Zaandam, De Kade. Overal mensen met zwarte strepen op hun gezicht (da's Ensiferum-minded) en ik word door een medewerkster naar de tourbus gebracht...ze beplakken de tourbus met posters van de tour. Leuk werk, maar we zijn hier voor een Ensi-inti, dus ga ik de tourbus in met Petri (woei!). Met m’n hangover wil ik eigenlijk geen bier, maar ik heb er al eentje... We gaan zitten. Er staat indiase yoga-muziek op de achtergrond en het interview begint.

So...kippis! Did you enjoy the show with Suffocation last Friday? How was it?

Petri:  "Well...actually it wasn't that good. We had a pretty shitty line check and for example the drums were like straight from hell. According to our drummer it sucked. They also cut out our show time, because the bands before us did some overtime. So they took the time out of our show; that always happens to us..."

What is the best thing that happened to the band so far?

Petri: "Well...we just actually got our own Star a week ago in St. Petersburg. Our sound-engineer Erkki said that one other band he knows got their own star.and those are the Rolling Stones. Have you heard of it? "
Eh..The Stones, yea..Star..not yet..
Meanwhile another Ensiferum member comes in. It's Janne.
Anyway, he says "our Russian fan club arranged it". Lon: Okay, so according your Russian fan club you are the coolest band of the world, next to the Stones. Heh.

Are there also any gigs that you really liked?

Petri: "Wacken! 25 or 30.000 people were watching our show, that's probably the biggest thing that happened to the band so far. And also that we got the chance to go to Tokyo in 2005. We did one show in the Finnish Music Days which is close to a week, many Finnish bands were playing over there. From there we flew straight to the German Rockhard-festival and eh...well...that show wasn't so good either."

What happened? Did you fuck up?

Petri: "Well, the travel took 16 hours. First we flew from Tokyo to Hong Kong, then to Hamburg or something somewhere in Germany, and went to the Rockhard-area and that guy said: "Okay, you have to be on stage within an hour." And we were like "Cool, okay so let's go do a line-check". I was getting there checking out my amplifiers and speakers, but I got sound out. I didn't go and check my monitors at all and the stage is fucking big and we were so tired; sleeping in the airplane is not so good and then traveling in the car for 4 hours to the festival... We also changed the set list; the starting song got in between. So we fucked the first song up...ehm, it was actually me who did..buuuuuurb".............silence.................................silence.....is fun.

You were very creative in releasing stuff over the past 10 years. Every year we at least got 'something' like a full album, a mini, a DVD and more. Are you planning to release like this or do we have to wait a long time after this one for another full album. What are the plans?

Petri: "we decided to do this Dragonhearts mini-cd. We knew we didn't have enough material to do a full-length album in that time, because we were having pretty much shows and stuff. So, we recorded a few old songs again, did a few covers and one new song. We were shooting the DVD on New Years Eve, which was coming out last summer. Actually I don't remember if it was our idea or the label's. Well, whatever. We decided to do it and we received a few good reviews. After that one we started to write new material for the Victory Songs album, which is coming out on the 20th of April. The promo copies left Finland a month ago. We had some problems with the limited edition; when it came out of the print, the two last songs were missing from the cd. The DVD recording in Finland took us 3 weeks and we got it out about a week ago and it's actually out, but not in here yet..."

Is Ensiferum there where it wants to be after ten years? Are you satisfied which what you've accomplished so far?  

Petri: "Hmmm...  Well, there's still a lot to do. There are so many places we haven't even been yet, and certainly not have played yet. A lot more albums to do still; we haven't achieved everything we want. We don't have like eh...big houses, Ferrari’s and shit..."

Huh? You want that as a Fin? What about a summer cabin??

Petri: "Yeah, that would be cool too!"

I thought that would came out first though. Let’s talk about the music. Are you on the limit or is there more to come out of these brave musicians?

Petri: "Oh no, we are definitely not on the limit."

The Indian yoga music jingles happily on the background, someone enters the tour bus.

Petri: "Isänikuuluupivääreviitubladibla…"  What? Ah yeah, our view got busted by a tour poster sticky-jicky on out window...they're still decorating the bus. The sun is shining...Ensiferum fans are hanging around near the water, terrace and streets...enjoying the first bright days like Finns.
Pagan-lyrics, old costumes...Do you have a pagan life-style (at home) or is this just entertainment?

Petri: "Entertainment".

You have more a fucking rock star lifestyle.

