Images and words by Mark Gromen

While more than 3,500 people attended the two-day HMM aka Finnish Metal Expo (FME), its original moniker, yet the seventh installment of the annual event seems to be at a crossroads. As much due to the changing climate in the music industry, vendors and bands hawking their wares were noticeably fewer (the overall gate was down as well, proven by the ample walking space throughout the massive Cable Factory facility), FME/HMM suffers from an identity crisis. Unsure whether to uphold the original purpose, showcase lesser known native talents, specifically to industry insiders from outside Finland, or adopt a more liberal focus (evident the last few years) where they bring non-Suomi acts to perform for the locals, intermixed with talent signed by domestic labels like Spinefarm, Firebox and Stay Heavy, or represented by heavyweight agency King Foo (NIGHTWISH, COB, AMORPHIS, SONATA ARCTICA, etc.) With the financial underpinning supported by the dwindling industry infrastructure (mags, labels, hard product) hopefully this enjoyable weekend can remain viable as something beyond a mid-winter mini-festival.

Speaking of winter, the 2011 edition saw temperatures remain well below freezing for the complete duration (single Fahrenheit digits, at best, and negative teens and twenties Celsius, especially once the sun ceased its brief appearance). Doesn’t stop people from going out, cars and pedestrians gingerly navigating the ice packed walkways/roads, a sprinkling of gritty cinders the only traction! If ever there were reasons to give up smoking (the Finns, not me, I don’t smoke), yet my intrepid hosts made repeated pilgrimages into nature’s freezer to risk frostbite, while taking a few more days off their lifespan. Seems a national obsession for (fool?) hearty folks.

Thursday, February 17th:

Copious amounts of (hard) alcohol and heavy metal complete the unholy trinity of sins: smoke, drink , headband, a virtual religion that continues to see metal discs not only inhabit, but often dominate, the sales charts. Thus was the backdrop for the ’11 confab, kicked off with Industry Day at Virgin Oil Company, a local club right on the town’s main drag. The leather woven, high back wooden chairs look right out of the Middle Ages, if not a King Arthur movie, and giant stone carved monolith figures flank the small stage. There’s even a balcony. Apart from bigwigs and tadpoles interfacing over panel discussions (festival size, from the 2500 Roadburn to 30x larger Wacken, and breaking into the Canadian market, from the outside), this initial gathering also offers a few lesser known acts the opportunity to play in front of those who might call the shots. Last year’s debut by BARREN EARTH certainly has launched them to a higher profile. This time around, it was Gothenburg visitors AVATAR, resurrected VERENPISARA, who sport three current members of AMORPHIS and took the stage for the first time in six year, plus the headlining BEFORE THE DAWN, showcasing a few new tunes off their (as yet unreleased) Nuclear Blast debut, Deathstar Rising.

Avatar is somewhere between traditional metal and glam (there were even the odd hint of thrash and black metal vocals), without a definite sound, nor look: dreadlocked guitarist, a frontman who’s too big to be donning spandex, etc. Maybe it’s down to nationalistic pride that prevents the Finns from praising the Swedes, but Avatar tried their best to overcome cultural indifferences with tracks like an opening ‘The Great Pretender’, ‘Roadkill’, ‘4AM Breakdown’ and concluding ‘Queen Of Blades’, although they dropped one song from the intended set. The night belonged to Verenpisara, as much to do with guitarist Tomi Koivusaari, bassist Niclas Etelävuori and Santeri Kallio (keyboards, who plays guitar here) of Amorphis fame, as well as an impending release (#4, Eilinen On Kuollut) and more than half a decade absence from the stage. Despite 3/5 of that famous band, they sound nothing alike, the six-piece more mainstream and sung in their native language. The vibe was mellow, and as many in attendance pointed out to me, not necessarily metal. Frontman Rami Raski looked the lounge lizard, attired in a business suit. The majority of the crowd split after Verenpisara had concluded, undoubtedly familiar with the next homegrown act, who has had major chart success, despite just signing to an outside label. The facially tattooed and pierced frontman Tuomas Saukkonen was as thrilled with his new, black-on-black embossed guitar as playing to a room of still drinking industry brats and a handful of die-hard fans. Bassist and clean vocalist Lars Eikind has joined Saukkonen in the bearded and bald category! Prior to the catchy ‘Deadsong’ encore (a song that needs to be heard everywhere), the twin guitar foursome offered newbies like the opening ‘Winter Within’ and ‘Deathstar’ during the twelve song, career spanning set (been releasing albums for a decade now!). Composed predominately from their most recent works, ‘Faithless’ and ‘The Black’ are always strong inclusions. Hopefully the power of the Nuclear Blast machine will increase the profile of these amazing songsmiths.

