Photo Reports

Within Temptation is a straight shot of nostalgia for many of us, having been a mainstay in the metal scene for almost every generation since their inception and especially their early rise to fame during the heydays of symphonic metal. In the meantime, they’ve grown out to be a band that fills arenas in most countries, and are much loved by metal fans of all calibers. It’s been a moment since we got to enjoy a proper long show by them in Finland, so there was little to no hesitation to go to the Helsinki Ice Hall where they landed on a Friday night halfway October. With them came their German friends of Annisokay and some pretty cool guest appearances, turning the night into an excellent musical celebration.

German outfit Future Palace has been turning heads for quite some time with their blend of banging metal and rock, captivating songs and catchy pop melodies. The high energy trio delivers great track after great track and last time was in Finland for a way too short set opening for 2 sold-out shows of Electric Callboy, and clearly we weren’t the only ones who were sitting on a hunger for more. So as soon as it was announced, we marked their show at On The Rocks in Helsinki in our calendar and joined a packed venue to enjoy a proper headline show from these promising musicians. With them, they brought their countrymates of the metalcore collective Our Promise and the French sensation Revnoir to get us properly warmed up. What a night of excellent modern metal and rock it was!

Myles Kennedy chose Hamburg to start his European tour following the release of his third solo album ‘The Art of Letting Go’ this October.

The show at the iconic Gruenspan was opened by the Swedish alt blues rock band Black River Delta who managed to create a great atmosphere to enjoy this misty Sunday evening with a glass of good whisky whilst laying back in a cozy armchair. One might argue a tad too cozy to warm up the crowd at a rock concert, but the people seemed to enjoy the 8 songs nonetheless.

After a short break, Myles Kennedy hits the stage flanked by his drummer Zia Uddin and Tim Tournier on the bass guitar. During their 100-minute-long set they focus on Myles’ solo works and unlike previous performances with his bands Alter Bridge and Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, Myles is even quite talkative between the songs. Sadly this does not deviate from the fact that time has taken its toll on his voice which lacks the power of earlier years. Not to put any blame on Myles – with such a unique voice and singing style, the wearing is just easier noticeable than with a lot of his contemporaries.

Most fans are more than willing to forgive this though, and prove to be quite knowledgeable in the lyrics, even for the songs of the new album already. At the end of the night, most people are released back into the chill October night with smiles on their faces and the feeling of a Sunday evening well spent.

Myles’ tour will take him through Europe and the UK until the 6th of December.

When one of Finlands legendary bands announces that they teamed up with a full Sinfonia Orchestra to create a couple of special shows it’s definitely worth checking out. We made it to the show at Nokia Arena on Friday the 25th of October and while I had high expectations for this show those expectations were easily exceeded. Apulanta just keep on creating unforgettable shows for their fans.

From the sound and light arrangements to the set-list, there was absolutely nothing to complain about on this sold out show. Great work by everyone involved.

Pakanafestarit, or in English “Pagan Fest”, is a yearly event in Finland that brings together some of the best vendors, artists, musicians and experts from the realms of paganism, nature worship, witchcraft and so on from all over the world. The place to be if you want to get that hard to find piece for your home altar, alternative clothing and jewelry, some unique artwork or books, and so much more. Compared to last year, they moved to a whole new location adding a bunch more space, including a proper area for some great concerts and performances ranging from Finnish pagan/Nordic folk bands to folk metal to dark fusion dances…

It’s been a while since Smash Into Pieces have toured in Finland, and they have massively grown since the last time I’ve caught them live. This might be to some degree due to the fact that they recently participated in Sweden’s national Eurovision selection, Melodifestivalen. Cyan Kicks as well have tried their luck in getting to the Eurovision Song Contest a couple of times. Neither band made it to the big ESC stage so far, but they have found their own space in the rock and metal scene, and seeing these two bands together did not disappoint.

When a black metal package including 1349, Kampfar and Afsky comes to your neighborhood, you don’t hesitate a second and go as a fan of the genre. With 1349 celebrating a brand-new album, Kampfar‘s 3 decades of existence and on top of that the Danish storm that is Afsky, you simply know it’s going to be good. So despite the Monday evening, we geared up and made the trip to the renovated Ääniwalli in Helsinki for our much-needed black metal fix!

Over the Summer, GHØSTKID blew us away playing at festivals, like the show of theirs we caught at Tuska. So when they announced to be doing a full-on headliner tour through Europe to celebrate their latest record ‘Hollywood Suicide’ (our review here), we immediately marked it in our calendar to be there when they hit up the legendary Helsinki venue Tavastia! With them, they brought the Slovenian metalstorm that is Within Destruction and highly emotive modern metalcore upstarts of SETYØURSAILS as support, making it a guarantee to be a showcase of modern metal(core) to lick fingers and thumbs!

Swedish melodic metal band Eleine, on their first headlining tour, treated the DVG Club crowd to an unforgettable evening with the talented Ukrainian band Ignea as their opening act.

Ignea, known for their fusion of progressive and symphonic metal, set the stage ablaze with a captivating performance. Vocalist Helle Bogdanova‘s striking gothic aesthetic perfectly complemented her powerful vocal range, seamlessly transitioning between soaring cleans and ferocious growls. The audience was immediately captivated by their energy and engaged enthusiastically throughout their set.

Eleine, despite their relative newness to the headlining circuit, showcased a level of professionalism that belied their experience. Their stage presence was dynamic and infectious, with Madeleine‘s captivating dance moves and attire adding an extra layer of allure. The crowd was encouraged to participate, raising their hands and clapping along to the energetic rhythms. The band’s synchronized headbanging and overall performance exuded a raw power that left a lasting impression.

The DVG Club was electric with anticipation, and Eleine‘s performance lived up to the hype. The hundred or so attendees were left exhilarated and satisfied, eager to see what these talented musicians would achieve in the future.

Every year when the festival summer has just been wrapped up, local punk label Fast Decade Records and supporters put together HKI SKEPU FEST, a festival in Helsinki that celebrates all that is (skate) punk. They always manage to gather a really cool and interesting line-up with both Finnish talents and bands from abroad, enriched with some fun different activities, including for instance a skate bash where you get to experience a real life Tony Hawk Pro Skater moment with skaters showing their best tricks while some cool bands provide a fitting soundtrack. On the second day of the event, we managed to capture some cool images of the Finnish bands Lame Duck, Teresa Banks and headliners Against It All, the Danes of Uphill Struggle and the first ever Finnish show from the Polish skate punkers CF98!