Petri: "Well, yeah. But we can't afford drugs, because they are too expensive."

In The Netherlands?.".................................." hahahaha.....

Janne who still hangs around, just cozy beeing a Finn and says something : "Well, at least I’m a true pagan. I never belonged to the church."

A fan question: What's it like for Meiju to be around all those guys. Or actually, be right in the middle of it, as the only girl?

Petri: "She's handling it pretty well. She's not on this tour by the way, but she has been on three tours and so far no problems. She's actually like one of the guys. And she has to be otherwise it will get fucked up."

About the inspiration, when do you like to write the most? And are you for example also writing on tour, because many people get inspired by traveling.

Petri: "Well, I do get most inspiration by sitting home alone actually. For Victory Songs album Sami was actually writing also during the last tour. A few of their riffs came out over here somewhere in Germany. Buuuuuuuuurrrb. Well, it has to be Germany (laughs) cause we had 8 shows in Germany that tour. But, we mostly do not really write on tour. This is just like relaxing time at nighttime we don't have any inspiration for anything like that, we just usually drink or are already past out."

It’s pretty cool that your tablatures are on the website. I don't see that so often. Like to let fans play your songs more or.

Petri: "Actually I don't know about those. I think fans made them and put it on the website, I have no idea about that."

How do you improve your technical skills? Is there anything you like to improve still and is there any difference with the early ways in the way of practicing for example?

Petri: "Well, in the early days I used to play 4 to 8 hours per day and do all the rehearsals."

Janne: "Yeah, in that time we did a lot of rehearsals."

Petri: "And there was so much to do for me at that time. I wasn't in a band, I was just playing the guitar you know, so, you don't have to do this interviews and blablabla and other stuff. Now I don't even know the last time I was playing on my own...maybe a few years or something."

And the rest of the band? (jee, stupid to ask. the same ofcourse..)

Petri: "I think it's the same for the rest... " (...see..)

Janne: "For everyone of us counts I think that we already learned the most years ago."  

Petri: "Yeah, we probably now just keep repeating the same shit..."

Janne: "And of course you have all the shows and the rehearsals so..."  

Petri: "Yeah, well, we actually rehearse and play at the same time...and become better musicians that way of course."

Petri: "Well, the songs that I liked in the early days, by now I can play them all. But then suddenly comes this Dragonforce shit and after that you don't even want to pick up a guitar anymore."...and now we talked about metalexpo Hel this year (were non of us swas dragonforce) and the coolness about Hevy karaoke.

Do you guys know anything about Akseli Gallen Kallela's paintings? They're on tour in my town, Groningen. Now one fan finds them Ensiferum-like and likes to know if you have a favorite painting?

Petri: "I might have seen these paintings when I was at school in some history-book or something. Otherwise I have no idea of what he did or made. "

Lonneke explains, Kalevala right before your eyes, splendid Finnish landscapes, lakesand more).

Petri: "Hmmm, maybe I should learn to know my country a bit better (laughs). Sounds good, heh, but I’m not home anymore. This is my home (tourbus)." silence.....................................................................................................hey, the indian yogamusic stopted..what a pitty.

How does the record deal with Spinefarm going so far and after this album?

Janne: "We have a deal for one more album after this one."

Petri: "We have this license deal with Trucker nowadays, so that's why the album is coming out of the 20th of April. It was the plan to release it in Finland and Europe on the same time, but because of this deal they wanted some more promo time or something...So it's coming out just a little bit later, and we also had to extent our record deal with Spinefarm for one album more so that's 2 more to go. "

Last years were booming for Vikingmetal. Does this effect or reflect the band in a positive or/and a negative way?
Janne: "Maybe more in a positive than negative way, because like us other bands suck in the beginning too."

Petri: "The folk-music-scene is getting bigger and bigger too. And Finntroll is going on tour within a few weeks. Yesterday there was a festival show where also Korpiklaani was playing. They said that they could do a tour around Europe for every single day if they want it." (So yeah, it seems we're living in a folk-era. Cheers to that!)

Sooo, is Germany your main country...most fans and tours?

Petri: "Yes, definitely. But we also had some nice tours in Switzerland, Spain was very good two years ago and we very looking forward to Italy where we have two shows over there in this tour. And Russia is really good. The best audience in the world so far! And it's very easy to go to St. Petersburg and Moscow from Finland actually. "

Mirjam the tour manager comes in. A female tour manager, cool! She said that they've changed the dinner times and more.

