RELEASED 21.8.2012
Ever since the release of their debut album “Spirit Of The Forest” in 2003, Finnish traditional folk metal pioneers KORPIKLAANI have continuously made their way to the top of the scene. Whether you take their early works such as “Voice Of Wilderness” (2005), “Tales Along This Road” (2006) and “Tervaskanto” (2007) or listen to the records of their Nuclear Blast era – namely “Korven Kuningas” (2008), “Karkelo” (2009) and “Ukon Wacka” (2011) – you’ll always conclude: KORPIKLAANI have established their very own style! It is the unique mixture of time-honoured folk tunes and incomparable party anthems à la `Vodka´, `Beer Beer´ or `Tequila´ that makes it impossible for every connoisseur of high-class handmade music to elude their almost magnetic attraction. Now, about one and a half years after the release of their last album, the workaholics return from their secret hideaway within the Finnish woods to take us on a fascinating trip to netherworld. Together with new band member Tuonas Rounakari, who replaces former violinist Jaakko Lemmetty and is all set to impress the listener with his amazing fiddling skills, KORPIKLAANI proudly present “Manala” – the 8th studio album of their career. One can get a first idea of the album’s white-knuckle concept when reading through Jonne’s summary of the storyline: “`Manala´ is the realm of the dead - the underworld in Finnish mythology. This place is best known for its appearance in the Finnish national epic Kalevala, on which many of our new songs are based. In the 16th poem of Kalevala, Väinämöinen, a shamanistic hero travels to Manala in search for knowledge about the dead. On his journey he meets the ferrywoman - a girl, Tuonen tytti, or Tuonen piika (Death's maid), who takes him across the river of Tuoni. However, on the isle of Tuoni he is not given the spells he was originally looking for and he barely manages to escape the place. After his return he curses anyone trying to enter the place alive.”
CD 1 Track list 1 - Kunnia 2 - Tuonelan Tuvilla 3 - Rauta 4 - Ruuminmultaa 5 - Petoeläimen Kuola 6 - Synkkä 7 - Ievan Polkka 8 - Husky Sledge 9 - Dolorous 10 - Uni 11 - Metsälle 12 - Sumussa Hämärän Aamun
CD 2 Track list 1 - Honor 2 - At The Huts Of The Underworld 3 - The Steel 4 - Soil Of The Corpse 5 - Predator's Saliva 6 - Dark Side 7 - Ieva's Polka 8 - Husky-Sledge 9 - Dolorous 10 - Dream 11 - Off To The Hunt