Though involved in the metal community through his connection with Korpiklaani and lesser-known early projects of his own, to those who know the work of Juha Jyrkäs he is mostly associated with ethnic folk music as a kantele player and throat singer, particularly with his style-fusing Poropetra band.

For this debut solo demo he has made the unusual juxtaposition of abandoning all ethnic influences to play in a straightforward metal style, while at the same time making a traditional instrument the focal point of the music. Recorded in quite lo-fi style, Rokkia Soitan is almost literally a solo project, with Jyrkäs himself providing the vocals and sole instrumental contribution with Finland’s national instrument, the kantele - the only other contributor is producer Aslak Tolonen, who also programmed the drums.

The kantele is among the least likely of metal instruments, its soft chiming a million miles from the familiar roar of the guitar, but by using a custom-built, fully electric version, Jyrkäs shows here that it can pack an unexpected punch outside of its usual home in traditional music.

The opening title track, Rokkia Soitan, provides a short, sharp and simple introduction, with Jyrkäs’ guttural vocals barking loud over a thrashy, almost punk, riff. The song doesn’t feature a chorus and ends with a solo that runs all the way to the conclusion. Not the best song on the demo, it nevertheless lives up to its title (Playing Rock) and gives an instant impression of what can be expected from the experimental style. It unfortunately also shows some of the demo’s limitations – it may be down to the mixing, with the vocals very much in the forefront, but the kantele does sound a little thin, though maybe the addition of a bass guitar to the mix would be enough to provide some extra rhythmic weight to balance this out.

Itellajoonin Blues is more indicative of the overall style of Rokkia Soitan represented on three of the five songs – doom metal, more or less, built on minimal, repetitive chords and slow drum marching. The kantele undoubtedly sounds stronger against the vocals at this lower tempo, and the vocals themselves sound more in time with music. Jyrkäs’ low muttering punctuated by sudden loud barks, and a longer, spacey solo craft an eerie atmosphere that is complimented by the kantele’s soft growling.

Lasiset Huulet starts at similar pace, the same slow repeating marching style, before kicking up the tempo a little, which through the song jumps back and forward from faster to slower. A more developed song with more liberal drumming and vocal lines that are more intricate, it has quite a lot going on considering it is just over four minutes long, with numerous instrumental sections and lead breaks filling the spaces.

A short instrumental break is provided by Mujaus, which is mostly just kantele shredding with no drums at all, and is more of a showcase of Jyrkäs’ deftness with the strings than a full song. Following this though, the closing track Laulava Liekki gets back to the more dominant minimal doom style, the hypnotic rhythm wrapping things up in fine fashion.

The purpose of a demo recording of course is merely to give an idea of how a full version of the project would sound, and Rokkia Soitan shows that the idea of putting an electric kantele to metal and rock music is definitely not a dead end, with most of the songs evidence that there is definitely more to be said from this style in the future.

Of the styles to try and play in this fashion, choosing doom metal and stoner rock as a main basis seems the logical one as the slower moments on the demo prove to be the more balanced ones. More fast songs would perhaps need better support in the rhythm department than shown so far, and the minimal riffing utilised seems to suit the instruments powers and limitations very well. A full studio recording with a more rounded production would no doubt give a better account of “kantele metal”, but the five tracks collected here definitely show that such an undertaking would be well worthwhile. With its assorted strengths and weaknesses taken into account, Rokkia Soitan gives a brief glimpse of what would be a very interesting project if it is given the required backing.

Tracklisting:
1.Rokkia Soitan (Playing Rock)
2.Itellajoonin Blues (Postman Blues)
3.Lasiset Huulet (Your Lips Are Glass)
4.Mujaus (Mojo Burst)
5.Laulava Liekki (Singing Flame)

- Posted By: Craig at 21:31 on 15/06/10

Juha Jyrkäs

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