WSJ: Heavy Metal Inspires People to Learn Nordic Languages

Juhana Rossi and Ellen Emmerentze Jervell for the Wall Street Journal reported on the June 5 front page about the phenomenon of of black metal and folk metal inspiring fans to learn the obscure Finnish and Norwegian languages in an article titled "To Really Understand Hevibändi, Its Helps to Know the Language":

"A band of young metal heads—spanning Romania to Singapore—have taken up a Northern European language in order to better appreciate or even mimic their favorite metal bands."

Sami Hinkka of Ensiferum performing at Station 4 in St. Paul on April 12, 2013. Click on the picture to see more photos of Ensiferum (20).

Ensiferum, who recently played in St. Paul, is even quoted:

"'Every time someone tells us that our music has inspired them to learn, for example, Nordic languages, it gives me another reason to keep doing music,' Sami Hinkka, the 35-year-old bassist for Finland's Ensiferum, said. Growing up, he read the lyrics of Iron Maiden and Metallica and used a dictionary to help translate the words. 'But it's quite far from studying an internationally rather useless language,' Mr. Hinkka said. Still, he says, 'studying is always good for your brain and it broadens your mental horizon, so if someone has a passion for something, even it it might seem really trivial to others, I say go for it. Follow your heart.'"

The online version of the article (here, but behind a subscriber paywall) helpfully includes an audio player with audio clips of "Viima" by Korpiklaani, "Pohjola" by Ensiferum, and "Ødeleggelse Of Undergang" by Gorgoroth to help the Journal's readers understand the differences between folk metal and black metal.

Watch the accompanying video report below (which includes clips of Satyricon's "Fuel For Hatred" video) where John Stoll, Wall Street Journal Nordic Bureau Chief, is comically asked, "What is Viking metal, and what is it they're singing about?" and "You, yourself, you a bit of a slave to heavy metal are you? Are you a fan of Moonsorrow, the crusaders of epic heathen metal?"

Concert Review - ENSIFERUM

Ensiferum

Friday, April 12, 2013

Station 4, St. Paul, MN

I missed all of the other bands on the edition of the Paganfest bill (Tyr, Heidevolk, Trollfest, and Helsott) but fortunately arrived at the venue in plenty of time to see the headliner, Ensiferum. A large crowd of about 400 filled up Station 4, and many fans came attired in their own battle gear and face paint. The band pleased everyone with a 75 minute set that spanned all five of their albums, playing a selection of two or three songs from each.

Click on any of the pictures to see more photos of Ensiferum (20).

Loud cheers erupted as Ensiferum took the stage to a recording of “Symbols”, then exploding into “In My Sword I Trust”. They wasted no time in launching into “Guardians Of Fate” before addressing the crowd and introducing “From Afar” and “Burning Leaves”. “One More Magic Potion” got the crowd clapping and chanting along; the band responded and the evening seemed to pick up some steam. A lengthy version of “Lai Lai Hei” midway through the set had everyone singing and waving their arms in the air, and the band stormed through a ripping version of “Ahti”. More crowd singing ensued with “Twilight Tavern”, and the galloping “Iron” ended the set. The crowd yelled for the obligatory encore, and the band noodled around a little bit before ending the night for good with “Battle Song”, complete with extended solos and some classical meanderings.

It was a highly entertaining show, one that left everyone satisfied. The band was having fun running around the stage and engaging the crowd, clearly enjoying their status at the top of the folk metal world. The bass player was especially fun to watch; all his dramatic facial expressions and yells reminded me of Derek Smalls from Spinal Tap. Folk metal may not be my favorite style, but the appeal of Ensiferum is undeniable as they bring a lot of skill and fun to their show.

This Week In Concert - April 12, 2013

We get somewhat of a breather in metal shows during the upcoming week – the Concert Calendar here had 33 metal and hard rock shows in the last 21 days!

There’s two shows happening tonight, Friday, April 12. First, folk metal fans should get over to Station 4 in St. Paul for Paganfest featuring an international lineup of bands – Ensiferum (Finland), Tyr (Farce Islands), Heidevolk (Denmark), Trollfest (Norway), and Helsott (US). This is a 16+ show with an early start of 6:00 – tickets are $30 at the door.

