One of Finland’s hottest new exports, top-class modern metal band CROWNSHIFT, are pleased to finally unleash their debut single and music video.
Having just signed with NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS, ‘If You Dare‘ is the first glimpse at CROWNSHIFT‘s upcoming debut album, which is set to be released in the first half of 2024.
Irresistible banger ‘If You Dare‘ pairs the razor-sharp riffing and vicious breakdowns of contemporary metal with the gorgeous and otherworldly harmonics of Finnish melodic death metal. It’s the perfect song for CROWNSHIFT to mark their territory as a new household name, to be mentioned alongside the beloved genre greats from their home country.
NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS are happy to announce the signing of new Finnish top-class metal band CROWNSHIFT, who have also recently joined the roster of Till Dawn They Count Ltd management (Nightwish, Beast In Black, Sonata Arctica). Born as the long-time idea of four friends, CROWNSHIFT are a new high standing metal act from Finland. The members, who come from the ranks of Finland’s finest exports such as Nightwish, Children Of Bodom, Wintersun and Finntroll, are thrilled to start a new journey together and spread their authentic sonic print across the globe.
Photo Report: Nummirock 21-24.6.2023 in Kauhajoki, Finland Photography by Serena Solomon
This year, Nummirock was back to its full glory. Last year, it seemed people were still getting back to the swing of things and/or still too cautious to even attend the festival since the pandemic. This year, the party was kicking off already on Tuesday. The forest side of the campgrounds were almost completely full a day before the festival even started! Some notable things that have evolved this year included more tiny cabins through out both camp grounds for those who prefer four walls to tents, as well as spots designated for electricity hook ups for caravans. The food options were also kicked up a notch, and pleasantly surprising options could be found from hatsapuri (kind of like a giant calzone) to sushi! There was also a really nice selection of small breweries being represented and a good selection of alcohol all around. Probably the most exciting evolution this year was the Klubi stage. They definitely invested in it way more this year and it really paid off from the performers and audiences perspective!
Day 1 highlights: Kalmah started the festival off with a bang! Probably the biggest send off for Nummirock I have witnessed. Not only was it great to hear some of their new songs live, the old songs, absolute classics, sent the whole crowd into festival mode. Although Vermilia is a somewhat newcomer band, they are shooting straight to the top of people’s “favorite acts” list, and with good reason! A perfect blend of black, pagan and folk, elegant yet powerful sound and an incredibly impressive multi-talented vocalist who sings beautiful cleans, brutal growls AND plays the flute (as well as shaman drum)! Hope to see these guys on the Infenrno stage during an epic sunset next year.
Photos: Kalmah,Vermilia,Mors Subita,Elvenking
Day 2 Highlights:
Brymir were selected by the gods to be the “epic music in the rain” band this year. Although they were the first band of the day, they dominated the main stage! It was really great to FINALLY see them on a main stage, their energy and sound finally felt like it could fit the space they were in! Havukruunu was one band I was looking forward too but was surprised how perfectly they fit at this festival. Specially since it was overcast and a bit gloomy, their darker sound and pagan black metal aesthetics provided a perfect dose of melancholy to the Finnish midsummer celebration. It was also great to see a few non-Finnish acts tearing up the Inferno stage (Born of Osiris and Aborted) after so long. Although I wasn’t surprised by the greatness of Stam1na‘s live performance (they never disappoint), I was really amazed how, although they were the final act of the day on the main stage, they still interact so intimately with the crowd it feels like a club gig. I Am The Night provided the continuing tradition of midnight black metal mass on the Inferno stage. They were a perfect way to close out the first full day of the festival, shrouded in smoke and shadows through the whole performance with the backdrop of the eternal blue hour of midsummer.
