With Folk and Pagan metal seemingly on the ascendancy, we spoke to rising talent Jakke Viitale, frontman with FInland’s Crimfall, about coffee breaks, ski jumps, and the band’s single live show to date.

From: Uusimaa, Finland
Sounds like: Korpiklaani, Ensiferum, Battlelore
Website: www.MySpace.com/Crimfall

How did the members of the band meet?
I’m working in the same company with Mikko [Häkkinen, male vocals]. So as you can imagine, it takes only a couple of days before long haired guys get together on coffee breaks or such. Helena [Haaparanta, female vocals] was found from the internet. I had heard her previous band and she was exactly what Crimfall needed; a singer with thousand different singing techniques. First time I met her personally was when she came to our living room to perform in our only demo, ‘Burning Winds’. If I remember correctly Mikko and Helena met each other for the first time when we signed the contracts with Napalm Records.

Where in Finland did you grow up? How has it influenced your music?
I grew up in Kuopio; the same city where they have Puijo ski jumping world cup competition every year. I can’t say that the location itself has given me any inspiration, but my friends in Kuopio introduced me to some bands that rocked my world forever.

What are your musical influences?
My main influences come from movie side. There is nothing better than a good sound track. Composers like Michael Kamen, John Williams, Danny Elfman…and the list goes on… have done so amazing stuff that I just can’t stop listening. From metal side I like how Turisas and Dimmu Borgir have combined this movie element into their music.

With which band would your dream support slot be?
I think the best slots are those where the audience enjoys also the warm up band. So in that sense we might feel comfortable to do concerts with Turisas for example. Of course playing before Iron Maiden or Metallica would be an honour for us but I don’t know how our material would work in front of that audience.

What’s the best show you’ve played?
We have played only one show; the album release gig. So it is our best, worst, funniest, saddest, biggest and smallest concert…

Watch a bootleg clip of Crimfall’s one and only (so far) live show

How did you recruit Henri Sorvali [Finntroll, Moonsorrow] and Janne Jukarainen [Hanging Garden] to play on your album?
Henri is also a friend of mine. He had already heard my songs before the studio, so it was pretty natural to ask him in the first place. Janne answered to my message in musician forum (where we were searching for a drummer). After looking trough many different choices, Janne was the guy what we needed.

Pagan Metal looks set to become massive in 2009 – what are you plans for the coming year?
We would like to do as much shows or even longer touring as possible. But at the moment it is hard to tell if we will get enough attention and support to do touring with this album. Fingers crossed! At least I keep writing new material.

What other new band should everyone find out about?
Mikko just made an album with his other band, Draugnim. It is definitely worth for checking out. Very atmospheric dark pagan stuff.

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Crimfall’s debut album, As The Path Unfolds…, is out now on Napalm Records.

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