Jarmo Puolakanaho, guitarist for Finnish melodic death metallers Eterrnal Tears Of Sorrow, has shared a new post here marking the band's 30th Anniversary. Read the message in full below.

Jarmo: "It’s been some time since I last wrote about Eternal Tears of Sorrow, whether individually or on behalf of the entire band. Our seeming inactivity over the past decade plays a part in this silence.

Today, I bring you a mix of news.

First, the cheery part: 'Good news, everyone!' (Those who have watched Futurama know that unfortunately, this phrase is often followed by bad news.)

This month marks three decades since the inception of EToS—certainly a cause for celebration! Or it is actually 32 years if you count from the early days of our forerunner, Andromeda, which began its journey in early 1992.

However, this is tempered by the less cheerful revelation that we have been on hiatus for about a year—a decision that we hadn’t publicly disclosed until now. Hence, there are no official celebrations for this milestone.

Each band member has their reasons for this break. Personally, I feel we might have reached our creative zenith; continuing as before might merely mean repeating ourselves in every conceivable way—songwriting, performing, recording, and the like.

Despite our efforts over the past few years to produce new songs, perhaps aiming for a single or an EP, these did not yield the hoped-for results. The new material seemed either too derivative of our past work or lacked the necessary collective enthusiasm, suggesting we might have exhausted our potential as EToS.

Yet, this period was far from fruitless for me. I’ve significantly honed my songwriting skills and learned to inject new life into our music. These lessons are invaluable as I embark on new projects. Each of us is now exploring different musical avenues through various bands and projects.

As for myself, I’ve been developing a new project since the onset of the pandemic, envisaging something that might echo EToS but with a heavier, more progressive, or even experimental twist. The project will certainly have stuff that hasn’t been possible with EToS, or stuff that I couldn’t even imagine during our active years. So, I’m filled with fresh ideas and enthusiasm for this new direction, exploring where these paths might lead. And this may not be the only project on the horizon for me—I have numerous new ideas that could take many different forms. Only time will tell.

So, I hope to release information of this band/project – or even more projects or bands – next year, as I turn 50 years then.

As to when the EToS hiatus might end, that remains uncertain. We will resume when we all feel the moment is right, perhaps with a reimagined sound and approach to ensure everything feels fresh and invigorating.

In the meantime, I invite our fans to stay connected through our official social media channels on Facebook and Instagram.

Thank you for your steadfast support over these three decades. It has been a profound honour to share this journey with you. Expect us when you see us."

Best regards,
Jarmo Puolakanaho & Eternal Tears of Sorrow

Eternal Tears of Sorrow released seven albums between 1997 and 2013. Work on the follow-up to 2013's Saivon Lapsi began in 2018 but, as mentioned above, the new music was put on hold.