New Interview with Wintersun!
5/17/2013 6:42:42 PM by Etiam




The concert room of The Bottom Lounge is a drafty place on a winter afternoon. Doors on three sides open to the elements, skeletal stage gear sprawls across the empty floor, and the few ceiling radiators are no match for a close-pressed, sweating, crowd—conspicuously absent before nightfall. It was in this dim cavern that I watched two Finns at rock-paper-scissors, best out of three to determine who would represent Wintersun in interview that night. The brainchild of Jari Mäenpää, Wintersun has become modern legend since the release of their 2004 self-titled debut; eight years would pass before its successor, 'Time', and the band's long-awaited debut on American shores.

Paper covered rock in the deciding throw, pairing me with Teemu Mäntysaari, the precocious young gun at Jari's side since shortly after the self-titled's release. Though soft-spoken and reflective, a glinting eye and cagey grin hinted at his sharply dry sense of humor. Throughout our chat I was refreshed to hear no burden of regret or disillusionment even after so many years spent toiling over 'Time'. Rather, the tenor was affirming and fluid, comfortable up in the cosmos of the band's naturalist lyrics as well as down in the details of their touring rigs and gear preferences. Our conversation—at least until we gave off recording and went for a gear tour—can be read below. --Etiam

[Interview Link]

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