Smokin' & Drinking Is All That You Do...Well to paraphrase Black Sabbath, welcome to Finland, the land of the eternal summer sun, way too much tobacco and, naturally, a predilection for alcohol! Add heavy metal, all the ingredients for a killer three day festival, Tuska Open Air. Given the melodic music this nation has given the world (maybe because of that), somewhat odd the heaviness of this event. Amidst old dormant petroleum storage tanks and smokestacks, the black clad minions of Tuska christen (is that an oxymoron) their new grounds at Suvilahti. Banished from Helsinki's downtown park, the new digs will support 40,000 capacity, although this year's daily attendance was closer to 30. It sports four stages of varying size, included a tented stage and small indoor club. Local grocery chain Alepa sets up a makeshift convenience store inside the gates, offering non-alcoholic drinks and snacks at fairly reasonable prices (compared to most fests). Water, be it for consumption or cleanliness, is provided free of charge (just bring your own canteen). Unlike most Euro fests, there's a limited number of outside vendors, no real record label presence and apart from official merchandise, limited CDs, clothing or other trinkets stalls, all out of sight from the stages. Things tend to be more expensive than continental Europe: half a litre Koff beer is six Euros, plus two more as a deposit for cans/plastic clubs. Makes sure there is no litter left around, that's for sure! A order of ramen noodles was about seven Euros, both prices a couple coins cheaper down south. Coming to Tuska, bring cash (Although official stands take credit).

Beginning Friday (July 22nd) at noon and staying open until 11pm, each of the three days sees an eclectic assortment of bands bordering the metallic spectrum. FORBIDDEN were the initial band on the giant stage, opening with a double dose of the new Omega Wave, in the (twisted) form of 'Forsaken At the Gates' and 'Overthrow'. Russ Anderson claimed it was their first time in Helsinki since '99, so a little old school was also in order: 'Forbidden Evil, 'Step By Step' and 'Twisted Into Form', the latter pair giving the crowd a chance to sing along. 'Adapt Or Die' preceded new single/title track, which Anderson admits is their first video in eighteen years! 'Through Eyes Of Glass' and the set ending 'Chalice Of Blood' were expected, but the same can't be said of Black Sabbath's 'Children Of The Sea' dedicated to Ronnie James Dio. Thrilling start.

HELL,the reactivated NWOBHM act, thanks in large part to producer/guitarist Andy Sneap, where next. Apt given our locale. All took the stage in ashen, white make-up... sort of redundant for a bunch of pasty Brits. Sneap wore pupil-less, glazed eye contact lens, to enhance the living dead look. Sort of Hammer Horror meets Rock Of Ages theater, there are lots of soundbites and frontman David Bower wears a wireless, head mounted mic allowing him free reign for his expressive mannerisms. He joked about the sun and his complexion, later quipped, 'It's warm in Hell' and 'Thanks for the welcome as warm as the day.' 'On Earth As It Is In Hell' and 'Macbeth', complete with Bower's recitation of the three witches soliloquy stood out. Interesting side note, former Dimmu/Cradle drummer Nick Barker served as the band's stage/tour manager.

On the larger EMP sponsored stage, Italian legends BULLDOZER were plying a similarly theatrical themed set, with bearded singer Alberto Contini (aka AC Wild) looking like Ming The Merciless from the campy '80 Flash Gordon film, appeared behind a blood splattered podium. Once mentioned in the same breath as Venom and Motörhead, 'Unexpected Fate', 'Aces Of Blasphemy' and 'Use Your Brain' joined old school anthems like 'Whiskey Time' and 'IX (9th Circle Of Hell). Contini proudly told the small gathering, '22 years ago, we were the first band to get zero (review points) in Kerrang!' He also dedicated the last song, a plodding 'Willful Death' to former member Dario Carria, who committed suicide in '87.

