Congrats to Affliction from Turkey who got crowned as indieSolo’s 2009 MMA Music Champion and the Ultimate Ground & Pound Band of the World. Their song ‘RAVEN’ is indieSolo’s official MMA song of 2009. Big thanks to ALL the bands and their amazing fans for voting and supporting their favourite artists.

Thanks to all fans and friends who support us at that battle!

Cheers’’

www.afflictionsite.com/

 In this process, the first demo release “DRAIN” was taking on a shape with which they firstly attained to the audience. HASAN GOCMEN was taking place as vocal in these records. The feed back of “Drain” brought them to be the warm-up band for the concert of the EXODUS in Istanbul in 2006. Then a new leaf turned over and they released the second demo “MIND HEALING” featuring Mert PAPIK with vocals. The feed back of the second demo brought them an agreement with Atlantis Muzik. So INSISTENCE started to record the first debut album “COXISTENCE KEY” in 2007. They attained to the crew with visuality by recording a music video for a song from this album named “FILLER”. They received an invitation for UNIROCK 2008 Open Air Festival. After departuring from the festival with a successful performance, they still had the same problems about releasing the debut album. The problems reflected to the band and they entered a waiting process in October 2008 and April 2009. After 6 months, Mert PAPIK decided to split, and INSISTENCE decided to come together and started to look for another vocal for the band. After a while, Cagatay OZKAN charged with vocal duties and INSISTENCE started to continue on their way. They also decided to attain to the audience with their first debut album “COEXISTENCE KEY” which they wanted to be downloaded through internet free and unlimited. And now… After July 2009, the before mentioned album “COEXISTENCE” is able to be downloaded free from the band’s official website: www.insistencemetal.com

INSISTENCE tries to go great guns with taking place in the same stages with the prestigious bands like EXODUS, CALIBAN, TESTAMENT, OPETH. In July 2009, INSISTENCE, which fit 2 demo and a debut album between 2006-2009, continues to work on their second album and performing on prestigious concerts.

The contact ways for getting in touch with INSISTENCE:

Official Website : www.insistencemetal.com
Myspace Profile : www.myspace.com/insistencemetal
E-mail Address : info@insistencemetal.com
Management&Gigs&Merchandise : info@metaltr.net

I wish to start with a short question. How do you identify LOTD?

LOTD is all about speed, thrash but with a modern touch

What did the LOTD live within the 3-4 years after changing the name? If we will compare with Occult, LOTD seems as more popular whether the gigs they have participate or sales. What do you think about this and also what causes this in your aspect?

We had a big promotion compaign around the new name, it was planned really well + with the new name we didn’t have the negativity behind us that we had with occult

I guess one of the most asked question is about the transform of Occult into LOTD. Actually I want to ask the same thing for the ones who are curious and also the ones who do not know the essence of the matter. Why did you want to give a new direction to Occult, which has been active between 1992 – 2005 and also which has had a place in its genre?

It was really neccesary, we headed towards a brick wall, there was in the end alot of shit going on, so we really had to change the name.

I guess some of our major questions will be the differences between LOTD and Occult Another conspicuous thing is that the band Occult –which has more extended past- mostly toured in Germany and Netherlands but LOTD has taken place with the festivals that has been known in all over the world.  What are the reasons of it?

LOTD just became known and selling good albums, festivals all over the world were intrested in booking LOTD, with Occult with struggled and mostly did tours in central europe.

I have watched the gigs of LOTD by videos. I see that you and the audience get heavy enthusiastic in the gigs. How do you consider the contact of the audience and band? In which aspect must it be?

Its really important, therefor I like to play in smaller clubs, because at big festivals the contact between the band and audiences is not always possible.

LOTD has been shown as one of the best band which reflects the soul of the 80’s Thrash with modernizing it. I guess it is not wrong to say that you have a musical structure which keeps alive the Thrash explosion that has started at 80’s.  What are your aspects in this subject? Will LOTD walk in the same path or shall there be any changes of style in course of time?