Friday, February 18th:

Weighing my options, the chance to hear the forthcoming Amorphis platter prevented me (and several other international mag reps) from seeing DEATHCHAIN, whom I’d witnessed at a previous FME. Arrived at the venue in time to check out Canada’s own ZEROSCAPE. If that means “an area where nothing’s happening,” then the reggae metallers have selected the most accurate moniker since Slayer! Have to feel this was the organizers throwing the band a bone, as drummer JJ Tartaglia (also of Boonsdale Records) was one of the industry night co-hosts of the Canadian segment. OK, it’s 5PM Friday afternoon and the line-up is devoid of “must-see” acts until 9PM, but attendance is WAY down.

Described as Swiss melodic death, DREAMSHADE, a Spinefarm signee, are up next. Not quite screamo, there are elements of the original Gothenburg sound, mixed with the current crop of jump around bands with too many words in their name. This dual guitar/keyboards sextet of youngsters have certainly affixed their wagon more closely to the latter camp, demanding “Make some fucking noise” even before they’ve played a note! The stage performance was very raw, as they appeared to struggle with the keys drowning out the guitars (which is never a good thing). Utilizing a gruff/clean voice alteration and plenty of tapes (including backing screams), they offered up ‘Eternal’, the video single off last month’s What Silence Hides release, as well as ‘DeGeneration’ from the same disc. Label them not ready for prime time players.

The room was almost packed for locals MYGRAIN, who ply a more traditional melodic death than the hardcore based Swiss. The level of (dis)interest was night and day, but to be fair, the post-happy hour Friday crowd was now in attendance. Another dual guitar sextet, sporting female keyboardist Eve Koko situated at the front of the stage. The stage bathed in neon green lights, I find myself wondering what bands did before pin-wheeling hair? ‘Trapped In An Hour Glass’, from their eponymous, third album (this year, on Spinefarm) stood apart from the other material. Oddly, there is a music publication in Finland called Imperium, so what was FOR THE IMPERIUM striving, by selecting that moniker? Billed as pop/metal/core, these Warner signees offer frenetic bits of all. Recalling Social Destruction, as much for the half of the members sporting a 50s look and mixed sound, the others include dread-locked bassist who flings himself all over the stage.

TRIPTYKON, the new formation fronted by ex-HELLHAMMER/CELTIC FROST guitarist Tom G(abriel) Warrior/Fischer entered the royal blue bathed stage to thunderous applause and the sounds of their ‘Crucifixus’ instrumental, before launching into the super slo-mo version of the Frosties’ ‘Procreation Of The Wicked’. Electrical fans blew the wisps of hair protruding from his black skull cap. Like the recent US tour, it was quickly onto ‘Goetia’, followed by a green lit ‘Circle Of The Tyrants’. Only then did the main man address the crowd; “Honor to play here.” Old school ‘Messiah’ enlivened the pace, followed by ‘Synagoga Satanae’ and once again an all too quick exit with ‘The Prolonging’, only the second Triptykon offering aired. Nevertheless, the band was hailed as conquering heroes (or heroine, in the case of bassist Vanja Slajh, with whom I shared a laugh or two afterwards, regarding the failed Philadelphia show).

