Finntroll is a Finnish folk metal band from Helsinki. They combine black metal with a type of Finnish folk music called humppa. Finntroll's lyrics are mostly in Swedish, the only exception being the song "Madon Laulu" on Visor om slutet. Finntroll's original singer, Katla, decided to use Swedish over Finnish since he was part of a Swedish-speaking minority in Finland and the sound of the language seemed to better suit the band's "trollish" outfit. Despite several vocalist changes, this tradition has continued.
To date, the band's discography includes seven full-length albums, a live album and three EPs. Their newest studio album Vredesvävd was released in 2020.
History
thumb|left|Finntroll at Masters of Rock 2007
Finntroll was founded in 1997 with a line-up which included guitarist Teemu "Somnium" Raimoranta and vocalist/lyricist Jan "Katla" Jämsen. A year later they were joined by guitarist Samuli "Skrymer" Ponsimaa, drummer Samu "Beast Dominator" Ruotsalainen, keyboardist Henri "Trollhorn" Sorvali and bassist Sami "Tundra" Uusitalo, creating the first stable line-up of the band. The band's first demo, Rivfader, released the same year.
Their second album, Jaktens Tid, was released in 2001. The following summer, the band had their first time playing festivals in Finland and other countries. The album features yoiking by then Shaman vocalist Jonne Järvelä, later known as vocalist and guitarist for fellow folk metal band Korpiklaani.
The year after the release of the album Jaktens Tid proved to be a misfortune for Finntroll: some tours had to be cancelled, and vocalist Jämsen had to retire from the band due to a viral-based tumor in his vocal cords which could not be removed surgically; he retired after the release of the EP Visor om slutet. The EP was recorded in early January 2003, in a forest cabin near Helsinki. It was an "acoustical experiment", where Jämsen and the new vocalist Tapio Wilska (of Sethian and Lyijykomppania) shared the singing duties among them. Visor om slutet was released as a mid-price EP and held rank on the Finnish midprice chart for several weeks.
On 16 March 2003, shortly before the release of Visor om slutet, guitarist Teemu Raimoranta died when he fell off a bridge in Hakaniemi, Helsinki. After losing their last remaining founding members, the band continued touring Europe for two weeks, supported by the band Katatonia. Guitarist Mikael Karlbom was hired as a replacement for Raimoranta.
In 2004, the band released Trollhammaren ("The Trollhammer"), a prequel to the soon-to-follow album Nattfödd ("Nightborn"). Also in 2004, Sorvali stopped touring with the band, temporary musicians filling in for the remainder of the tour. Aleksi "Virta" Virta joined the band in an official capacity as second keyboardist in 2005.
On 29 January 2006, Tapio Wilska, vocalist of the band since 2003, was fired from the band. In a statement issued on the band's website, Wilska stated that he would like to keep the reason for his dismissal private. On 15 January 2010 Finntroll released a music video for the new song "Solsagan" on their MySpace page in preparation for the album release. The new album was then released in February 2010.
The band's sixth studio album Blodsvept was released on 25 March 2013.
On 13 May 2014, drummer Samu Ruotsalainen revealed that he would be departing the band in July of that year; the parting was confirmed to be amicable by the band. He was replaced by Heikki "Mörkö" Saari.
In June 2014, the band released a live album, Natten med de Levande Finntroll ("Night of the Living Finntroll"). Thomas Woroniak of RockRevolt Magazine stated "Natten Med De Levande Finntroll is a must-have for any dedicated Finntroll fan. Followers of the group have been waiting a long time for a live recording...the music is unique and vibrant in color and tonality, and the performance is exceptional."
On 25 June 2020, the band announced that their next album, titled Vredesvävd, would be released on 18 September.
In January 2026, the band announced that vocalist Vreth would be taking a break due to health-related reasons, and that Mathias “Kistelach” Dahlsveen (Vanvidd) would handle vocals on the band’s winter tour in Finland and Europe.
Artistry
Band name
According to band members Vreth and Skrymer, they took their name from an old Finnish legend where Swedish priests coming to Finland had an encounter with a wild-looking man who killed most of their party. The survivors came back bearing the tale of the Finn-Troll.
Lyrics
Finntroll's lyrics mainly deal with legends and tales revolving around the fictional troll-king "Rivfader" and the trolls fighting against the Christians who entered their lands and spread their beliefs. A recurring theme is the story of two priests named "Aamund" and "Kettil": the first three full-length albums feature a rather short but fierce song about the two men who constantly get themselves into trouble with the trolls, only to get beaten up and mutilated over and over again by the wrathful followers of Rivfader.
