Waltari
Encyclopedia
Waltari is a band from Finland
, known for its diversity and combination of music styles, frequently combining alternative metal
, progressive metal
, death metal
, hard rock
, heavy metal
, hip hop
, industrial
, pop
, punk
, rap
, symphonic metal
, techno
and thrash metal
.
Most of the band's music is written by Kärtsy Hatakka
. Waltari's lyrics often deal with personal feelings of anxiety, loneliness and the cruelty of the world, often with heavy irony
and sarcasm
.
The name Waltari is a reference to the popular Finnish author Mika Waltari
, a favourite author of guitarist Jariot Lehtinen.
Waltari was formed in 1986 in Helsinki
, Finland
, by Kärtsy Hatakka (vocals and bass guitar), Jariot Lehtinen (guitars) and Sale Suomalainen (drums). Sami Yli-Sirniö
joined as second guitarist in 1989, a year after the release of their first EP
, Mut Hei ("But, hi!").
Their first album, Monk Punk, was released in 1991. As the title suggests, this album was mostly punk. Their next album Torcha!
(1992) was the album on which Waltari started blending various musical styles into the sound that would become their own.
After releasing a compilation of early work under the title Pala Leipää ("A Piece of Bread") (1993), the band went on to release So Fine!
(1994), an album similar to Torcha!
. Their next album, Big Bang (1995) is to date their biggest success. The album concentrates on mixing techno with heavy metal.
In 1995, Roope Latvala
(current second guitarist of Children of Bodom
) joined the band, replacing Sami Yli-Sirniö. At this time, Hatakka was working with conductor
Riku Niemi on a project combining heavy metal
with classical music. This project eventually became known as Yeah! Yeah! Die! Die! Death Metal Symphony in Deep C
. The show was performed in 1995, and the album was released in 1996.
In 1997, the band released Space Avenue
, a more progressive work containing more electronic drums, as well as a collaboration with Apocalyptica
. In 1998, to celebrate their ten-year anniversary, the band released a compilation titled Decade.
In 1999, Hatakka was working on yet another metal/classical collaboration, and this gave rise to the stage show Evangelicum (Evankeliumi). This production differed from Yeah! Yeah! Die! Die! in that it contained more than just music: the stage show contained music
, ballet
and a light show
. This spectacle also featured a new opera singer. The guest vocalist was Tarja Turunen
, who was the lead vocalist of the still young band Nightwish
. An album of Evangelicum was not released.
Waltari's next album, Radium Round
(1999), featured a strong pop
influence. After Radium Round, the band passed out of the public eye, working on less main-stream releases such as the metal / yoik
crossover Channel Nordica
(2000) and the punk
EP Back To Persepolis (2001). However, these releases were very hard to obtain, and for a while Waltari only survived through its live shows. In 2001, the band's old guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö returned, and Roope Latvala left the band.
In 2004, Waltari released an all-new studio album, Rare Species
. The album was well received by critics, and an extensive tour put Waltari back on the map.
The Blood Sample
album was released in 2005. In 2006, Early Years was released, a double album presenting remastered versions of the first album Monk Punk and Pala Leipää, containing additional tracks from the 1980s, never released before and recorded in autumn 2005 by the original trio: Jariot, Kärtsy and Sale.
Waltari released the album Release Date in 2007. This album includes bonus track "Spokebone", a collaboration with Amorphis
singer Tomi Joutsen
and Finnish ethnic band Värttinä
.
Below Zero
was released in 2009.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, known for its diversity and combination of music styles, frequently combining alternative metal
Alternative metal
Alternative metal is a genre of alternative rock and heavy metal that gained popularity in the early 1990s. Most notably, alternative metal bands are characterized by heavy guitar riffs and experimental approaches to heavy music.-Origins:...
, progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
, death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
, hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, rap
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
, symphonic metal
Symphonic metal
Symphonic metal is a term used to describe heavy metal music that has symphonic elements; that is, elements that are either borrowed from classical music or, as with progressive rock music, create a style reminiscent of it, e.g...
, techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
and thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
.
Most of the band's music is written by Kärtsy Hatakka
Kärtsy Hatakka
Kari Arvo Ilari Kärtsy Hatakka is the vocalist and bassist for the Finnish music group Waltari, which he founded in 1986. In addition, he wrote the soundtrack for the video games Max Payne and Max Payne 2.He is known for his unique vocals...
. Waltari's lyrics often deal with personal feelings of anxiety, loneliness and the cruelty of the world, often with heavy irony
Irony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
and sarcasm
Sarcasm
Sarcasm is “a sharp, bitter, or cutting expression or remark; a bitter jibe or taunt.” Though irony and understatement is usually the immediate context, most authorities distinguish sarcasm from irony; however, others argue that sarcasm may or often does involve irony or employs...