There was considerable build-up to the debut gig by SYMFONIA, starring Andres Matos (ex-Angra/Shaaman singer) and Timo Tolkki (founding guitarist for Stratovarius). Both have had their troubles keeping line-ups together the last couple of years. This marked Matos’ second appearance at FME. Two years earlier he was upstaged as headliner by an early club show start time for SABATON, which saw a majority of the venue depart cross town to check out the Swedes. No such double-billing this time, although they still had mechanical difficulties with the sound. The music, none too surprisingly, is up-tempo neo-classical power metal, not unlike the pairs’ previous outings. “Liked it the first time around, when it was called Stratovarius,” seemed to be the tongue in cheek review of the day by Finns unwilling to give Tolkki’s latest project a fair shot. They missed a major promo op by not having any merch for sale. “I was there for the first Symfonia gig” shirts certainly would have sold. The members were obviously having a good time, as the guitarist meandered around the stage more then all the years in Strato combined. Matos looked like an orchestral maestro, in black dinner jacket, furiously pumping both airs skyward, as if orchestrating the crowd reaction. ‘Rhapsody In Black’ gave Tolkki a chance to solo, a mix of ‘Speed Of Light’ and Baroque classical. A photo of the night’s entire setlist can be seen below.

If it worked once, why not try it again? Or in the case of Andre Matos, déjà vu all over again? SABATON closed out the first night, with a vast array of pyrotechnics, explosions of the man-made and gun powder induced varied. The giant flame throwers that often accompany outdoor European gigs lined the front of the stage and prevented photographers from their usually cushy perch. These guys will soon visit North America, supporting ACCEPT, this spring and EVERGREY in the fall. Even without the visual enhancements, we’re in for a fun evening. Make sure you check them out! Throughout the weekend, the Swedes hung out with fans and industry folk alike, nice guys who are deserving (and sheepishly welcome) their rising fame. We discussed possible set-lists, with 30 songs currently available to play, I suggested they concentrate on their best material (what they feel gets the best response or they enjoy performing, rather than trying to double-guess the “introducing the new album to first timers vs. playing older tunes to those that might already know the band” syndrome. Mirrored sunglasses (at night, indoors), metal plated flak jacket and camo pants (well, the whole outfit wore similar combat fatigues), the Mohawked singer Joakim Broden charged around the stage, from the opening ‘Ghost Division’ through the wisely selected (national war hero) ‘White Death’, a firestorm (quite literally!) for the Savatage sounding sing-along ‘Cliffs Of Gallipoli’, ‘40:1’ through to the concluding ‘Saboteurs’, just the third Coat Of Arms tune aired (‘Aces In Exile’). Seemed to be a bit short for a headlining set. Sure enough, the Swedes returned for a quartet of extras, beginning with the new album’s title track, followed by ‘Primo Victoria’, ‘Talvisota’ and a metal medley. A fitting capper for the day.

Saturday, February 19th:

A second listening session, for PAIN, the alter-ego of HYPOCRISY frontman/producer extraordinaire, Peter Tagtgren just as the day’s openers, the controversial, costumed and battle make-up wearing TURMION KATILOT industrialists finished. In addition to music, the final day includes 45 minutes dedicated to handing out the Finish Metal Awards and this year, the under-utilized second stage played host to four bands vying for a contract with Century Media (the end result of months of paring entrants from several hundred demo submissions to an online vote). I doubt there are too many quality “unsigned” bands hanging around Finland. They are probably snapped up by the local labels, for at least a development deal, or under the watchful eyes of a big management firm, holding out for a more lucrative commitment.

Although there was a little more foreign, non-performing star power patrolling the Cable Factory halls (Tagtgren and AMON AMARTH singer Johan Hegg, also in town to promote his upcoming album), unlike previous years, there were no recognizable Finns lurking. NIGHTWISH was in England, recording with an orchestra. SONATA ARCTICA, fresh from the 70000 Tons Of Metal, was planning for a tour, as were COB (although bassist Henkka Seppälä did make a brief appearance in the VIP area) and STRATOVARIUS were in Japan, avoiding any possible run-in with their old guitarist.

Hanging in the bar afterwards, CORRODED turned out to be jovial, wise-cracking ice hockey fans. Just your typical Swedes. Onstage, a trio of guitars and two singers comprised from only five guys, introduced a somewhat southern fried hard rock inhabiting a similarly non-traditional attitude towards “metal” ala VOLBEAT or countrymen MUSTACH. Got to love a band who titles their single, ‘Please Buy Me’! Then there was the bluesy ballad begun ‘Time & Again’. Helped by Ninetone label A&R; man Tommy Rehn on guitar, the plan calls for a North American invasion later this year. Check ‘em out, if you can.