Photos: Brymir, I Am Your God, Havukruunu, Finntroll, Stratovarius, Aborted, Azaghal, Stam1na and I Am The Night
Day 3 Highlights: Unforntunately I was only able to catch one of the Wacken Metal Battle bands, but it seems Omnivortex was the only one needing to catch. They ultimately won, and are going to Wacken this year! I was impressed by their gig, they had a solid performance and enough energy and charisma to fill a main stage! Gutalax was an incredibly unexpected highlight. Maybe the best part of the whole gig was seeing the Nummirock crew having such a blast throwing toilet paper over the whole crowd! But damn, I still wonder why Gutalax has not played Nummi before. They have the perfect energy and aesthetic for the festival. It was hilarious to walk through the camp grounds before the gig and see so many people suiting up in hazmat suites and covering themselves in toilet paper to prepare for the gig. Droves of white suited, toilet paper clad, toilet brush carrying warriors heading to the battle of Gutalax on the Inferno stage, what a sight!It was also great to see Bloodred Hourglass on the main stage. They have risen quite high recently and it shows. They fill in the main stage space perfectly and are an obvious crowd favorite. Misþyrming were one of my personal favorites. I was surprised though, how many others seemed to agree. I was under the impression they might have been a bit niche black metal for Nummi but it seemed they were an unexpected highlight for many. Maybe the hidden gem of the entire festival! It seemed the Inferno stage had the strongest acts of day 3. Vader had the entire festival on its toes, they probably should have been on the main stage! And, to close the day, Before the Dawn. Despite some technical difficulties, they put on the most memorable performance of the festival (next to Behemoth). The midsummer evening sky, pyros, Paavo’s entrancing voice and the driving music provided an intoxicating cocktail of midsummer metal. Their comeback has been exceptional and their new album is so on point. I feel a bit spoiled to have the opportunity to catch them multiple times this summer, but no show will top the Inferno stage night cap at Nummi!
Photos: Enemy Inside, Omnivortex, Gutalax, Bloodred Hourglass, Misþyrming, Vader, Beast in Black and Before the Dawn
Day 4 Highlights:
The final day started out light with Viikate, though I felt they may have been better a bit later in the day when everyone had fully woken up. Bloodywood was nothing like I expected but only positive things to say about them. I had no expectations on their live show, and based on the music I had heard, I expected more of a party band, but they had such a mature presence, chill and light-hearted at times but an undercurrent of somberness. Their speeches between songs had the whole audience silent and listening to their words, really following what they were saying and understanding their messages. Real messages that connected their music to the good and bad going on in the world. They created a really unique atmosphere I had never experienced at Nummi or maybe any other festival, how wholly they captivated the audience. Vorna filled up the tent stage even before they started playing. They’ve evolved their live show more to showcase their new music beautifully, from intro to outro. The whole audience was singing along to both new and old music, and at times swaying together as if one entity. Asking Alexandria brought a lot of people to their nostalgic knees, but they were much more enjoyable than I had anticipated. It was nice to ride the nostalgia train a bit… maybe that is one element that was missing from Nummi this year. But then, Behemoth. This was a gig I will have trouble conveying my thoughts and feelings into words. Absolutely beyond expectation, and not just because of the epic pyros and massive stage setup. You could take all that away and I think the feeling would have been the same. Mind you, they definitely did bring the most elaborate stage setup I have ever witnessed at Nummi… but their sound and overall vibe is and might be unmatched for years to come when it comes to Nummi finale’s. Even though they signature fireworks didn’t happen, now that I think back they really didn’t even need to happen. Hands down the most iconic, monumental show I have witnessed in my 8 years of attending Nummirock. The only thing I have negative to say about it was that the sound could have been louder, more driving. But honestly, the feeling is what stuck with me. They are going to have a hard time topping that one.
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.
Photo report: Saarihelvetti – July 6-7, 2021 in Tampere, Finland
Photography by Serena Solomon
How amazing it was to be back at a festival! Saarihelvetti, once again, provided us with a much welcome break from isolation and gigless existence as it did last summer. Aside from the bands, and seeing old friends, the crowd was the highlight. They brought the proper festival atmosphere.
In previous years, when bigger festivals like Nummirock and Tuska happened regularly, Saarihelvetti had a different kind of feel, it was a bit more of a “local” happening, without the craziness and hype the bigger festivals brought. But these past few years, when gigs and festivals have been scarce, that energy and mood exploded all over Viikinsaari and Laukontori in Tampere. “Festival Life” was everywhere , in every form, from the extreme industrial goth fashion to the goofiest costumes one would never expect to see at a metal festival (not to mention the creativity of “masks” were impeccable!). From stuffed animals to corpse paint, from hazmat suites to animal onzies, it was hard not to be distracted by the crowd when watching the gigs!
But I digress, the music. Ah, live – fucking – music! Pits, blasting drums, headbanging, singing, dancing, etc. Life itself. Shereign , Swallow the Sun, Ember Falls and Vorna were my “highly anticipating” bands, while Finntroll, Tyrantti and Satan’s Fall were also unexpected highlights.
