Interview: Virko Pirrus

When I heard that the new album of Amorphis is going to be titled as "Skyforger", I was curious, especially considering that the latvian folk metal band Skyforger had performed in Estonia short time before that. As the album is going to be released in the end of May already, I figured out that it would be great to ask the guys themselves about the title and other important stuff. This interview is done via e-mail with none other than the guitarist Tomi Koivusaari, one of the founding members of the band. Enjoy!

Hi, Tomi! How is it going for Amorphis? Any more exciting news besides the new upcoming album?

Hi Virko! Itīs going good - we just finished our small Finnish tour, which made just for fun, and kept our "gig routine" on. Also I hope we managed to promote the upcoming album. So now we are basically waiting for "Skyforger" to be released, after that we will start performing summer festivals, which is always fun! After summer festivals we are heading to the touring in Europe, South-America I believe, couple shows in Russia as well. So we will be quite busy at least until the end of year. And of course we are very satisfied with new album, havenīt seen any reviews of it yet, but I think it will be interesting to read the first of them.

The new album (scheduled to be released in the end of May) marks another chapter in perhaps the most fertile and creative period for Amorphis, beginning with the new vocalist Tomi Joutsen and "Eclipse" in 2006. Three excellent albums in three-four years - what is the secret behind this creativity?

When Tomi joined the band, every piece seemed to fall itīs place in a way, so we just have had so good spirit inside the band, be it in touring, recording, songwriting - everything feels so easy and relaxed, more than ever before, so itīs just that. We havenīt felt any pressure to keep going or making new songs, it just happens very naturally. For example, after finishing some tour we had figured out that we are again ready to go to studio. And also we have now clearer vision about sound and music. And itīs good, we are not in our 20īs anymore, so why to rest if feels good. In past our line-up has changed on every album, so these three albums we have made for the first time with same line-up... whoaa!

I think it was Tomi Joutsen who mentioned in an interview that your previous album "Silent Waters" was created and composed very quickly after "Eclipse". How did the writing process for the new album look alike? Anything new, anything different?

We started to record some rehearsing tape of the new songs, and at some point we figured out that there was already 18 songs. So first time in years we did some kind of demo-tape before actually going to studio. That gave us a little bit more time to think arrangements over and over. Actually we recorded demo just before we went to North-American tour, so we had all that time to listen it and develop our ideas. Right after the tour we started recordings... you know, when we had played so many gigs together right before it - I think that had a lot of effect as well. Recording session was very smooth and easy once again, we also had almost same team behind us than with "Eclipse" and "Silent Waters": Marco Hietala as the vocal-producer, Mikko Karmila as the mixing engineer, also the same studio Sonic Pump etc. One difference was that our long-time live-sound-engineer Sami Koivisto was recording it, so the recording was very live-sound based in a way.



Iīve been listening to "Skyforger" several times for now - at times it seems to sound like a natural development from the previous albums and at times I note some new elements in it. The sound is much more prog-rockish and lighter and allows all the sophisticated elements in your music and instruments to shine out more than before. Also, Tomi Joutsen uses his clean vocal almost throughout the album and does it very convincingly. Your comments?

I agree, and Iīm glad to hear you hear it that way as well. When on "Eclipse" and "Silent Waters" we were still a little bit searching the sound, I think on this one itīs like it should be. There has always been a lot happening at our soundfield, and normally you cannot hear all those small things - maybe because of too compressed mastering or something. This time we didnīt want it to be compressed up to the limit, but leave some dynamics and space between the elements. So that might give lighter expression, but at the same time this is lot more diverse. Also Sami was very tight about that we should record "pure" sound without any EQīs or compressors in any instruments when recording, to get that natural sound. Tomi also is going even more wider scale as a singer on this album than ever before, going from very fragile singing into very brutal once in a while. He has got a lot more self-confidence since "Eclipse". Also we cannot forget Marco Hietalaīs great vocal-producing once again, that guy is a musical genius.

The first single "Silver Bride" has been recently released. How has been the reception thus far and are there any other singles planned before and after the album? If it is not a secret, then which ones?