ARCH ENEMY would be the first time all day everyone was watching the same thing, no intervening acts. Props for wearing the all black pants and jackets, mimicking the get-ups on the album sleeve, although by the third song Angela Gossow ditched the jacket for a sleeveless band t-shirt. 'Yesterday' Dead And Gone' was up first and even after seeing the band multiple times, still can't get over her demure normal speaking voice, then suddenly breaking into guttural vocalization, even for song titles. She's pretty demanding, getting the crowd to jump, make noise, clap or mosh then saying, 'You want (song) 'Nemesis', but we have to work our way up to it. I want you to be completely fried when we play that, so I can get the last bit of life out of you. That's my sadistic plan!' She also dedicated 'Blood Stained Cross' to the evening's headliners, Morbid Angel, saying, 'the band that saved me from Christian parents.'Guitarist Michael Amott and bassist Sharlee D'Angelo both would be pulling double duty, also playing with Spiritual Beggars a few hours later. 'Ravenous', 'No Gods, No Masters' and 'We Will Rise' which gives guitarist Chris Amott (looking a bit like BW&BK;'s Martin Popoff) a chance to shine.

Nice to see so many disabled people able to take in the show. More than two dozen wheelchair bound individuals were there throughout the weekend, even a blind person. Cheers to the forward thinking Finns for helping make Tuska accessible.

With a full facial tattooed bass player and female guitarist, it must be time for ELECTRIC WIZARD. The doom freaks were applauding the opening/tuning notes. From the word go, starting with 'The Chosen Few', the band jammed, almost obvious to the fact there was anyone there. No real intros or banter, minimal acknowledgment that they were onstage and not some basement rehearsal. Tas couldn't have moved a total of 10 feet during the entire performance, just shifting back and forth as be plucked bludgeoning bottom end from his bass. Pretty sure none of them have seen that much sunlight in their lives as guitarist Jus Osborn turned bright red right before our eyes. Honestly, there seemed only minimal interest in the Wizards, or GRAVE, who were onstage simultaneously, under the tented Inferno area, as the beer gardens (separate from the stages) were as full as they'd been all day.

Perhaps just getting ready to see AT THE GATES, the first band to get more than an hour. Sad they don't garner a similarly massive crowd to that of their countrymen, Arch Enemy. The notoriously glum Tomas Lindberg actually looked to be having fun (maybe he's finally come to grips with his legacy?), even saying, 'This warms my heart, to see (all you) people.î This guy never seems to age, still in military cap and shorts below the knees, he's a rabid Energizer bunny, side-to-side pacing the stage, constantly in motion. 'Raped By the Light Of Christ' slayed, but the real response came for the Slaughter Of the Soul material, like 'Forever Blind', 'Suicide Nation', 'Need' and 'Under A Serpent Sun'. Lindberg dedicated 'The Burning Darkness' to fans on the ATG online forum. Only the most cynical of Finnish scribes could cast a damper on the set, saying 'Tuska organizers saved a lot of money, booking Arch Enemy and Spiritual Beegars together, they should have got The Haunted too,' referring to the Bjorler brothers also being part of that band.

Speaking of moonlighting, I was surprised to see Sharlee D'Angelo next to his Arch Enemy bandmate in SPIRITUAL BEGGARS. While Michael Amott has long been part of the band, the bassist's inclusion is a more recent phenomenon. Perhaps my local journo friend was right... And guess who was standing in the wings, to Amott's side? Angela Gossow, talk about Arch Enemy-lite! Firewind frontman Apollo Papathanasio proved he can also handle old school Hammond organ stoner rock, on 'Wonderful World', 'Fools Gold', 'We Are Free', 'Inner Strength', Star Born', 'Magic Spell', 'Mantra' and the closing 'Euphoria'.

Not sure why KILLING JOKE were on the bill. Barely rock and I'm not sure about the rest of the world, but back in the '80s we metalheads would have beat up their fanbase. Apparently someone miscalculated these Jokers worth, judging from the dismal turnout in front of the second biggest stage.

So on to the first night's headliner, MORBID ANGEL, playing in bright sunlight! On by 8:30pm, done 90 minutes later. David Vincent lost the vinyl outfit leftovers, although he now looks a bit like Nikki Sixx. 'Now you all know how I sort of feel in Florida, but you got to get a little hotter,' mocked the bassist turned weatherman. 'Rapture', Sworn To The Black' and 'Maze Of Torment' were up early and received thunderous ovations. The latter was introduced by Vincent saying, ìImagine the sun is down and I can feel your energy. The same cant be said of new material, like the back-to-back execution of 'Existo Vulgore', 'Nevermore' and 'I Am Morbid', apparently still needing some time to sink in. Guitarist Trey Azagthoth squealed and squelched on his guitar, expressionless. OK, maybe not, but no one could tell, as his hair draped over his face throughout. IN fact, the giant Jumbotrons on either side of the stage stopped showing him for a while, since there was nothing really to focus on, other than close-ups of his fingering technique. A frenetic 'Chapel Of Ghouls', 'Where The Slime Live' and 'Angel Of Disease' always seem to go down well, as did the closing 'Gods Of Emptiness'.

