KORPIKLAANI AND KIVIMETSAN DRUIDI
Korpiklaani must have made one hell of an impact on the crowd at this years’ BOA festival, as I was rather shocked to learn that tonight’s gig had sold out! Only a couple of years back, had I mentioned this forest clan to anyone their response would usually be a “Korpi-who?” followed by a bewildered stare, almost as though I was speaking a foreign language (and I might as well have done!)
As the venue filled up fast, an impatient crowd had begun to entertain themselves, as numerous voices could be heard shouting along to “Holmgard and beyond”, the song blasting out of the P.A.
After being informed that neither of the bands had yet arrived at the venue, it was getting quite late by the time the opening band took the stage, leaving only time for a quick line check which resulted in an inferior sound.
While I made every effort to appreciate Kivimetsan Druidi, sadly their vapid interpretation of the folk metal genre left me unmoved. Mixing the war vibes of Turisas with the tranquillity of Battlelore, these Finns influences are so obvious they might as well shout it out mid set. The problem I’m finding with this genre on the whole is that whilst once upon a time “folk metal” was a novelty and there was plenty of room for bands to break through and sound fresh and distinctive, now everybody who picks up a guitar or violin wants to imitate those bands, and they get lost in the big wide ocean of mediocrity. While a ferocious battle cry could be heard from the war-painted frontman, this was met by the lacklustre vocals of his female co-vocalist, whom, had she had an ounce of allure on stage could possibly be overlooked on her pedestrian vocal abilities. Had I seen these play down my local pub I’m sure their rather amateurish performance would have left me with a more positive impression, although on this scale, I cannot help but feel that Kivimetsan Druidi were taking the place of a band far more deserving of such exposure.
It isn’t long since Korpiklaani invaded our shores as they played BOA festival back in August, and having missed out in the summer tonight was my first experience seeing this band. Well, it didn’t deviate too much from what I had envisioned a Korpiklaani gig to be like. As the kings of hummpa trudged into “Journeyman”, the frontman was only just visible as he hid behind a set of deer antlers attached to his microphone stand. It is hard to be miserable tonight as the band blaze into the incredibly jovial “Korpiklaani”, before passing into the more reflective “Cottages and Saunas”. As much as I have enjoyed recent efforts from the band, it was great to see the band have not ditched their older material from Voice Of Wilderness and Spirit Of The Forest, as they kept an even balance between the old and the new. Recent offerings “Tervaskanto”, “Veriset Aparat” and “Il Lea Voimbi” went down a storm, and not forgetting the latest booze fuelled ditty “Let’s Drink”, which is the musical equivalent of a tavern full of drunken men slurring their words and spilling their ale filled tankards. There was a great atmosphere down in the pit, where the crowd were dancing and pogoing about, mouthing along to well known numbers such as “Hunting Song” and “Beer Beer”. Only at a Korpiklaani gig could you get away with doing a jig whilst watching someone on stage play an accordion without feeling the need to justify your actions to anyone.
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Luci Herbert
LONDON UNDERWORLD - 30/10/07
CLICK HERE TO READ AN INTERVIEW WITH KORPIKLAANI