Actually, you've said a lot about touring so far but a fan wants to know; what do you like most about touring?

Janne: "Of course the shows."
Petri: "Yeah, the gigs are the best yeah!!"

And the most annoying?
Petri and Janne: "The showers! Fucking boilers. And since we play mostly as last band there's no hot water left! Do you want to take a nice cold shower? No, because you can get sick for the rest of the tour and you don't want that, so I’d rather be a stinky bastard-smelly asshole then, I don't care. It's their fault! But there haven't been many shitty points. We've been looking for, I don’t know, forever, to get out of Helsinki and forget everything about working and stuff like how do i pay the rent, who fucking cares...Well, this is especially for Markus, who was working his out back home, very relaxed. Now he can just sit back, be drunk like he hasn't been for a long time, well I can show you the photo's I’ve been shooting lately."

Any sickness from poisoning food?  

Petri and Janne: "No, we never had that so far. But I will come some day..."

I asked you already about the gig with Suffocation; they have a different style. Did you notice any difference from the audience as well?

Petri: "Well, I don’t know anything about the bands that played before us in here, but the band that actually played right before us was this eh...scene of guys wearing this barbaric hilarious costums and women spitting fire or something...forgot about the name eh… This tour starts today actually. Before this there were mostly festival gigs. The last show of this tour will be on April the 27th and after that for a festival in Haugesund, Norway. Hey! we got a fly inhere! Where is my fly-dy-thing! if he comes any closer..."  hmm...should have told him i'm used to finnish forests in july/august. Jee, Spinefarm gave them a fly-dy-thing in form of a huge insect..cool!
What is the biggest difference for you between Ensiferum and Norther?

Petri: "The guys are different."
 
But you feel like one of both, huh? At least, on stage you are...

Petri: "Yes, of course. "

The biggest dream for Ensiferum is?(from a fan)

Petri and Mirjam: "An own tour manager."

Petri: "And a U.S. tour would be very nice. We played at Wacken already."

Janne: "Maybe after the next album we can do a whole world-tour!"

Any bad experience with fans?

Petri: "Well, not so bad needed to be mentioned. But one guy, yesterday actually, I don't know if he understood English but he was speaking English to me and he pointed to my chain (Mjölnir), totally drunk and said: How much i have to pay you so you would sell it to me? I said; it's not for sale. 'how much-it's not for sale- how much-' and kept going til I just walked away. The funniest experience with fans was the Star we got, you know."

Your tour manager you mentioned it, you don't have your own? What about the rest of the crew?

Petri: "Mirjam now, here does only the tour managing and we have Erkki, the sound guy, actually two; one for guitar and bass and one for drumtech... but we don't have our own light guy, not on this tour. So the venue takes care of that. Erkki has been working for us for 1.5 year and guitar technicians were on the roadshow last year. Mirjam was doing the first tourmanaging thing that time."

Any difference between an male and female as a tourmanager?  

Petri: "She's a pretty tough lady. She can take care of this thing."

And if a person isn't there were he suppose to be? IN the tourbus, ready to go?
Petri: "Yeah, that sucks..we all just wait."..after a p-break (after a looong time) you suddenly realize someone is missing..   "Then you have to turn the bus around and go and pick him up again. We try to keep everybody at the bus, always counting to avoid that. Because when it happens, especially when you don't have your cell phone, not even a jacket or shoes, money, cigarettes, at the gas station for example. In the middle of the night. It hasn't happened to me, but I know a few guys were going through that...3 hours waiting for the bus returns to pick you up again, when in the bus they finally notice: hey there's one guy missing..."

A fan wants to know if there's anything special you like about Netherlands.

Petri: "Your dutch cookies." Which kind of..where do you get them? (beginning to get the slightest idea…)

Petri: "In one of your coffeeshops"

Aaah, yes…we call it cake. Or is it really a cookie..ow whatever…Do you want the recepy of the butter that you have to use?

Kiitos!! Have a good tour! Asked a lot about the tour, but that's also because you are on tour now and be on tour so far. Just know that everyone is waiting for the new album, read a lot of the music stuff throughout the years and is checking out the gig, knows ins and outs. If not; they will find it on the website as well. I'm about checking out Norther as well in Finland... but that looks so far away…

Petri puts on his too cool fluffy-pimp hat and real Finnish kaki-boots and we walk to the venue. It is still sunny, fans still hanging around...a nice Sunday...

Meer informatie:
www.ensiferum.com