Here we go again! After a great anniversary edition last year, where Tuska Open Air was celebrating its 20th birthday, we’re back at the holy grounds of Suvilahti for another serving of great heavy music. Having looked forward to get to enjoy one of the nicest “family” metal and rock events of Finland, we geared up and went very excited towards great bands, wonderful atmosphere and lovely people… The following is what took place…

On the second day I arrived just in time to catch the heavy metal power house that is Tyrantti (***1/2). The band has been steadily growing in popularity during the past year and you can easily see why. The 3 guys bring a level of energy to the stage that many bands can be jealous of. Widespread legs, guitars on the crotch and sticking out tongues as far as they could while they were throwing the classic sound of old school heavy metal at us. Nice little touch was to see that the drink holders on their mic stands had cans of their recently released beer Kobra. In any case a great band to get you to wake up properly for another day of good music.

While Tyrantti was still going strong on the main stage, I decided to go have a quick look at Six Inch (*1/2) on the smaller Inferno stage. They play unapologetic nu metal and since I’m one of those people who grew up with that music style, I’m always up to check out a new band in the genre. Sadly for them, there were barely people yet at the festival at this early time and most of them were either hanging out with Tyrantti or starting to drink again. Which translated in as good as no crowd in front of them except for maybe 50 “lost” people. This could’ve become a magical show that only a small amount of people witnessed, but it seemed like the lack of people rubbed off on the band that felt very lackluster in their performance. I’m hoping to catch these guys in a better mood some time in the future, because this wasn’t memorable at all!

Luckily the next band made a lot of good! The imperial forces of Galactic Empire (****1/2) took over the Helsinki tent stage and brought some magic to the Suvilahti grounds. The band simply plays songs from the score of the Star Wars franchise, which translates into some impressive pieces of instrumental progressive metal. But for those who aren’t really into the complex, intricate and simply awesome musical constructions, there was still enough going on for it to not get boring at all.

All the guys are dressed in outfits inspired by members of the dark side of the Force, quite a few of the songs are so iconic that people go nuts on them (e.g. the Imperial March) and they don’t take themselves all too serious, joking around with each other and Dark Vader bringing some hilarious binding texts. As soon as the band came on stage I got a huge grin on my face and that didn’t leave until the very last note faded away.

Tuska is one of those festivals where you don’t have to make a lot of tough choices because there are barely overlaps in bands playing at the exact same time. One of the few times this happened, I had to make a choice between Beast In Black on the main stage and Crimfall (***1/2) on the much smaller Inferno stage. Having seen the first one not too long ago, my decision was quickly made! And I didn’t regret it one moment: this is a band that thrives on the energy they get from their fans, which worked perfectly on this stage that brought them so much closer to the crowd. A big plus for me is also the addition of harsh vocals to the symphonic/power metal that this band brings, it gives it more grit to their music and performance. Looking like survivors of a shipwreck, these guys simply kicked ass again!

Next up on the Helsinki stage was the welcome sight of the lovable Helsinki Vampires: The 69 Eyes (***1/2). As always their Goth ‘n’ roll brought the groovy darkness to the stage with the “dark King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” Jyrki 69 front and center and backed with the always theatrical and hyperactive Jussi 69 behind the drum kit. I can’t get enough of these guys, always a pleasure!

I had seen the name Mokoma (***1/2) floating around, but never really took the time to check them out properly. That changed when I got to see them live for the first time at The RockFest. Barely a month later and there they were again, this time on the outdoor main stage of Tuska and they rocked the stage with their groovy thrash/death metal to bits. I don’t understand a single bit of what they’re singing about, but the music gives you without a doubt the urge to nod your head or possibly jump around in a moshpit. Love them!

One of the shows that’ll definitely stick with me for a long time, was Red Death (*****) on the Inferno stage. These Americans brought an explosive and aggressive whirlwind of a hardcore/crossover gig. Especially vocalist DHD went through the set like a madman, if he’d be the drummer I’d call him “Animal”. A hardcore/crossover show that actually packed a punch so hard that you could feel your teeth rattle while you got knocked through the wall!

Many metalheads might have cringed at first when they saw the name of Carpenter Brut (****1/2) appear on the line-up. But the synthwave act had impressed many people (including the Tuska organisation) immensely before when they played in Helsinki. And if you liked it or not, the artist put down THE party of the weekend, most likely gaining a lot of new fans. The new stuff might not be as edgy anymore like the music of the earlier EP’s, but damn it’s great fun!

Last year we had the honor to get to see one of the founders of the Norwegian black metal scene with Mayhem. This year Tuska got a similar treat for us: the highly influential Norwegian black metal outfit Emperor (***). The band clearly knows how to perform by now and the music is still very impressive to this day. Blast beats, tremolo guitars, vicious screams and keyboards all coming together into that signature early symphonic black metal sound of the band. I did really enjoy it, but for me the show was a little bit letdown by them playing in the full sun, it just didn’t work as well.

The prize for the best filled stage on Saturday definitely goes to the German thrash band Kreator (***) since they crammed the place full with seemingly church windows and crosses looted from the same church. Their set build up with some of the best tracks from their latest release in combination with the classics was very enjoyable, but for me this kind of thrash metal just doesn’t do it for me. It sounds too polished and a bit too much of the same compared to most other thrash bands. They did manage to get a big circle pit going pretty fast, but when the “tough guys” fired their confetti canons, I decided it was time for me to move on.

I moved on to the Inferno stage where the Swedish heavy metal/hard rock band Bombus (****) set up shop. And that was immediately more to my liking! The rock ‘n’ roll groove and energy that these guys clearly live and breathe was damn right infectious! They rocked, they ruled, they took the house down… no wonder these guys were the headliners of the smaller stage. A very nice discovery for me that’ll get to my playlist for sure.

Headliner of the Helsinki stage on day 2, was the legendary melodic death metal band At The Gates (****). If you’re talking about the main players in creating that classic melodic death metal sound, this Swedish band should be named every time. This year they proved that they’re still masters at what they do by delivering a killer of an album with To Drink From The Night Itself and that’s also how they immediately opened the set. After the title track from that latest release, they flowed into the classic Slaughter of the Soul. Those 2 opening tracks basically sets the tone for the whole show: a great balance between their classics and newer work, giving a showcase of what the Gothenburg melodic death metal sound is all about!

From the depths of France another beast arose to claim the main stage and end the day: Gojira (****)! A couple of years ago they were playing a few slots lower in the schedule, but after touring extensively with their last release Magma during which they sold out almost every venue they went to, it was clear to the Tuska organisation that they deserved a headline spot. The blew everyone almost literally away by opening with Only Pain and blasting smoke over the crowd.

Continuing to hammer down on us with their heavy and groovy progressive metal, they brought us The Heaviest Matter of the Universe and even went all the way back to their beginnings with Love to eventually get to their most recent hit Stranded. The guys seemed in a good mood despite the earlier troubles with their transportation and their set-up compared to last time I saw them made the whole performance way more interesting and sucking you right in. Behind them a huge screen was put up showing intriguing visuals that somehow made the picture complete. Gojira is most definitely one of the new “big” bands of the scene and headliner worthy. Organisations of other festivals: take note!

For more pics, go to our photo coverage here.