Battle Metal! (A Finnish Summer (DVD))

Member Name: tinkabubble

Product:	A Finnish Summer (DVD)
Date:	12/10/09 (20 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great live footage as well as a humorous and interesting documentary

Disadvantages: None

First of all, for those who aren't familiar with the band already, let me give them a brief introduction! Hailing from Finland, the band are part if the folk metal genre, along with bands such as Korpiklaani and Finntroll. Formed by lead singer Mathias Nygard and guitarist Jussi Wickstrom in 1997, the band now consist, after many departures and only a few replacements, of these two original members along with drummer Tude Lehtonen, bass guitarist Hannes Horma, Violinist Olli Vanska and Accordionist Netta Skog.
The band, named after the Finnish god of war Turisas, draw inspiration from the past (the band suggest about 1000 AD), writing and performing songs with a deep historical content on subjects such as battle, warriors and myth. Indeed, if one song from their catalogue describes their music and their concerts, it's 'Battle Metal'. Truly embracing this aspect of their music, the band wear red and black war paint on their faces and arms on stage, and also have stage costumes consisting of leathers and fur. Singer Mathias is known onstage and amongst fans as Warlord Nygard. It's all very interesting!
I don't agree with wearing fur and so was disappointed when I checked to find that it was real fur, however, in an interview with singer Mathias Nygard, he tells that the fur, belonging to a "supikoira", and the leather is the same now as it was at the beginning of their careers; they haven't obtained any replacements. He says that it actually came from a factory which had a problem with a spillage and were going to simply throw the fur away, but Turisas said they would have it and make use out of it. He says that he is not a fan of fur wearing, but believes that if an animal is killed, it shouldn't be wasted.
However, because of their costumes and their historical references in the song 'Holmgard and Beyond', I have to admit when I first heard them (this was the song that I heard first) I didn't really take them seriously enough, and it wasn't until sometime afterwards, seeing them live at Bloodstock Open Air, that I realised how amazing their music actually was, so please don't make the same mistake!

This DVD is a great introduction to the band. It features concert footage of over an hour long taken from various performances, all in Finland, from various festivals over the summer of 2008. They are a fantastic band live; when I saw them, they really blew me away with how together they were and how they had all these understandings between the fans and themselves. Mathias Nygard is also an amazing front man, really commanding the audience, and they stand out from most other bands with their use of the accordion and violin, on which the solos are played rather than on guitar. Seeing them performing onstage also highlights what great musicians they are, with Olli, for example, walking around playing his beautiful violin parts seemingly effortlessly (and from personal experience, I know what a difficult instrument it is!) and Netta barely having to look at her hands on the accordion as she sings along.

The track listing for the concert is as follows:

1. As Torches Rise - 5.24
2. To Holmgard and Beyond - 5.26
3. A Portage to the Unknown - 5.37
4. The Messenger - 4.42
5. One More - 7.10
6. In The Court of Jarisleif - 6.23
7. Fields of Gold - 4.47
8. The Dnieper Rapids - 5.22
9. The Land of Hope and Glory - 6.26
10. Miklagard Overture - 11.12
11. Sahti-Waari - 3.33
12. Rasputin - 7.34
13. Battle Metal - 6.56


And the footage is filmed at:

Ruisrock 2008 - Turku, Finland
Nummirock 2008 - Nummijarvi, Finland
Ilosaarirock 2008 - Joensuu, Finland
Wanaja 2008 - Hameelinna, Finland
Voimasointu 2008 - Mantyharju, Finland

And yes, you did see Rasputin on that list! The band do a cover of the Bony M classic and perform it live at most shows I believe, where they split the audience in two and have a sing off, one half lead by Netta and the other by Olli, as they do in this DVD. There is also the video for 'Rasputin' as part of the bonus material.

All of the performances on this DVD are great; even though some of the audiences are only very small, and even when Mathias is ill, the band still give it their all, dancing around on stage and getting the audience going. Other favourite performances of mine include; 'Holmgard And Beyond', 'A Portage To The Unknown', 'One More', 'Milkgard Overture' and 'Battle Metal'.

Also on the disc, the 70 minute documentary - 'A Finnish Summer With Turisas' - follows the band as they head to and play these various summer festivals around Finland as they explain the origins of the band, about their costumes (it's funny seeing them all discussing their costumes and how they decided on their individual costume and make-up - Hannes suggests that he just tries to look scary, where as Netta says she just piled some paint on to her face and that was it!). We see what happens when a tour bus breaks down and the band also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of foreign countries (I'm afraid the lasting impression of the UK is poor plumbing).

Jussi and Mathias take the audience on a tour of the studio where they recorded their first album and the band also stop during their tour to go to the forest to celebrate a traditional Finnish midsummer, where the sun never sets, and make the audience a part of this by explaining customs and traditions, such as the sauna, with even some cooking tips and how to keep your beer cool in a lake!

Singer Mathias takes viewers on a tour of Helsinki, which is very interesting; during the DVD is quickly becomes apparent that Mathias, who writes the majority of the music and lyrics, has a very genuine interest in history and mythology, and seems to know everything! As he takes us around Helsinki, he explains significant monuments and historical figures, which prompts the director to speed up much of what he says and add captions such as 'yawn' and 'bored already', which is funny.

On stage, the band are imposing and almost intimidating, however, off stage, they are quietly unassuming, but very funny! This is the great thing about this DVD, being able to see the band off stage too and to see what life on the road is like for them. Although the DVD would be great even without this, the documentary really helps to get a better understanding of the band and where their music comes from.

Finally, there is also a blooper real for more laughs, including giant eagles that fly over mountains screaming 'let's disco!' (I guess you just have to see it!)

All in all, I love this DVD, it has great music and a great daft comedy value in the documentary which always makes me laugh and cheers me up! It shows the band to be amazing musicians and performers, as well as apparently nice and genuine people off stage, which is always cool.

I'd recommend this for people who don't already know the band but are looking for something a bit different, as a great introduction to them and their music, as well as to fans of the band who don't already have it and fans of folk metal in general.

The DVD can also be bought as a two disc edition which comes with a bonus CD and also with war paint, but it didn't really seem worth the extra money. You can also check out their albums, 'Battle Metal' and 'The Varangian Way'.

Summary: A great introduction for new fans and a must have for established fans