Tag Archives: korpiklaani

“Korven Kuningas” by Korpiklaani

Artist: Korpiklaani
Title: “Korven Kuningas”
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Release Date: 3/25/2008
Genre: Pagan Folk Metal
Rating: 4.5/5

The opening riffs of this CD might deceive the listener into thinking that they are in store for a Thrashing experience but be aware that once that passes by a decidedly different ride comes into play care of Finland’s masters of Folk Metal – Korpiklaani. The bands name is translated into “Forest Clan” and personally I have been a fan of these guys since their second album “Voice Of Wilderness” and have followed them into their continued work all of which was available on Napalm Records. With this in mind it was to be expected that higher levels of enjoyment would be mine for the taking when I played their newest album “Korven Kunigas” – a release which comes to the world care of their new label Nuclear Blast Records. If you are a fan of this type of Metal already then you should know full well about these guys since this is album number five but if you are a newbie here is the whole folking background for reference sake. The band has origins in the band Shaman, but their desire for change led them to Kopiklaani where they would direct their Finnish Folklore styles into a highly entertaining and energetic aspect of Metal music. While they perform songs in English there is a good majority of their material sung in their native Finnish so there will be times that you will not actually catch what he is singing about and yet the energy level of the music will allow this to not bother you at all.
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“Pagan Fire” by Various Artists

Artist: Various Artists
Title: “Pagan Fire”
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Release Date: 2/5/2008
Genre: Viking/Folk Metal
Rating: 4/5

So you’ve finally realized that Bon Jovi will take you no farther than New Jersey and that while you love your Metal on the heavy side there are times that the Black and Death stuff could be a little bit frightening. You’ve always found your mood rose when you see pictures of the icy fjords and there is something about those movies featuring warriors of the past and ice cold lager that really gets your energy level going. These are the most commonly visible signs of a Viking Metal fan and luckily for you these feelings are easily dealt with. Your treatment begins with the new Nuclear Blast Records compilation “Pagan Fire”, a rich assortment of Viking and Folk Metal bands from around the world and it’s indeed a roaring blaze of Metal that’s as hearty in its musical content as it is in its deep mythological lyrics. What makes this all the more special is that this isn’t only a Nuclear Blast Records artist display and the listener gets tastes of bands from labels like Metal Blade Records, Napalm Records and Candlelight Music to name a few. The CD begins with a song by Bathory, and it’s a fitting tribute to Quorthon, the founder of Viking Metal, who the world lost sadly in 2004. “Song To Hall Up High” is more of a regal track as opposed to a thunderous Metal one, but this was used more for the respect and honor aspect. A nice touch to begin with. There is a sample of some Enslaved and Amon Amarth who might be among the more popular bands to visit this genre in today’s musical world and their achievements are great, but what intrigued me most about the album was the inclusion of bands that might have not yet hit the radar of fans of the genre. There is a great track by Ensiferum in “Deathbringer From The Sky” from the album “Victory Songs” and a little Primordial and once listeners get their ears set on these bands I can’t seem to think they would not become lifelong fans.
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PiercingMetal’s “Best Of 2006”: The Music

Another exciting year in Metal music has gone by and as a member of the music press, I’m tasked with not only doing reviews here on the website but also in lining out what releases that I felt were the years very best. Initially, this post was going to feature the whole gamut of the years in terms of the music, the videos and the concerts but when my album list went on and on and on I decided to give it a post of its own to go easier on you. Let’s go.

The Best Albums Of 2006

Mercenary “The Hours That Remain” (Century Media Records): A great follow up to “11 Dreams”, this band shows that they are taking chances in Metal.

Mastodon “Blood Mountain” (Warner Brothers): Jazz Fusion Metal? I dunno, but the new Mastodon sure kicks your ass around the block.

Amorphis “Eclipse” (Nuclear Blast Records): Finnish boys return and do more good. Lots of feels on this one.

Scar Symmetry “Pitch Black Effects” (Nuclear Blast Records): Raging guitar solos, soaring clean vocals, brutal death metal growls-brilliant!

