Even if you're not the single greatest fan of a band, it's hard not to get into them a little when you're joined in a room by a bunch of other people who are loving what they're seeing. Such is the epiphany that Ground Control head photographer Raymond Ahner had when he walked into DNA Lounge to shoot Finnish folk metal icons Korpiklaani on the eleventh anniversary of September 11th; he wasn't sure what he expected to see, but what his lens caught proves that a good time was had by all.
Korpiklaani have been out on the road for the last few months supporting their latest release Kunnia (Nuclear Blast) but, when they pulled up to the DNA Lounge in San Francisco for an evening of melodic beer metal last week, they showed no wear from the moment they took the stage and had the near sold out crowd engaged enough to be singing along with every song in pretty shortly after beginning their set.
The sound and the image cut by the band remains incredibly attention-grabbing, particularly given the way that the stage seemed to almost be divided by light. When he stood up front, singer Jonne Järvelä seemed to be almost bathed in a divide glow as he sopped up the crowd's energy gratefully, but the contrast surrounding bassist Jarkko Aaltonen was something else again. Dismal and almost evil in his stance, Aaltonen towered at stage right. In an ever-so slight contrast, violinist Tuomas Rounakari and guitarist Kalle "Cane" Savijärvi found the middle ground between the two extremes and stood statuesque in the cool blues of stage left. Such a kaleidoscopic image was awesome and really made for a great image to which the band provided the soundtrack (which focused heavily on Kunnia).
This show was defined by the kind of drama that European metalheads love, and the band was only too happy to play to that. They will be in the States for another week or so before heading back to Europe for a handful of dates, so catch them while you can.
Photos:
Korpiklaani – DNA Lounge – San Francisco, CA – 9/11/12 – [Photos]
Artist:
www.korpiklaani.com/
www.myspace.com/korpiklaani
www.facebook.com/korpiklaani
Tour:
Korpiklaani's tour continues. Click here for an updated list of performances.
