A Grand and Glorious Decade of Crimfall

A Grand and Glorious Decade of Crimfall

The epic cinematic metal of Crimfall has been exhilarating audiences for a decade – and to commemorate this grand and glorious celebration, the mighty Crimfall has unveiled the mesmerizing Amain upon the world at large.  Amain is the third magnum opus for this Finnish collective, now available from the Metal Blade Records stronghold!   Amain is a visionary work of artistry – an extraordinary adventure in sound destined to intrigue and enrapture music fans all over the planet.  Highwire Daze Online recently caught up with Miska Sipiläinen, bassist of Crimfall, to find out more about the compelling Amain and the vast and sweeping decade within the throes of the captivating Crimfall.  Read on…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Crimfall, and how long the band has been together.
Hello, I’m Miska, the bass player from Crimfall. We just celebrated our 10-year anniversary few months ago. I joined the band about nine years ago.

Where is the band based out of and what is the music scene like there?
All of us live around the Helsinki (capitol of Finland) area. The music scene here is great. We have all kinds of bands all around the world visiting our clubs and arenas. So, if you have nothing to do on a Friday night, you’ll definitely find some gigs nearby.

How did you wind up signing with Metal Blade Records?
When our recordings of the album Amain where done, we started searching for a perfect partner to work with us and publish the album. After a few months we got connected with Metal Blade and the result was what seems to be a pretty great co-operation.

Is there any overall story or concept behind the title Amain?
Amain was a result of six years in the making so we needed a title that describes all that time and effort we put in to it. We did everything with full force. Amain = with full force.

Select any two songs from Amain and what inspired the lyrics.
Wayward Verities was inspired by the Arab Spring, universal yearning for freedom under the yoke of tyrants and how toppling their thrones may reveal new roots of evil that grow fruits of oppression and human suffering. In the same vein Ten Winters Apart tells of an absolute lie and power that pervade the whole nation, dream that takes you from birth, and hope of a dawn that awakes rebellion from slumber.

Who produced Amain and what was it like working with them?
Our very own Jakke was the mastermind behind this creation. It was a long road and I’m extremely happy for the team we had and the album is what we all had hoped and more.

How does Amain compare to the previous Crimfall releases?
Amain is more evolved, powerful and really captures the core essence that is Crimfall. The songs have more depth. The whole album was made more as a band than the previous ones. Overall Amain is our best album yet.

Who did the cover art for Amain and how much input did you have on it?
It was a friend of ours, Tuomas Gustafsson who loves to explore anatomy and vivid contrasts in his art. We wanted something with very strong marks of craftsmanship and every paint stroke visible. Something that would work especially great on vinyl. We gave him a photo as a starting point but left the end result for him to take where his vision would lead.

What could one expect from a live Crimfall show?
We have always been very energetic at our live shows. Being on stage and performing is the best thing, and I think that the rest of the band would agree. Whenever we go on stage, we take our shows to the fullest and try to give at least a little bit more to the audience then the shows before.

Has Crimfall ever played here in the States or do you plan to do so in future days?
We have not, not yet anyways. It would be amazing to play some shows in the States. Touring in the US can be quite expensive, but with the right line-up hopefully in the future we have a chance to play live for our North America fans.

If Crimfall could open up for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
Symphony X has always been one of my favorite bands. I have a great respect for their music. There are some similarities in our music. But I have to say that everyone in Crimfall do have some other bands in mind, I’m sure 😀

What is your favorite beer of choice and why?
It varies between season, but there’s one type of beer that always tastes excellent, free beer!

What’s up next for Crimfall?
Release the album and hopefully go do some amazing gigs and tours. Especially places we have not yet visited.

Any final words of wisdom?
Get your own copy of Amain and tell us what you think. CHEERS!

Crimfall is:
Jakke Viitala – Guitar, Orchestra
Mikko Häkkinen – Vocals
Helena Haaparanta – Vocals
Janne Jukarainen – Drums
Miska Sipiläinen – Bass

(Interview by Ken Morton)

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