.
The name Waltari is a reference to the popular Finnish author Mika Waltari
Mika Waltari
Mika Toimi Waltari was a Finnish writer, best known for his best-selling novel The Egyptian .- Early life :...
, a favourite author of guitarist Jariot Lehtinen.
History
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, by Kärtsy Hatakka (vocals and bass guitar), Jariot Lehtinen (guitars) and Sale Suomalainen (drums). Sami Yli-Sirniö
Sami Yli-Sirniö
Sami Yli-Sirniö is a Finnish guitarist who plays rock and metal. He spent part of his life in Germany and thus has strong ties with the German metal scene...
joined as second guitarist in 1989, a year after the release of their first EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, Mut Hei ("But, hi!").
Their first album, Monk Punk, was released in 1991. As the title suggests, this album was mostly punk. Their next album Torcha!
Torcha!
Torcha! is the 2nd studio album by the Finnish avant-garde progressive metal band Waltari.-Track listing:# "Lights On" - 4:54# "The Lie of the Zombie" - 4:43# "I Held You So Long" - 4:40# "Dedicated to the Flyers" - 2:45# "Lust of Life" - 4:44...
(1992) was the album on which Waltari started blending various musical styles into the sound that would become their own.
After releasing a compilation of early work under the title Pala Leipää ("A Piece of Bread") (1993), the band went on to release So Fine!
So Fine!
So Fine! is the 3rd studio album by the Finnish avant-garde progressive metal band Waltari and their first collaboration with the Joik group Angelit.-Track listing:# "The Beginning Song" - 4:14# "Mad Boy" - 4:23# "So Fine" - 4:32...
(1994), an album similar to Torcha!
Torcha!
Torcha! is the 2nd studio album by the Finnish avant-garde progressive metal band Waltari.-Track listing:# "Lights On" - 4:54# "The Lie of the Zombie" - 4:43# "I Held You So Long" - 4:40# "Dedicated to the Flyers" - 2:45# "Lust of Life" - 4:44...
. Their next album, Big Bang (1995) is to date their biggest success. The album concentrates on mixing techno with heavy metal.
In 1995, Roope Latvala
Roope Latvala
Roope Latvala is a Finnish guitarist who currently plays with the bands Children of Bodom and Sinergy. He was one of the founding members of Stone, which was one of the first notable bands in the history of Finnish heavy metal.-Biography:...
(current second guitarist of Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom is a Finnish heavy metal band from Espoo. Formed in 1993, the group currently consists of Alexi Laiho , Roope Latvala , Janne Wirman , Henkka Seppälä , and Jaska Raatikainen...
) joined the band, replacing Sami Yli-Sirniö. At this time, Hatakka was working with conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
Riku Niemi on a project combining heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
with classical music. This project eventually became known as Yeah! Yeah! Die! Die! Death Metal Symphony in Deep C
Yeah! Yeah! Die! Die! Death Metal Symphony in Deep C
Yeah! Yeah! Die! Die! is the fifth studio album by Waltari that combines death metal with classical music. Originally, Yeah! Yeah! Die! Die! was written as a stage show...
. The show was performed in 1995, and the album was released in 1996.
In 1997, the band released Space Avenue
Space Avenue
Space Avenue is the 6th studio album by the Finnish avant-garde progressive metal band Waltari.-Track listing:# "External" - 4:57# "Far Away" - 5:52# "Wolves On The Street" - 4:26# "Progression" - 4:03# "Blind Zone" - 4:16...
, a more progressive work containing more electronic drums, as well as a collaboration with Apocalyptica
Apocalyptica
Apocalyptica is a band from Helsinki, Finland, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso and drummer Mikko Sirén...
. In 1998, to celebrate their ten-year anniversary, the band released a compilation titled Decade.
In 1999, Hatakka was working on yet another metal/classical collaboration, and this gave rise to the stage show Evangelicum (Evankeliumi). This production differed from Yeah! Yeah! Die! Die! in that it contained more than just music: the stage show contained music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
and a light show
Lighting
Lighting or illumination is the deliberate application of light to achieve some practical or aesthetic effect. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources such as lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight...
. This spectacle also featured a new opera singer. The guest vocalist was Tarja Turunen
Tarja Turunen
Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen Cabuli is a Finnish singer-songwriter and composer. She is a full lyric soprano and has a vocal range of three octaves....
, who was the lead vocalist of the still young band Nightwish
Nightwish
Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee, Finland. Formed in 1996 by songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former vocalist Tarja Turunen, Nightwish's current line-up has five members, although Tarja has been replaced by Anette Olzon and the...
. An album of Evangelicum was not released.
