Antti Kokko of Kalmah
Interviewed by Brian Sweeney on 4/19/2008
Transcribed by Brian Sweeney
Known for playing “swamp metal,” whatever that is, Finnish band Kalmah have made their mark on the Scandinavian death metal scene with albums like Swampsong, They Will Return, and most recently The Black Waltz. Despite remaining underground for the most part, the band has managed, in this writer’s humble opinion, to create some of the more memorable melodic death metal of the past ten years. To make breaking out of the underground even more difficult, the band weathered several major changes over this period as well. They changed their name from Ancestor in 1998 and switched from higher-pitched blackened vocals on their first few albums to a guttural death growl on The Black Waltz. A lesser band might have crumbled with the change, but many rank The Black Waltz among Kalmah’s best work. The band have continued this evolution on their upcoming album For the Revolution, which reflects their drive to look within themselves for inspiration rather than popular opinion. Very metal. Kalmah (which means “to the grave” in the Finnish dialect Karelian) are ready to release For the Revolution on April 23. In the words of their ancestors, the Finnish five-piece are poised to take their brand of melodic death metal to the grave: Their music is their own, and despite his stoic Scandinavian manner, lead guitarist and songwriter Antti Kokko seems excited about Kalmah’s future. I think.
Metal Review: Was this album a pleasure or a pain to make?
Antti Kokko: It was a pleasure for us. We had almost two years and there was no hurry in any state, so we took our time and everything went great.
MR: Would you say that your older albums were – not rushed – but maybe you didn’t have all the time you’d have in an ideal world?
AK: Well, The Black Waltz was pretty much in the same vein as For The Revolution, but the previous albums, especially with They Will Return, we had six weeks to do it.
MR: Six Weeks?!
AK: Yeah, six weeks. We wrote the songs in six weeks.
MR: For the Revolution was originally going to be released April 2 but the date got pushed back to April 23. Why the date change?
AK: Well, there was [Children of] Bodom and other albums coming out the same day, so we decided to change it. We thought that if our release is near Bodom’s release it means that there’s no promotion for us. [laughs]
MR: I see, Kalmah and Bodom are on the same label in Finland. How did you approach the writing and recording of the album this time around?
AK: Pretty much the same way like before; nothing special. This time we left the guitars, for a month or two, in the casket [Ed. note – he means they took a break from recording]. Later, I took the guitar back out and started to think about songs. I trust always in my inspiration, so there might be a month or two where I can’t get any new ideas but I have some times that I can write, for example, one or two songs in a week.
MR: Do you have that happen a lot, getting writer’s block?
AK: Sometimes I have a little bit of difficulty starting writing, but it hasn’t really been a problem.
MR: So this break you took from songwriting, I think I read that you took time off to do some shows; did that change how the songs turned out in any way?
AK: Well, I guess it’s good to do it, because previously we have always recorded within one period. Four weeks or six weeks or something like that. This time we had almost everything – bass guitar, drums and rhythm guitars – recorded. So we had a month to listen to what we had done and that was helpful because we could change the sound based on our opinions about the amps and things.
MR: The web site said that the album is the “heaviest and most riff-based” album yet. Why did you try to write in that direction as opposed to, say, more melody or something else?
AK: When we started to write, the songs came out pretty much that way. For example, in “Wings of Blackening,” the main riff is from the ‘90s. Back then we were pretty obsessed about stuff with Ancestor, so there are riffs from that age combined with riffs from this age.
MR: Kalmah is often called a “swamp metal” band. What makes you “swamp metal?”
AK: [Laughs] Swamplord and stuff with the swamps we have. Every band has some kind of metal, so we decided [laughs] to play swamp metal. In the area we live, 60 percent of the soil is covered by swamps.
MR: The studio diary mentions one cover song, but not by name. I don’t recognize any of the song titles from the promo copy as covers. Did that song you referred to there make it onto the album, or no?
AK: It’s going to be on the Japanese import.
MR: Can you reveal which cover song it is?
AK: [Laughs] It’s Sepultura’s “Arise.”
MR: Was that already known? I wasn’t able to find any information on that.
AK: You are the first person to know. [Laughs]
MR: Awesome choice. How did you pick that song to record?
AK: There were plenty of songs to think about, but that album as a whole is one of the milestones for us in metal history, so it was kind of obvious for me and Pekka [Kokko, guitarist/vocalist and Antti’s brother]. Some of the other guys were not so pleased with that decision, but [laughs] we recorded it.
MR: I looked at the forums on the Kalmah web site, and I saw a thread where people were talking about the album prior to its release and it was obvious they had downloaded a leaked copy. It appears it was you who responded somewhat angrily. Is fighting illegal downloading one of your main concerns?
AK: No, I think the labels have not dealt with the situation as it should be. I think they are living in the ‘90s or something. The whole thing is going to Internet someday. For me, it’s not a big problem if people download our album because we are not making our living from music. But, of course, those artists who play for a living it has to be a big deal. Of course it’s not a good thing for us, either.
MR: You will be touring Canada beginning April 23rd. Why did you choose to be in Canada the day of the CD release?