Thats hard to say what the future brings, but I guess we will never drastically change anything!

The album “Feel The Blade” which is the re-record of the “Elegy for the Weak” has taken good reviews from all over the world. What was the aspect of re-recording this album?

It was just released under the name Occult, it was a great album and a pitty if the newer fans wouldn’t know of this one, so we did a rerelease in a great package!

I guess “Sons of the Jackal” was one of the most popular album of the band. Especially the cover design was great. What kind of reviews do you take about your albums? Which album do the audience like most?

Poeh, hard to say, I hear mostly that fans like our first album, I guess its something like movies, always the first part of a trilogy movie is the best, rocky I, Rambo I, Die Hard I etc..haha

How was it to work with a veteran as Andy Classen for LOTD?

Super! He was the best choice for the albums we have recorded until now, and we started a good friendship, it was always a pleasure and relaxing time recording with him

I want to talk about Twan who has left the band. The togetherness which has started at 1999 has finished after a while LOTD had been active. Shall we get detailed information of the reasons of this decision?

He had become dad for the 2nd time when we toured with Kataklysm, we spoke about him that his family is important and that it will be tough for him to go away for 3 weeks and not seeing his new born baby son, when something happened to his kid and came in hospital he had to leave the tour, so we told him its best that he would stop the band and focus on his family.

Lets talk about the other projects of the band members. As I know noone except Richard (Inhume) has other project. Can you give us a little bit information about your ex-projects and the reasons of abandonment? Are there any projects that shall take place in the future for any member?

None of the bandmembers have other projects, we are all to busy with legion of the damned, Richard was in Inhume in 1995, only the new bassist Harold had 2 projects: Charlie Adler and Inhume, but he stopped doing both bands because of Legion of the damned

You have a cooperation with Massacre Records that has begun at the Occult period. And you are working with them for a long time. I have heard good things about Massacre Records with the other bands that I have interviewed. What are your aspects about Massacre Records?

There is nothing to complain, they are doing there job, but don’t forget we are licensed to Massacre we never signed to Massacre, we signed to Boomer Entertainment.

You have given some personal information in your website. I will have a little questionnaire at the end of the interview. But we wish to know the members of LOTD with your own words.

We are all like brothers, I have been in the band with Erik for almost 20 years, with richard almost 18 years or 17 years, we know eachother very well and we never have fights, this makes it very pleasant, everybody knows in the band what his role is, so there is never any discussion or anything.

My last question is about our country. What do you know about Turkey in aspect of musical or cultural? And what do you think? Did you ever get any gig offer or do you want to have a gig in our country?

I don’t know much about Turkey, its always hard to imagine that there is a metal scene, because you never hear from this country, but its good to hear that metal is also alive in turkey

I want to ask you some questions that has been asked in the forum topic which I had opened for LOTD.

Maybe it is a negative review but I wanted to ask it to you.

“Elegy For The Weak” was a great album which has kept great thrash elements in. And also this album was a crescendo for Occult. Why did they changed their name and started to release low level albums? Were not they glad with the job they had done with the “Elegy For The Weak” ?

I don’t know what this means, I mean the albums that we recorded with LOTD would be the same for occult, so it makes no difference, everything stayed the same, if we had recorded sons of the jackal under Occult we would have the same album as with lotd only difference is that LOTD is known and Occult was not, Elegy for the weak was the first time to Andy Classen.

The second question is from another member of MetalTR.NET:

You are having so many gigs and also there are so many albums. How shall LOTD handle it?

Thats always hard, we are really busy with recording and playing, but its still to handle it, if we  wanted we could play even more but we keep it so that we can still do it.

The third question is about the “Full of Hate Tour”:

You have a busy schedule for 4 weeks. What are your expectation from the Full of Hate Tour? And shall you give us information about the other cities that you will visit for gig this year?

