Korpiklaani

Korpiklaani is a Finnish folk metal band from Lahti, active since 2003. The group begins as Shamaani Duo, a Sámi folk music project formed by Jonne Järvelä in 1993 and originally described as an in-house restaurant band. Under that name, the group releases the folk album Hunka Lunka. After Järvelä relocates, Shamaani Duo develops into Shaman, which forms in 1997 and uses traditional Sámi musical elements and lyrics in Northern Sámi.

Early development

As Shaman, the band draws on the material from Shamaani Duo and adds shamanic drum, yoik singing and humppa influences. Its vocal style ranges from clean singing to harsher growling, and its slower songs often combine a monophonic synthesizer sound with acoustic guitar, percussion and yoik vocals. The project’s first release as Shaman is the demo single Ođđa máilbmi, which also appears on the debut album Idja in 1999. A second album, Shamániac, follows in 2002.

Transition to Korpiklaani

In 2003, Shaman changes its name to Korpiklaani, with only Jonne Järvelä and drummer Samu Ruotsalainen continuing from the previous lineup. The band then shifts toward a more conventional folk metal sound, replacing yoik-based vocals with singing shaped by folk and thrash metal influences. Järvelä cites his work with Finntroll as one influence on this heavier direction. The name Korpiklaani means “Backwoods Clan” in Finnish; “korpi” refers to a dark old forest and is also used in biology for boreal forest ecosystems on moist moraine soils with dense spruce growth and thick moss undergrowth.

Style and lyrical themes

Korpiklaani’s lyrics frequently deal with alcohol and partying. In the early releases, most songs are in English, with fewer in Finnish, while later albums increasingly use Finnish. Järvelä describes the band’s music as “old people's music with heavy metal guitars” in Finland.

Collaborations and lyric writing

The band has links with Finntroll: Samu Ruotsalainen contributes session drums to Finntroll’s Spirit of the Forest, and Järvelä provides yoik vocals for the title track of Finntroll’s Jaktens Tid. Finnish lyrics are also contributed by Juha Jyrkäs, and from 2011 onward they are mainly written by poet Tuomas Keskimäki, who uses the traditional Finnish kalevalametre poetic structure.

Line-up changes

In September 2011, violinist Jaakko “Hittavainen” Lemmetty leaves because of health issues that make touring and recording difficult. Teemu Eerola replaces him first on viola, then Tuomas Rounakari joins on violin and remains until 2022. He is then replaced by former Turisas violinist Olli Vänskä. In 2013, accordion player Juho Kauppinen leaves and Sami Perttula takes his place.

Albums

Korpiklaani’s studio albums include Spirit of the Forest (2003), Voice of Wilderness (2005), Tales Along This Road (2006), Tervaskanto (2007), Korven Kuningas (2008), Karkelo (2009), Ukon Wacka (2011), Manala (2012), Noita (2015), Kulkija (2018), Jylhä (2021) and Rankarumpu (2024).