Band members
;Current
- Samuli "Skrymer" Ponsimaa – guitar <small>(1997–present)</small>
- Henri "Trollhorn" Sorvali – keyboards, guitars <small>(1998–present; studio-only from 2004)</small>
- Sami "Tundra" Uusitalo – bass <small>(1998–present)</small>
- Mikael "Routa" Karlbom – guitar <small>(2003–present)</small>
- Aleksi Virta – keyboards <small>(2005–present)</small>
- Mathias "Vreth" Lillmåns – vocals <small>(2006–present)</small>
- Heikki "Mörkö" Saari – drums <small>(2014–present)</small>
;Touring
- Meiju Enho – keyboards <small>(2004–2005; toured in place of Trollhorn)</small>
- Brandon Ellis (Arsis) – guitars <small>(2013–2014; toured in place of Skrymer)</small>
- Felipe Muñoz – keyboards <small>(2016–present)</small>
- Mathias "Kistelach" Dahlsveen – vocals <small>(2026; toured in place of Vreth)</small>
;Former
- Mikael "Ancient Lord" Harju – bass <small>(1997–1998)</small>
- Jan "Katla" Jämsen – vocals <small>(1997–2003)</small>, keyboards <small>(1997–1998)</small>, lyrics <small>(1997–2003, 2006–present)</small>
- Rauno "Nattvind" Raimoranta – drums, keyboards <small>(1997–1998)</small>
- Teemu "Somnium" Raimoranta – guitar <small>(1997–2003; died 2003)</small>
- Tomi "Grönt Helvetes Kungen" Ullgren – guitar <small>(1997–1998)</small>
- Samu "Beast Dominator" Ruotsalainen – drums <small>(1998–2014)</small>
- Tapio Wilska – vocals, lyrics <small>(2003–2006)</small>
Timeline
Discography
thumb|upright|Guitarist Samuli "Skrymer" Ponsimaa at Rockharz Open Air 2018 in Germany
thumb|upright|Guitarist Mikael "Routa" Karlbom at Rockharz 2016
thumb|upright|Singer Mathias "Vreth" Lillmåns at Rockharz 2018
Studio albums
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:15em;"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Album details
! scope="col" colspan="7" | Peak chart positions
|-
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" |FRA<br />
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" |FIN<br />
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" |SWE<br />
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" |GER<br />
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" |BEL (WA)<br />
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" |AUT<br />
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" |US<br />Heat.<br />
|-
! scope="row" |Midnattens widunder
|
- Released: 1999
- Label: Spinefarm Records
- Formats: CD, LP, CS
|| — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row" |Jaktens tid
|
- Released: 18 September 2001
- Label: Spinefarm Records
- Formats: CD, LP, CS, digital download
|| — || 20 || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row" |Nattfödd
|
- Released: 19 April 2004
- Label: Spinefarm Records
- Formats: CD, LP, digital download
|| — || 22 || — || — || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row" |Ur jordens djup
|
- Released: 28 March 2007
- Label: Spinefarm Records
- Formats: CD, DualDisc, LP, digital download
|| — || 23 || — || 91 || — || — || —
|-
! scope="row" |Nifelvind
|
- Released: 17 February 2010
- Label: Century Media Records
- Formats: CD, LP, digital download
|| 151 || 35 || 49 || 31 || — || 61 || —
|-
! scope="row" |Blodsvept
|
- Released: 22 March 2013
- Label: Century Media Records
- Formats: CD, LP, digital download
|| 176 || 10 || 40 || 73 || 137 || — || 20
|-
! scope="row" |Vredesvävd
|
- Released: 18 September 2020
- Label: Century Media Records
- Formats: CD, LP, digital download
|| — || 6 || — || 32 || 107 || 40 || —
|-
| colspan="10" style="font-size:90%" | "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
|}
EPs
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:15em;"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Album details
! scope="col"| Peak chart positions
|-
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;" |FIN<br />
|-
! scope="row" |Visor om slutet
|
- Released: 30 April 2003
- Label: Spinefarm Records
- Formats: CD, LP, digital download
|| 1
|-
! scope="row" |Trollhammaren
|
- Released: 13 April 2004
- Label: Spinefarm Records
- Formats: CD, digital download
|| 10
|-
! scope="row" |Blodsvept EP
|
- Released: 28 February 2013
- Label: Devil Inc. Presseverlag
- Formats: digital download
|| —
|-
| colspan="10" style="font-size:90%" | "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
|}
Live albums
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:15em;"| Title
! scope="col" | Album details
|-
! scope="row" |Natten med de levande Finntroll
|
- Released: 13 June 2014
- Label: Spinefarm Records
- Formats: CD, digital download
|}
Music videos
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Directed
! Album
|-
|2004
|"Trollhammaren"
|Mikael Karlbom
|Nattfödd
|-
|2007
|"Nedgång"
|
|Ur jordens djup
|-
|rowspan=2|2010
|"Solsagan"
|Vasara Films
|rowspan=3|Nifelvind
|-
|"Under bergets rot"
|
|-
|2012
|"Ett norrskensdåd"
|
|-
|2013
|"Häxbrygd"
|
|Blodsvept
|-
|rowspan=2|2020
|"Forsen"
|
|rowspan=2|Vredesvävd
|-
|"Mask"
|
|}