by Mark Gromen

On paper, the prospect of flying to Finland in mid-to-late February sounds like a snowy disaster. However, in five previous trips, any white out was left out. Well 2010 makes up for it, if not cumulatively! Like many places on both sides of the Atlantic, this is the worst winter in decades, if not centuries. With a daytime high hovering around -12 degrees C, (single digits Fahrenheit) a fierce, omnipresent wind and ice-packed streets/sidewalks, there wasn’t much sightseeing. Good thing I’d been there before, including two summer visits. Besides, METAL was the name of the game anyway!

As always, Thursday kicks festivities off with a couple of industry-only panel discussions, followed by a trio of bands, which is open to the public. This year’s two-pronged roundtable dealt with the integration of social networking tools into band/label promotion and the death of print media (a topic I’m well aware of, in not, unfortunately, something of an unwilling expert). While no consensus was achieved, the camaraderie of “All us in it together” bolstered spirits amongst several international publications. During dinner (finally supplemented by free beer!) an exclusive opportunity to hear new demo-stage material from AMBERIAN DAWN presented itself and was devoured quickly. Well maybe not as rapidly as the liquid entertainment, but certainly will be interested in hearing the final product (their third disc overall).

Speaking of music, it was time for the bands. However, a quandary developed, as the tenth anniversary show by COB keyboardist Janne Wirman’s WARMEN was taking place nearby (photos/recap here: http://www.bravewords.com/galleries/362), yet ARMOUR, BARREN EARTH and a record release party for FINNTROLL were part of the scheduled evening at Nosturi. Luckily, through careful planning and the help of organizer Jouni Markkanen, both goals were attainable. Armour opened with the lead track from their Die Hard album, ‘Rock N Roll Tonite’. A NWOBHM inspired outfit, as if the TOKYO BLADE T-shirt, zebra and red spandex weren’t clue enough. An enjoyable old school start to the evening. Amongst its six members, Barren Earth contains the singer from SWALLOW THE SUN, a pair of AMORPHIS graduates and guitarist Sami Ylisirniö, who splits time between Waltari and KREATOR. This was the first live performance, playing much of their Curse Of The Red River full length debut. Musically, it’s reminiscent of Elegy-era Amorphis (not surprising, given the pedigree), more about mood and ambience, not action, as the players stood in place. The same can’t be said of Finntroll, all over the place! The set included a trio of songs from the newly issued Nifelvind, as well as Jaktens Tid and the debut! Songs offered included ‘Den Frusna Siga’, ‘Nattfodd’, ‘Aldhissla’, ‘Blodnatt’, ‘Trollhammaren’, ‘Kitteldags’, ‘Under Bergets Rot’, ‘Svartberg’, ‘Vatteanda’ and ‘Fiskarens Fiende’ to round out the proper set, before returning for an encore of ‘Sol Sagan’ and ‘Jaktens Tid’.

Friday’s activities began mid-afternoon, despite people still having to work. Those Finns like to get the weekend party started early! Like badly attired rejects from a central casting audition for the Beverly Hillbillies, KORPIKLAANI took the stage in the afternoon (4:30), organizers’ ploy to get people in the venue early. The acts which followed were lesser known entities, afforded half Korpiklaani’s hour long set. Standing five across the stage (two guitars, bass, accordion and fiddler), an opening shot of ‘Vodka’ saw fans singing, clapping and in a few instances, dancing to the folksy tunes. Many of the choices aired were of mid-tempo variety, heavy on selections from the most recent Karkelo CD. There was the deliberate, heavy stomp of ‘Crows Bring The Spring’, as Cane tore around the stage, dreadlocked frontman Jonne Järvelä remained behind the deer skull and antlers mic stand. No ‘Beer Beer’ but they did end with ‘Happy Little Boozer’.

Apart from nearly aping the KIUAS moniker, the fivepiece KIANA are also stylistically similar: a short-haired, clean/death vocalist atop strong melodies. Pop songs (‘Scars’, ‘Son Of The Dawn’, both off last year’s Abstract Reality full-length debut) delivered by a metal band. Dual guitars and slanted keyboards at knee heights, keys visible to the audience. STRATOVARIUS bassist LAURI PORRA provided a bit of a diversion, if not class, with his jazz clinic on the smaller Valssaamo stage. Speaking of technical showcases, the NIGHTWISH/TAROT bassist/vocalist MARCO HIETALA stepped onstage an hour later.

[AMATORY] are baseball cap wearing Russian, inspired by American metalcore and Swedish acts like Marionette (similar dress/attire) and In Flames: a bouncy post-core outfit. No thanks! V FOR VIOLENCE is another matching suit and tie outfits, emo haircuts, plenty of eyeliner and no songs. One guy goes by Mister Kock, another Mister Kunt. B For Boring, C For Crap…

H for HYPOCRISY, celebrating nearly two decades of old school Swedish death metal. It also give producer/Pain frontman Peter Tägtgren the chance to scream his lungs out: no nonsense, aided by longtime bassist Mikael Hedlund and drummer Horgh (on loan from IMMORTAL). While they didn’t do themselves any PR favors, dark lights and hair in the face for the first three songs (‘Valley Of The Damned’, ‘Hang Him High’ and ‘Fractured Millennium’). ‘Erasure’ gave way to an oldies medley (“Let’s do some crazy shit!”): ‘Pleasure Of Molestation, ‘Oscolum Obcenum’ and ‘Penetralia’. Had no idea this band was so popular in Finland, as the floor was packed, all the way back to the bar. ‘A Coming Race’ saw the first of two brief guitar solos, then ‘Let The Knife Do The Talking’, ‘Weed Out The Weak’, ‘Fire In The Sky’, ‘Roswell 47’ and ‘Warpath’.