Saturday, July 23rd

Met a lot of 'foreigners' (like myself) at Tuska, people from places outside of Finland, like Bulgaria and Russia, this being the closest of the long running fests to Eastern Europe. Was it a coincidence, but the first thing I noticed upon entering the ground was a quartet of uniformed police. Was it a conscious effort to beef up security, in light of yesterday's tragedy in Oslo? Finland already has experience with multi-shooting disasters.

In what was quickly becoming the Sharlee D'Angelo Open Air, the tall bassist was onstage in his third band in less than 24 hours, WITCHERY. '98-'99, these guys were a hot property, but the outside commitments of the members stalled any progress. Green & black vertical banners recall the film adaption of Pink Floyd's Wall, or worse yet, Nazi Germany. Only a couple hundred watching, at the Swedes start at 1:30. 'Conqueror's Return' and a slower, groove oriented 'The God Who Fell From Earth' air early, giving the corpsepainted and battle geared Legion a comfortable footing. Then it's on to old and faster fare, like 'The Storm', a simple, thrashy bounce of the repetitive 'The Reaper', 'House Of Raining Blood' (dedicated to the fans at the front barricade, although 'Cannonfodder' might have been more appropriate) and 'Awaiting The Exorcist'. Not the most animated bunch, but as we discussed amongst ourselves later, given the inactivity, re-learning songs (priority being in other bands) and making sure to play them correctly onstage probably hampers some of the spontaneity. 'One Foot In The Grave' and 'Wearer Of Wolf's Skin' rounded out a rare opportunity.

The day would have more than one. The previous day saw no Finnish bands on either of the two biggest stages, a situation rectified on Saturday by Tarot and Wintersun, although for the weekend, only Amorphis was granted the honor of playing the massive Radio Rock stage, but only for an hour!

Mark Jansen started with a death metal growl, reminding everyone whose band EPICA really is, despite press photos usually favoring the lovely Simone Simons. Actually, the ingenue lightened her hair, more a shade of blonde than her former red. She wore a gold on black military inspired outfit that didn't prevent her from pinwheeling her hair, which she also shook side-to-side in front of a fan, spraying her tresses everywhere. There set was briefly interrupted, as I took shelter to protect the camera equipment. At some point, Jansen stripped off his shirt, much to the female crowd's delight. Beginning with 'Resign To Surrender', they added 'Unleashed', 'Cry For The Moon' and the usual closer, 'Consign To Oblivion'. Funniest onstage moment of the weekend, Simons tries to get into the party mode: 'Cheers! (she rises a bottle of water aloft). I have to drink water because I have to work, otherwise I might start singing lyrics to other bands.

However, the directive photographers were given, prior to MOONSORROW, was pretty hilarious. Our contract said we're able to shoot three songs (usually the first trio, unless pyro or other safety concerns delay our entrance into the photo pit. For the Finns, we were limited to one song, because, 'first song is ten minutes and the second is like half an hour.' Pretty much their entire 45 minute set. The organizers severely misjudged this band's impact, as for the first time all weekend, the crowd spilled outside the tented area.

It's easy to see why Marco Hietala enjoys his time outside Nightwish, for TAROT allows him to take the stage in cargo shorts, pink shirt and a chrome plated military helmet. He tells jokes (in Finnish), clowns around and he's good at it. His guitar wielding older brother Zachary must also be a card, sporting a Lord Of The Drinks t-shirt and the girth to match. The whammy bar isn't the only one he's been hitting! Tarot is a far cry from Marco's day job, more '80s style rock than anything else. 'Midwinter Nights' seemed awfully distant on this warm afternoon, followed by 'Dancing On The Wire'. Eventually he removed the shiny helmet and got down to business on 'Spell Of Iron', 'Wings Of Darkness' and 'Things That Crawl At Night'.

