Kantele & others

It`s been over a half a year since last update, and that`s because there was very little progress during summer months. We were building us a new studio room, so there was no time or good place to record anything for a few months. We still managed to recorded percussions, jouhikko, some kanteles, flutes etc. already in spring, but failed to update this blog or video diary. Now the last few weeks has saw some good progress, wheels are spinning again, so I felt that I had to update the progress officially to fans and alike.

Pekka "The Cameraman" Korhonen a.k.a. "Kitaraman" and Microphoneman" has turned to "The Constructionman".

Studio, almost ready, from outside...

...and from inside.

  So ALMOST all the kanteles are now recorded, and also 90% of the vocals. Some backing vocals are still missing, as well as very little flutes, and that`s about it. I think we can get everything done in one good recording sessions, hopefully in near future. Pekka Korhonen has been helping a lot, as you can witness from these photos and from the upcoming video. We also have so much video material, that I don`t know how I can manage to fit it to a single video. 

Happy little producer.

Janne playing flute.

Expect a new "Making of..."-video in December. Greetings to our fans, I really believe the new album is worth the wait!

-Janne

Throat singing session with Juha Jyrkäs.

It's always fun to do something with Auringon hauta. That's why I participated in their latest album - and that's the reason why I ended up into their forthcoming album also. 

First I entered the train, leaving from Helsinki to Imatra. The train was already late before leaving in Helsinki. I was a little bit tired after a workday, so I rushed into the restaurant car and had a quick beer and Fernet Branca shot. After that I fell a sleep and find myself in Imatra. Cool!

In Imatra, we went to eat some kebab with Janne. It was truely a good kebab, actually one of the best kebabs I've ever eaten. Surely the Turkish people know how to do a good kebab - this one of the finest foods ever invented. It's a secret how to manage and handle all those ingredients, derived from hundreds of years from the Anatolian mountains... 

As it was friday, we actually had nothing else to do than have a good sauna and drink some beer. We decided to do the all other work on saturday.

In saturday we went to shoot some very funny outtakes how I actually come into Imatra with a kick sledge! I even managed to fall with it with a power, knocked my head and hurt my back while shooting the material. It actually hurted like hell, but it was forth it; I do anything for art. And the last time I had so good time with a kick sledge, it was something about 20 years ago...

We used all blasphemous and evil spells, summoned all the magic from the depths of R'lyeh, using all unnormal satanic and unspeakable rites, did an evil mass, but nothing happened. But help came towards us; Janne had a bread -making machine from Japan, from the year 1990 or something, and finally we managed to do our black magic evil bread with that marvelous machine. We did it something about 5 times. We fucked up one version of it, but the rest was eaten well! GOOD!!

All the songs were put nicely together with a help of necessary preparations of good note-oil from Laitila Brewery. Good Western Finnish beer and home-made wine of Janne and Jenna did a good job. 

Now Auringon hauta can go to gigs and present all our songs with me in the massive shows in New Zealand, Egypt and in Edinborough! First I thought that I would rap their body beat and we would do a good massive hip-hop album with my excellent rhymes and beats. But in the end we decided to do it metal. We're gonna do it metal. We're gonna do it good ethnic metal for those people who really understand the music itself. 

And after all the vocals were finished, drinking was inevitable. GOOD!!! We listened good stuff, including the very first album of Megadeth, which is a masterpiece. Mustaine truely have a Finnish heart of creativity, after all, his real family name is Mustonen... 

But did you knew that in war there's no room for cowards? We didn't knew it either, since I don't see any war going on anywhere near us. So what the fuck?! But that's not the problew for me, since I don't use an armour, I'm just the talker... 

Sunday I was sleeping a good time, since drinking something stronger than a man does have an affect. I managed to go home via train, sleeping the all way along and finally saw the results for the first presidential votes of Finland. For the sake of all mankind, is good that no fossils from the 80's nor fat malicious bandits from Tatooine was NOT elected to the second presidential vote. So the world can spin around and I can drink some more beer. 

