I suggest everyone go out and see this show, Ensiferum is an excellent live act. And Finntroll, while not quite as exciting on-stage, brings a crowd that is like nothing you have ever seen and is guaranteed to be a good time.

DATES

January 31 – Orlando, FL – The Club at Firestone
February 1 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
February 2 – Louisville, KY – Headliner’s Music Hall
February 3 – Tulsa, OK – Marquee
February 4 – Austin, TX – Emo’s Alternative Lounging
February 5 – Dallas, TX – Ridglea Theater
February 6 – Amarillo, TX – The War Legion Underground
February 7 – Tempe, AZ – Clubhouse
February 8 – Los Angeles, CA – Key Club
February 9 – Ramona, CA – Ramona Mainstage
February 10 – San Francisco, CA – DNA Lounge
February 11 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre
February 12 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon
February 14 – Calgary, AB – The Republik
February 15 – Edmonton, AB – Starlite Room
February 16 – Regina, SK – The Exchange
February 18 – Minneapolis, MN – Station 4
February 19 – Chicago, IL – Reggie Rock Club
February 20 – Detroit, MI – Blondie’s
February 21 – Cleveland, OH – Peabody’s
February 22 – Toronto, ON – Opera House
February 23 – Quebec City, QC – Imperial de Quebec
February 24 – Montreal, QC – Metropolis
February 25 – Rochester, NY – Montage Music Hall
February 26 – New York City, NY – The Gramercy Theatre
February 27 – Worcester, MA – The Palladium
March 1 – Philadelphia, PA – The Trocadero
March 2 – West Springfield, VA – Jaxx
March 3 – Charlotte, NC – The Casbah
March 4 – Raleigh, NC – Volume 11

It seems that the app first came into existence for phones other than the iPhone, and it was called Mobile Twilight Tavern, but now this new “Mobile Backstage” version looks like a more generic band app rather than something uniquely Ensiferum. Which makes sense, since the only techie band member they’ve ever had was Jari “200 Tracks” Maenpaa, and he’s long gone.

In case you’re wondering about what exactly this app does, here’s the breakdown:

- Get connected and join other Ensiferum fans from around the world
- Follow Ensiferum across the globe
- View material (text, video, audio, pictures) posted by the band
- View and comment on material posted by other fans
- Share your own material with other fans
- Interact with the band members & other fans by taking part in open discussions, or send private messages to other users etc.
- Integrated Twitter support
- Get SMS-like notifications from band postings and private messages

Awesome right? It is, if you like Ensiferum a lot. I couldn’t care less what they’re up to these days. Although that last half of that one song on their latest album was pretty sweet. If you’re wondering how good the app is, here’s a review by Persesilmä:

Tää on paras ohjelma ku saa tietoa parhaan suomalaise bändin tapahtumista ja vielä ilmainen!! Ensiferum fanien pakko ladata!

Thanks to paroxysm, our local Ensiferum nut, for the heads up.

The rest of the interview is boring as all shit, since apparently Petri hates talking and/or people bringing up Jari Maenpaa.

Jari first rose to prominence thanks to his involvement in Ensiferum. He rearranged some of the songs, did vocals and played lead guitar in their now classic self-titled debut album, and after releasing a second album with the band he left to pursue his own musical interests. That turned out into the forming of “Wintersun”, a band which at the beginning was basically just Jari. He then got a drummer and enough studio time to release the fantastic self-titled album which we all know and love (except Zach).

A couple of years after his 2004 debut, Jari announced a follow-up record was in the making. This got everyone in the metal community (except Zach) excited for the sequel to one of metal’s greatest albums in recent times. Jari later on revealed “Time” as being the title of the new album and some updates on the recording process. Everything seemed all nice and dandy.

But then stuff started to go wrong. Equipment got fucked up, unavailable studio time, money was running low, gear was not up to snuff and several other bumps in the road that delayed the release significantly were made public through the band’s website, making the fans begin to wonder if “Time” would ever see the light of day. Jokes came and went, fake artwork was posted and taken off, and even some donations were made, but still no album.

The last update on Wintersun’s site is from February of this year, announcing that all their shows were being canceled as they were not yet gig-ready due to “unexpected problems with technology” and even some “personal problems” with Jari’s apartment. But no real news on any substantial progress on the album.

By now, “Time” has become the stuff of myth. Does it really exist? If so, will it ever be released? And if it does, will it be the greatest metal album of all Time? I personally have high hopes that the answer to all these questions is a resounding yes, but as usual, you gotta have your doubts. First, it will be really difficult to match and let alone surpass the quality of the first album and second, anything that is hyped to the extent that “Time” has been (even if the hype is just a side-effect of all the delays), usually ends up sucking ass hard. But let’s hope that some day we get to actually listen to the record, and prove these assumptions either right or wrong.

I guess only Time will tell.

(that’s right motherfuckers, “Time” joke)