Maria Voutyriadou of Metal Kaoz recently conducted an interview with TURISAS violinist Olli Vänskä, who talked about the band's upcoming album. An excerpt follows:

Q: And the obvious question: what is the latest update on the recordings of the new album?

A: "We had an ambitious goal to finish the recordings before the tour and have the album released already in May, but there were a few things we didn’t manage to solve in time. I think we’ll need another week or so in Finland to finish it and it will come out in July-August. Promise!"

Q: Do you have a title for this or at least a working title to reveal to our readers?

A: "Nope. We’ll post all the information mainly on our Reddit and Facebook pages, so you guys should keep an eye on those... Mixing should be done pretty soon!"

Q: How many tracks are we talking about? Are there any live orchestrations this time? I remember that you really enjoyed this process in 'Stand Up And Fight'.

A: "I think it’s going to be 9 or 10 tracks, and good stuff, too! We do have some live orchestrations, yes, but all in all the production is bit

more stripped and raw than eg. on 'SUAF'. We’re done with the ultra-Broadway stuff for a while and throw in some punk."

Q: Are there any guest musicians in the new album?

A: "We had musician friends joining us in the choir sessions, such as Teemu Mäntysaari from WINTERSUN and Mikko Salovaara from KIUAS. We also did some guitar leads with a friend of ours."

Q: What about the lyrics: is there a concept or a general theme behind them?

A: "This time we didn’t want to tie ourselves too tightly into a storyline or historical time and space... I wouldn’t call it a concept album, it’s more like a collection of songs revolving around themes that we’ve discussed also earlier. It’s not so much about sword-waving than thoughts about the choices we make and how we act."

You can read the entire interview at this location.

In the last couple of years, the Heidenfest turned out to be a unique and not-to-be-missed tour package when it comes to the biggest names in the field of heathen / Viking metal and bands offering you the best in between war anthems and drinking horn frenzy. Which is why the 2013 lineup again looks like the wet dream of every heathen metal warrior:

Headlining will be mighty genre legends ENSIFERUM from Finland. These much-loved Viking and folk metallers definitely know how to get a good party going and have recently released their opus magnum Unsung Jeroes in 2012. Travelling with them will be fellow countrymen Turisas.

Germans EQUILIBRIUM must be considered as true stars of the German pagan metal genre: they`ve set fire to every club so far with their explosive mixture of catchiness and heaviness. These guys and girls are also working on a new album right now. SUIDAKRA combine melody with death metal and folk parts - Eternal Defiance will be released end of May 2013.

A "special guest" for the whole tour will be announced soon. Furthermore there will be two more acts at the "Extended Shows" which will also be announced before long!.Keep your eyes peeled and check Heidenfest.eu regularly - there you will find further news soon. Get your tickets and fan packs (ticket + shirt+ CD) here.

Tour dates:

September

20 - Leipzig, Germany - Hellraiser
21 - Giessen, Germany - Hessenhallen *Extended*
22 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix *Extended*
23 - Paris, France - Bataclan
24 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
25 - Milano, Italy - Live Club
26 - Wien, Austria - Arena
27 - Geiselwind, Germany - Musichall *Extended*
28 - München, Germany - Backstage *Extended*
29 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
30 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle

October

1 - Berlin, Germany - Postbahnhof
4 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn *Extended*
5 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle *Extended*
6 - Tilburg, Netherlands - O13 *Extended*

More info at this location.