Ask KIUAS

[Mikko Ilmarinen]

Are you going to do a U.S. tour? It would be cool if you could hop on tour with a bigger name band to get some popularity here in the states. I know if you came to New England in the U.S. (the Northeastern states) you would be welcomed by the metal fans in the area. Sonata Arctica are touring the U.S./Canada soon, if you could somehow get on that tour with them, it would be pretty amazing. Otherwise, are you planning to do a U.S. tour anytime soon?

No such plans yet, we'll start recording our second full-length album early next year, then we'll most certainly do a tour in Finland, and hopefully Europe a bit later. It would be of course great to do an american tour with a bigger name...but one thing at a time, now we'll focus on the next record, and if Ukko is pleased, we'll probably get to north America sooner or later!!!

 

[TheRagDoll]

You'r music is Fuckin' good but why the name Kiuas? I thought also that you're some fuckin' rock band where songs are in Finnish and Etc.. and many more will.. before they'll hear your songs! but anyways keep it up!

 

[Vikingmojo]

No such plans yet, we'll start recording our second full-length album early next year, then we'll most certainly do a tour in Finland, and hopefully Europe a bit later. It would be of course great to do an american tour with a bigger name...but one thing at a time, now we'll focus on the next record, and if Ukko is pleased, we'll probably get to north America sooner or later!!!

Excellent, can't wait for the new album! Keep up the amazing work. I'll be looking forward to some tour dates in the States in a few years hopefully.

 

[_CriS_]

hey guys, i'm looking forward to the new album

and just wanted to say,
You guys are so fucking awesome!! you're one of my favourite bands, your music is so ... as i said, fucking awesome !

i wish you all the best, perhaps you gonna come to my country one day (i hope so)


Greets from Germany,
_CriS_

 

[Gimpy]

Hello Mikko!

I was just wondering, are you relasing an EP before the full length? And did you go to a school that is musically oriented to learn how to play guitar like you did? Oh, and I've tried to figure this out on my own, but what is Crom responsible for? I'm asking because Markku signed my shirt and put Crom above his name, but I haven't found anything out about him/her.

And I have a question for Markku! What cymbals exactly do you have? Since you just said A and Z Zildjian cymbals, but not quanity or anything. (You and I have the same drumset by the way haha) Only I use Paiste and UFIP cymbals. Thanks for the shirt by the way, don't forget we have a drum off to settle!

 

[Mikko Ilmarinen]

Hello Mikko!

I was just wondering, are you relasing an EP before the full length? And did you go to a school that is musically oriented to learn how to play guitar like you did? Oh, and I've tried to figure this out on my own, but what is Crom responsible for? I'm asking because Markku signed my shirt and put Crom above his name, but I haven't found anything out about him/her.

And I have a question for Markku! What cymbals exactly do you have? Since you just said A and Z Zildjian cymbals, but not quanity or anything. (You and I have the same drumset by the way haha) Only I use Paiste and UFIP cymbals. Thanks for the shirt by the way, don't forget we have a drum off to settle!

O-oh!! Crom!! You'll have to find about him yourself, it's one of those things...


Next we'll be releasing a FULL-LENGTH totally crushing new Kiuas album next year! So get ready!:hotjump:

And about my musical studies,...(I posted this stuff also on the finnish section) I started playing when I was 12, with my first teacher Alfonso Padilla, I played classical guitar at a music school for many years, after school I studied musicology at the Helsinki University for about three years (I might continue that someday), and now I' studying in the Pop/Jazz proramme at the Helsinki polytechnic. That's the VERY short version...
Markku will answer your cymbal question soon!

 

[The Bringer]

Can't wait to hear the new album.

Can we expect the same amount of keyboard use?

The song "The Spirit of Ukko" is awesome and I absolutely love the space-like keyboard break at the end of the solo.

 

[Markku]

Oh, and I've tried to figure this out on my own, but what is Crom responsible for? I'm asking because Markku signed my shirt and put Crom above his name, but I haven't found anything out about him/her.

And I have a question for Markku! What cymbals exactly do you have? Since you just said A and Z Zildjian cymbals, but not quanity or anything. (You and I have the same drumset by the way haha) Only I use Paiste and UFIP cymbals. Thanks for the shirt by the way, don't forget we have a drum off to settle!

Hello! Still looking for CROM? Check out Conan the Barbarian movie!!!

About my cymbals: I have 15", 16", 17" and 18" A-Custom Crash; 14 " Z-Custom Hihat (on my left) and 20" Z-Custom Ride; 14" Paiste 502 Sound Formula Hihat (on my right); 10" A-Custom Splash; 18" Paiste Alpha China.

Tama rocks!

 

[Gimpy]

Hehe, so due to your hint, I was able to figure out what/who Crom is haha.

(Thank you Markku!)

And yes, Tama is amazing!!! (Nice crash cymbals!)

