Last year we got to visit Tuska Open Air for the first time. The event is the biggest metal festival in THE country of metal: Finland. Taking place at a former energy plant turned event area called Suvilahti  in Helsinki, at the end of June/beginning of July the amps get plugged in and turned to 11 for one of the coolest metal and rock gatherings there are. This year things were even more special since it was Tuska’s 20th anniversary. So we geared up for what promised to be one of the biggest celebrations of the year!

On the last day of yet another awesome edition of Tuska, we arrived rather late on the grounds. Hanging out at the afterparty with Blind Channel clearly asked its toll. So we missed the openers of the day Where’s My Bible, who won the earlier set up competition to win a spot on the mainstage. Also the Finnish heavy/power metal band Battle Beast already finished their show already and veteran Dirkschneider (***1/2) had just started his set of heavy and speed metal songs with here and there a classic track from his former band Accept. A very solid show of a man whose career has proven his importance to the heavy metal scene, which was very much appreciated by the crowd.

A show I very much looked forward to, was the first appearance of the legendary American sludge/progressive metal band Baroness (*****) in Finland since their bad accident. Frontman John Baizley was his charming self as usual and threw himself the full 200 percent into the gig as is expected from him. The setlist existed mostly out of songs from their successful latest album Purple on which they combined the groovy sludge with touches of progressive and just enough hooks to make the music almost fit for commercial radio.

Tracks like Kerosene, Shock Me, Desperation Burns and Chlorine & Wine all came to the stage and were combines with a nice selection of songs from their earlier albums, ending the set with Take My Bones Away. A special mention of their latest addition Gina Gleason, who is the new guitarist since Peter Adams left, for her energy and performance. It’s like she’s always been part of the band and she seems to fit the little family like a glove. John Baizley said that it was a blessing to be back playing in Finland and promised us that it won’t take as long for him to return to the awesome crowd. We can only hope and look forward to that… and a new album of course!

In my personal opinion Tuska kind of made a weird move putting Jimsonweed (***1/2) on the Inferno stage at the same time of Baroness playing. Especially since I can imagine that the stoner rock of these Finnish guys quite possibly could appeal to a similar crowd. We ended up trying to catch a few moments of both shows, even though it was hard to pull me away from the Baroness show. What else can we say than that the bluesy and groovy stoner music was simply topnotch and we hop to see them on stage again soon for a full set this time.

Today, on the mainstage another celebration took place. The Finnish metal outfit Apocalyptica (****) came to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their first album Metallica played by four cellos. For the metal scene and for me personally, 4 guys playing the biggest songs of Metallica on 4 cellos and still sounding damn heavy was a revelation back in the day. In the meanwhile they’ve become one of the biggest export products of the country and evolved into a band that now tours with a permanent vocalist.

Not for this anniversary tour though, we only get the stuff they became famous for, probably much to the delight of the old school fans. What we got was mostly hits from that album like Enter Sandman and Master of Puppets, with in addition some of the Metallica covers they recorded for other albums like One, Battery and of course Nothing Else Matters. Hair flew around while they vigorously attacked the snares of their antique instruments and everyone there absolutely loved it!

I have to be honest that I ran away from the Apocalyptica show to go check out a recent Finnish revelation. The psychedelic black metal outfit Oranssi Pazuzu (*****) dips its toes most definitely in the murky waters of black metal but takes it to a whole other plane field than most bands in that genre. They add tons of effects to their songs, create a cosmic atmosphere the name “psychedelic” worthy and just do things in an unconventional way.

To give an example: at a certain moment the keyboardist takes out a microphone and starts dragging it over the keys of his instruments to add yet another weird sound to the overall soundscape. They’re definitely a sight to behold, going from really harsh and fast black metal parts to atmospheric post-metal or even post-rock moments to then explode again full on in heaviness. Definitely a band you need to check out, on albums, but most definitely live if you get the chance… be ready to expand your mind!

The last Väkevä tent stage band was yet another one of those Finnish greats: the melodic heavy/power/symphonic metal band Sonata Arctica (***1/2). Right from the start the stage exploded (quite literally with the fireworks) with energy and power when Tony Kakko and co ran from the back. They brought us a nice selection from their long existence with massive songs like The Wolves Die Young, Tallulah, Black Sheep and Don’t Say A Word and brought a certain excitement for one last time to the tent! Tony sought for interaction with his fans and even sat down on the edge of the stage during FullMoon to get a bit closer. A really electric performance that would have been enjoyed by even those who aren’t the biggest fans of their music.

Last but not least, the ones to completely close down this anniversary edition of Tuska was the mighty Mastodon (***1/2). With a new album under their arm they’re touring the world extensively and are to be found at many European Summer festivals. I’ve always been a huge fan of their groovy and progressive metal with a heavy desert sound, from their really heavy beginnings to their more experimentally catchiness of lately.

The sound was good and the setlist was great with of course tracks of their latest release Emperor of Sand like the very Queens of the Stone Age sounding Show Yourself and Mastodon hits like Crystal Skull, Black Tongue and Megalodon. But somehow I couldn’t shake the feeling that the guys would’ve rather be somewhere else. They seemed to be just playing their songs, and most eloquently that is, but I missed quite some of the usual energy that is supposed to knock us from our feet at a Mastodon show. There was barely interaction with the crowd, ended with the groovy Mother Puncher and still threw heavy hitter Blood and Thunder our way as a little extra, to then disappear backstage rather quickly. The music was great, but the live show was somehow lacking on some level. Let’s blame the very busy touring schedule and look forward to the next (hopefully better) gig of these musical geniuses!