The expectations were great and the tour was great, we played big halls and the bands were really relaxed! Other places we play this year among them are portugal, greece, finland , germany and czech republic.

We shall add some questions according to your answers. I wish this interview to be the one which will introduce you entirely to your fans. So do you have any question that you wish to be asked or do you want us to touch on any subject specially? I will add a questionnaire at the end of this interview. I request every member of the band to reply those questions please. Do you have anything to ask as a musician to your fans –especially about Turkey? I shall reply your questions on behalf of them. I shall reply your questions about Turkey or a fan’s opinions. So we shall make this interview more colorful. But of course this is up to your request J In addition to these, we wish to get your pics which have been taken as promo for the latest album for using in this interview. Or we shall get the pics you wish for using in the interview.

Questionnaire (Every member has to reply all of them):

-          Equipment You Use (Trademark, Model): Shure Wireless

-          Birthday And Place: May 14th, Venlo

-          Favorite Bands: Nevermore, Devil Doll, Slayer, Sanctuary, Marduk, Destruction, Kreator

-          Favorite Albums: Slayer “Reign in blood”

-          Favorite Musician: Love Warrel dane’s voice

-          Spare Time Occupation: Don’t have any spare time

-          Favorite Drink: Coca/Pepsi

-          Favorite Food: Mostly meat and patato’s

-          The Best LOTD Album: Cult of the dead

-          The Best LOTD Concert: Up from the ground perhaps

-          Unforgottable Memory That Has Been Lived With LOTD: Wacken open air!

-          With Which Band You Dream To Be On Stage?: Slayer

-          The First Album You Have Bought: Something from Bathory

-          The Last Album You Have Bought: Thats hard because I hardly buy stuff, I mostly get stuff

-          Last Question: Philosophy of Life: Enjoy it the fullest

Thanks for your answers in advance.

Hope everything is allright with you. I will ask  a few questions about Sean Parker Band, then I will try to introduce Sean Parker to our users deeply. It seems as if you know Turkish people well in your writings. Turkish people are well known with their friendliness attitudes. I will try to  ask my questions as friendliness as public. Hope you will be insightful about this

 Click to Continue

I want to ask a special question first… I think you have a very different, maybe a little adventurer mentality. All of us know that England has more facilities for music than Turkey. And also Sean Parker Band’s genre is more regular for Brits than Turks. So, -as you guess- my first question is, why did you leave your country and make your music in Turkey? I am really very curious about it.

In addition to the fondness I had for Turks already, I also could see that the world was getting smaller, and you can follow your creative drive wherever you are. Just because you move the centre of operations doesn’t mean that you have to give up all you’ve worked for. Also, Istanbul is an incredibly inspiring place to live and write.

You have released a very different album last year. Let’s start with it. “A Gun to the Temple” is a very different mixture. Everyone whom I have talked and wanted to comment on this album say that they are glad about this work which includes different genres in. How did you bring this idea to light?

It was just a progression on from the Istanbul album of 2006 and Transport EP of 2007. The first one was very indie, low key, and quite weird, and I wanted this one to be bigger sounding, and somehow accessible. I also liked the idea of psychedelic disco punk, a little like Spirits, sitting with something softer, like Whose.

I have another question on this subject… How could you name Sean Parker Band’s genre?

Today’s Zaman named it Art Rock, and I’m happy enough about that. Brings to mind The Fall, Roxy Music and Devo…

I guess the most famous name in the band is the drummer Muratcan Akçay (Magick, Tushe). Shall you please give us some information about the line up and the guest musicians who take place on album records?

A Gun To The Temple was recorded at SG Studios in Tunel, with Sertaç Guler co-producing, engineering and playing some additional guitar. Matthew Lemon, of Pis Yabancı also helped out on clarinet – and the guitar solos on Whose and Cascade are his. Fehmi Suda is our bassist of about a year, and there isn’t a musician in Istanbul who doesn’t know of him. I used to play in a band called It, and the bass player for them, Bob Lanz, also did the original bass line to Spit It Out. I hope Sarp Sanin and Erdem Yener will appear on the new album.

