Mitä kuuluu?

Hyvin. (grins) Hyvää.

First of all, could you tell us something about the music you play with Falchion and the band's background?

I think we play just very traditional heavy metal or pagan metal with some folk influences but we don't use any real folk instruments like in Korpiklaani. We do that thing that is hard to explain, heavy music, just melodic guitars and fast songs, something like that.

Your debut album 'Legacy of Heathens' was released in October last year but already recorded and mastered one year before. What was the reason for the delay?

We have a very small label in Japan, World Chaos Production. They said many things that they did the other way. So they said many times that the album will come in March and then they said that it will come in June and then they said that it comes in July and they had many reasons... (laughs)

Are you completely satisfied now with the CD or would you have liked to change anything in the time you were only waiting for the album to be released?

Hm, what could I say? Yes, I'm really satisfied with this CD. But the time between the recording and the release of the album was a very boring time and we had no motivation to do anything because we just waited for the album to come out.

You've produced the album on your own. Was it the first time you did something like that or have you already done such things before?

This was the first time when I myself recorded a whole album.

Talking about the reaction towards the album: From which countries did you receive any feedback?

I think from many people, for example from the United States of America, Germany...

I read that your album was sold already over 1500 times, would you consider that as a little success?

That's a little success but not a big success, I think.

Let's get a bit deeper into your music. Actually there are quite a couple of bands that go into the Pagan/Folk direction, especially in Finland, but these bands mostly use either keyboards or any folk instruments like an accordion or a violin which can't be heard in Falchion's music. Did you choose to leave them out to be different from these bands, because you just want your music to be without them or because you didn't find any players? What is the reason for that?

When Falchion was founded in 2002 there were three guys who came up with the band idea and we had a synth player also. But when he left the band in fall of 2003 we decided to continue without a keyboard player, and I have always written songs which were not to be played with keyboards. We decided to continue without a keyboard player because our music has so many melodies played by guitar - I think we don't need it at all, synthesizers or anything. And I think any of us didn't play any folk instruments, but I started to play accordion for Korpiklaani in 2004 but decided not to play it in Falchion. I think that it's so stupid to play the same instrument because Korpiklaani is so different from that kind. It's better to use only the traditional heavy instruments in Falchion.

So there won't be any keys on your upcoming releases?

No, there won't be any keys.

As you're now the only remaining founding member and all others which were there from the beginning left, was it hard to find enough people for going on with your band?

It wasn't really hard, they were all friends and were just picked up very quickly.

You also did all the music and lyrics from the album yourself. Do the other band members come up with ideas for songs as well or do they only play their instruments and that's it?

They only play and I write all things.

You surely can't make a living out of music. What is your occupation apart from playing in these two bands?

I have studied music, I started with piano, I studied for a couple of years and then I turned to guitar and also I have studied music theory.

And what are you doing now, how do you earn money? Do you have a job?

Not at the moment.

So you only play the music?

Yes.

If I'm not totally wrong now you haven't been played any gigs with Falchion yet. Will we see this band on stage in the future?

I think so, but now we have very silent times because all the guys except me are going to military service. So it's very hard to do anything now.

You also play in Korpiklaani. Since you're touring a lot with them, is it hard for you to find enough time for Falchion?

It is a lot of time... it's hard to keep that wheel spinning.

So how much of your free time do you spend with playing in these two bands?

Very much... very much free time is filled with playing.

You wrote the music for two songs from the upcoming Korpiklaani album 'Tales along this road'. Is there any difference in composing songs for Falchion and for Korpiklaani?

In Falchion I'm trying to make harder songs to play and in Korpiklaani they are easier to play, I think. (thinks) And that is really a wrong explanation now... It's very hard to explain the differences of making songs for Korpiklaani and Falchion. It's the same work.

As we are a webzine about Finnish metal bands I have to ask something about that scene in general… especially these folk music based bands are pretty popular right now in other countries. What do you think is the reason for that?

I think it's something very special, the folk of the north. We are not such a big band in our home country because it is not so special for Finnish people as it is for foreigners.

Is there anything left unmentioned you'd like to add? Something like a message to our readers?

Sorry about my bad English!

Kiitos haastattelusta!

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Falchion Official Website

World Chaos Production

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Live picture taken by Socke. Interview 'assistance' by Grave Sista.