 

[Adam Fiske]

What have you guys been doing these days? Writing? Recording? Chilling? Are we gonna get any samples before the full-length next year? Also, you guys should re-record The Discipline of Steel, that song rules.

 

[Mikko Ilmarinen]

What have you guys been doing these days? Writing? Recording? Chilling? Are we gonna get any samples before the full-length next year? Also, you guys should re-record The Discipline of Steel, that song rules.

Drinking...no.
No time to chill. Since our last gig, we've been working on new stuff. I started writing earlier this year, but we just started practicing and working on the details of the songs about two months ago. There's still some stuff to do, and we need every minute! I can honestly say that this (upcoming) record couldn't have been written any faster! Of course, bands that play a more straightforward style of music can write and record a record in a couple of weeks, but this is not going to be that kind of record. The songs are much more "orchestral" and massive than one the first one (whatever that means )
The recording sessions will start at the end of January, and the record should be out in spring-early summer. So, we'll put some samples in spring!

Yeah, maybe we should re-record "Discipline", we've actually been thinking about it! It would be even more fun to put out the original version, because it's a part of our history as it is.
Oh yeah, and I've also been involved in a Dimebag-tribute tour, check out www.dimetour.tk
That's gonna be awesome too! :hotjump:

 

[Bjorn the Viking]

Hey , first of all, I wanna say that I think you guys and Bodom are the best bands ever to come from Finland! My band were gonna cover 'Warrior Soul', but there's no tabs , hence why were gonna try figure it out ourselves!

Now for the question, if you guys ever tour the UK, is there any chance you'll come to play Ireland? Go on, you know you wanna, we're officially the biggest nation of drunks in Europe! Keep that in mind...

 

[The Bringer]

Well it's good that you guys have been hard on a new album... But when you say "It couldn't have been written any faster", remember to take the time to put quality into the songs much like The Spirit of Ukko!

 

[Mikko Ilmarinen]

Well it's good that you guys have been hard on a new album... But when you say "It couldn't have been written any faster", remember to take the time to put quality into the songs much like The Spirit of Ukko!

Ok, I have to add that many times more hours of work have been already put into the writing of this record than the first one. The first album was written and recorded over a long period of time, but much more effort has been and will be put into this one!
And since it's written during a shorter and much more intense time period, it will (hopefully) sound more fresh, at least to us. And we wouldn't rush into anything. If the process would take longer, we'd delay the studio sessions. But at the moment we're on schedule.
So don't worry, Ukko himself is with us!
Bjorn, we'll see you in Ireland someday soon!

 

[Jogna]

Hey guys.

You guys are great, I hope to see you in Canada some day.

Anyway, Mikko I was just wondering, What was your first electric guitar and amp? Also, did you play in any bands when you were a teenager, if so, what kind of music did you play?

Thanks.

 

[Mikko Ilmarinen]

Hey guys.

You guys are great, I hope to see you in Canada some day.

Anyway, Mikko I was just wondering, What was your first electric guitar and amp? Also, did you play in any bands when you were a teenager, if so, what kind of music did you play?

Thanks.

My first one was a sunburst Suzuki Les Paul-copy, it was really cool because Slash was my biggest hero.
I also had one of those really small table amps, and a bit later a Marshall 20 watt Valvestate combo. I still play through that at home.
I've played with the other guys of Kiuas since high school, among other friends. We played mostly the basic Metallica, Guns'n'Roses, etc. covers, a bit later some Pantera, Amorphis,...and still a bit later some progressive and fusion when we became interested in that kind of stuff alongside heavy metal and rock. But that probably sounded absolutely horrible!!!
And a lot of other styles as well...we also did some weird experimental stuff...I wish I could find all the tapes of the stuff we recorded back then (about 10 years ago). There are some musical treasures to discover...

 

[The Bringer]

Hmmm, I'm sure that if you didn't experiment with those styles and listen to them you couldn't be writing and playing what you do now.

 

[Hawk6611]

man i remember hearing the first kiuas demo a few years ago. damn what a diffrence.

i was just wondering what the finnish at the end of Across the Snows translates to in english?

 

[The Bringer]

Most demos are a huge difference after you listen to their first official release. Listen to anyones demos. Amon Amarth, CoB (Called Inearth then), Ablaze My Sorrow, they all sound completely different than the bands now.

 

[truthwithinlies]

Greetings from Australia!!!

I got the Winter in June EP via the old Rage Of Achilles website over a year ago and loved it. Last month I was then checking out a local record shop and found The Spirit of Ukko, what a find!!!! Can't stop listening!!!!!

Only ask that someone please translate the Finnish part in Across the Snows for me, I keep singing along with it and I got no idea what it means. I looked up some words in an online dictionary but I'm assuming that some of the words are from a particular dialect and therefore I can't get them translated on the web.

Keep the metal coming!!!!