KORPIKLAANI Announces New Violinist

Finnish folk metal ambassadors KORPIKLAANI have announced a lineup change. Violinist Jaakko "Hittavainen" Lemmetty, who's been with band since the beginning, will leave the band.

Says the band, "There is a mutual understanding between him and the rest of the band and there is no big drama involved. His personal health issues made the constant touring and recording impossible.

The band found Hittavainen's replacement in a young prodigy Teemu Eerola, who's already been rehearsing hard with the band. Teemu has already proven himself to be an excellent replacement and magnificent company. He also plays violin.

The first show with the new lineup will be in Rotterdam on September 24th. In Finland the revitalized band can be spotted in Pori on October 6th and in Helsinki later in the same month. The real test for Teemu's abilities and endurance will be the 24-date North American tour, starting on November 23rd."

Nuclear Blast Records released Korpiklaani's latest album, Ukon Wacka, on February 4th, 2011. The album tracklisting is as follows:

'Louhen Yhdeksäs Poika'
'Päät Pois Tai Hirteen'
'Tuoppi Oltta'
'Lonkkaluut'
'Tequila'
'Ukon Wacka'
'Korvesta Liha'
'Koivu Ja Tähti'
'Vaarinpolkka'

According to the band, "Ukon Wacka, or Ukon Vakat, is a pagan sacrificial feast from ancient times, on which a special made beer richly flowed. As can be expected from the title, this album has an ancient and very folky feel and is totally in Finnish. To make the lyrics understandable for non-Finnish people, we will add an English description/translation in the booklet as usual. The album consists of 10 songs, among which you will find a song name 'Tequila', which is especially written for (and inspired by) our South American fans, with whom we celebrated such hard times, and who welcomed us so warmly, when we were touring in South America. Another surprise is the title song, 'Ukon Wacka', in which a special guest features: the famous Finnish singer Tuomari Nurmio! Last but not least features a tribute song ('Päät Pois Tai Hirteen') to the Finnish rock band Peer Günt, a great and underestimated band. We hope and expect that this album will give you as much joy as we had making it; a big folky feast for all!"

Read More News

Tags:  KORPIKLAANI    

Jason Fisher    September 13, 2011