Day two started with ice-cream and Brother Firetribe. It almost looked like they would literally ‘Bring On The Rain‘ but luckily the clouds past with just a few drops and Brother Firetribe were able to ‘Rock in the City‘. All in all a good start for the day.

Next, as promised, Marko Hietala returned to the Tuhdimmat Tahdit stage once more. This time with Tarot, the first of many bands that day, that I had never managed to see before. Unfortunately, due to some technical problems, their set had to be shortened a bit. But nonetheless, it was great to finally see these pioneers of Finnish metal live.

Just as on the day before, the energy level increased drastically with the third band, in this case Huora, another one of those bands that I hadn’t managed to catch live yet. The punk band around Anni Lötjönen easily managed to get the crowd moving.

We’re staying with the Punk theme for a bit longer. The positioning of Klamydia right after Huora (Whore in English) almost seems like a bad joke. What’s not a joke is the crazy amount of seagulls that, almost like vultures, keep stalking their prey in the food court of the festival. Take your eyes or your hands off your food, and it’s gonna be gone.

After fighting off the hungry birds, it’s time for Suburban Tribe to enter the stage. After 13 years, these legends of Finnish alternative metal returned just a bit earlier this summer. Singer Ville Tuomi seemed really enthusiastic to be back on stage in this line up, the rest of the band appeared less energetic.

One band that I can never have quite enough of is Sonata Arctica. Frontman Tony Kakko is just such a great showman that no matter how often I see them, they never disappoint to entertain me thoroughly. Sonata Arctica mainly focused their set on their newest album ‘Clear Cold Beyond‘ with a total of four of their ten songs.

Last, but not least, it’s Apulanta‘s turn. The slightly risky choice to put this little softer band as headliner seemingly paid off. There is still a big crowd gathered on the festival grounds. They appear to have adjusted their setlist a bit to better fit into the setting of a metal festival. The seagulls are still hungrily hovering all over the festival area, but that actually fits very nicely to Apulantas ‘Lokin päällä lokki‘.

At the end of the festival I can certainly say that this was a very well organised event, without any major problems and even the times of waiting in line were rather nice and short. I would have appreciated a couple of bands that aren’t playing here this often, but that’s only a small critic. I’m sure I’m gonna return to this festival again in the future.