What is the founding story of Sean Parker Band? How did this project bring to light?

Playing live is a matter of confidence, and I had it after A Gun To The Temple was finished, so it was time to get a group together. Kenan Doğru, our first guitarist, and another few musicians had been students of mine, and I had heard their skills, and enjoyed it. There was a revolving door policy for a while, until Ayşe Akarsu (Sultan) introduced me to MCA, the drummer Banu Aydin introduced me to Fehmi, and Thomas Patron, french lead guitarist, went off to Thailand. Then I picked up the guitar, and that’s the current incarnation.

Did you get any reaction about the name of the band? The bands which are founded under a personal name take reaction in Turkey mostly. Did you receive any negative comment about this from your audience?

The reason we are called this is because I write the songs, played almost everything on both albums so far, and I’m the long-lasting member. Also, it’s honest. If anyone has had a problem with it, they haven’t let me know about it.

What about the aspect of Turkish audience to Sean Parker Band?

Sorry I don’t understand this question..

I have heard really great comments about “A Gun to the Temple”. What about the next album? Will there be any new album in these days? And also I wish to ask if new album will include different genres as “A Gun to the Temple”?

The next album will be named FLAMINGO, we’re recording it at the moment, and hopefully it will be out in the autumn – with a launch party at Ghetto. Our sound is different and far more idiosyncratic now – we have the power of a live band, and a well drilled-one. We’re listening to lots of Morphine, Talking Heads, Simon & Garfunkel and Lightning Bolt these days, so who knows how it will end up. It’s punky, raucous, very tuneful, abstract solos, with Fehmi playing like a snake wrestling with a rhinocerous.

And the last question about the band: Shall you tell us a little about your future projects?

There is the album, and this major show at Ghetto (hopefully Black Schwartz will come along for that one), the Eclectica festival at Yadikule in september – with Gold Blade, Malice In Wonderland and others – and another show at Dogzstar, our favourite Istanbul venue. There is talk of appearing on Gece Gündüz on NTV, and performing on Cine 5, radio appearances on The Pena Show on YÖN radyo with wonderful Ahmet Durakçı, and Adam Walton, BBC DJ, is a fan of our work, so we will make sure Flamingo is played on his show.

I want to start to ask personal questions now.

You have got your biography on some websites like MySpace, Facebook, etc. But we wish to know Sean Parker by his own words. Shall you introduce yourself by your own words?

Sean is an addition to my birth name of Ben. I added it in 1995 because of a stammer I had since I was 5, and couldn’t say B properly. I’m 34.

In Turkey you have played in some venues like Shaft, Kemancı, etc. And as I know you visit these venues often. What about the comments of people for your music or yourself?

To my face or behind my back? Most people are really positive and encouraging, but you need a thick skin. I’m quite outspoken, and happily complain that, even at famous places like Kemancı and Shaft, there are only covers bands. It’s nice to be an original live music pioneer, and I won’t stop that. It’s why places such as Dogzstar and Peyote are so important. A couple of people have asked why I write about turkish music, advise me to concentrate on my own music, and one criticised me for supposedly taking the stage away from Turkish musicians! Told me to go home to my ‘home’ country.

It is clearly seen on your “IstanbullDogs” writing that you really follow Turkish Rock culture intimately. And also it is clearly seen that you are against the unnecessary popularity. I wish to celebrate you for this writing. Shall you please share your opinions about Rock and Metal music culture in Turkey?

Every week I find a new track or tracks that I really love – and I really love tracks when I love them. The audiences are very behaved generally – real mosh pits are hard to find, sadly. Dorock appears to be the place to be these days, wonderful in the summer, and a real hub for musicians and rock lovers. Because everyone knows each other and everyone has played in each others bands’, and due to a natural turkish politeness, people are not generally overly-critical of each others’ music, albums or shows – not openly anyway. It would be great to see an alternative rock weekly paper, like the NME, released here.

