KIVIMETSAN DRUIDI
By Falber Teles • Jan 2nd, 2010 • Category: Interviews
SOURCEWEBZINE – Is it true that you are working on the new album right now? What updates can you give us about it?
Leeni-Maria Hovila (V) – All the recordings have basically been finished except perhaps some corrections. Mixed versions are downloading to the studio server as we speak and we will consider them for a while now, then maybe ask for some changes if any need be. It’s going to be different from “Shadowheart”, rougher, more versatile. We are exited about this one. It will be released worldwide in April by Century Media Records.
SOURCEWEBZINE – With the success of the last album, did you feel any pressure in writing and recording this one?
Leeni-Maria Hovila (V) – Nnope, I should say – although we were – well, personally I was slightly worried for a little while, studio reservation closing up, not even all songs composed yet. Finally we went to studio in two separate occasions, before and after the Heathenfest America Tour (North America). But this had nothing at all to do with the success of Shadowheart.
SOURCEWEBZINE – Since your music can be very complex, do you concern yourself with how you will play the songs live when you’re writing them, or do you worry about it afterwards?
Leeni-Maria Hovila (V) – We quite often do not remember to concern about it in time. And then we find ourselves in the situation of wondering, my god – how are we going to do this live? Especially when Atte gets going with the orchestrations. Which has happened on this one. Several times.
SOURCEWEBZINE – Bands are selling fewer CDs now, but the music is still finding its way into people’s hands via things like illegal downloads. Is that frustrating for you, or do you just want your music out there, regardless?
Leeni-Maria Hovila (V) – We do not find it frustrating – indeed, the general consensus in the band is that fighting this evolution in the music business would be quite pointless and frustrating itself. We do not mind our music being downloaded. Many people still feel that it is not the same as having the real thing, the real, physical album itself, and they get it anyway. Uploading to the net before release date, that is just not cool, though. Having said that, we simply feel that the future of musicians even more than before depends on live performances, which are going to be the thing to pay the bills with, if anything. And it is such an experience to both parties, ourselves and the audience! That you cannot download, that most definitely is not the same thing. The emphasis is shifting from sold albums to sold gig tickets. And why not.
SOURCEWEBZINE – A lot of bands are doing things like including bonus DVDs or having special edition CDs to make it more desirable to purchase the actual CD. Is that something you’ve done or are considering?
Leeni-Maria Hovila (V) – Not for these reasons, no, not that I know. Reasons for bonus track releases usually are differences in import costs, value taxes, stupid stuff like that which can make the same album cost anything between 10 and 40$ depending on which part of the globe you’re standing.
SOURCEWEBZINE – Your brutal growl-vocals mixed with melodic heavy metal is the perfect match, how did the band come up with such a musical mixture?
Leeni-Maria Hovila (V) – From the original idea of wanting there to be great contradictions, great contrasts in the music. This was decided before my time, from the very beginning of the band by the founding members. Joni and Antti, mostly.
SOURCEWEBZINE – With KIVIMETSAN DRUIDI’s Viking theme and Norse mythology lyrical content, how do you keep things fresh without running out of ideas for songs?
Leeni-Maria Hovila (V) – Oh, we are not viking – or not that much of Norse mythology themed at all. We are fantasy metal, fantasy themed, and the fantasy in question is originally a story Joni has been writing in his head (some of it actually is down on paper, too) and more recently from the little stories I have had inside my head since on this album I made some lyrics as well. We hardly do run out of ideas, because we can come up with them ourselves as freely as we please. We can make the rules up as we go. And since it is our very own world with our very own rules, anything we say, goes.
SOURCEWEBZINE – Century Media Records, the label you’re signed to, has such a great roster of bands. With the record industry being as it is, as well as the global economy and internet downloading, do you feel Century Media Records are doing all they can to promote you and get you the publicity and tours that you need to carry on as a band?
Leeni-Maria Hovila (V) – Century Media has all in all been a very good, very supportive and also when need be understanding label for us. I wouldn’t know what to expect in terms of should we have been “given” 10 or 12 or 50 gigs a year – tell you the truth, I don’t actually know what they are doing out there at all. But we are a young band that has had the chance of making two albums and two four week tours on two different continents in less than two years. I think it sounds pretty good.
SOURCEWEBZINE – Finland is home of many known metal bands. How much attention does KIVIMETSAN DRUIDI receive from the national media and people in general?
Leeni-Maria Hovila (V) – Not much when one considers our popularity abroad. We are definitely more sought after in elsewhere Europe and Russia, hopefully from now on US as well than in Finland.
SOURCEWEBZINE – The band has a strong presence in all the various social media outlets like Twitter, MySpace etc. Which platform seems to be most effective for you at the moment?
Leeni-Maria Hovila (V) – MySpace, definitely, which has all this time been much better maintained than our official website. It is the oldest and most established of our net medias, I think. When our second album will be released, we’ll also renew our official website.
SOURCEWEBZINE – What’s your view on the current state of the metal scene in Brazil?
Leeni-Maria Hovila (V) – Oh, I have to make a confession – I really haven’t been able to keep up to what’s happening. I have heard some talks about wild southern American audiences among which Brazil, they say, are definitely among the greatest and we would be thrilled to get to play there. Brazil has a large and active metal scene, but my personal experience is limited to having seen Soulfly live at Tuska Open Air some years back. They were wild.
SOURCEWEBZINE – Thanks for taking the time to allow me to interview you. Do you have any final words for the people at home?
Leeni-Maria Hovila (V) – Rock ‘n’ Troll guys, take care. We hope to see you live in the future. Number Two is expected to be out some time in next April (lest the sky fall down upon us), don’t miss it!
Falber Teles
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