With short slicked back hair, SATYRICON frontman Satyr looked like the progeny of Hitler youth and post-Ziggy Stardust DAVID BOWIE. They came onstage late and “needed” security to barricade the five meters to walk from the dressing room to backstage entrance. Once onstage, throughout ‘The Wolfpack’, the frontman menacingly brandished the giant pitchfork/trident mic stand, even lifting it overhead. ‘Now Diabolical’, ‘Forhrkset’ and ‘Black Crow On A Tombstone’, the later also from The Age Of Nero, got an airing later in the 60 minute set.

Pushed past their 1am start time, due to the aforementioned delay, the headlining AMORPHIS sadly saw many locals leaving early, to make the last bus home. They missed an amazing set, including ‘Song For The Troubled One’ which a veteran of almost 100 Amorphis gigs remarked that the Finns didn’t even play on the ELEGY tour. She also said the number of women in the crowds, now with Tomi Joutsen, has increased four-fold. Not only has he brought more beauties to the audience, but also say the return of the death metal voice (alongside his soothing clean style). The recent enlistee spent much of the set whipping his almost floor length dreads and singing into his mini, old-school box mic. ‘Elegy’ was up early, but we also got ‘The Smoke’, ‘Into Hiding’ (YEAH!!), ‘From The Heaven Of My Heart’, ‘In The Beginning’ (YES!!), ‘Silver Bride’, ‘The Exile Of The Sons Of Uisliu’ and ‘House Of Sleep’ finale as the clock closed in on 3am.

Saturday had less unknown qualities, but also a slot for the annual Finnish Metal Awards. As it turns out, the two were paired in the form of INSOMNIUM, who walked way with their share of trophies (album of the year, band of the year: both voted by the fans in an online poll). Following a regal intro tape, the band strolled onstage. Plenty of blue, purple and other dark colored mood lighting for their atmospheric death/doom, starting with ‘The Gale’. The half hour set only afforded six tunes, including ‘Where The Last Wave Broke’, ‘The Harrowing Years’ and the ending ‘Weighed Down By Sorrow’. The best moments sounds like Gothenburg’s best (sorry Finns) or even AMON AMARTH, on the heavier tunes. Check them out the next time they hit North America. Despite being on a small Finnish label, SURVIVOR ZERO is set to hit these shores in April, as part of an all Suomi bill. The line-up contains various (ex-) members of bands like THE SCOURGER, DEATHCHAIN, as well as WILSKA (rotund, former FINNTROLL frontman, donning bass and adding backing vocals in this outfit). The sounds are death metal, but with a slight Finnish sense of melody. A few too many standard death metal movements onstage, but no keyboards though! ‘Scavengers Of Christ’ and the abruptly ending ‘I Am The Gun’ stood out (apart from the half-naked “special guest” guitarist who joined in the final number, their cover of KREATOR’s ‘People Of The Lie’, a pre-release single B-side.

SWALLOW THE SUN began a triple headed end to FME that would surely excite most festival crowd. Frontman Mikko Kotamäki once again sporting a Middle Eastern checkerboard, Yasir Arafat shawl. In addition to the title track from their latest, New Moon, we were treated to the heavy, sometimes morose, sounds of ‘The Giant’, ‘Don’t Fall Asleep’ and ‘No Light, No Hope’ amongst others. Green and blues hit the stage, the band slowly swaying to the music. Apart from walking to the drum riser for a between song drink, Kotamäki couldn’t have moved less with concrete shoes. To those that haven’t heard these guys, they’re more akin to PINK FLOYD than SLAYER (ie. not really a band you need to see live, as opposed to listening to the CD at home). No moshing, crowd surfing or screaming, just polite clapping breaking the silence. Crowd did stir a bit when they brought up a female guest vocalist.

The antithesis of STS’s onstage manner, APOCALYPTICA (despite being trained classical musicians) charged across the stage, toting cellos and upright bass, to the delight of the crowd. They also brought along a pyro display, which added to the glorified covers set, that included the opening 1-2 punch of ‘Wherever I May Roam’, SEPULTURA’s ‘Refuse/Resist, ‘One’ and ‘Fight Fire With Fire’. Enjoyable, as it was my first experience with the phenomenon, but not something I could witness regularly.

A forecast blizzard had already begun outside and again, some where forced to leave prior to SONATA ARCTICA, due to the public transportation schedule (doubly so, in lieu of the inclement weather). Nice to hear ‘Replica’ again, as it’s no longer in the US set, ‘Paid In Full’, ‘Flag In The Ground’, ‘Fullmoon’ and the teasing ‘(I Need Some) Vodka’, about the last thing anyone “needed” three days into the fest and at such a late hour, but there were plenty of “takers!”. It is, after all, Finland!

Come experience the music and tradition. Here’s to FME 2011. Kippis!

Photos of bands throughout the weekend can be viewed here: Gallery 1, Gallery 2, Gallery 3.