 (P.S.: You may find Sean Parker’s İstanbullDogs writing herein below: http://www.resetmagazine.net/resetsayi36/muzik/IstanbullDogs-2009.html)

We know that you have written all of the songs in “A Gun to the Temple” album. Is there any project on writing a Turkish song? Or shall there be any surprise like a cover of one of the oldest Turkish Rock bands?

Heheh. My Turkish isn’t good enough! Above The Warzone has two turkish lines in it, and a new song from Flamingo (a great heavy one), Starting A Fight,  has some too – like a rhythmic device. That’s how my lyrics and singing are these days, simply rhythmic devices – don’t look for too much meaning in them. If I were a better guitarist I would love to cover Moğollar’s 2578 (?) – no lyrics, or many things by Manço or Koray. You never know.

just don’t forget the website www.myspace.com/seanparkeristanbul

Questionnaire (Every member has to reply all of them):

-          Equipment You Use (Trademark, Model): the worst Jackson japanese piece of trash in the world. I break my guitars too often to buy expensive ones

-          Birthday And Place: 19th May 1975, Exeter, UK

-          Favorite Bands: The Flaming Lips, Queens Of The Stone Age, Talking Heads, The Clash

-          Favorite Albums: The Flaming Lips ‘The Soft Bulletin’, David Bowie ‘Low’, Talking Heads ‘More Songs Abour Buildings And Food’, MGMT ‘Oracular Spectacular’, Athena ‘Herşey Yolunda’

-          Favorite Musician: David Bowie

-          Spare Time Occupation: teaching english

-          Favorite Drink: Efes Pilsen. or milk

-          Favorite Food: anything turkish homemade

-          The Best Sean Parker Band Track: Spit It Out. or Spirits

-          The Best Sean Parker Band Gig: Dogzstar, june 2009

-          Unforgottable Memory That Has Been Lived With Sean Parker Band: burning onstage at Istanbul Kültür Universite festival show, with two russian girl friends and MTV reps nearby, drinking Jack Daniels from paper bottles.

-          Unforgottable Memory That Has Been Lived in Turkey: headbutts, glassings, punches, earthquakes, thefts, muggings, attempted slashings, member exposure…

-          With Which Band You Dream To Be On Stage?: The Flaming Lips, The Rolling Stones or Fugazi

-          The First Album You Have Bought:Fine Young Cannibals ‘The Raw And The Cooked’

-          The Last Album You Have Bought: Tom Waits ‘Franks Wild Years’

-          Last Question: Philosophy of Life: You will regret the things you didn’t do much more than the things you did..

Thanks for your answers in advance.

Thank you Umit

Umit Gundogdu

Thanks for accepting my interview offer. What is going on with the Dagor Dagorath frontage? Is everything allright?

Thank you, we are all fine!

We will add the Dagor Dagorath biography in our website but I wish to identify you with your expression. Shall you tell us a little bit about Dagor Dagorath? Why did you choose the name Dagor Dagorath which means “the war of the wars”?

Our band was created around 2003 by me and by my two companions Getman Azach and Mizgir. We chose that name because it suits us perfect, Dagor Dagorath is some kind of our personal war…

Yezar Ha`Ra is our first full album. In Hebrew it means an evil inclination, some kind of evil and desires that exist in all of us. Its not a conceptual album but “Yetzer Ha`Ra” is a very good title that conducts the main idea of the album. Lyrics unlike at the demo are not about paganism and battles,
but about some deeper issues like finding your own way and some inner fight with your personal evil. 
Second one is about the recording process. As I have read in your biography, you have started to record the “Yetzer Ha’Ra” in 2007. Why will it be released in this summer? Did you try to gather the materials or could not you find any label for recording?

there were many different reasons why it took so many time, we have worked on a record mainly at the week-ends, had changed the things…

Did mix and mastering couple of times in different studios and of course it took us some time to find a label that we would be satisfied with.

