Photo Reports

If you’re any bit familiar with the Finnish metal scene, you will have come across Turmion Kätilöt at one point. The industrial metal outfit, or “disko metal” as they call it themselves, has been very prominently around the past couple of decades and has grown to be one of the biggest and most popular bands within their own country. Just before the pandemic properly hit, they released ‘Global Warning’, their first album with Nuclear Blast and their attempt to break through outside of Finland. But then the live industry got screwed royally and the planned big arena show at Jäähalli in Helsinki to kick off their campaign to take over the world got put to a screeching halt. But now finally the “midwives of ruin” are back home, ready to show what the real Turmion Kätilöt circus is like at their biggest show ever. And timed just perfectly with the release of their 10th album ‘Omen X’, we were ready to kick off 2023 with the party of the year!

Finally! After several times having to postpone due to the pandemic, we have a sequel to 2019’s well received Hoarsefest, the small festival put together by the Oceanhoarse guys. A fest that heralds the local Finnish up-and-comers in the metal scene and provides clinics by renowned names from that same scene like… We sadly had to miss out on the first couple of bands, and Thy Row, but I’m pretty sure they all killed it!

Katatonia recently released their new album ‘Sky Void of Stars‘ (read the review here) and on the same day they started their European tour in Tampere, where they played ‘Colossal Shade‘, ‘Birds‘ and ‘Opaline‘ live for the first time ever. In addition, they also gave us a couple of songs that they haven’t played live in a while, like ‘Residual‘ and ‘Ambitions‘. But before Kataonia‘s long awaited show, there was also support band SOM and as co-headliner Sólstafir, who gave us a huge Viking party to warm us up.

If you’re still hesitating to get tickets for a show near you, check out the pictures of the first show of the tour and be convinced:

Pain gave us a huge party, not just in our head, for the start of their short Finland tour. While the crowd was still a little thin during Detset‘s performance, Olympia-Kortteli was pretty packed by the time Pain started.

They also brought with them a great light show and a huge back screen which showed videos and very entertaining little game animations.

German veterans of Heavy Metal Grave Digger are back on tour in 2023. After being postponed twice, the ‘Knights and Riots Tour 2023’ finally made it to the streets and is running. To warm up the crowds are Cellar Stone from Greece and Mystic Prophecy, another experienced German metal outfit. Mid of January 2023 this combination made a stop at LKA Longhorn – which I have to say with a very sad and heavy heart – was only filled with a few hundred people. This was really a shame for the show presented. Especially when considering that Grave Digger are rocking stages worldwide for more than 40 years and had a phenomenal gig in Wacken 2022 on the big stage.

Yes – all of you who had doubts have missed a night of the finest metal. All the bands fit perfectly together, rocked the house down or to say it in Grave Digger‘s words: they created a ‘Heavy Metal Breakdown’ and delivered a great show.

Since their participation in Eurovision, the Finnish violent pop revelation Blind Channel has been soaring more than ever. So to end their pretty fantastic year in style, they had a Blind Channel cruise and a couple of arena shows. We were at the arena show at Jäähalli in Helsinki where a headline show for these guys was pretty monumental since that venue is the place to be for some of the biggest names in rock and metal to bring their music to the masses…

Support came from Arttu Lindeman.

It’s been since 2019 that we last caught the Swedish rock/metal sensation that is Normandie on a stage near us. Knowing that they blow the roof off any venue they go to, we knew that this was a show we didn’t want to miss out on. Add to that the fact that this tour was to celebrate the killer ‘Dark & Beautiful Secrets’ album they released back in 2021, and we got really excited. Support came from Finland’s metalcore up-and-comers Balance Breach and gloomy alt-rockers Delta Enigma.

Slogan: AEPHANEMER artfully blends brutally fast symphonic death and raw melodic metal into a multi-faceted epic!

Based in Toulouse (south of France) this band was founded 10 years ago. The symphonic death metallists have produced 3 full albums by now. While on tour in their home country and the rest of Europe, we were able to catch them on their stop at The Black Lab in Wasquehal (FR). It was Aephanemer’s first time in the most northern region of France (Nord-Pas-De-Calais). The growling of vocalist Marion Bacoul is well received by the attendees, which shows off in what she is grateful for: witnessing their first circle pit ever! Or is it? Since Aephanemer is one of Europe’s most promising up-and-coming melodic death metal bands of the moment, it is rather hard to believe they never got a circle pit before, but we’ll give her the benefit of the doubt.

After the show, their success is once again proven by the huge queue at the merch. The entire band is there to meet and greet the fans, take pictures and to sign whatever they bought. Far fewer people to notice at the Sorcières stand. Unjustified, because this black/folk metal band, incidentally from this region, had also put down a very strong show as the supporting act.

Last year, there was an interesting competition among some Finnish bands named “Come To Latin America”, where the winner would get to go and show what they got in Latin America. After some voting rounds, the winner that came on top out of 3 remaining bands, was the modern metal outfit Where’s My Bible, who blends some proper extreme metal with a bunch of creativity and different influences. To celebrate the competition, there was somewhat of a showcase night at On The Rocks in Helsinki where the winner Where’s My Bible and the 2 runner ups Noira and Luna Kills got to give us a taste of their work.

Sadly, Noira had to cancel last minute due to some health issues, so we’ll have to catch up with them live some other time. But both Luna Kills and Where’s My Bible still turned it into a fun night of some excellent live performances…

Giants of the Antwerp.. what am I saying? Flemish! rock scene Clement Peerens Explosition are calling it quits.

After almost 30 years of rocking Flemish stages, the legendary band around Hugo Matthysen aka Clement Peerens is calling it quits. No longer will they pose existential questions in the vein of  “Do you think my ass looks too big in this skirt?”, demand the TV remote (“Geft da kaske na is hier”) or call out ugly “Foorwijven”. No longer will Clement regale us with his fathomless knowledge of music.

But rockers of their stature cannot go out without a bang. They planned on doing 1 farewell show at the storied Antwerp venue De Roma, but that was not enough for the hungry masses. One show turned into 10 fully sold out shows which, of course, we could not miss! Enjoy the pics below.