Waltari's next album, Radium Round
Radium Round
Radium Round is the 7th studio album by the Finnish avant-garde progressive metal band Waltari.-Track listing:# "Back To The Bottom" - 3:56# "Every Bad Day" - 3:44# "Broken Bizarre" - 3:13# "Power Of Thoughts" - 4:34# "Atom Angel" - 3:50...
(1999), featured a strong pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
influence. After Radium Round, the band passed out of the public eye, working on less main-stream releases such as the metal / yoik
Yoik
A joik, , luohti, vuolle, leu'dd, or juoiggus is a traditional Sami form of song.Originally, joik referred to only one of several Sami singing styles, but in English the word is often used to refer to all types of traditional Sami singing...
crossover Channel Nordica
Channel Nordica
Channel Nordica is the 8th studio album by Waltari+Angelit.-Track listing:# "Intro" - 1:02# "Tráveller" - 4:52# "System Oðða Áigi" - 4:57# "Muittut" - 2:51# "Virtual Áigái" - 5:29# "So Fine 2000" - 3:57# "Hard And Positive" - 4:27...
(2000) and the punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
EP Back To Persepolis (2001). However, these releases were very hard to obtain, and for a while Waltari only survived through its live shows. In 2001, the band's old guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö returned, and Roope Latvala left the band.
In 2004, Waltari released an all-new studio album, Rare Species
Rare Species (album)
Rare Species is the 9th studio album by the Finnish avant-garde progressive metal band Waltari.-Track listing:# "One Day" - 4:09# "Life Without Love" - 3:59# "Megacity Rain" - 4:49# "Dreamworld" - 4:09# "What I Really Know" - 4:30# "My Pain" - 5:19...
. The album was well received by critics, and an extensive tour put Waltari back on the map.
The Blood Sample
Blood Sample
Blood Sample is the 10th studio album by the Finnish avant-garde progressive metal band Waltari.-Track listing:# "Helsinki" - 5:53# "Not Enough" - 3:35# "Too Much Emptiness" - 2:30# "Never" - 4:01# "New York" - 3:48# "I'm in Pain" - 4:38...
album was released in 2005. In 2006, Early Years was released, a double album presenting remastered versions of the first album Monk Punk and Pala Leipää, containing additional tracks from the 1980s, never released before and recorded in autumn 2005 by the original trio: Jariot, Kärtsy and Sale.
Waltari released the album Release Date in 2007. This album includes bonus track "Spokebone", a collaboration with Amorphis
Amorphis
Amorphis is a Finnish heavy metal band started by Jan Rechberger, Tomi Koivusaari, and Esa Holopainen in 1990. Initially, the band was a death metal act, but on later albums they evolved into playing other types of genres, which include heavy metal, progressive metal, and folk metal...
singer Tomi Joutsen
Tomi Joutsen
Tomi Joutsen is the vocalist for the bands Amorphis and Sinisthra. In 1999, he founded Sinisthra with Markku Mäkinen under the name Nevergreen. His vocal style is very different comparing to traditional heavy metal and punk rock stylish high-pitched voice of former Amorphis singer Pasi Koskinen...
and Finnish ethnic band Värttinä
Värttinä
Värttinä is a Finnish folk music band which was started as a project by Sari and Mari Kaasinen back in 1983 in the village of Rääkkylä, in Karelia, the southeastern region of Finland. Many transformations have taken place in the band since then...
.
Below Zero
Below Zero (Waltari album)
Below Zero is the 12th studio album by the Finnish avant-garde progressive metal band Waltari. A music video was made for the song "In The Cradle".-Track listing:# "Below Zero" - 5:10# "I Hear Voices" - 5:31# "In The Cradle" - 3:47...
was released in 2009.
Current members
- Kärtsy HatakkaKärtsy HatakkaKari Arvo Ilari Kärtsy Hatakka is the vocalist and bassist for the Finnish music group Waltari, which he founded in 1986. In addition, he wrote the soundtrack for the video games Max Payne and Max Payne 2.He is known for his unique vocals...
- bass guitar, lead vocals, keyboards (1986 - ) - Jariot Lehtinen - guitars, backing vocals (1986 - )
- Sami Yli-SirniöSami Yli-SirniöSami Yli-Sirniö is a Finnish guitarist who plays rock and metal. He spent part of his life in Germany and thus has strong ties with the German metal scene...
- guitars, backing vocals (1989–1995 and 2001 - ) - Ville Vehviläinen - drums (2005 - )
- Janne Immonen - keyboards, noises, backing vocals
- Janne Rintala - live keyboards
Former members
- Sale Suomalainen - drums (1986–1990)
- Janne ParviainenJanne ParviainenJanne Parviainen, born 1973 in Finland, is a heavy metal drummer, who plays in the bands Sinergy, Barathrum and Ensiferum. He is a former member of Waltari and Zwanziger.Janne joined Barathrum in 2000, and Sinergy and Ensiferum more recently...