No, for now we have any professional video… it`s  an uneasy and also kinda expensive process. Many nice bands I know  still don’t have any videos. But I am sure in the future we’ll have the video maybe not for ths album but with for next one for sure.

We did many gigs with many different bands here in Israel. We get some proposals to perform outside the Israel but some of us were very busy here so we just can not go.

The main reason was that he was busy with  his other projects and couldn’t give us attention we wanted. But still he helped us to record the album, he is a very good drummer and friend.

I have listened the perfect folk/black metal song “The First Battle” in your MySpace profile. You have really made a great job. Will there be any tracks in the new album like “The First Battle”?

No, at the new album you will hear a few of folk and pagan… we took the “Yetzer Ha`Ra” to the different direction, mixed sympho keys with death riffs. Also we didn’t use acoustic guitar, but you’re right it`s very good song and we  enjoy to play it live.

I wish to talk about your pre-works. You have released a demo in 2005. Then in 2007 with “Times of Distress” and 2008 with “Olokun” you have used the songs from demo in your split albums. How were the process of split albums? How did you get in contact with Azagatel and Firth of Damnation who had taken place in the split album?

We didn’t re-record the demo, we decided to go on and to concentrate our efforts on creating new songs. Recently we decided to re-record one song from demo. Maybe we’ll use it on our future releases.  

Larion has joined the band last year. What is Larion’s assignment precisely? Will he assist in the band exept the live performances?

We searched for vocalist because I wanted to concentrate on guitar. By the time Larion  joined us we’ve already finished to record vocals, but you still can hear her clean vocal on the album. We want Larion to become one of one and take part on the next album. Larion was very precious assignment for DD, she adds more energy to our live shows and new ideas.

I wish to ask about Corpse Paint which I have already asked before for the article. What does Corpse Paint mean for you? Is it something necessary for Black Metal or is it only an image?

As you know Israel is a very small country, quite isolated from Europe, but we have many bands here. Most popular genres here I think are metal core and nu-metal… Israel is very affected by European and American metal scenes what popular there is – very quickly becomes popular here. There are some world known bands here like Salem and Orphaned Land. And what about magazines, there is one printed magazine and some internet zines dedicated to metal…

Now we have started working on new material but it`s early to talk about it. Next summer we plan to play some live shows outside of islael, maybe on some europian summer fest, we’ll see…

I will have 2 more questions which are not about music. First: What do the Dagor Dagorath line-up do exept music? Do all of you make money with your music?

2nd question is a little bit politic and it is out of our theme. But I wish to ask it. (If you do not want to answer, its ok.) What are your opinions about the long-term battle between Israel and Pelistan?

I don’t really want to talk with you about all this politic shit…

 
We shall add some questions according to your answers. I wish this interview to be the one which will introduce you entirely to your fans. So do you have any question that you wish to be asked or do you want us to touch on any subject specially? I will add a questionnaire at the end of this interview. I request every member of the band to reply those questions please. Do you have anything to ask as a musician to Metallovers–especially about Turkey? I shall reply your questions on behalf of them or we shall ask it to them. So we shall make this interview more colorful. But of course this is up to your request In addition to these, we wish to get your pics which have been taken as promo for the latest album for using in this interview. Or we shall get the pics you wish for using in the interview.

