Interview by CriX
Ensiferum is one of the most famous folk metal band from Finland, they are bringing on 20 years of a successful career and they are unstoppable. Before their acoustic gig in Pori, we had the opportunity to interview with Sami and Petri, we talked about the collaboration with Netta Skog, the tour and the curious plans for the future.
Hey guys, welcome to Femme Metal Webzine! How are you?
Sami & Petri: Very good, thank you!
Your album “One Man Army” has been released last year by Metal Blade Records, it has collected a lot of success around the world. Would you mind talk about its genesis and lyrics?
Petri: That’s his fault! (laughs)
Sami: I apologize that I don’t wanna talk too much about the lyrics because, I think every listener should have the freedom of interpretation, even nowhere like earth animals everybody should be able to stand on their own feet and say fuck you to the world.
Last year for part of European and North American tour Emmi Silvennoinen was out, to replace her Netta Skog joined the band with her digital accordion. How did happen this collaboration?
Sami: It was pretty natural.
Petri: Yeah, it’s kind of happen without we even know this hinging. Emmi was having some school project so Netta was jumping in for some couple of shows and…
Sami: She did something for the album, some guest vocals, she was on the studio also with us so I think it just happened.
Petri: I didn’t even know this, that Emmi is not there anymore, Netta is along there. Pretty much the one is the same; personality, to how they speak…it just happened, now I know this. (laughs) Netta is, like Emmi also, a really good musician and really easy going person so everything works out perfectly. And we have good time and I hope she has also good time. Right now I hope she is in a little bit of pain because she’s continuing her tattoo on the leg, so it’s like behind the knee, I think that’s a pleasant burn, she is also sitting down during the gig and I wonder if she can bend the leg or if she have to stay with the extended leg all the time, we will see in an hour.
You have been on tour a lot last year and now you are ready to start a new European tour on April. The Italian band Flashgod Apocalypse has been chosen as special guest, how do you feel in sharing the stage with them?
Petri: I don’t know yet, I’ll tell you on April 1st! Apparently should be good professional band so hopefully everything works.
Sami: Yeah, they are pretty big band and I’m really happy that again we have a tour with different kind of bands so it’s a really good opportunity to meet new people in the music and also for fans to find new bands, the package is appealing for different kind of people, they have a really good reputation I’m sure we will have a lot of fun.
Petri: We will do them make some pizzas ! (Mamma mia, laughs).
At the moment you are playing some acoustic gigs in Finland, how do you come up with this idea?
Petri: Already years ago we came up with it. There are a lot of acoustic parts in the songs and some acoustic songs have also been made for albums and those are kind of difficult to play during the normal heavy metal show. Actually we did 2 acoustics mini-shows when the album came out at Levykauppa Äx stores in Helsinki and Turku and then we just decided to give the shot and fall kind of weird and fun and here we are now, finally, making it happen.
Sami: It’s have been really fun, we have done 3 gigs at the moment.
Petri: Let’s see, maybe someday we even do like EP or album, we have some many ideas for the future.
You have been confirmed for some summer festival, but what’s on plan for the future?
Sami: We are already working on the new album and if everything goes well we go to hit the studio next year. There are some requeste to play in different countries but it’s kind of tricky because we need time to compose the new songs. Now, we gonna do a short tour in UK and Ireland then the European tour and some summer festivals and there is also a special plan for the end of the year, I can’t reveal anything yet, sorry, and then we should be hitting the studio. But really good thing about the plan for the future is that, Metal Blade, our new label, is really into making a new DVD and it would be cool to do something acoustic in the studio also.
We’re at the end of this interview, thank you so much for your time, would you like to say something to your fans?
Petri: Well, even who has been years, if you have for some weird reason missed the best album of 2015, go and check out “One Man Army” right now! Let’s see on the road somewhere…
Sami: Welcome to Milano…
Petri: Yes, very soon!
Sami & Petri: Thank you!