- drums (1990–2002) - Roope LatvalaRoope LatvalaRoope Latvala is a Finnish guitarist who currently plays with the bands Children of Bodom and Sinergy. He was one of the founding members of Stone, which was one of the first notable bands in the history of Finnish heavy metal.-Biography:...
- guitars (1995–2001) - Tote Hatakka - live keyboards
- Mika Järveläinen - drums (2002–2005)
Discography
- Mut Hei (EP, 1989)
- Monk Punk (1991)
- Torcha!Torcha!Torcha! is the 2nd studio album by the Finnish avant-garde progressive metal band Waltari.-Track listing:# "Lights On" - 4:54# "The Lie of the Zombie" - 4:43# "I Held You So Long" - 4:40# "Dedicated to the Flyers" - 2:45# "Lust of Life" - 4:44...
(1992) - Pala Leipää (compilation, 1993)
- So Fine!So Fine!So Fine! is the 3rd studio album by the Finnish avant-garde progressive metal band Waltari and their first collaboration with the Joik group Angelit.-Track listing:# "The Beginning Song" - 4:14# "Mad Boy" - 4:23# "So Fine" - 4:32...
(with AngelitAngelitAngelit, formerly known as Angelin tytöt , is a Finnish Sámi folk music group formed by sisters Ursula and Tuuni Länsman in 1989. However, the history of the group can be traced back to 1982 when Eino Ukkonen, Ursula and Tuuni Länsman's Finnish teacher, took them along with some classmates to sing...
, March, 1994) - Big BangBig Bang (Waltari album)Big Bang is the 4th studio album by the Finnish avant-garde progressive metal band Waltari.-Track listing:# "Big Bang " - 4:16# "Atmosfear" - 4:27# "Follow Me Inside" - 4:22# "Sensitive Touch" - 3:12# "On My Ice" - 5:14...
(1995) - Yeah! Yeah! Die! Die! Death Metal Symphony in Deep CYeah! Yeah! Die! Die! Death Metal Symphony in Deep CYeah! Yeah! Die! Die! is the fifth studio album by Waltari that combines death metal with classical music. Originally, Yeah! Yeah! Die! Die! was written as a stage show...
(1996) - Space AvenueSpace AvenueSpace Avenue is the 6th studio album by the Finnish avant-garde progressive metal band Waltari.-Track listing:# "External" - 4:57# "Far Away" - 5:52# "Wolves On The Street" - 4:26# "Progression" - 4:03# "Blind Zone" - 4:16...
(1997) - Decade (compilation, 1998)
- Radium RoundRadium RoundRadium Round is the 7th studio album by the Finnish avant-garde progressive metal band Waltari.-Track listing:# "Back To The Bottom" - 3:56# "Every Bad Day" - 3:44# "Broken Bizarre" - 3:13# "Power Of Thoughts" - 4:34# "Atom Angel" - 3:50...
(1999) - Channel NordicaChannel NordicaChannel Nordica is the 8th studio album by Waltari+Angelit.-Track listing:# "Intro" - 1:02# "Tráveller" - 4:52# "System Oðða Áigi" - 4:57# "Muittut" - 2:51# "Virtual Áigái" - 5:29# "So Fine 2000" - 3:57# "Hard And Positive" - 4:27...
(with Angelit, 2000) - Back To Persepolis (EP, 2001)
- Rare SpeciesRare Species (album)Rare Species is the 9th studio album by the Finnish avant-garde progressive metal band Waltari.-Track listing:# "One Day" - 4:09# "Life Without Love" - 3:59# "Megacity Rain" - 4:49# "Dreamworld" - 4:09# "What I Really Know" - 4:30# "My Pain" - 5:19...
(2004) - Blood SampleBlood SampleBlood Sample is the 10th studio album by the Finnish avant-garde progressive metal band Waltari.-Track listing:# "Helsinki" - 5:53# "Not Enough" - 3:35# "Too Much Emptiness" - 2:30# "Never" - 4:01# "New York" - 3:48# "I'm in Pain" - 4:38...
(2005) - Early Years (double album, remastered +add. tracks 2006)
- Release DateRelease Date (album)Release Date is the 11th studio album by the Finnish avant-garde progressive metal band Waltari.The track "Spokebone" is a collaboration between Waltari, Tomi Joutsen of Amorphis, and the Finnish folk group Värttinä.-Track listing:...
(2007) - The 2nd Decade - In the Cradle (compilation, 2008)
- Below ZeroBelow Zero (Waltari album)Below Zero is the 12th studio album by the Finnish avant-garde progressive metal band Waltari. A music video was made for the song "In The Cradle".-Track listing:# "Below Zero" - 5:10# "I Hear Voices" - 5:31# "In The Cradle" - 3:47...
(2009) - Covers All (2011)