Questionnaire (Every member has to reply all of them):

VOROG
- Equipment You Use (Trademark, Model): Ibanez and Framus guitar, Laboga amp, Boss Gt6 multi
- Birthday And Place: 10.85 Ukraine
- Favorite Bands: Its changes every time, for know I think its Satyricon, Devil driver, Watain…
- Favorite Albums:
- Favorite Musician:
- Spare Time Occupation: read books, drink with the friends
- Favorite Drink: Vodka, beer, arak (raki?)
- Favorite Food: everything with meat.
- The Best Dagor Dagorath Track: didn’t wrote yet
- The Best Dagor Dagorath Gig: I think the first, if not the best but most exited for sure.
- Unforgettable Memory That Has Been Lived With Dagor Dagorath: To see from the stage the people getting crazy on you show
- With Which Band You Dream To Be On Stage?: Cradle of filth… their shows are always great.
- The First Album You Have Bought: pantera – cowboys from hell
- The Last Album You Have Bought: arch enemy- rise of the tyrants
- Last Question: Philosophy of Life:

Larion

- Shure SM series, Sennheiser.

- 11/1984 Ukraine

- Emperor/Dissection/Urgehal/Azaghal etc.

- All of them:)

- Jon R.I.Chaos

- reading,movies,discussions

- Pils,Guinness,Juices

- something not gen-modified:)

- for now Maze of Madness

- not yet:)

- the whole time spent is unforgettable

- Dissection

- Death-don’t remember which

- Emperor -whole collection /remastered

- Keep your mind out of the world’s net

Thanks for your answers in advance.

Umit Gundogdu

 Story of Ensiferum

1995
Markus Toivonen played guitar with some friends in a band called ”Dark Reflections” which played mainly covers of certain heavy metal bands including Megadeth, Pantera and many others.

Later on Markus felt that the band in which he was playing offered him very little inspiration and wanted to play something different. Markus was hugely inspired by folk music and also found himself fascinated about melodic death metal bands, like Amorphis and Dark Tranquility. Then one day Markus asked the band’s drummer, Kimmo Miettinen, if he wanted to play heroic folk ’death’ metal with him. Kimmo agreed. Next Markus and Kimmo asked their friend Sauli Savolainen, if he wanted to come and play the bass. Fortunately he said yes. Now they had a band. Only trouble was that the band had no name at the time. One day Markus was visiting Sauli at his home, when he found a book. A Latin Dictionary. Markus casually opened the book. And from the first randomly picked page he glanced at a word. Ensiferum. Markus found the word fascinating and when he read the translation he got really excited of this word…

1996
Ensiferum started it’s training in January 1996 at the Pasila Youthcenter in Helsinki (the same place their earlier band Dark Reflections had their rehearsals). Markus begun writing songs in 1995, which he got finished later 1996. The songs were ”Knighthood”, ”Old Man (Väinämöinen)” and ”Frost”. Later in the same year Markus lured Jari Mäenpää (at the time a member of a band Immemorial and an experienced solo artist) to join his band as a singer and a second guitarist. Jari came aboard with some great skills and excellent musical ideas. Thus the band was no longer a trio, but a quartet. Jari proved to be a skillfull lyricist and wrote the lyrics on ”Old Man”. The two other songs required no new lyrics for Jari to write, because Markus had done the original lyrics on ”Knighthood” and Sauli to ”Frost”. So Jari just improved them. Ensiferum had their first concert at Pasila Youthcenter in December 1996. Ironically, they perfomed just one song, ”Old Man”, which was the only song including finished lyrics.

1997
Jari went to army in January and the band was in halt. The rest of the guys used this spare time to improve their playing skills. Ensiferum had two unofficial gigs in Pasila (the other in the Youthcenter and the other one outside of it) with a strange line-up…
Jari finished his duty in the army in the fall of 1997 and Ensiferum started training heavily for the first demo, which was recorded at Kivi-Studios in November. The demo included three songs, ”Frost”, ”Old Man” and ”Knighthood”, and the demo had the spread of almost 300 copies in the following year.

