KORPIKLAANI frontman Jonne Järvelä will release Harjumaa, the third album from his solo project JONNE, on December 18. The title track is already out on all major streaming platforms.
It's the first solo record from the Finnish folk metal mainstay in almost a decade, following Jonne (2014) and Kallohonka (2017), and it stays on the same path as those two.
Järvelä calls the title track melancholic but hopeful, a song about the strength of nature inside people: a person, he says, can stand like a tree on deep roots whatever hardships come, and just as the sun always comes out from behind grey clouds, people find their feet again. The song began on an acoustic guitar, and the subject was right outside his window — a ridge covered in pine trees.
The JONNE lineup draws on familiar names. Bass and vocals come from Kärtsy Hatakka of WALTARI, accordion from KORPIKLAANI bandmate Sami Perttula, and violin from long-time CRUACHAN member John Ryan, who also played on Järvelä's earlier solo albums. Jaana Järvelä (vocals, shaman drum) and Yoko Perttula (hurdy-gurdy, tin whistle) complete the band.
Guests include pianist Kasper Mårtenson, known from AMORPHIS, BARREN EARTH and TURISAS, and the late flamenco-metal guitarist Ben Woods, alongside Jesper Anastadiasis on double and electric bass, Samuli Mikkonen on drums, Riikka Jaakkola on backing vocals and Yovan Nagwetch on Indigenous chants and flute.
Järvelä is currently on the road in Canada with KORPIKLAANI. Back home, he will host a public preview on December 11 at The Riff in Helsinki, where Harjumaa will be played in full from 6 p.m. Space is limited.
JONNE lineup:
- Jonne Järvelä — vocals, guitar, mandolin, dobro, bass, percussion, programming, keyboards
- Jaana Järvelä — vocals, shaman drum
- Yoko Perttula — hurdy-gurdy, tin whistle
- Sami Perttula — accordion
- Kärtsy Hatakka — vocals, bass
- John Ryan — violin