3rd Decade - Anniversary Edition [CD]【Japan Edition w/ OBI】

For Waltari, this space has always been music – galaxies of sound beyond tropes and trends – and in 2021, the Finish groundbreakers are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their very first space journey in true style.

This means that even though a best-of compilation might be in order on such an occasion, Waltari would not be themselves if they hadn´t cooked up something special. 

“We noticed that 30 years have passed since Monk-Punk”, cofounder and leader Kärtsy Hatakka says. “Therefore, we considered acknowledging this with several exclusive concerts, but then the virus came, so we thought we´d do a record with some unusual guests.”

And unusual the album turns out to be: For 3rd Decade – The Anniversary Edition, the group revisited material from all their creative phases, choosing some of their finest songs to give them an overhaul with the help of like-minded musicians from every　stripe.

“Remaking the old hits gave me a kick”, Kärtsy explains. “It was actually the first time ever that I could step back and just watch what people did while giving directions, a refreshing experience. This is definitely not my personal baby but a collective effort, I didn´t do much more than play bass, sing a few lines and program things.”

Indeed, Waltari let their guests shine instead of stepping into the spotlight themselves.

“We asked them what they envisioned for the respective tracks and wanted them to let their imagination wander. Our attitude was: We are at your service as backing musicians. It was nice to see how they interpreted the songs.”

Afraid of nothing but stagnation, the band once again proves that it can still live up to the original crossover ethos at any time, experimenting and finding new alleys to sneak into, all the while honouring its legacy with one eye looking ahead into an exciting future.

“Rock is an attitude, an unquenched thirst to remain playful with life
till the very end! I still find it cool to put on my make-up and be an outcast. Our goal is to create music that will blow the minds of our listeners.”, sums up Kärtsy.