1998
At the release of the demo Ensiferum did yet another two concerts in Pasila. New songs got finished, including ”Little Dreamer (Väinämöinen II)”. But Ensiferum had to take a little breather. And things didn’t get any easier because Kimmo Miettinen joined the band ArthemesiA and Sauli Savolainen concentrated on his job and school. That year Oliver Fokin had quit playing drums in ArthemesiA and had a few short jamming sessions with Markus in an old bomb shelter at Munkkiniemi, Helsinki. One thing led to another and Oliver agreed to play drums in the band. So one might say that Ensiferum and ArthemesiA had a change of drummers. Roughly about the same time Sauli was freshed out of the inthusiasm toward Ensiferum and was replaced by Kimmo Miettinen’s little brother, Jukka-Pekka Miettinen. Funnily, at the time he started to play bass in Ensiferum he was only fourteen years old. Now there was a new line-up ready to head the challenges of the second demo. And they had a new training facility: the bomb shelter in Munkkiniemi.

1999
The second demo was recorded in January 1999 at MD-Studios. The demo included 4 songs: ”The Dreamer’s Prelude”, ”Little Dreamer (Väinämöinen II)”, ”Warrior’s Quest” and ”White Storm”. The second demo was technically evolved and although it missed narrowly giving a record deal to Ensiferum it gave confidence to the band. They gained more experience in a local band contest and after that they started to record their third and final demo in November 1999 once again at MD-Studios with the help of Janne Joutsenniemi (a member of Stone and Sub-Urban Tribe) who recorded and mixed the demo in a very short studio session. The demo included 4+1 songs: ”Intro”, ”Hero In A Dream”, ”Eternal Wait”, ”Battle Song” and a bonus song ”Guardians Of Fate”, which was recorded at Jari’s home with a drum machine. ”Eternal Wait” had a guest female vocalist Johanna Vakkuri, a friend of the band. The demo was released with a new band logo, which was designed and conceived by Tuomas Tahvanainen, the same guy, who designed the two earlier logos.

2000
The third demo had great reviews and was awarded to be the top demos of the month in several different publishes. And it also got the eagerly awaited attention amongst the record labels. Once Spinefarm record company got hold of the demo they contacted Ensiferum immediately and started negotiating about the possability of a record deal. In the meanwhile, Ensiferum went in a local band contest and was among the top finalists of that year. Roughly the same time a record deal was finally made with Spinefarm. Ensiferum recorded their debut album in November 2000 at Sundi-Coop Studios in Savonlinna with Tuomo Valtonen (studio engineerer). The album featured such guest musicians as Trollhorn (keyboards), Johanna Vakkuri (guest female vocals) and Marita Toivonen (kantele).

2001
In the spring of 2001 the debut album was mixed by Tuomo Valtonen in his studio. Tuomo Valtonen made the record ballsy, as he always does. At similar times Ensiferum had a new addition to it’s line-up: a keyboard player. Meiju Enho joined Ensiferum and so the band became five-membered. Debut album ”Ensiferum” was released in July 2001 and the feedback was tremendous.

2003-2004
To record “Iron” Ensiferum travelled all the way to Copenhagen’s Sweet Silence studios in the summer of 2003. The reason for choosing a foreign studio was the studio´s owner, the famed producer Flemming Rasmussen, who has in the past recorded and produced such famed albums as Metallica´s “Master of Puppets” and “Ride the Lightning”. “Iron” was then recorded, produced and mixed by Rasmussen.
After the recordings Ensiferum announced with a sad heart that their singer/guitarist Jari Mäenpää had made the decision of leaving the band. The search for a replacement was started immediately due to the band´s busy touring schedule, and soon a new singer was found in the form of Norther´s lead singer Petri Lindroos. Soon the temporary replacement for Jari took over his duties when Ensiferum toured Europe with Finntroll and The Wake during the Spring of 2004.

Article written by Miska Engström

Myspace Bio:

Diskografi: http://www.ensiferum.com/e_html/e_releases.htm

Farklı kaynaklar:

http://sozluk.sourtimes.org/show.asp?t=ensiferum

http://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ensiferum

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ensiferum

http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=332