Lamb of God “Sacrament” (Epic Records): Their best yet. Future legends. The first four songs are instant classics and if you don’t find your fist in the air for this release you don’t have one. Go watch American Idol

Iron Maiden “A Matter of Life and Death” (EMI Music): Up the Irons, pure and simple. Some bad press from some people who don’t see the return to form. They are idiots.

I “Between Two Worlds” (Nuclear Blast Records): Great project from members of Immortal, Enslaved, and Gorgoroth.

Enslaved “RUUN” (Candlelight Records): The Black Metal titans get even more progressive and this is an incredible listen from start to finish

Satyricon “Now, Diabolical” (Century Media Records): More Metal needs to be like this. A resounding effort that lays waste to that which tries to come close.

Vanden Plas “Christ O” (InsideOut Music): Stunning operatic progressive metal. Their best yet! Especially the bonus track
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PiercingMetal Talks To Korpiklaani’s Jarkko Aaltonen (7/11/2006)

Logo - Korpiklaani

How do you describe the band Korpiklaani to someone who has never heard of the name before? How do you possibly explain a Metal band that has a larger than usual lineup to best deliver their brand of Folk-Metal because the use of the traditional instruments is so necessary. Very simply, you cannot accomplish this task with any ease whatsoever as any discussion requires you to have a CD player or computer to offer immediate example of the cool brand of Metal these guys are delivering. Folk Metal has been around for awhile, and can be heard in bands like Finntroll and Skyclad among a host of others. Yet of them all Korpiklaani stands out a little more since the music has more of an accessibility than the others. The band has never toured the US and given their being based in Finland the easiest way to do this interview would be via email. I tried to keep the ideas to a degree where readers could hopefully learn more about the band and dig deeper into their music. Answering the questions would be the bands bassist Jarkko. Here is what he had to say.

KP: To begin this, I find that Korpiklaani really takes the aspect of “Folk Metal” to the next level. We have heard this type of music done in Finntroll and Skyclad but it truly seems that Korpiklaani “kicks it up a notch or two”. What are your thoughts on that and have you heard this before.

Jarkko: Of course we’ve heard a lot of different comments and comparisons. Quite often we’ve been compared to some bands that I’ve never heard before so I’ve then bought one or two of their albums and checked them out myself. Skyclad for example is one of those. I really enjoyed that album but I really couldn’t hear the resemblance, except that both bands have a violin. Musically and especially lyrically really different. Same goes to Finntroll. We’ve been categorized to the same genre but musically we’re quite different. Most of the folk metal bands are basicall metal bands with some folk elements thrown in when Korpiklaani’s roots are originally in folk music and the metal part has been added later. On the latest album the metal part became a bit more dominant without losing much from the folk melodies, so I guess we’ve found a right balance between those two and some people like you will find that combination quite interesting!
Continue reading PiercingMetal Talks To Korpiklaani’s Jarkko Aaltonen (7/11/2006)

PiercingMetal’s “Best Of” 2005: Music – Video – Concerts

Having only launched PiercingMetal.com in April, this list is not a super long one. However, it does feature some of the releases that we found most favorable along with the shows that we enjoyed the most. Maybe you agree with us on some so please take a look.

Logo - The Best Of

The Best CD’s of 2005:
Mercenary “11 Dreams” (Century Media Records): One of the finest mixes of Metal genre to come out of Century Media records this year

Soilwork “Stabbing The Drama” (Nuclear Blast Records): This CD made a fan out of me, and is likely to do the same for you.

H.I.M. “Dark Light” (Sire Records): First official US Release and mixes elements of their previous work to a fine blend. Try this melodic gothic act out and you will not regret it.

Judas Priest “Angel Of Retribution” (Epic Records): Reunion, simple as that, they show why they are Metal Gods to this very day.

Iron Maiden “Death On the Road” (Columbia Records): The 40th live album from Iron Maiden shows up their last try and is quite enjoyable.

Korpiklaani “Voice of Wilderness” (Napalm Records): Ever hear Folk Metal? You will be a changed person when you do.

Leaves Eyes “Vinland Saga” (Napalm Records): Atmospheric Gothic Metal and this CD take you to another world.

Journey “Generations” (Independent): Anyone who stopped supporting Journey because of Steve Perry leaving is an idiot because Steve Augeri rocks. This is one of the best Rock records of the year.
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