There are certain things that you just never hear anyone say; I’ve never met someone who’s stoked on the new Nickelback, never heard anyone say they want to use Papyrus as their default font (Lamb of God not withstanding), never heard anyone say they miss dial-up modems… and I’ve never met anyone cop to being a fan of Korpiklaani. Nothing against the band; just an observation!

Korpiklaani aren’t bad by any means — I guess they’re pretty good at what they do? — but they were one of many bands who were hyped up to be way bigger than they ever should’ve been during The Great Pagan/Folk Metal Explosion of 2008 (“TGPFME2008,” for short). They’re perpetually one of those bands who are kind of just “there” on a tour lineup; like, you don’t mind seeing them if they’re on a bill, but you’d never go out of your way just to catch a Korpiklaani show. And while I’ve met people who are legitimately stoked on new Eluveitie (for example: me), new Turisas or new Ensiferum music, I have never in my life encountered an honest-to-goodness die-hard Korpiklaani fan. Although I have a feeling I’m about to encounter a few in the comments section.

Anyway, there’s a new Korpiklaani song called “Metsälle” that was originally recorded for the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest and will be appearing on the band’s forthcoming album… so get psyched! Or don’t.

-VN

Here’s (what I believe are) our last great batch of concert photos from 2011! The always-reliable Miikka Skaffari caught pics of Korpiklaani, Arkona, Polkadot Cadaver, and Forged in Fire blowing the roof off the DNA Lounge in San Francisco last month, and, well… as per usual, Miikka captured the best possible views from the pit.

See all of Mr. Skaffari’s awesome pics after the jump!

Click to read more…

As you probably know by now, Jucifer live on the road — literally! A truly mobile unit, the savage sludge metal duo are North American nomads who rest their head nightly in the same RV that gets them from show to show. So I was surprised to learn that Jucifer were crossing the pond for a headlining tour of Europe and Russia, which, unless they plan on hopping a ferry, implies that they’d be leaving their trusty vehicle behind. That’s probably as close to a vacation as Jucifer ever get!

The full list of dates are below, and most are supported by Italian metallers The Orange Man Theory, whose latest record was produced by Today Is The Day figurehead Steve Austin. There are a few festivals in the mix as well, including Wroclaw, Poland’s Asymmetry Fest (with Electric Wizard and the reunited Godflesh) and the Belgian Durbuy Rock Festival (with Korpiklaani and Triptykon). If you’re lucky enough to live close to any of these cities, here’s a super-duper rare opportunity to catch one of the noisiest bands around. Buy some merch from them as well, so they can buy souvenirs and finance a forthcoming re-release of the 1994 cassette-only Nadir EP, re-mastered by Scott Hull.

Now how are they gonna get all those amps overseas? Hmmm…

Click to read more…

Is it already that time of year? Holy shit, it is! The second annual run of the MetalSucks-sponsored Paganfest USA tour kicks off tomorrow in Toronto and runs through May 18th all over the U.S. and Canada! This is huge news for the following reasons:

1. You finally get to dust off that old viking helmet that’s been lying around since last year’s Paganfest.
2. You get to drink lots of beer, repeatedly pump your fist in the air and yell “hey!,” and generally act like an asshole at a concert without feeling bad about it.
3. You get to see this year’s lineup of ridiculously awesome pagan metal bands: Korpiklaani, Primordial, Moonsoorow, Blackguard and Swashbuckle.
4. Last year’s Paganfest was the most fun we had at a show all year; for serious!

We’ll be at the New York date on Monday, May 4th at Irving Plaza. Brownie points to anyone who dresses up in warpaint and loincloths. Bonus: after the jump, check out the chill-inducing Metal Injection-filmed live footage of Turisas performing “Rasputin” at last year’s Paganfest.

Click to read more…

We’re big fans of pagan metal here at the MS Mansion. BIG fans. Just last night Sammy O’Hagar waltzed in at about 5pm, still drunk and rowdy from the night before (!), dressed in a full get-up of warpaint and animal skins. Obviously there was no other choice at that point but to hand over control of the MS Mansion Mothership to the capable hands of the monkeys, so we put on Turisas’ The Varangian Way and started the party right back up again for the ol’ chap; the freight train kept rolling until at least 4am. Last thing I remember is Kip jumping on top of Axl’s desk and screaming something about “Battle!” and how we need to take vengeance against the other metal websites that constantly rip us off. As I type this, Sammy’s passed out in the bathtub clutching a bottle of Jim Beam while DBR and Satan Rosenbloom are snuggling in my bed; I had to sleep on the couch. Those fucking assholes.

Click to read more…

The second annual run of the MetalSucks-approved Paganfest USA tour — which one month ago announced it would include Primordial, Eluveitie, Moonsorrow and Blackguard (formerly Profugus Mortis) — has now announced the final lineup. Finnish folk-metallers Korpiklaani, whom to Kip W.’s dismay I once described as “Tetris metal,” will round out the bill along with New Jersey’s own Swashbuckle. If you can’t closely guess what a band called Swashbuckle might sound like, I suggest you get that eyepatch adjusted.

For more info check out the official Paganfest USA MySpace page. Dates are still TBA. Also check out the MySpace pages of Korpiklaani and Swashbuckle to dabble in the pagan/folk metal awesomeness.

-VN

“Metsämies” — the latest single from Finnish folk metallers Korpiklaani — does a damn fine job of sounding like the Tetris theme music in metal form without actually being the Tetris theme music in metal form. And just like said Tetris music, it’s sure to be stuck in your head for days at a time. Plus, these dudes look awesome — check out the video and tell me who wouldn’t want to throw back a few beers with these dudes.

Korpiklaani’s new album Korven Kuningas is scheduled for release on March 21, 2008 via Nuclear Blast Records.

-VN