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Finntroll is a folk metal
Folk metal

Folk metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. As the name suggests, the genre is a fusion of heavy metal with folk music....
 band from Finland
Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland , is a Nordic countries situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland....
. They combine elements of black metal
Black metal

Black metal is an extreme metal subgenre of Heavy metal music. It often employs fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, double-kick drumming, and unconventional song structure....
 with Finnish polka
Polka

The polka is a lively Central European dance and also a musical genre of dancing music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in the Czech lands and is still a common genre in Swedish, Lithuanian, Czech Republic, Poles, Germans, Hungarian, Austrians, Russian, Slovenian and Slovakian folk...
, called humppa
Humppa

Humppa is a type of music from Finland. It is related to jazz and very fast Foxtrot , played two beat s to a bar . Typical speed is about 220 to 260 beats per minute....
. Finntroll's lyrics are in Swedish
Swedish language

Swedish is a North Germanic languages language, spoken by around 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the coast and on the ?land islands....
, one of Finland's two national languages, because "Swedish just sounds damn trollish", according to the band's first vocalist, Katla (whose native language is Swedish). Finntroll means "Troll from Finland."

troll was founded in 1997
1997 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997....
, by Teemu "Somnium" Raimoranta (guitarist of Impaled Nazarene
Impaled Nazarene

Impaled Nazarene is a Finland blackened death metal band that incorporates elements of grindcore in their sound and punk rock in their aesthetics....
) and vocalist Jan "Katla" Jämsen.






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Finntroll is a folk metal
Folk metal

Folk metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. As the name suggests, the genre is a fusion of heavy metal with folk music....
 band from Finland
Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland , is a Nordic countries situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland....
. They combine elements of black metal
Black metal

Black metal is an extreme metal subgenre of Heavy metal music. It often employs fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, double-kick drumming, and unconventional song structure....
 with Finnish polka
Polka

The polka is a lively Central European dance and also a musical genre of dancing music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in the Czech lands and is still a common genre in Swedish, Lithuanian, Czech Republic, Poles, Germans, Hungarian, Austrians, Russian, Slovenian and Slovakian folk...
, called humppa
Humppa

Humppa is a type of music from Finland. It is related to jazz and very fast Foxtrot , played two beat s to a bar . Typical speed is about 220 to 260 beats per minute....
. Finntroll's lyrics are in Swedish
Swedish language

Swedish is a North Germanic languages language, spoken by around 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the coast and on the ?land islands....
, one of Finland's two national languages, because "Swedish just sounds damn trollish", according to the band's first vocalist, Katla (whose native language is Swedish). Finntroll means "Troll from Finland."

History

Finntroll was founded in 1997
1997 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997....
, by Teemu "Somnium" Raimoranta (guitarist of Impaled Nazarene
Impaled Nazarene

Impaled Nazarene is a Finland blackened death metal band that incorporates elements of grindcore in their sound and punk rock in their aesthetics....
) and vocalist Jan "Katla" Jämsen. Their first demo, Rivfader, was recorded about a year later, in 1998
1998 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1998....
. After the demo recording, drummer Samu Ruotsalainen (from Barathrum
Barathrum

Barathrum is a Finland black metal#black doom band. They originate from Kuopio but have since re-located to Helsinki. The first letters of their full-length albums spell "HEIL SOVA" , which completes their original eight-album plan....
, Shape of Despair
Shape of Despair

Shape of Despair is a Doom metal#Funeral doom band from Finland that was formed in 1995 in music as Raven. They changed their name in September 1998 in music....
 and Rapture
Rapture (band)

Rapture is a doom metal/melodic death metal band formed in 1997 in Helsinki, Finland. The members of Rapture have played in many bands, including Barathrum, Diablerie , Ensiferum, Finntroll, Fragile Hollow, The Mist and the Morning Dew, Rain Paint, Shape of Despair, and Thy Serpent....
), guitarist Samuli Ponsimaa
Samuli Ponsimaa

Samuli Ponsimaa is the rhythm guitarist in Folk metal band Finntroll. He joined the band in 1998 following the demo Rivfader and has stayed with the band ever since....
, keyboardist Henri Sorvali
Henri Sorvali

Henri Sorvali, born October 19, 1978, in Finland, is the guitarist and keyboard player of the folk metal band Moonsorrow, and Keyboardist for Finntroll....
 (from Moonsorrow
Moonsorrow

Moonsorrow is a folk metal/pagan metal band formed in Helsinki, Finland, in 1995. They are known for their epic, organic composition. The band call their sound "Epic heathen metal" and try to distance themselves from the term "Viking metal" as much as possible, as the vast majority of their lyrics do not concern Vikings....
) and bassist Sami Uusitalo
Sami Uusitalo

Sami "Tundra" Uusitalo is a bass guitarist best known from the folk metal band Finntroll and the funeral doom band Shape of Despair. He also plays in the folk/doom metal group The Mist and the Morning Dew....
 joined the band. The record label Spinefarm got interested in the band then, and made a contract, yielding the album Midnattens Widunder
Midnattens Widunder

Midnattens Widunder is a folk metal album by the Finland band Finntroll. It was released in Finland in 1999 by Spinefarm....
 as a result.

