Nearing the end of a seemingly limitless string of tour dates across three continents and 10 months, melodic death metal outfit Wofheart returned to On the Rocks in Helsinki, the city closest to what they consider to be a hometown. Sandwiched in between openers and Dutch symphonic black metallers Carach Angren, the band, comprised of
If there is one thing that the members of Helsinki-based Paara have mastered, it’s defying convention. The band’s three vocalists sing exclusively in Finnish, but unlike many others who do the same, they’ve dared to deliver their set throughout Europe to fans who can’t translate. They’ve also released their four-song sophomore album Riitti (ViciSolum Productions,
Growing a local metal scene is no simple task when you’re from almost as far north as it gets, but Rovaniemi-based death metal outfit Suotana are used to the road. Fresh off a five-date tour of their home country with symphonic power metal-inspired Brymir, and Oulu-based melodic death titans Kalmah, the band- made up of
Coated in the polish of decades-long experience together, Omnium Gatherum ascended to the Nummirock main stage and created an atmosphere of fun. Their set was something of a musical ballet, with lead singer Jukka Pelkonen performing his growling vocals, pointing out enthusiastic crowd members, and leaping across the stage simultaneously. Clad in matching logo shirts,
Helsinki-based Wake up Frankie, victors of the Tuska-Torstai competition, will take the stage for the first time at the annual Tuska festival on Saturday in Suvilahti. The self-proclaimed “groovin’ thrashrock” performers, comprised of Kasperi Meriläinen (vocals), RisOtto (guitar),Vesa-Matti Pääkkönen (guitar), Dimi Kavvadas (bass), and Joni Huovila (drums), edged out several other up-and-coming bands for the
Embraze will end a ten-year break from live performances on Thursday, as they return to the Nummirock Inferno Stage at 20:00. The Kiiminki, Finland-based band whose most recent output was The Last Embrace (Verikauha Records, 2006), will return with their five-album catalog of metal and goth-rock-inspired tracks such as “The One”, “My Star”, and more.
Melodic death metal heavy-hitters Kalmah delivered their first-ever New York City performance on Tuesday night at the Gramercy Theatre. The Pudasjärvi-based band, known for unflinching performances and a loyal legion of fans known as “Swampheads”, descended upon Manhattan on the penultimate date of their 14-stop “Heroes to U.S.” tour. Kalmah sat down for a roundtable
Finnish goth-rock legends and self-proclaimed “rock ‘n’ roll gang” The 69 Eyes will perform in the U.S. today for the first time in a decade. The “Back From the Grave” will wind through 26 cities, parking in Brooklyn along with “funeral pop” duo MXMS and dark-rock outfit The Nocturnal Affair at The Kingsland on May
This year, though still in its youth, is shaping up to be the “Year of the New Album”, especially for Finnish metal bands. Saturday’s “Kaaos Metal Night” at On The Rocks in Helsinki was the first live celebration of Brymir’s March 8 release, “Wings of Fire”. The evening, orchestrated by Kaaoszine and Loose Mind Productions,
Six bands bombarded the Nosturi stage on Saturday with Electrik Products’ “Thrash Attack!” The event, which took place on International Women’s Day, drew a diverse crowd in many ways; but the entire evening carried the youthful energy of the Finnish thrash metal scene. Opener Malicious Death got an early start at 19:30, and in camouflage