The one and only Otep also performs tonight with support from One-Eyed Doll and Picture Me Broken at Pov’s 65 in Spring Lake Park. This is show is 18+, the doors are at 7:00, and tickets are $10.

It’s a night of local metal on Saturday, April 13 at Station 4 in St. Paul with Aeous, Ashes From Stone, Fifth Hour, and I, Corvinus. It’s an 18+ show that starts at 8:30, and it’s $5 in advance or $8 at the door.

Legendary thrash punk band Suicidal Tendencies takes over Mill City Nights on Tuesday, April 16 with DRI and Wake The Dead for an 18+ show. Tickets are $23 in advance or $25 at the door, and show time is 8:30.

Lastly, Wednesday, April 17 you can catch local sludge/doom band Witchden with Architects Death Spiral and Earthrise at Cause Spirits & Soundbar in Minneapolis. This is a free 21+ show that starts at 9:00.

Ensiferum Album Review

Ensiferum – From Afar

Spinefarm, 2009

8/10

I gave the fourth album from Finland’s Ensiferum an initial listen with some trepidation, as I’m always leary about folk metal descriptions for bands. Usually this means silly sing-a-long melodies and an overuse of miscellaneous folk-style instruments. From Afar strikes a perfect balance of these elements and good old-fashioned Viking metal aggression to deliver an album that surprised me with how enjoyable it is. A more accurate might be symphonic Viking metal with From Afar’s heavy use of piano, horns, strings, and operatic background vocals that sit well alongside the gruff vocals and heavy guitar riffs. An acoustic instrumental openers the album before the title tracks explodes into an epic speed metal track complete with bombastic horns and operatic vocals. “Twilight Tavern” has the mid-tempo bounce of a Helloween song that’s hard not to hum along with. The 11 minute “Heathen Throne” is the gem of the album, and finds Ensiferum incorporating all aspects of their sound into a single song. Things pick up again with the frenetic pace of “Elusive Reaches” before taking a dip with the more folksy-sounding “Stone Cold Metal” and “Smoking Ruins”. All isn’t lost here, and I particularly enjoyed the calm, whistled interlude in “Stone Cold Metal”. A short barroom chant precedes the nearly 13 minute closing track, “The Longest Journey (Heathen Throne Part II)”. This epic isn’t nearly as intriguing as “Heathen Throne”, but certainly showcases the ambitious nature of Ensiferum. All in all, From Afar succeeds at expanding the scope of what a “folk metal” band can be, and raises the bar for this nascent genre. The album is dogged by a couple weak tracks, but the remainder of From Afar is a refreshing listen that should greatly enhance the international profile of Ensiferum.

Ensiferum will be appearing at Station 4 in St. Paul on Saturday, November 28. Support will come from Hypocrisy, Blackguard, Cold Colours, and False Oath.

Ensiferum Show Promotions

I just informed you about Hypocrisy being forced to cancel the North American tour supporting Ensiferum. Unfortunately, all international and national support acts are now off the original billing! Ex-Deo also had to cancel this tour due to work visa delays. Their replacement, Lazarus A.D., will hop on to the current Vader tour prior to Ensiferum's appearance at Station 4 in St. Paul on Saturday, November 28. Support acts for Ensiferum will now be locals Cold Colours and False Oath.

To try to make some good out of this bad news, SwordLord Productions has announced special promotions for this concert. $5 has been lopped off the ticket price, so $15 will now get you in the door. In the perhaps the most imaginative promotion I've ever heard of, admission is only $10 if you dress like a Viking! Does wearing a Minnesota Vikings jersey count? Additionally, Ensiferum will be doing a meet and greet session following the show, there will be drink specials at the bar all night, and discount tickets will be available for upcoming shows that have yet to be announced. The full show details can be found at the SwordLord Myspace page.

Lazarus A.D. Replaces Ex Deo On Ensiferum Tour

Metal Blade recording artist Lazarus A.D. has been added to Ensiferum's upcoming North American tour as a replacement for Ex Deo. This tour rolls through St. Paul's Station 4 on Saturday, November 28. Additional support will come from Hypocrisy, Blackguard, Cold Colours, and False Oath.