The next step for Finntroll was the album Jaktens Tid
Jaktens Tid

Jaktens Tid is a folk metal album by the Finland band Finntroll. It was released in 2001 by Spinefarm Records.The album itself is considered by many fans of the band as their best, featuring a mix of folk music and Viking metal aspects, such as traditional joik singing....
, which was released in 2001
2001 in music

See also:* 2001 in music * :Category:Record labels established in 2001...
. This album managed to climb to rank 20 of the Finnish album charts, exceeding expectation of band and publisher alike. The following wave of popularity attracted the attention of Century Media, which began promoting Finntroll for the rest of the world. The following summer, the band had their first time playing on open air festivals in Finland and other countries.

The year after the release of the album Jaktens Tid proved to be a misfortune for Finntroll: some tours had to be cancelled, and in the aftermath of his problems, vocalist Jämsen had to retire from the band due to a viral-based tumor
Tumor

A tumor or tumour is the name for a swelling or lesion formed by an abnormal growth of cells . Tumor is not synonymous with cancer. A tumor can be Benign neoplasm, Carcinoma in situ or malignant, whereas cancer is by definition malignant....
 in his vocal cords which could not be removed surgically; he retired after the release of the album Visor om Slutet
Visor om Slutet

Visor om Slutet is an all-acoustic folk metal album by the Finland band Finntroll. It was released in 2003 by Spinefarm.Visor om Slutet was released after a number of misfortunes befell several band members, including the death of guitarist Teemu Raimoranta whom the album is dedicated to....
.

Said album was recorded in early January 2003, in a forest cabin near Helsinki
Helsinki

Helsinki is the Capital and largest List of cities and towns in Finland of Finland. It is in the southern part of Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, by the Baltic Sea....
. It was an "acoustical experiment", where Jämsen and the new vocalist Tapio Wilska
Tapio Wilska

Tapio Wilska is the main vocalist of the Heavy metal music band Sethian . He is also the ex-lead vocalist for the band Finntroll. He gets his inspiration from bands like Black Sabbath, Mot?rhead, Dead Kennedys, Venom , Thin Lizzy and The Pixies....
 (of Sethian
Sethian (band)

Sethian is a Finland progressive metal band, originally formed in 1998 in music but whose debut album, Into the Silence, was not completed and released until 2003 in music....
 and Lyijykomppania
Lyijykomppania

Lyijykomppania is a Finland Heavy metal music band. It was originally formed in 1981, but was disbanded a short two years later. The band regrouped and started again in 1990 and remained together until once again breaking up in 1998....
) shared the singing duties among them. The album was released as a mid-price album and held rank on the Finnish midprice chart for several weeks.

Shortly before the release of Visor om Slutet, Raimoranta died by falling off a bridge in Hakaniemi
Hakaniemi

Hakaniemi is an unofficial district of Helsinki, the Finland capital. It is considered a part of the Helsinki city center. Historically, it was often associated with the poor and working class people....
, Helsinki after having consumed too much alcohol, according to the official story. Mika Luttinen (from Impaled Nazarene
Impaled Nazarene

Impaled Nazarene is a Finland blackened death metal band that incorporates elements of grindcore in their sound and punk rock in their aesthetics....
) said that it wasn't an accident, but suicide. Finntroll didn't dissolve after losing the last founding member still in the band , but decided to go on, touring for two weeks in Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, supported by the group Katatonia
Katatonia

This article is about the Swedish band Katatonia, which is not to be confused with the Welsh Pop-Rock band Catatonia . For the medical disease, see Catatonia....
. The guitarist Mikael Karlbom was hired as a replacement for Raimoranta.

In 2004, the band released an EP, Trollhammaren
Trollhammaren

Trollhammaren is a single from the folk metal album Nattf?dd by the Finland band Finntroll. It was released on April 13 2004 by . It contains the popular song Trollhammaren as well as several songs that do not appear on the following full-length album, Nattf?dd....
, and an album called Nattfödd
Nattfödd

Nattf?dd is a folk metal album by the Finland band Finntroll. It was released on April 19 2004 by Century Media.Nattf?dd marks a change in the musical direction of Finntroll, as they drift into a slightly slower, less frenzied sound that is reminiscent of some songs from their first album, Midnattens Widunder....
.

In early 2006, the band embarked on their first North American tour, along with the influential black/thrash metal band Sodom
Sodom (band)

Sodom is a Germany thrash metal band from Gelsenkirchen, formed in 1982.Along with Kreator and Destruction , Sodom are considered one of the "big three" of Teutonic thrash metal....
.

On January 29th, 2006, Tapio Wilska, vocalist of the band since 2002, was fired from the band. In a statement issued on the band's website, Wilska states that he would like to keep the reason for his dismissal private.

