Albums of Purgatory Interview Kalmah's Antti Kokko (second right)

Albums of Purgatory: Firstly, whats the band up to?

Antti Kokko:  At the moment we are rehearsing for the upcoming gigs. We are going to play some local gigs here in Finland and in August we are going to play in Wacken, Germany.

AoP: How would you describe the Kalmah sound?

A:  Our sound has bery much elements from the beginning of 90`s. We have been very faithful to the music we have been doing since 1992, eventhough back then we couldn`t reach the recording deal. Our sound is trahs/speed/death metal with melodies. Of course there is a great deal of finnish swamp involved.

AoP: How did Kalmah start as Ancestor in 92?

A:  My big brother Pekka and some of his friends decided to play together. Actually, the main person behind foundation of Ancestor was Anssi Seppänen who left the band after the very first tape. Pekka and Petri decided to continue despite of Anssi`s leave and the result is Kalmah. Guys were at the local high school back then.

AoP: How did you join the band in 97?

A:  Well, I had been following Ancestor very close from the very beginning but I was too young to be in the band. When they started out I was about 11 years old or something. I think in 97 I had enough hair to join the band...:) Actually, I and Pekka played a lot together before that because we lived under the same roof and
when the time came Pekka asked me to the band officially.   I had some other projects before Ancestor.

AoP: What caused the band to change to Kalmah in 99?

A:  Basically it all was about new start. Ancestor didn`t bring us the recording deal even though we tried very hard. At the same time we took keyboard player in the band. Keyboards brought some new power into our music but the basics were and are still the same they were in 1992.  The fresh start succeeded very well because we finally got the recording deal with the first demo of Kalmah.

AoP: The band has suffered a lot of changes since then.  How have the remaining members coped with that?

A: Well we have had 6 bass players during these years, so the left of Altti after Swamplord wasn`t a big deal. It seems that bass players come and go...:) Petri`s departure just 1,5 months before the recordings of They Will Return was a big shock because we have been playing together 10 years and our chemistry was on the highest level I can imagine when it comes to music. Petri has some seroius problems with his shoulder and he might never be able to play fast anymore. Anyway we are still drinking and bullshitting together and that`s great!

AoP: What are your favourite Ancestor/Kalmah tracks?

A:  I think the very first tracks of Ancestor are great and we have played them live very much. There is some legendary tracks that are very well known among our local fans.    Kalmah`s greatest songs for me are Hades, Heritance of Berija, Swamphell and They will return. They are always great to play. I think there are no
particularly pathetic songs and that`s important. I like all of our songs that we have recorded. If we are not 100% satisfied with some song it will be buried very fast.

AoP: What are your favourite all time songs?

A:  They are Megadeth - Tornado of Souls, Skin of My Teeth, Paradise Lost - Embers Fire, Remembrance, As I Die, Death - Crystal Mountain Pantera - Cowboys from Hell, Sepultura - Arise, Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers etc. There is lot of good songs but these came into my mind first.

AoP: What was the first record you bought?

A:  I think it was Kiss - Creatures of the Night.

AoP: What would be your dream band line-up?

A:  The current line-up of Kalmah + Dave Mustaine...:)

AoP: What do you think of the position of metal and music in general today?

A:  I think it`s great if I don`t think the nu-metal or hip-hop metal. I hate it! It`s commercial shit. There is a lot of good bands on the market right now but I have to say I haven`t found any really interesting metal artists since
the beginning of the 90`s.

AoP: Do you have any funny stories you can share with us about the band?

A:  We are very serious guys...:) Nothing particular comes to my mind. There is lot of situation comedy involved.

AoP: and finally what do you see in the future for Kalmah?

A:  I hope we could tour some day and hoepfully we will be able to do as many records as possible.

AoP: Thanks for your time and good luck

A: Thank you! Visit our website at www.kalmah.com and leave a message or something!And remember that they will return...