Turisas release cover of Boney M. hit song 'Rasputin' as single

September 22, 2007

Finnish folk metal/viking metal band Turisas have released their first music video and second single, a cover version of the Boney M. 70s disco hit Rasputin.

The Turisas version of the song was released as a single, on September 21 in Germany, to be followed by France, the United Kingdom and various other territories on September 24, Spain on September 25 and finally the band's native Finland on September 26.

At each release, it will be available as a CD, which will feature the band's song Battle Metal, from the album of the same name as a B-side, and as a limited edition picture 7” vinyl record featuring In the Court of Jarisleif from the album The Varangian Way as a B-side.

Band frontman Mathias "Warlord" Nygård explained the concept behind the video: "This video is pretty far from what you'd expect from a Turisas video - or any metal video for that matter! The idea to the video is just as wild as the cover song itself: a battle metal band covering a 70's disco hit. Just as the song, it is a crossover of the 70's kitsch attached to the Boney M. track, but performed by us as we do it. Director Vesa-Matti Vainio and the whole crew did a great job on this one and to me, this is a good pick for our first video ever. I assure you, there are plenty of ideas on epic spectacles to be looked into later.”

He goes on to explain how the unusual cover came to be in the first place: "We've been begged to record Rasputin pretty much since we first played it live a couple of years back. It's amazing how popular this cover version of ours have become at our gigs during the last year and it really makes us feel like we must have done something right here looking at big crowds going totally mental over a 70's disco hit! I remember getting the idea for this cover years back - in 2001 I think. I was on a ferry trip between Finland and Sweden and there was this cover band performing 70's disco hits. The minute they blasted 'Rasputin' I knew, that at some point, we would need to do it in some form or another. It was just obvious that it would work amazingly well given a slightly more modern and heavier touch-up. Personally I've always preferred these old 70's disco bands".