So far Iīve heard mostly positive reactions. Of course it is always very hard to pick one song which would present somehow the whole album, thatīs why we leave those kind of decisions to our label. Our songs can be very different from each other on the same album. "Silver Bride" is also going to be first video from this album. We are planning to make another video and single later, but still not quite sure yet which it would be. There are few options: "From the Heaven Of My Heart", "Sky is Mine", "Majestic beast"...

Traditionally you have drawn a lot of influences from Finnish epic "Kalevala" again. I have always wanted to ask, how would you describe your relationship with those myths and tales? Are these just a source for the lyrics or is it something deeper and closer?

Those myths and stories use to be something we kind of "had to" read on school, and at that time those felt boring in every way. In older age however "Kalevala" started to interest, you know, like thinking of your own roots, and also those stories started to open up more, when you discovered that they are actually very timeless stuff, mostly about human-mind and characters, not any dragon stories or what-so-ever. The fact that people have had the same fears, hopes, grieves and cares hundreds of years ago is in a way very educating about life. As for the lyrics they work perfectly - these stories can be viewed independently, which means you donīt have to read through the whole "Kalevala" to get the idea of them. Basically music comes always first in our case, but those stories are definitely a good source, but there isnīt deeper meaning than that. Our purpose is not to promote anything to anyone. But of course it feels more own thing than for example singing about pyramids.

I guess the album title "Skyforger" refers to Ilmarinen, a smith-god who forged the mill Sampo. Can you explain the choice and if there is a coherent concept, please describe that as well?

These three albums should work as a kind of trilogy together: "Eclipse" was about Kullervo, "Silent Waters" about Lemminkäinen, and "Skyforger" about Ilmarinen. So basically itīs like three different kinds of human/man-characters. Forging Sampo was one part of Ilmarinenīs job, as forging the sky. I understand that more like story about dreams and disappointments, loneliness and limits of human. Trying to make impossible... And if you finally succeed, are you satisfied with the result or does it gives you happiness in the end. To put it short, I see making Sampo or forging the sky more like a metaphor.

I must admit that the cover art of "Skyforger" is just amazing (equally amazing as Obtestīs latest album "Gyvybes Medis", which uses the same motif on the cover). In my humble opinion Amorphis has always had a fine taste choosing fitting cover arts - what does this picture symbolize and who is the artist?

The artist is once again Travis Smith, the same guy who designed our previous albums. Idea for that oak came from Kalevala mythology: there is this A a huge oak which is holding up the sky till it is forged ready. Travis has made covers for example artists like Opeth, Porcupine Tree and so on. Thatīs how we at first found out about this guy. Heīs got brilliant taste of making cover-arts, and it is very easy to work with him. Normally we send some ideas to him, then he sends back his ideas - after like 100 mails the cover is ready. His cover art looks always 3-4-dimensional, instead of two. Besides, the whole package of "Skyforger" is designed by him, no just the cover art.

Definitely you are aware that there is a Latvian folk/pagan-metal band called Skyforger active and running. Half-jokingly, donīt you fear that there may be some people who mistakenly will guess that the album is Skyforgerīs "Amorphis"? :)

Then we can probably sell few more albums, yeah :) To be honest, we know about Skyforger as a band, but in truth that didnīt came to our minds before somebody mentioned that after revealing the album title. You know when you are so deep in your own thing, you donīt see things around. At first it was just phrase in one song, "forging the sky", in finnish at first. Then it became a song title, and when we were thinking about the record title, it jumped out first as telling the most about the concept of the album. But it would be good idea to tour with Skyforger, as there is already Skyforger printed on a poster :)

Last year you paid your huge debt to Estonian metal fans, performing your first time in Estonia ever. For that we are extremely thankful and are expecting you back as soon as possible! Thanks for your answers, the final words are yours!

It was great to be there for the first time! Response from the audience was great, and the hospitality on festival was awesome. Hopefully we will come back soon, and we will, we are almost neighbors, so itīs not that long way anyway. Thanks for this interview!


Foto: Ville A. Juurikkala