Interviews

How are you?

Meiju: Very fine! Just opened my first beer... (smiles)

About the concert today... are you satisfied with your performance?

Meiju: Yeah, I liked it, I liked it. It's very great to play here in Holland.

Have you already been here?

Meiju: We have been here a couple of times during the tours. In 2004 and this spring. This spring we were in Arnhem, too, but we have rather played in little clubs.

Some questions about the new EP you are going to record: It will include one new song, a few new recordings of old demo songs and a couple of Finnish folk covers. First question: Can you already tell us which folk songs you are going to cover?

Meiju: (asks Markus if she can tell us already about the medley) We have the permission things we had to ask from the management. We have just come from the studio, the EP is ready now. There are some Finnish traditionals. In Finnish the names are “Karjalan Kunnailla”, “Myrskyluodon Maija” and “Metsämiehen Laulu”.

The last one is “Forest Man Song”, right?

Meiju: (surprised) Yeah! About “Myrskyluodon Maija”: Maija is a girl's name and “myrsky” means "storm" and “luoto” is some kind of... not an island but near the sea, you know, with rocks on the sea... (skerry) It's about a girl in the stormy weather having a hard life, and probably we all have admired that for years. Now we did it in this metal theme and it's used to be very well, very great. Then this “Karjalan Kunnailla”... a traditional song, too, that tells about the Karelian forests and nature. It was sang by Kaisa Saari. It's a medley, it begins with the first one that leads to the storm theme, then goes on to the forests, you know...

As you already released this CD with old demos at the beginning of this year, is there really a need to release demo songs again?

Meiju: Yeah... “Warrior's Quest” and “White Storm” were there on the demo and they are good songs. We have always wanted to do them again, you know, change them a little bit and add the keyboards there. And now we also play them maybe with better skills, I hope.

Do you already know the name of this release?

Meiju: Yes, we do. I have to ask Markus if I can already tell you... (asks him in Finnish, “...EP:n nimi?” at that moment someone is screaming “SAATANA!”) It's “Dragonheads”.

Ah, like the song you played today...

Meiju: Yeah, that new song is the key song.

And you have already been in the studio?

Meiju: Yes, we just got the tapes mixed ready this Friday, yesterday, so it's very fresh. This intro, the Kalevala theme that we played tonight, is already also on the CD. We got it ready yesterday and brought it here today so we have tested it now. This Kalevala theme song is a very traditional Finnish melody, nobody knows who has written or composed it. It was just then there in the families and everybody knows it. Kalevala is the myth of Finland or traditional stories.

About touring, you have been playing club shows as well as on bigger festivals like for example Wacken this year... what do you prefer?

Meiju: Both have their sides. About the Wacken stage, it was like “Wow, have they all come to see US??? (pretends to be scared) But we are only coming from this little Finland...” When you go to the little tiny clubs, this kind of feeling you cannot explain, either. It's very different, such a strong feeling, so the feeling raises to the ceiling. You cannot really compare. I wouldn't want to miss even one of them.

You will celebrate the band's 10th anniversary on December, 31st in Helsinki... and you have planned a DVD. Can you already reveal something about the DVD or the concert?

Meiju: Sure... There is something from the beginning of the band to the end. So we are not starting from the first and then do the second and the third. Of course there's a mix of all songs... from the demo, the first, the second and this EP. Then we will have guests. We will have surprises, we will have fun. There's not only our anniversary, there's also New Year, too... it will be fabulous. It will be a show, not a gig.

So it will also be longer, you will play more songs?

Meiju: Yes. A hell of a show! (laughs) Let's drink a lot of beer!

The next question is actually one for Markus.

Meiju: Markus! For you! You are needed!

As you are the only original member, if you look back, what has changed in these ten years?

(Markus and Meiju talking in Finnish)

Markus: It's a much easier work nowadays. We have a good team at the moment. There were too many problems with our former...

Meiju: ...members.

Musician differences, sort of that?

Markus: Yeah. You know, it's much more fun if you do it nowadays than before. I don't know what to say... (grins)

Which were your best memories in these ten years and which were the worst ones?

Markus: I think the best one was the first European tour with Finntroll, that was so great! And the worst... (thinks) Maybe when Jari left the band. It was at first a little bit hard because we didn't know what to do, but then HE came (grins and points at Petri).

Meiju: He led us to the new part.

Most of the Ensiferum members play in another band as well, Petri at Norther for example, Markus at Speden Timantit...

Markus: Yes, Speden Timantit. Actually Spede Pasanen was one of the greatest Finnish TV and movie humour maker. He made lots of movies and TV-series before he died a few years ago. Anyway, Speden Timantit isn't directed to him or anything, it's just a humour name which we find out with some friends when we were really drunk. "Spede" means also baffled or fool person (Finnish slang) and "Timantit" means diamonds. Speden Timantit's music style is something like humour progressive metal, but we haven't done anything for a long time with that band but we will... 

So just a fun project?

Markus: Only a joke band. It's really progressive. We haven't done anything for many years but maybe we will...

Meiju: Maybe you should! (laughs)

Markus: We have made two shows with Speden Timantit, those were really funny.

So it is not that difficult to have enough time for both bands?

Markus: No, no, since we haven't done anything with Speden Timantit for many years. It's just a project.

Okay, then we should better ask Petri… Do you have enough time for both your bands, Norther and Ensiferum?

(Petri shakes his head)

It's not difficult to juggle these things?

Petri: It's pretty easy. Because I don't work, I'm out of job.

When did you all start playing or singing?

Meiju: Hm... I started when I was 10 or something. So that's been 14 years now.

Markus: If I remember right we all started between 9 and 12 years old. I'm not sure when Petri started to scream but I guess 10 years ago when he founded the first Norther riffs. Me and Sami started to sing a few years ago.

As the year slowly is coming to its end, what were the Ups and what were the Downs for Ensiferum in 2005?

Meiju: Downs?

Markus: Hm. What were the downs? Definitely the cancellation of the Christmas tour with Morbid Angel.

Meiju: It was forced to start in two weeks. We just got the news two weeks ago and we were very pissed. It would have been so much fun to travel around at Christmas. But there is this problem with the booking agency. We think that it has troubles. We have had some trouble with that booking agency before. We are not going to collaborate with them any more, we have this new booking agency ICS, International Concert Service, which we are going to start doing gigs on the next year in January.

As we are a Finnish metal webzine, we have to ask something about the metal scene in Finland in general... Metal seems to be pretty big in this country, at least more normal as in other countries where it's rather underground music. Have you any idea what is the reason for that?

Meiju: We are so melancholic. It's so dark in the north. We are all pissed off of life in the north, in Finland. Absolutely. And those who don't play metal, they just deny it, they won't admit it but they are pissed off, too. Nobody is happy in Finland . We are angry people. That's why there is so much heavy metal and dark music. It's our nature.

Actually we are through with our questions. Is there anything you'd like to add?

Meiju: Stay metal, stay rebel. Never give up! Drink beer! It's good, it makes you happier.

Markus: My English sucks!

Petri: I don't know. I have nothing to say. Thank you.

Kiitos haastattelusta!