Talvihelvetti, the winter sister of Saarihelvetti summer festival that takes place on Viikinsaari, an Island in a lake in Tampere, Finland. This year, Talvihelvetti was a heaping warm bowl of comfort food for the ears and eyes. Bands we know, love and cant get enough of. A metal extension to the comfort of the holidays, or the finale some look forward to, to get through the noxious and relentless jingles and cheer.

Although the lineup was traditional for the Tampere metal fest scene, all the bands had a pleasant mix of new and old. Aside from Brymir being the band with the most recent album release, and the excitement of seeing their new songs live, Fear of Domination brought back their glow paint along with a tweaked live setup to accommodate their missing drummer. Finntroll also put a new spin on their live set up with new stage gear, including an epic smoking ram skull. Both Detset and Mors Subita brought the energy from the summer festivals indoors, and played a surprisingly genuine and enthralling set as well. Most memorable moments personally was how cozy Brymir’s set was, maybe it was being home after their long European tour that made them give off such a friendly familiar vibe, as if we were all just hanging out in their living room (not to mention throwing fish into the mosh pit), and the crowd during Finntroll. Not only was it the first time I’ve experienced the “rowing” trend happen at an indoor gig, the whole audience seemed to partake in that or mosh pits at some point. It was a different feeling of coziness, even in the larger space of the venue.

Mors Subita

Brymir

Fear of Domination

Detset

Finntroll