Did you knew that we actually don't have a democracy here in Finland? You have a separated area in festivals in Finland where you can drink - nowhere else it's not possible. Same thing in New York and in London. You call this democracy? No, no, no! It's not democracy, you have to have a right to drink beer in all places. In Africa - no democracy - but in Africa you can drink everywhere. If I drink ten beers, I drive well. If I'm tired, my friend drives the car... 

-Juha

Vocal recordings and solo guitars

Last few months were rather silent, but we managed to record guitar solos with a help of our pal Pekka Korhonen (more familiar as "the cameraman" in the Making of-videos). Pekka did an nice job, and we now have an excellent guitar solo on more than half of the songs!

Past weekend we spent in North Karelia, in Lari`s "summer" cottage, recording clean and also dirty vocals. We got a lot of good material, but there`s still plenty of work with vocal recordings in every department. This time we have such a great lyrics and arrangements, that we want to make the vocal tracks as good as possible.

In couple of weeks, on 20th of January, we will get a special visitor, when Juha Jyrkäs (familiar from Korpiklaani and also Poropetra and Tevana 3) comes to our studio to record his throat singing parts. On our last album Juha had a major role on many songs, and we want to continue the same pattern. Juha`s throat singing with it`s eerie, wild and ancient sound will make the finishing touch to many song, as you can hear & see on later videos.

No pictures this time, sorry, but the next video is being edited and uploaded soon.

-Janne

Drum recordings near conlusion

Hello again.

So... It's been a week now and almost everything is done. Two songs still miss some parts + some tracks need possible fixes and fine tunings.

Niko left yesterday and now i'm with Janne. Nostalgic situation once again and finishing of drums is closing. Last week has been physically and mentally very challenging and yet very pleasurable week. THE very best drumming sessions i've ever had in many ways. Best tracks i have ever played, best sounds and production and what not.

Even the equipment is the best i've had around, despite all technical troubles. :)

The whole setup here in Imatra's Pässiniemi house has been top notch. Drumsetup, equipment, sauna, drinks, buddies, cookings, everything has been awesome.

Now, with the conclusion of these sessions, i'd like to thank Janne & Niko for their participation, relentless producing and engineering my playing, Laura for her unconditional support and her excellent cookings, which has kept us going, Pekka for his assistance and solowork, and last but not least, Aku, just for laughs, you made my day with the drumsticks. :D

'til next time. ;)

Lari

PS. Stay tuned for the for the "making of" video.

Drum recordings continue...

Its the 5th day of the drumming session, progress is slow but sure at the moment. We have now recorded four songs and theres four more to go... I'm tired, my feet are like concrete, two hours of sleep last night, not enough to keep things going for long enough. Anyway we recorded one more song today, tomorrow and monday is going to be a tough run.

Our bassist showed up to help us with the recordings and to keep out spirits up, thus releasing Pekka from 24/7 assistant job.

It seems that most of the technical problems are now solwed and now its only about my performance. I have to say, this far these drum tracks are THE best i've ever recorded, steady progress keeps the pressure up nicely.

Oh, i almost forgot, we've been helped out tremendously by our "professional" drummer friend, Aku Hyöppönen, recording this album wouldn't be possible without his pair of drumsticks. To be honest, i wouldn't use these for anything else than firewood. ;)

Sauna is warming up, i hope it will help out with my sore feet, theres some tough doublebass runs to come. Stay tuned.

Drum recordings started

Hello once again. Finally after much delays, the recording of official drum tracks began. We started setting up tuesday with kit setup. Sound checking and some technical problems slowed us down a bit, but we were all set at thursday. The place of our choice (or actually must)  is my mothers apartment. Only spot for my drumkit at the moment. This place is very nostalgic for us, this was our first rehearsalroom and the 'sutdio' for making our 'Pohjola Kotimme..' demo. And yet again, were back, this time with way more experience and better equipment.