THE MAN EATING TREE is a five piece progressive Finnish act, something of an enigma: atmospheric with a single guitar and female keyboardist, all staged in blue lights, affront a giant backdrop. The frontman, with atypical paunch, wore a suit jacket and drank from his thermos bottle. ‘Vultures’ was heavy, yet still slow, switching the mood lighting to purple. It’s not a nice comparison, but Nitte, the stocky, middle-parted, frizzy haired frontwoman of BATTLE BEAST reminded me of those troll dolls. Situated next a guitarist pushing seven feet (and topped with a Mohawk!), the Mutt & Jeff look was almost laughable. The 2010 winners, chosen to represent Finland at Wacken, are currently putting the finishing touches on an album with Nino Laurenne (guitarist with the sadly defunct THUNDERSTONE) at his in-town Sonic Pump studio. Musically, it’s easy to see why the Germans loved them, speedy Teutonic traditional metal rhythms, including their signature tune, ‘Cyberspace’, ‘Armageddon Clan’ and ‘Enter The Metal Realm’.

KVELERTAK are one of the hot new properties from Norway, sampling black metal and heavier doses of hardcore/punk, yet not a perfect example of either. Aggro is THE word! Certainly the only one I understood, as all the lyrics are in their native tongue. Lead singer Erlend Hjelvik looks a bit like Killjoy (NECROPHAGIA), had his shirt off by the second number, already drenched in sweat. He climbed over the monitors and jumped into the photo pit, slapping fans’ hands at the barricade. Giving up the reminder of their set to have a sneak listen to parts of the forthcoming MORBID ANGEL disc.

Returning to the concert hall for my fifth encounter with the newly resurrected ACCEPT. However, this was the first time the Germans opened with not one, but two songs from Blood Of The Nations. Guess they feel it’s been out long enough and received good reviews (BW&BK; Album of The Year!), thus a kick-off of ‘Teutonic Terror’ and ‘Bucketful Of Hate’. The band were once again in fine form, however this was far from the best set list witnessed. ‘Starlight’ and ‘Breaker’ took us back to the days before MTV, but then it was another newbie ‘New World Coming’. Members of Amorphis and Sabaton mingled with average joes in the audience. In fact, there were a total of five Blood tunes, without ‘Beat The Bastards’, nor ‘No Shelter’! A string of ‘Restless & Wild’, ‘Son Of A Bitch’, ‘Metal Heart’, ‘Neon Nights’ (one of the few tracks where the vocals didn’t cut it) and ‘Bulletproof’ hit their stride. When not soloing alone in white light, Wolf Hoffman mugged with Peter Baltes and Mark Tornillo. The next segment was a little more disjointed, ‘The Abyss’, the surprising rare Russian Roulette inclusion ‘Aiming High’, ‘Princess Of The Dawn’, ‘Up To The Limit’ and revved up ‘Burning’. A short stint offstage for the encore of ‘Fast As A Shark’, ‘Pandemic’ and ‘Balls To The Wall’. Anxious to see what will be in the set on next month’s headlining return to North America.

Lots of publicity surrounding the masked/hooded members of GHOST, Sweden’s Satanic outfit that sounds something like vintage BLUE ÖYSTER CULT. Actually, in the dining room, I could pick out the youngsters involved behind the masks (by process of elimination), mid-twenty-something with short hair and one even sporting a Wu-Tang toque. Onstage, the Satanic Pope/priest stands amongst ski-masked musicos in black hooded Inquisition robes. The stage is filled with smoke, including the main figures church relic. As a black mass, the visuals are an important part of the whole show, comprised of a virtual straight play-through of their Opus Eponymous. Not sure how long it will last in the digital age, but the mystique is something odd for most these days.

And so, it was over, another Helsinki Alcohol Meeting. Cheers to the next one!

More photos from BraveWords.com's Mark Gromen can be found in a photo gallery here.