I had been getting to Shereign as they released singles over the summer and was really looking forward to seeing Sara perform this new music style, their “best gig so far!” as the joke goes since it was the first and only gig (at least for a while, due to Sara’s pregnancy). On that note, one of the cutest things that happened at the festival (aside from at least one proposal on Saturday) was someone throwing a bunch of stuffed animal toys on stage during Shereign (presumably for Sara’s tiny human-to-be).
I didn’t have much expectations for Tyrantti but their show was very memorable. They were a perfect fit to open the festival on the main stage and warm the audience up… remind us what live music is about and get everyone back in the mood for the atmosphere we crave every summer.
Also, I had seen Finntroll many times before so I felt I knew what to expect and haven’t familiarized myself with their newest albu myet, but I had forgotten how fun their gigs are to watch and photography although they did seem to have a bit of the gigless corona stiffness, it wore off after a while and was easy to get back into the swing and conga-line of the music!
Swallow the Sun, well, what can I say. I can’t seem to go a year without seeing them, they’re like air. Just the beginning of their gig was breathtaking. They used “Sininen Uni” as an intro. It took hold and calmed the audience down for the more melancholic set of the day, and as the song faded in ghostly distortion, and the first notes of “The Giant” began, chills shot down my spine and I was almost paralyzed for a good portion of the song. Ok, disclaimer, this band means a lot to me so yes, lots of emotions and larger than life feels…. but anyway. Aside from that, As soon as Mikko walked out I had to chuckle as his pink shirt with a unicorn and “pessimisti” in bubble letters took a sardonic poke at the melancholy and intense emotions I was overcome with… but they are just too damn good. They could all be dressed as pink unicorns and they would still be able pull off the doom and gloom they are known and loved for. I had to noticed how raw Juha’s performance was, in his movement, in his face, he seemed completely present whether he wanted to be or not and it made my heart ache in every way.
I had seen Ember Falls for the first time at this same festival in 2016 and looked forward to their bright red aesthetic and dancey industrial vibe, but holy crap were they more than I expected! They seemed to have matured so much since the last time I saw them but still maintain the vibe I was looking forward to. I think they are one of the more underrated bands in that genre and hope they get more exposure! Looking forward to seeing them again soon!
Satan’s Fall was also a pleasant surprise, I’m not so into their style of music but the gig was much welcome in the Saarihelvetti lineup. A bit different vibe than the other bands but it tied the day together nicely.
And then there was Vorna, the best act on the second stage, unsurprisingly (and as unbiased as I can be). They are always a crowd favorite and you can never fail to see in the fans how much their music means to them. This year, in place of the blazing sun of last summer, came clouds and rain… but it only enhanced the beauty in their melancholy and made the gig even more special and unforgettable. The rain did not deter the audience for a moment, they stayed getting drenched to watch the gig, and it made for an incredibly epic show !
Although the bands seemed a bit stiff to start due to lack of gigging, ultimately you could tell most were enjoying hitting the stage again . As enjoyable as the festival was, they were still able to maintain a strict hold on mask wearing and safe distances when possible, providing sanitizer and face masks to everyone and keeping the boats as limited as possible. My only complaint was that there was no dry place for media to tend their work/gear as all the indoor/covered areas were open to the public and mediated with restrictive occupancies and we were not allowed in the VIP or back stage areas with only media passes. Hopefully next year we won’t need such restrictions but if we do, just a thought to the organizers, otherwise 666/10 would recommend! See you next year!
DAY 1: Shereign, Tyrantti, I Revolt, Finntroll, Spiritus Mortis, Swallow the Sun, Insomnium
SHEREIGN
TYRANTTI
I REVOLT
FINNTROLL
SPIRITUS MORTIS
SWALLOW THE SUN
INSOMNIUM
DAY 2: Silver Bullet, Rytmihäiriö, Ember Falls, Lähiöbotox, Satan’s Fall, Lost Society, Vorna, Diablo, Atlas, Mokoma
Finnish folk metallers Finntroll are back fiercer than ever with their long-waited return with their seventh album titled “Vredesvävd” which marks their first release in seven years.
We talked to vocalist Mathias “Vreth” Lillmåns about the upcoming dark new release which is due out on the 18th September via Century Media Records which embraces a more black metal vibe and explores ‘how to find yourself and confront the other side of you’ amongst other things….
Dark Art Conspiracy 
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