A new album, titled Ur Jordens Djup
Ur Jordens Djup

Ur Jordens Djup is the fifth full-length Finntroll album. It was released on March 28, 2007. The album is the first to feature vocalist Mathias Lillm?ns, who replaced Tapio Wilska in 2006....
, was released March, 2007. This fifth album put more emphasis on epic keyboard riffs with very loud but melodic guitar and downplayed some of the polka elements. Former vocalist Katla was brought in to write the lyrics for this album.

The band has recently recorded a live performance for its upcoming first live DVD. A release date is yet to be confirmed.

Members

  • Mathias "Vreth" Lillmåns
    Mathias Lillmåns

    Mathias "Vreth" Lillm?ns is the vocalist for the Finland folk metal band Finntroll, and has been since 2006....
     - vocals
    Singing

    Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the human voice, which is often contrasted with regular speech. A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist....
     (2006–)
  • Samuli "Skrymer" Ponsimaa
    Samuli Ponsimaa

    Samuli Ponsimaa is the rhythm guitarist in Folk metal band Finntroll. He joined the band in 1998 following the demo Rivfader and has stayed with the band ever since....
     - guitar
    Electric guitar

    An electric guitar is a type of guitar that uses pickup to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current, which is made louder with an instrument amplifier and a speaker....
     (1998–)
  • Mikael "Routa" Karlbom - guitar (2003–)
  • Sami "Tundra" Uusitalo
    Sami Uusitalo

    Sami "Tundra" Uusitalo is a bass guitarist best known from the folk metal band Finntroll and the funeral doom band Shape of Despair. He also plays in the folk/doom metal group The Mist and the Morning Dew....
     - bass
    Bass guitar

    The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum.The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and Scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, whic...
     (1998–)
  • Samu "Beast Dominator" Ruotsalainen - drums
    Drum kit

    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbell s, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer....
     (1998–)
  • Henri "Trollhorn" Sorvali
    Henri Sorvali

    Henri Sorvali, born October 19, 1978, in Finland, is the guitarist and keyboard player of the folk metal band Moonsorrow, and Keyboardist for Finntroll....
     - keyboards
    Keyboard instrument

    A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include various types of organ s as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic musical instrument....
     (1998–)


Former members

  • Jan "Katla" Jämsen - vocals (1997–2002)
  • Tapio Wilska
    Tapio Wilska

    Tapio Wilska is the main vocalist of the Heavy metal music band Sethian . He is also the ex-lead vocalist for the band Finntroll. He gets his inspiration from bands like Black Sabbath, Mot?rhead, Dead Kennedys, Venom , Thin Lizzy and The Pixies....
     - vocals (2002–2006)
  • Teemu "Somnium" Raimoranta - guitar (1997–2003)


Discography


Studio albums

  • Midnattens Widunder
    Midnattens Widunder

    Midnattens Widunder is a folk metal album by the Finland band Finntroll. It was released in Finland in 1999 by Spinefarm....
     (1999)
  • Jaktens Tid
    Jaktens Tid

    Jaktens Tid is a folk metal album by the Finland band Finntroll. It was released in 2001 by Spinefarm Records.The album itself is considered by many fans of the band as their best, featuring a mix of folk music and Viking metal aspects, such as traditional joik singing....
     (2001)
  • Visor om Slutet
    Visor om Slutet

    Visor om Slutet is an all-acoustic folk metal album by the Finland band Finntroll. It was released in 2003 by Spinefarm.Visor om Slutet was released after a number of misfortunes befell several band members, including the death of guitarist Teemu Raimoranta whom the album is dedicated to....
     (2003)
  • Nattfödd
    Nattfödd

    Nattf?dd is a folk metal album by the Finland band Finntroll. It was released on April 19 2004 by Century Media.Nattf?dd marks a change in the musical direction of Finntroll, as they drift into a slightly slower, less frenzied sound that is reminiscent of some songs from their first album, Midnattens Widunder....
     (2004)
  • Ur Jordens Djup
    Ur Jordens Djup

    Ur Jordens Djup is the fifth full-length Finntroll album. It was released on March 28, 2007. The album is the first to feature vocalist Mathias Lillm?ns, who replaced Tapio Wilska in 2006....
     (2007)


EPs

  • Trollhammaren
    Trollhammaren

    Trollhammaren is a single from the folk metal album Nattf?dd by the Finland band Finntroll. It was released on April 13 2004 by . It contains the popular song Trollhammaren as well as several songs that do not appear on the following full-length album, Nattf?dd....
     (2004)


Demos

  • Rivfader (1998)


Videos

  • "Bastuvisan" (1998)
  • "Jaktens Tid" (live, 2001)
  • "Skogens Hämnd" (2001)
  • "Födosagan" (live, 2002)
  • "Trollhammaren
    Trollhammaren

    Trollhammaren is a single from the folk metal album Nattf?dd by the Finland band Finntroll. It was released on April 13 2004 by . It contains the popular song Trollhammaren as well as several songs that do not appear on the following full-length album, Nattf?dd....
    " (2004)
  • "Nedgång
    Nedgång

    Nedg?ng is the fourth track off the Finnish Folk Metal band Finntroll's fifth full-length album, Ur Jordens Djup.A music video for the song was released in April, 2007, the month following the release of the album....
    " (2007)


External links