Finntroll

**Finntroll** is a folk metal band from Finland. They mix elements of extreme metal with Finnish polka, called _humppa_. Finntroll's lyrics are in Swedish, one of Finland's two national languages, because they say "Swedish just sounds damn trollish". Finntroll means "Troll from Finland" or "a spotty troll".

## History

Finntroll was founded in 1997, by Teemus Raimoranta. One year later they recorded their first demo, _Rivfader_. After the demo Samu Ruotsalainen (drums),Samuli Ponsimaa (guitar), Henri Sorvali (keyboard) and Sami Uusitalo joined the band. The record company Spinefarm got interested in the band and then their first album _Midnattens Widunder_ was recorded.

In 2001 the album _Jaktens Tid_ (English: _The time of the Hunt_) was released. As they became more and more popular, Century Media started to promote Finntroll. That summer Finntroll played their first open air festivals in Finland. The year after the release of the album _Jaktens Tid_ the band could not go on tour, because their singer had a tumor in his vocal cords. That is why he stopped singing in the band after the album _Visor om Slutet_ (English: _Songs about the End_). This album was recorded in January 2003, in a forest cabin near Helsinki. Shortly before the release of _Visor om Slutet_ Raimoranta died, because he fell off a bridge in Helsinki. He had drunk too much alcohol. Finntroll went on tour to Europe anyway, together with the band Katatonia. The guitarist Mikael Karlbom replaced Raimoranta. In 2004, the band released an EP, _Trollhammaren_ (English: _The Troll Hammer_), and an album called _Nattfödd_ (English: _Nightborn_).

On January 29th, 2006, Tapio Wilska, vocalist of the band since 2003, left the band.

A new album, called Ur Jordens Djup (English: _From the Depths of the Earth_), was released March, 2007. This album had more epic keyboard riffs to make it sound more like polka.

## Members

- Mathias "Vreth" Lillmåns–Vocals (2006-)
- Samuli "Skrymer" Ponsimaa–Guitar (1998-)
- Mikael "Routa" Karlbom–Guitar (2003-)
- Sami "Tundra" Uusitalo–Bass guitar (1998-)
- Samu "Beast Dominator" Ruotsalainen–Drums (1998-)
- Henri "Trollhorn" Sorvali–Keyboards (1998-)

### Old members

- Tapio Wilska–Vocals (2002–2006)
- Jan "Katla" Jämsen–Vocals (1997–2001, stopped to sing because of a throat tumor)
- Teemu "Somnium" Raimoranta–Guitar (1997–2003, died 2003 because he fell off a bridge)
- Tomi Ullgren–Guitar (1997–1998)

### Albums

- _Midnattens Widunder_ (1999) (_The Monster of Midnight_)
- _Jaktens Tid_ (2001) (_Time of the Hunt_)
- _Visor om Slutet_ (2003) (_Songs about the End_)
- _Nattfödd_ (2004) (_Nightborn_)
- _Ur Jordens Djup_ (2007) (_From the Depths of the Earth_)
- _Nifelvind_  (2010)
- _Blodsvept_  (2013)
- _Vredesvävd_ (2020)

### EPs

- _Visor om Slutet_ (2003)
- _Trollhammaren_ (2004) (_The Troll Hammer_)

### Demos

- _Rivfader_ (1998) (_Rivfader_)

### Videos

- "Bastuvisan" (1998)
- "Jaktens Tid" (live, 2001)
- "Skogens Hämnd" (2001)
- "Födosagan" (live, 2002)
- "Trollhammaren" (2004)
- "Nedgång" (2007)
- "Solsagan"  (2010)
- "Under Bergets Rot"  (2010)

## Other websites

- Finntroll Official Website

## Infobox (musical artist)

- **name**: Finntroll
- **img**: Finntroll at Doornroosje 2024 02 (cropped).jpg
- **img capt**: Finntroll in 2024
- **landscape**: yes
- **background**: group_or_band
- **origin**: Helsinki, Finland
- **genre**: Folk metal, black metal
- **years active**: 1997–present
- **label**: Spinefarm Records, Spinefarm, Century Media Records, Century Media
- **associated acts**: Moonsorrow, Korpiklaani, Swallow the Sun, Ensiferum, Shape of Despair, Barathrum
- **url**: [http://www.finntroll.net www.finntroll.net]
- **current members**: Mathias Lillmåns, Mathias "Vreth" Lillmåns
Samuli Ponsimaa, Samuli "Skrymer" Ponsimaa
Mikael "Routa" Karlbom
Sami Uusitalo, Sami "Tundra" Uusitalo
Samu "Beast Dominator" Ruotsalainen
Henri Sorvali, Henri "Trollhorn" Sorvali
Aleksi "Virta" Virta