AK: The only reason is that it’s the first good offer we got for a tour, so it’s just kind of easy to go to Canada then. We have not sold many albums in Canada, but I’ve heard there are lots of fans, so I believe they have the Internet [laughs] and they have downloaded it [laughs].
MR: Will you do anything special for the April 23rd concert, since it’s the day of the release?
AK: We have not anything real special. I think it’s special enough that we’re playing Canada. We have CDs to sell and some touring merchandise. We will play two or three new songs for the Canadians. I guess there will be “For the Revolution” and “Wings of Blackening.”
MR: Have you played in Canada before?
AK: No, just Germany and Finland. This is our first tour, ever, outside Finland.
MR: Now the question that every U.S. journalist is going to ask you: When will you come to the U.S.?
AK: There’s not any plans, and we haven’t got any offerings from the States. Perhaps later on. I guess, why not? I have been there one or two times, though. I went to Philadelphia for new year’s eve last year.
MR: What did you think of it?
AK: Well, it’s not a place for my tastes. Too many people and stuff. We were in New York and New Jersey, too.
MR: [Laughs] No comment. Your bio on the Kalmah web site mentions this quote: “If you want to do something good, do not copy it from someone else. Do your own thing and maybe get some licks here and there.” What is the significance of that quote to you?
AK: People often ask “how do you do the songs,” and “how have you rehearsed” and stuff, “how do you become a good player.” We have always concentrated on our own music. Since I was 11 I was doing my own songs and stuff like that. So I guess you have to get some influences but it’s important to trust your own music.
MR: I read that your album, Swampsong is out of print. Is that true?
AK: I just asked the label about it but they haven’t answered yet. I guess they’re doing a special double-CD like they did with They Will Return and Swamplord with The Black Waltz and Swampsong. I guess they are going to bring a double-CD.
MR: That’s good news. What are you listening to these days?
AK: Well, the last album I bought was Machine Head’s new album. I listened to it for the last two months. And then I have listened to the new Bodom album. I don’t listen to music very much. Last year I bought three or four CDs. I always listen to the good old stuff I have in stock; metal music from the beginning of the 90s. Carcass, Sepultura, Pantera, there’s a couple of artists I still follow like Hypocrisy. I don’t like the heavy metal music on the market [laughs].
MR: If you don’t mind me asking, you said you don’t make your living off Kalmah. What do you do for employment otherwise?
AK: I’m a computer programmer [laughs]. I graduated from university in 2004. I’m working on the new web site, too.
MR: Do you do all the coding for that as well?
AK: Yeah.
MR: Impressive. Do you have anything else you would like to add?
AK: Well, I guess I just hope you like the album!Known for playing “swamp metal,” whatever that is, Finnish band Kalmah have made their mark on the Scandinavian death metal scene with albums like Swampsong, They Will Return, and most recently The Black Waltz. Despite remaining underground for the most part, the band has managed, in this writer’s humble opinion, to create some of the more memorable melodic death metal of the past ten years. To make breaking out of the underground even more difficult, the band weathered several major changes over this period as well. They changed their name from Ancestor in 1998 and switched from higher-pitched blackened vocals on their first few albums to a guttural death growl on The Black Waltz. A lesser band might have crumbled with the change, but many rank The Black Waltz among Kalmah’s best work. The band have continued this evolution on their upcoming album For the Revolution, which reflects their drive to look within themselves for inspiration rather than popular opinion. Very metal. Kalmah (which means “to the grave” in the Finnish dialect Karelian) are ready to release For the Revolution on April 23. In the words of their ancestors, the Finnish five-piece are poised to take their brand of melodic death metal to the grave: Their music is their own, and despite his stoic Scandinavian manner, lead guitarist and songwriter Antti Kokko seems excited about Kalmah’s future. I think.
Metal Review: Was this album a pleasure or a pain to make?
Antti Kokko: It was a pleasure for us. We had almost two years and there was no hurry in any state, so we took our time and everything went great.
MR: Would you say that your older albums were – not rushed – but maybe you didn’t have all the time you’d have in an ideal world?
AK: Well, The Black Waltz was pretty much in the same vein as For The Revolution, but the previous albums, especially with They Will Return, we had six weeks to do it.
MR: Six Weeks?!
AK: Yeah, six weeks. We wrote the songs in six weeks.
MR: For the Revolution was originally going to be released April 2 but the date got pushed back to April 23. Why the date change?
AK: Well, there was [Children of] Bodom and other albums coming out the same day, so we decided to change it. We thought that if our release is near Bodom’s release it means that there’s no promotion for us. [laughs]
MR: I see, Kalmah and Bodom are on the same label in Finland. How did you approach the writing and recording of the album this time around?
AK: Pretty much the same way like before; nothing special. This time we left the guitars, for a month or two, in the casket [Ed. note – he means they took a break from recording]. Later, I took the guitar back out and started to think about songs. I trust always in my inspiration, so there might be a month or two where I can’t get any new ideas but I have some times that I can write, for example, one or two songs in a week.
MR: Do you have that happen a lot, getting writer’s block?
AK: Sometimes I have a little bit of difficulty starting writing, but it hasn’t really been a problem.
