Official press release:

Finnish traditional folk metal pioneers Korpiklaani reveal first details on their upcoming 8th studio record that at the same time will be their 4th release via Nuclear Blast Records! The record will be entitled Manala and is scheduled for a release on the 3rd of August 2012.

Main man Jonne Järvelä explains the album title for us: "'Manala' is the realm of the dead - the underworld in Finnish mythology. Tuonela, Tuoni, Manala and Mana are used synonymously. This place is best known for its appearance in the Finnish national epic Kalevala, on which many of our new songs are based. In the 16th poem of Kalevala, Väinämöinen, a shamanistic hero travels to Manala to seek for knowledge about the dead. On the journey he meets the ferrywoman (similar to Charon), a girl, Tuonen tytti, or Tuonen piika (Death's maid), who takes him across the river of Tuoni. However, on the isle of Tuoni he is not given the spells he was originally looking for and he barely manages to escape the place. After his return he curses anyone trying to enter the place alive."

For those of you who are now afraid of not being able to understand the mystical Finnish lyrics on the album - don't worry: Manala will come to you with a bonus CD, including the whole album with English lyrics!

Stay tuned for further information! In the meantime, and also in case you haven't heard of it already check out the song "Metsälle" that offers you a foretaste of the new compositions below.

Source:	korpiklaani.com
Band profile:	Korpiklaani