The latest album from veteran Finnish folksters Ensiferum is Winter Storm. We caught up with vocalist/bassist Sami Hinkka, who gives us the lowdown on the new record and other topics.
Chad Bowar: What led to the four year span between albums?
Sami Hinkka: We released our previous album in 2020 in the middle of COVID-chaos. Usually we’ll tour for like two years when an album comes out and now our calendar was empty. It was really hard to get back into composing mode. And naturally the uncertain future didn’t help. But out of this despair and frustration Winter Storm was born.
Was there anything unique about the songwriting process for Winter Storm compared to your previous albums?
We compose and arrange songs as a band. When COVID hit and all shows were canceled, I had to take a day job which meant that I couldn’t be in the rehearsal room as much as before. Luckily Markus finally got recording software so he could do a lot of pre-arrangement with the raw songs, like checking options for harmonies, chord progressions, etc. Stuff that we usually do together. This helped us to finish the album at least in this pace. Of course we spent countless hours together in the rehearsal room to be sure that every riff, melody and song are the best version of themselves.
What will be your strongest memory of the recording of the album?
I’d say the choir recording sessions. All squeezed in a singing booth, singing and shouting from the bottom of our hearts. And as you start to get bunch of lead and harmony tracks building up, it’s amazing feeling to hear how powerful they become. And these are usually recorded when everything else is done so the songs start to sound more finalized and you get this ”we did it!” feeling.
What was the biggest challenge in its creation?
Finding the mood to go back to rehearsal room and start to compose again. And personally, this was definitely the hardest album to write lyrics to, or even to find the topic.
What is the album’s concept?
The lyrics are based on a fragment from my unpublished fantasy novel. I never thought that I would use it for the lyrics of Ensiferum but it felt like a right decision because the album became so epic and cinematic.
How has your sound evolved from Thalassic?
Hard to say. We had pretty much the same team for the both albums so I’d say the biggest difference is in the actual song material. Thalassic was much more straight forward album and Winter Storm challenges a listener to dive deep in the vortex of a fantasy universe.
How did Madeleine Liljestam’s guest appearance come about, and what did it add to the album?
”Scars In My Heart” is one of the most beautiful songs Ensiferum has ever made but we noticed quite fast that the vocals would be an issue. We recorded demos with Pekka’s clean voice and even with Pete’s harsh vocals but they just didn’t feel right. We all agreed that the song needs female vocals but we weren’t sure who would be the perfect singer for this song. We met Madeleine on a tour and we loved her voice. We asked if she would be interessed to sing one song on the upcoming album and listened to the demo in our tour bus together. She loved the song, flew to Helsinki after the tour and nailed the song in the studio. Her voice and her role on the album emphasize the story telling aspect of Winter Storm.
How did you decide on the cover songs on the special edition, and how did you approach the arrangements?
Cover/bonus songs are always fun to do. We had the idea for ”Lambada” for years and the drums were actually recorded already in the Thalassic session but then we ran out of studio time to record the rest. ”Six Ribbons” is a bit more serious cover where as ”Lambada” was just about fooling around and having fun.
How was the video shoot for “Winter Storm Vigilantes”?
Until Winter Storm I’ve never been a fan of making music videos simply because we never had a budget to make videos to match our epic music. But now we managed to convince Metal Blade that we should really put extra effort to the videos because the album has so strong story. In the end we’ll release four videos and they kinda create a short movie and this is something I’m super excited about. The band scenes were shot in a studio and everything went super smoothly. Marcin (the video guy) has done his best with the scripts that I sent him and to be honest, I have no idea how he made things so awesome because we don’t have a budget of ”Lord Of The Rings” (yet).
How important are videos these days in the promotion process?
I think a good video can help you reach a lot of people but that’s the tricky part, you need to have some idea for the videos and not just guys moshing in a forest.
What were some of the highlights of your summer festival season?
After so many quiet years, every show feels like you just won in a lottery. I love playing live even more than working in a studio and festival shows are always very special for me.
You have some European shows coming up. Any plans for a North American tour this album cycle?
Absolutely! Next two years are gonna be very busy for Ensiferum and we have plans to return to North America soon with a killer tour package.
Where haven’t you played live that you’d still like to get to?
Antarctica is the last continent for us to conquer but of course there are many places, countries and cities besides that I’d love to visit. Like Alaska and Hawaii!
What’s the coolest site/attraction you’ve visited while on tour?
Unfortunately being on a tour and being the main guy to give interviews, I haven’t had that many opportunities to visit all the sites and attractions I would’ve wanted. For example, I’ve been in NY many times but I’ve never seen the Statue of Liberty. Insane, right? When I have a chance, I love to walk around the cities or the nearby nature of venues.
Are there plans for another October Falls album?
I hope so! But for this, I’m just a studio musician so it’s completely up to Mikko Lehto.
What was the response to the latest Metal De Facto album released earlier this year?
Really good! Lots of good feedback around the world and the shows we did were fantastic. We are currently working on pre-production of the third album and I think we’ll start the drum recordings during 2024. This means that the second part of Land Of The Rising Sun should be out next year and. So all you heavy and power metal fans, check it out!
Are you currently involved in any other bands/projects?
I’m always interessed about studio projects with my friends. And of course I have my solo project ssSHhh where I am absolutely free to compose and release anything. It’s also a learning process for me to get better with my mixing skills. I have like 20 songs almost ready but it’s been so hectic lately, that this band has been on hold. I already got the first inquiries for doing shows with ssSHhh but I won’t take it on stages before I have around ten songs that I see are strong enough. But eventually, that will happen too and my plan is just sing on these shows so I need to some up with the live lineup. But as I said, this not happening anytime soon. New Ensiferum and Metal De Facto albums need to get out and both bands need to get back on the road.
What are some of your non-musical interests and hobbies?
I love movies and reading, I have three cats and I’m passionate about astronomy.
Anything else you’d like to mention or promote?
Promote? Common sense and reason! (laughs) But anyway, enjoy the new album and hope to see you all on the upcoming tours!
(interview published October 17, 2024)
Watch Ensiferum – “Winter Storm Vigilantes” Video