Speaking of darkness, was it prophetic that blacked clouds rolled in when it was time for KATAONIA? Thankfully, the rain held off, but Anders Nystrom kept his mirrored sunglasses anyway. They opened with the oxymoronic pair of 'Forsaker' and 'Leaders'. 'My Twin' was amusingly prefaced by the bulky singer Jonas Renkse comparing himself to the stick of a second guitarist, saying 'As you can see, we're Siamese.' Later, Renkse redeemed himself, telling the crowd, 'When we're abroad, people say, 'You're Kataonia, from Sweden.' We say, 'No, we're from Finland!' Of course this provides an amazing roar from the approving crowd. 'The Longest Year' and 'Day & The Shade are offered off their newest studio full-length, Night Is The New Day, while 'July' also keeps it fairly recent.

Yes Virginia, there is a WINTERSUN! Like the jackalope, Big Foot and the mythical fiery orb in the blizzard skies for which they're named, few have actually seen Jari Mäenpää's troupe. Long a fan of their lone, eponymous debut, the former Ensiferum guitarist has spent more seven years on a still unfinished follow-up. The first five songs on the album were aired almost chronologically, speed, melody, it's all there, none morseo than the dual sweeping guitars of 'Death And The Healing'. They earned one of the best responses of the day, although the size of the crowd might have more to do with the exclusivity of the event. However, even the VIP bar stood up to take notice, watching over the wall partitioning them from the regular crowd. He added one new song, the folky begun 'The Way Of Fire'. Girls squealed like it was the Beatles when he launched into the concluding 'Starchild'. Maybe now he'll see how many people are interested and get finished with (what had better be) a masterpiece.

Oddly enough, the only other time I was at Tuska, BLIND GUARDIAN were there too. The Germans opened with 'Sacred Worlds' then on to 'Welcome To Dying', Hansi Kursch introduced the song, saying something about Finnish suicidal tendencies. He won't let the people get away with half-hearted call and response sections. Between songs, the ìGuardianî chant was loud and strong. 'We're here to play some Tolkienish music' was greeted with a roar, as they began 'Nightfall'. Since it was a winning reference first time around, he continued, 'Stay a little bit in Middle Earth…' 'Time Stands Still', the crowd led 'Valhalla', including a cappella chorus, 'Tanelorn' and 'Wheel Of Time'. The biggest response was undoubtedly for the softest tune, 'The Bard Song - The Forest', before ending with a rousing 'Mirror Mirror'.

Either lots of people missed their February appearance at the Finnish Metal Expo (I was there!) or the hype has reached major levels. I'm talking about GHOST, one of the few bands who ca get kids to plunk down 20 Euros for a one-sided t-shirt. Apparently the mystical/disguised Swedes have learned that lots of blue lights and tons of smoke makes it near impossible to see, thus aiding their anonymity. I could only watch the satanic pope and his hooded henchmen for a little, as most of their set overlapped with ENSLAVED. The Norwegians include the shirtless Ice Dale on guitar (according to Terrorizer editor Louise Brown, a black metal girl's wet dream). Despite their increased global profile and direct support to headliner here, they've still got a thing or two to learn about the publicity angle. Much like the last US tour, band needs to oblige (I won't say pose) for photographers a little. Dale seems to understand this, the others, less so.

Now completely bald and without the glasses, DEVIN TOWNSEND looks less like a mad scientist and more like crazed American actor John Malkovich. Even before the show started, Devy entertained the crowd with a self-deprecating slide show that featured his (oft bloated) visage superimposed on famous movie scenes/ads (Jaws, Star Wars, even Shelley Duvall's face, as the axe breaks through the door in The Shining). Fun stuff. To start the show, a Ziltoid puppet spoke to the crowd and introduced the guitarist/singer. Former The Gathering songbird Anneke Van Giersbergen (now blonde and a few pounds heavier, following a couple of kids) provided vocals at various points throughout as. The prospect of the woman to his side made Townsend smile ear-to-ear throughout, looking like the high school nerd who returns to his 25th reunion with the old prom queen on his arm. 'Addicted' and 'Supercrush', which opened the show, might as well have been subliminal messages!

Sunday, July 24th

Euro fests are fun, just for the people trying to standout from the crowd, make an impact and maybe get in a magazine photo, on a TV report, or best yet, a concert DVD that everyone else will see. How about a male Morbid Angel fan dressed as a fairy, pink wings and matching wand? There were the blood splattered, gas masks wearers, an SS officer's uniform and simple but effective pair, with matching shirts that said, 'I'm Spartacus' and 'No, I'm Spartacus.' Classic!

