Artist: FINNTROLL
Album: MIDNATTENS WIDUNDER (CD)

Release date: 1999
Media type: CD

Finntroll is a folk metal band from Finland. They combine elements of extreme metal with Finnish polka, called humppa. Finntroll's lyrics are in Swedish, one of Finland's two national languages, because "Swedish just sounds damn trollish", according to the band's first vocalist, Katla (whose native language is Swedish). Finntroll means "Troll from Finland" or "a spotty troll" since the word for spot (acne) and a Finnish person are the same in Swedish.

Finntroll was founded in 1997, by Teemu "Somnium" Raimoranta (guitarist of Impaled Nazarene) and vocalist Jan "Katla" Jamsen. Their first demo, Rivfader, was recorded about a year later, in 1998. After the demo recording, drummer Samu Ruotsalainen (from Barathrum, Shape of Despair and Rapture), guitarist Samuli Ponsimaa, keyboardist Henri Sorvali (from Moonsorrow) and bassist Sami Uusitalo joined the band. The record label Spinefarm got interested in the band then, and made a contract, yielding the album Midnattens Widunder (English: The Monstrosity of Midnight) (1999) as a result. Their music was initially meant to be patriotic.

The lyrical content of this album follows a continuous storyline, detailing the legendary Troll-King Rivfader, who leads an army of trolls and goblins to destroy the world of humans. This ongoing story shows the influence of classical opera, which is also seen in the music of certain songs, such as Svartberg. The lyrics contain some anti-Christian themes, but given the context they are not to be taken seriously- among other things, they are also "anti-human", being written from the perspective of trolls.

TRACKLIST:

"Intro" – 1:57
"Svartberg" (Black Mountain) – 4:06
"Rivfader" – 4:09
"Vatteanda" (Goblin Spirit) – 4:35
"Bastuvisan" (Sauna Song) – 1:19
"Blodnatt" (Blood Night) – 4:41
"Midnattens Widunder" (The Monsters of Midnight) – 4:40
"Segersеng" (Victory Song) – 1:59
"Svampfest" (Mushroom Feast) – 2:03

LINE-UP:

Jan "Katla" Jamsen – Vocals (1997–2001, retired due to a throat tumor which made him unable to sing)
Teemu "Somnium" Raimoranta – Guitar (1997–2003, died 2003 in a supposed alcohol-related falling accident, though Mika Luttinen, vocalist from Impaled Nazarene, has gone on the record saying that his death was a suicide, and that he only had the equivalent of three beers in his system at the time of death)
Samuli "Skrymer" Ponsimaa – Guitar (1998-)
Sami "Tundra" Uusitalo – Bass guitar (1998-)
Samu "Beast Dominator" Ruotsalainen – Drums (1998-)
Henri "Trollhorn" Sorvali – Keyboards (1998-)