In something of a long-distance digital roundtable, Metal Solstice caught up with three artists whose creations help to bring metal to life in the form of album covers, stage equipment, and merch designs. Niko Anttila has a unique perspective, his creative pursuits including traditional physical media, digital art, and drumming for death/thrash outfit Nemecic. The
Fleetburner may be a new band in town, but they’ve wasted no time putting their best foot forward with their namesake debut album, Fleetburner, released in September 2020 on Butler Records. In order to best tell the album’s story, Dutch guitarist Kevin Storm hand-picked the other international talents, including American vocalist Ken Simerly, Finnish keyboardist
Finnish rockers Shereign made a splash in their first year, assembling their ranks in early 2020 then garnering an impressive number of streams on their self-released debut single “Losing Sight”, released in November. The band, comprised of vocalist Sara Strömmer (Fear of Domination), drummer Miikki Kunttu (Fear of Domination), guitarist Joonas Pulkkinen (Black Light Discipline),
Finnish thrash/death up-and-comers Pahan Ikoni wasted no time releasing news in recent weeks: a new single entitled “Ikonoklasti”, an accompanying music video, and the promise of a debut full-length in 2021. According to bassist Petri Sara, “The story of ‘Ikonoklasti’ is told through the eyes of an iconoclast, a destroyer of sacred icons. It’s about
Lik’s Misanthropic Breed is a respectful nod to SweDeath tradition, harnessing the talents of vocalist/guitarist Tomas Åkvik (Nale), guitarist Niklas “Nille” Sandin (Katatonia), drummer Chris Barkensjö (Witchery), and bassist Joakim “Myre” Antman (Diatonic, Overtorture, The Ugly). The album, released September 25th, 2020 via Metal Blade, begins with an overture of primal screams followed by Åkvik’s
If you have attended Helsinki’s Tuska Festival in the past few years, or perhaps admired photos from afar, you’ve likely seen the work of master blacksmith Kirsi Vahtera. The Lahti, Finland-based artist and Routa Design business owner recently earned the title of 2020’s Artist of the Year, a national honor awarded by the Artist Blacksmiths
Nicumo’s Inertia was a 2020 album release not to be overlooked. The Northern Finnish band, including Hannu Karppinen (vocals), Atte Jääskelä (guitars), Sami Kotila (bass), Aki Pusa (drums, percussion), and Tapio Anttiroiko (guitars), delivered a melancholy opus whose sound sits at the intersection of metal, rock, and melodic Gothic-inspired flavors reminiscent of Charon and Sentenced.
Jyväskylä, Finland’s Psychework released their latest single, “Enemy Inside the Wire”, on December 11 as a taste of their forthcoming EP, due in April 2021 via Ranka Kustannus. As triumphant as it is polished, this single represents some of Psychework’s most mature work to date. Founded in 2016 from the ashes of Iron Maiden-inspired Machine