Opening an hour later and with less than a full slate (both by design), the day's line-up was a little more hardcore and non-traditional metal based, with the likes of AGNOSTIC FRONT, JEX THOTH and rising stars KVELERTAK. However, IMPALED NAZARENE were the first band on, Mika Luttinen is still as angry as ever!

Part of the Finns' set was simultaneous to the aforementioned hot Norwegian property, KVELERTAK: high energy stoner/punk rock n roll, featuring no less than four contributing vocalists, but fronted by Erlend Hjelvik, a tattooed, roly poly (and eventually shirtless) Charles Manson lookalike. He's the lone long-hair in the band! He climbed the lighting truss, some 15 feet above stage. There's more than a little nitro reved the Cult ('She Sells Sanctuary') in the mix. Towards the end of the set, Hjelvik jumped into the photo pit, to greet the fans at the barricade. For the finale, he did them one better, bolting over the top and crowd surfing.

Speaking of unorthodox maneuvers, MESHUGGAH were next. He crowd shouted ìmay-sug-ahî before the technical eccentricity of the Swedes sets foot onstage. When they do, they lay down a thick sound, courtesy of 'Rational Gaze' and 'Strength'. Jens Kidman lives up to his surname, joshing, 'Sun, daylight are cool, but when mixed with metal, not.' To alleviate the situation he (jokingly) intimates they will do a private show, later that night, 'behind the brown house over there,' pointing to a structure across the water. Really haven't followed their career much since the days opening for Slayer, but did recognize 'Combustion', 'Bleed' and the closing 'Future Breed Machinet'. Wild stuff!

People were polite for AGNOSTIC FRONT, but really it was just a respite before AMORPHIS. The first three songs ('My Enemy', 'The Sky Is Mine' and 'The Smoke') all employed pyro, so we photogs had to wait our turn (or try to shoot over the crowd). There were more fiery plumes after we left. The show began with an empty stage, just a close-up of that tri-handled mic Tomi Joutsen uses. Having witnessed them just a week earlier, in Germany, was interesting to see how the song selection changed. At home, it was much more of a Joutsen era set, whereas the Bang Your Head show delved more into the classic metal history. The initial trio remained intact, but from there little that most North Americans, apart from diehards, would recognize. No 'Against Widows', 'Black Winter Day', 'Better Unborn' nor the old school 'Sign From The North Side, which had shown up earlier. In fact, only 'My Kantele' and 'Into Hiding' were the rare nods to the 90s. Yes, there's 'Song For the Troubled One', but that's atypical of that era. Makes no difference, the fans eat it up and Joutsen is an emotive frontman, utilizing clean voice and death growl, whipping his lengthy dreadlocks around. By the time their hour ends with 'House Of Sleep', you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who is disappointed.

The deep red warpaint TURISAS covers themselves in, all but female accordion player Netta Skog, glistened in the bright sun. Despite Mathias Nygard downplaying the 'Battle Metal' tag in the last round of interviews, it was emblazoned on their festival merch and concluded the set. Sometimes it's better to go with the flow, rather than piss upstream. The newbie 'To Holmgard And Beyond' opens, triumphant entry music, to be sure. Fiddler Olli Vanska is the focal point after the bear skin armored Nygard, as much for his diminutive stature and beet red dome, as for his considerable musical ability. The drinking anthem, 'One More' should be the Tuska theme. In a similar boat to their countrymen who just vacated the stage, serving local vs. international masters. Turisas opt for 40% from Stand Up And Fight, the remainder split evenly between the first two discs, including the closing Battle Metal duo of 'Sahti Waari' and the ubiquitous title track.

Speaking of conquering warriors, there's no doubt AMON AMARTH are one of metal's new giants. Is it just me, or does Johan Hegg's drinking horn get longer, the older he gets? Maybe it's just the result of more lucrative paydays. 'War Of The Gods' and 'Destroyer Of the Universe', both off the latest, Surtur Rising, are #1 and #3 in the running order. No 'Valhalla Awaits Me', but we did get 'Cry Of The Blackbirds' and (very late in the set) 'Runes To My Memory' off what many consider their finest work, With Oden On Our Side. Others conspicuous by their absence (long standing) 'Death In Fire' nor 'Victorious March', but hey this is a festival directed at the more recent converts, not the greybeards. They came. They played. They slayed, just like a Viking should, take no prisoners!

Additional photos can be seen below:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3