Soundcheck went ok, we are now using quite special setup, the kit is halftriggered, both mic'ed and triggered, except the bassdrum, we had to change it to a bassdrum pad because the crappy BD trigger broke. Sounds are excellent, best we have achieved this far.

This has been very fun session this far, our friend Pekka(who plays some solos on the album) is working here as a studio assistant and my girlfriend Laura(Shes a professional cook;) has been taking care of the catering. Quite professional.

We have had quite a few technical problems on the way, first the bassdrum trigger broke, then we had to nail the BD pad to the flood, so it doesnt slide all over the place and i'm running out of playable sticks. How embarrasing, everything else is so, so pro done and i run out of sticks! Fucking millenium crap! Luckily our bassist comes to aid, he's joining us tomorrow and will bring some new sticks with him.

Despite all these troubles we managed to record two songs yesterday and one today. Theres still few songs left & all the after fixing so there's plenty to do.

I've very much enjoyed myself, bit hard at times, must to play correctly, all the stress etc. but still i can honestly say, this album making has been the most fun, almost tops the recording of Noitakansa demo years back...

That's all for today, more to come tomorrow.

Lari

Rhythm guitar recording band camp.

I drove to Ruokolahti on Monday evening. I took two electric guitars (Ibanez S7320 with upgraded mics & Schecter Solo-6 Limited), an amp head (Koch Powertone II) and an amp cabinet (4x12" Fender with Celestion Vintage 30 elements). Also on the trip was my wife and a hellish red tent.

We miked the cab with Audix i5 and a Shure SM57 clone (the legendary T.bone MB75). Audix was fine there where I first put it, and like the SM57 always does, the other mic needed some adjustments to be done with headphones on. The sound we found is very raw, metallic gain tone with full body, not mid-scoop here. We recorded also the raw preamp line from the send bus of the series type loop. No effects needed, Koch provided a very convincing tone once again.

On Monday evening we got one song on hard disc, though it took almost two hundred takes. The problem with recording my parts is the problem with rehearsing that is caused by the distance from my home town Jyväskylä to Imatra area, about 250 kilometers. Recordings started in good mood, the only reason to complain about was the room temperature, 28 degrees celsius.

On Tuesday we managed to record two full songs more. On the second one I already got a bit frustrated when I just didn't seem to get the timing of one quite simple riff played right at metronome click. Well after a while I got it done and the rest went more easily.

On the morning of the third day we slept till 12 o'clock and missed some potential recording hours, but on the evening I think I found a bit better playing touch than on the preceding days. We got two songs done also on Wednesday. The room temperature was 30 degrees celsius all evening. It made my head ache but luckily cold beer gave relief.

On Thursday we needed to make some necessary preparations for the promotional picture shootings so we went shopping on some of the flea markets of Imatra and Lappeenranta. We found some fine outfits there. Once again two songs got finished on my part in the evening. Now the room temperature was 31 C degrees.

Friday started with promo picture sessions. We put the fancy costumes on and went outside. We had Janne's old friend Jesse taking pictures with two similar cameras with different lenses on two locations at Ruokolahti. I think these are the best promo pictures with this band so far. Also they fit with the theme of the album very well. On Friday evening there appeared some complication as the well ran dry. It already seemed that we must leave and drive home that evening, as we couldn't take shower. Because of that supposed rush, Janne played my part in one song (Julma jupakka) almost completely as Lari interviewed me on video. We got the idea of going swimming in Lake Saimaa instead of shower, so we spent the last night in the tent like it was originally planned.

Now it's Saturday and in one hour we will have running water. There is one little chapter to be shot on video and after that I will drive home, tired but satisfied. Special thanks to Niko and Janne for mighty ice cold nerves and great studio engineering work, also thanks to Lari for being always so supportive. Thanks also to Fazer Salmiakki Mix which tasted even better after warming up with Dutch liqourice warming machine Powertone II. Last but not least thanks to hameväki Jenna and Nina.

- Taneli