The swamplords are coming to Australia for the first time ever!

Legendary finnish metal icons Kalmah will be making their long-awaited debut in Australia as they prepare to assault the east coast of the country with their high-octane riffs and brutality en-mass.

With a career of almost 2 decades and their critically acclaimed recent release ‘Palo’, Kalmah has cemented themselves as one of the most prolific metal acts coming out of Northern Europe, and they have set their sights on conquering Australia this November! We caught up with Pekka Kokko ahead of the first date.

H2Z: Hi Pekka, thank you for your time! After almost 20 years as a band and this is your first Australian tour. How does it feel to be finally touring here?
PK: Hello there! Yes, I have to say I’m excited! I really hope that I can something else there than venues and cities. I mean I would like to have a good view to your nature and to your landscape. 

H2Z: Your last album Palo was critically acclaimed and well received around the world. Will many songs from that album be in the set in Australia?
PK: Well, I don’t know exactly how may but at least there will be some of them. We have so much songs that we can and people want us to play so the set will be a cross-section of our career.

H2Z: Did you approach the writing of Palo differently to previous albums?
PK: Well I think not. We have a perfect way to write songs I mean perfect for us. 

H2Z: When you sit to write a song do you base it around a riff or maybe have a vocal melody planned?
PK: We always write the riffs first and then compose the song together. When the music has been done I write the lyrics.

H2Z: You will be touring solidly until the end of 2019. What are the bands plans for 2020?
PK: We have many songs already written, so we will probably end up studio at some point. And let’s see what happens after that.

H2Z: Many bands are now doing Metal Cruises which you have also done. Is that something the band wants to do again?
PK: I think yes. Those are kind of unique events compared to normal touring. The fans and the bands stay together in a same place that lasts like a week so pretty interesting things happen.

H2Z: I know the band members lead very busy lives, is it hard to get everyone together with so much else going on?
PK: You got that right. It takes a lot of work go make things happen.

H2Z: You can only pick 5 bands to listen to forever. What bands would you pick?
PK: Megadeth, Judas Priest, Kiss, Pantera, AC/DC.

H2Z: What new music are you into at the moment? 
PK: I have to tell you that nothing much. Metal bands sound pretty much the same nowadays.

H2Z: Any final words for the Australian Fans?
PK: Come to the shows and stay Kalmah!

We would love to thank Pekka for his time. Kalmah are in our shores now kicking off in Brisbane on October 31st. Get out and check out a show.

Special guests Valhalore will be joining Kalmah on all dates. Brisbane’s epic folk metal heroes are quickly becoming the faces of Australia’s folk metal scene with a long repertoire of incredible live shows and world-class musicianship.

FREE MEET AND GREET!
As a special treat to their Australian fans, both Kalmah AND Valhalore will be participating in a FREE meet and greet at the end of every show! Get your stuff signed and take photos with the bands!