Finntroll are a band very hard to categorize - bursting into life one drunken night in March 1997, the idea of Teemu "Somnium" Raimoranta (ex-Thy Serpent, Impaled Nazarene) and vocalist Katla, it is an inspired blend of folk and metal. Combining the fast, infectious, dancing rythmns of Finnish 'humppa' music (a variation on the polka) with harsh vocals and powerful guitars, Finntroll create a sound that is infuriatingly catchy without sacrificing any of their metal sound. Whilst hailing from Finland, the band actually sing in Swedish dialect.

A year after the band's inception, in Jan 1998, the band recorded their demo 'Rivfader' - their ranks now having swelled to include drummer B. Dominator (Barathrum, Rapture), Skrymer on guitars, Trollhorn (Moonsorrow) on keyboards and Tundra on bass, all of them regulars on the black metal scene. Finntroll had also gained the attention of Finnish label Spikefarm and they were soon signed. The 'Rivfader' demo is available in full for download from the bands official website and though sound and production quality aren't great, the blueprint for the Finntroll sound is very evident in their first recording, strong folk tinged black metal.

The band recorded their debut album 'Midnattens Widunder' in 1999. It built on the foundations laid by 'Rivfader', fast, furious melodies driven by pounding drums and lightning guitars, with Katla's harsh vocals complementing the sound.

Now with experience behind them as a band, Finntroll went back to the studio to work on their follow up album. With a clearer idea of what they wanted their sound to be, recording went smoothly and the result was 'Jaktens Tid', by far their finest hour. Successfully finding the right balance in the fusing of folk and metal and producing an album that satisfies the desire to headbang and also to jig about quaffing a flagon of ale! This winning combo proved a success and to the band and labels surprise, the album reached no 20 in the Finnish charts, attracting the attention of Century Media, who licensed the album for worldwide release. For anyone new to the band, this album is definitely the place to start.

The summer saw the band playing various festivals around Europe, the highlight being Wacken Open Air where they went down so well they were asked back the next day. They were due to start their European tour in the autumn of that year, however vocalist Katla was suffering with trouble from his voice and despite numerous operations he realised that he would not be able to continue with the band. So for Finnntrol's third album, 'Visor om Slutet', singing duties were taken over by friend of the band Tapio Wilska, who had previously helped out with clean vocals on 'Midnattens Widunder' and with a spoken word piece on 'Jaktens Tid'. He was also a roadie for fellow Finns Nightwish at the time, providing harsh vocals on tracks from their 'Oceanborn' album. Though Wilska was now full time vocalist for Finntroll, Katla made appearances on the experimental acoustic album 'Visor om Slutet' as a farewell to friends and fans.

Shortly before the release of the album in April 2003 the band faced a great tragedy, with the death of founding member Teemu "Somnium" Raimoranta, who suffered fatal injuries after falling from Helsinki's Pitkäsilta bridge, aged just 25. The band were ready to split - however - to honour their friend's memory and his parent's wishes they decided to carry on and launched into their very first European tour in support of Katatonia. Teemu's place was taken by friend of the band, Mikael Karlbom, who had played with them before.

A year later Finntroll re-entered the studio to record the excellent EP 'Trollhammaren', followed by the rather disappointing full length album 'Nattfödd'. Relying too heavily on the folky sound and moving away from their black metal roots made the album sound rather more gimmicky than previous offerings. One to be left till last for anyone wishing to try the band out.

The launch of 'Nattfödd' was followed shortly after by the bands first headline tour, supported by Ensiferum and The Wake, They also produced their first video for the song 'Trollhammaren' (which can also be downloaded from their website).

Finntroll are a unique musical experience, espousing the pleasures of ale, good music and dancing - mixed with the harsh coldness of black metal influences.