MR: So this break you took from songwriting, I think I read that you took time off to do some shows; did that change how the songs turned out in any way?
AK: Well, I guess it’s good to do it, because previously we have always recorded within one period. Four weeks or six weeks or something like that. This time we had almost everything – bass guitar, drums and rhythm guitars – recorded. So we had a month to listen to what we had done and that was helpful because we could change the sound based on our opinions about the amps and things.
MR: The web site said that the album is the “heaviest and most riff-based” album yet. Why did you try to write in that direction as opposed to, say, more melody or something else?
AK: When we started to write, the songs came out pretty much that way. For example, in “Wings of Blackening,” the main riff is from the ‘90s. Back then we were pretty obsessed about stuff with Ancestor, so there are riffs from that age combined with riffs from this age.
MR: Kalmah is often called a “swamp metal” band. What makes you “swamp metal?”
AK: [Laughs] Swamplord and stuff with the swamps we have. Every band has some kind of metal, so we decided [laughs] to play swamp metal. In the area we live, 60 percent of the soil is covered by swamps.
MR: The studio diary mentions one cover song, but not by name. I don’t recognize any of the song titles from the promo copy as covers. Did that song you referred to there make it onto the album, or no?
AK: It’s going to be on the Japanese import.
MR: Can you reveal which cover song it is?
AK: [Laughs] It’s Sepultura’s “Arise.”
MR: Was that already known? I wasn’t able to find any information on that.
AK: You are the first person to know. [Laughs]
MR: Awesome choice. How did you pick that song to record?
AK: There were plenty of songs to think about, but that album as a whole is one of the milestones for us in metal history, so it was kind of obvious for me and Pekka [Kokko, guitarist/vocalist and Antti’s brother]. Some of the other guys were not so pleased with that decision, but [laughs] we recorded it.
MR: I looked at the forums on the Kalmah web site, and I saw a thread where people were talking about the album prior to its release and it was obvious they had downloaded a leaked copy. It appears it was you who responded somewhat angrily. Is fighting illegal downloading one of your main concerns?
AK: No, I think the labels have not dealt with the situation as it should be. I think they are living in the ‘90s or something. The whole thing is going to Internet someday. For me, it’s not a big problem if people download our album because we are not making our living from music. But, of course, those artists who play for a living it has to be a big deal. Of course it’s not a good thing for us, either.
MR: You will be touring Canada beginning April 23rd. Why did you choose to be in Canada the day of the CD release?
AK: The only reason is that it’s the first good offer we got for a tour, so it’s just kind of easy to go to Canada then. We have not sold many albums in Canada, but I’ve heard there are lots of fans, so I believe they have the Internet [laughs] and they have downloaded it [laughs].
MR: Will you do anything special for the April 23rd concert, since it’s the day of the release?
AK: We have not anything real special. I think it’s special enough that we’re playing Canada. We have CDs to sell and some touring merchandise. We will play two or three new songs for the Canadians. I guess there will be “For the Revolution” and “Wings of Blackening.”
MR: Have you played in Canada before?
AK: No, just Germany and Finland. This is our first tour, ever, outside Finland.
MR: Now the question that every U.S. journalist is going to ask you: When will you come to the U.S.?
AK: There’s not any plans, and we haven’t got any offerings from the States. Perhaps later on. I guess, why not? I have been there one or two times, though. I went to Philadelphia for new year’s eve last year.
MR: What did you think of it?
AK: Well, it’s not a place for my tastes. Too many people and stuff. We were in New York and New Jersey, too.
MR: [Laughs] No comment. Your bio on the Kalmah web site mentions this quote: “If you want to do something good, do not copy it from someone else. Do your own thing and maybe get some licks here and there.” What is the significance of that quote to you?
AK: People often ask “how do you do the songs,” and “how have you rehearsed” and stuff, “how do you become a good player.” We have always concentrated on our own music. Since I was 11 I was doing my own songs and stuff like that. So I guess you have to get some influences but it’s important to trust your own music.
MR: I read that your album, Swampsong is out of print. Is that true?
AK: I just asked the label about it but they haven’t answered yet. I guess they’re doing a special double-CD like they did with They Will Return and Swamplord with The Black Waltz and Swampsong. I guess they are going to bring a double-CD.
MR: That’s good news. What are you listening to these days?
AK: Well, the last album I bought was Machine Head’s new album. I listened to it for the last two months. And then I have listened to the new Bodom album. I don’t listen to music very much. Last year I bought three or four CDs. I always listen to the good old stuff I have in stock; metal music from the beginning of the 90s. Carcass, Sepultura, Pantera, there’s a couple of artists I still follow like Hypocrisy. I don’t like the heavy metal music on the market [laughs].
MR: If you don’t mind me asking, you said you don’t make your living off Kalmah. What do you do for employment otherwise?
AK: I’m a computer programmer [laughs]. I graduated from university in 2004. I’m working on the new web site, too.
MR: Do you do all the coding for that as well?
AK: Yeah.
MR: Impressive. Do you have anything else you would like to add?
AK: Well, I guess I just hope you like the album!