen Crusade III?
"Haven't done interviews for a long time, so I don't know what to say for starts. Anyways, expectations for the show - I'm just expecting us to have a good time on stage and expect to have at least twelve to fourteen people in the audience who like the show. (laughter)"
What are your anticipations for your tour of eastern Canada?
"I'm really, really looking forward to that because the last time we were in Canada it was terrific. The people were really intense and I'm really excited to go back there to see what we can do out there."
I've heard rumors of a North American tour with Paganfest next year...
"Oh yeah, I heard rumors as well. (laughs) So far nothing is confirmed, but we have an offer to play there and if it becomes reality, I definitely want to do that because we haven't toured the States and I want to do that."
What can we expect from the next MOONSORROW album?
"As much as we can give - we haven't talked about it. (laughs)"
You've been going back towards a more Black Metal direction lately - what was the thought process and reasoning behind that?
"Actually, I wouldn't say it like that because when we started, we sounded quite a lot more Black Metal than we sound now, so I just see it like we're going back to the roots, where we started from, so it's nothing new to us to go to the Black Metal direction because we all grew up with Black Metal and the first demos of the band were quite Black Metal and... uh... what was the question again?"
Just going back to a more Black Metal style than what you had been doing recently.
"I guess it's actually just something we want to do as a band. Everyone wants to do in the band, nowadays, do some rawer music. Less Folk Metal influence because we did it already and we did it as well as we could. We kind of got fed up with it and we just want to go back to where we started from because I think that's the style of music everyone in the band loves the most."
What's your reaction to some of the fan disappointment that's been had over the most recent album, "V: Hävitetty"?
"(laughs) I would say tough luck. (laughs) Every album we will make, we will make it for ourselves and first of all, we want to make music that pleases ourselves. I acknowledge the fact that we have fans who like our music, but we're not making our music for them. If they like it, that's a good bonus, but as musicians, we have to make music that pleases ourselves."
Why did you decide to cover METALLICA's "For Whom The Bell Tolls" and sing in English? I heard that and thought that it was very strange, very different - I'm not used to this.
"(laughs) Actually, I don't know where the idea came from, but Henri did that many, many years ago in his home studio, made a cover of that and he didn't mean it to be recorded or anything - he just made it because he had the free time. We heard it and we were like, 'oh, we have to record that because that's fucking cool!' Then we asked our record label 'do you have any use for a cover song?' They said 'yeah, yeah, of course' and then they gave us the funding to record it in two days in a studio or whatever and then we recorded it."
Can we expect a MOONSORROW DVD sometime in the near future?
"Hopefully, yeah. We've been talking about it for like four years or something, that we should do something, record a live concert, but so far... well, it costs a lot of money and we didn't have the funding because if we do something, we have to do it all the way through, not halfway - we have to hire professional camera people around it and recording equipment and everything. It costs a lot of money, so we haven't been able to realize it yet, but we wanna do it. We might do it before 2020. (laughter)"
Recently, on the Paganfest Europe tour, MOONSORROW along with TYR, were falsely accused of being National Socialist bands...
"Oh yeah..."
What are your thoughts on that?
"Ha... that's utter bullshit. That's my thoughts. (laughter)"
What are your thoughts on National Socialism worming it's way into the Metal scene?
"Politically, I'm on the left, so accusing me to be a National Socialist... that's a big insult. I don't want to have anything to do with that."
What are the future plans for MOONSORROW?
"Conquer the world, have a few free beers in the meantime."
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
"Keep the coffee warm! (laughter)" [FIN]
