Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee, Finland. The band was formed in 1996 by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former lead singer Tarja Turunen. The band soon picked up drummer Jukka Nevalainen, and then bassist Sami Vänskä after the release of their debut album, Angels Fall First (1997). In 2001, Vänskä was replaced by Marko Hietala, who also took over the male vocalist role previously filled by Holopainen or guest singers.
Finntroll is a Finnish metal band from Helsinki that combines elements of black metal and folk metal. Finntroll's lyrics are mostly in Swedish, the only exception being the song "Madon Laulu" on Visor om slutet. Finntroll's original singer, Katla, decided to use Swedish over Finnish since he was part of a Swedish-speaking minority in Finland and the sound of the language seemed to better suit the band's "trollish" outfit. Despite several vocalist changes, this tradition has continued.
Catamenia is a Finnish black metal band founded in 1995 by Riku Hopeakoski and Mika Tönning in Oulu. They have been signed to Massacre Records since their first full-length release Halls of Frozen North in 1998. As of 2010, they have released nine albums, one EP, and one DVD. They are known for frequent usage of wolves in their album art, but the band is named after a kind of bird. Catamenia also means “menstruation”, which the band did not know until a fan pointed it out to them after the release of their debut album.
Norther was a Finnish melodic death metal band from Espoo, Finland formed in 1996 and broke up in 2012.
Ensiferum is a Finnish folk metal band from Helsinki. The members of the band label themselves as "melodic folk metal."
Petri Lindroos is a melodic death/folk metal guitarist and vocalist. He is currently the lead vocalist in Ensiferum. Previously, he was a founding member and lead vocalist for Norther.
Chronic Future was a band from Scottsdale, Arizona. The band was formed in 1995, when their average age was 14. They achieved a short period of mainstream success with the album Lines in My Face, as well as the album's hit single, "Time and Time Again". The band consisted of vocalist Mike Busse, guitarist Ben Collins, bassist Brandon Lee and drummer Barry Collins, who are all founding members.
Dreams of Endless War is the debut album by the Finnish melodic death metal band Norther. It was released on 18 July 2002 by Spinefarm Records. The songs; "Victorious One" and "Endless War" are demo songs from Warlord, while the song "Warlord" from the demo was renamed as "Endless War" and are identical tracks. "Released" was released as a single and made into a music video.
Swallow the Sun is a Finnish band founded in 2000 by Juha Raivio. Their death-doom style emphasizes melody and atmosphere, and occasionally steps into gothic and black metal territory. They have released seven full-length albums, one triple album, one EP, one demo, and five singles.
Kristian Ranta, also known as Kride, was the guitarist of the Finnish melodic death metal band Norther, until their break up in 2012. Kristian has composed most of Norther's best known songs including Frozen Angel, and is also credited for renaming the band. Ranta has played the guitar on all the band's full-length albums, the most recent being Circle Regenerated (2011) and N (2008), and contributed clean vocals to the Solution 7 EP, Till Death Unites Us, the No Way Back EP and N. He has formed an experimental side project named Gashouse Garden with Children of Bodom drummer Jaska Raatikainen.
Kiuas are a Finnish heavy metal band from Espoo, Finland. Their music includes influences from power metal, folk metal and different styles of extreme metal. Influences from progressive metal can also be heard in some songs.
Blood Stain Child is a Japanese melodic death metal band from the city of Osaka. The band's musical style combines melodic death metal with electronic and trance. The band formed under the name "Visionquest" in 1999, but changed their name to Blood Stain Child in 2000.
Heikki Saari is the current drummer for Whorion and Finntroll. He is also the live drummer for Tuoni and former drummer of Norther and Amberian Dawn. He started playing drums around 1987 and influences include Scarve, Opeth, Soilwork, Ensiferum, Disarmonia Mundi, Dream Theater, Meshuggah, Annihilator, Deathchain, Hate Eternal, Rotten Sound, Rytmihäiriö, Sevendust, and Wintersun.
Simen Hestnæs, better known by his stage name I.C.S. Vortex or simply Vortex, is a Norwegian musician. He is the vocalist of the similarly named band ICS Vortex, the avant-garde metal band Arcturus, and the doom metal band Lamented Souls. He is also the vocalist and bass guitarist to the progressive black metal band Borknagar, and the former bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir.
Fall of the Idols is a doom metal band from Tornio, Finland, established in 2000. The band's first full-length album, entitled The Womb of the Earth, was released in July 2006 on I Hate Records. The second album The Séance was released in April 2008. Both albums artwork has been designed by Albert Witchfinder of Reverend Bizarre.
Shade Empire is a Finnish symphonic black metal band, formed in 1999 in the city of Kuopio.
Apollyon is a black metal/thrash metal multi-instrumentalist, formerly associated with Dødheimsgard and Cadaver, now playing in Aura Noir and also Immortal after its reforming in 2006. He has done guest vocals on the Darkthrone albums Plaguewielder and Sardonic Wrath, and also on Audiopain's EP 1986 (2000). He was a live guitarist for Gorgoroth from 2003 to 2004, and performed at Gorgoroth's now infamous Kraków gig in February 2004. In 2004 Apollyon participated in a live tribute to Quorthon of Bathory at the Hole in the Sky festival in Bergen, Norway. Apollyon played bass on all songs, and also did the vocals on the song Equimanthorn. In addition to Apollyon, the line-up of this tribute band consisted of Bård Faust (ex-Emperor) on drums and Ivar Bjørnson (Enslaved) and Samoth (Emperor) on guitars, as well as guest vocalists Gaahl (Gorgoroth), Abbath (Immortal), Grutle Kjellson (Enslaved), Nocturno Culto (Darkthrone) and Satyr (Satyricon).
Amberian Dawn is a Finnish symphonic power metal band, formed in 2006 by Tuomas Seppälä and Tommi Kuri. Their fifth album Re-Evolution was released on KHY Suomen Musiikki & Encore Music in summer 2013. Their latest album Looking for You was released in January 2020, via Napalm Records.
"Paradise " is a studio EP by Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation from their sixth studio album Hydra. It was released on 27 September 2013 with three songs from the upcoming album in their demo versions and also accompanying a music video. The song features former Nightwish singer Tarja Turunen. Beside its digital release, the EP was also released as a physical CD in Japan. A new mix of the song was later released in Turunen's album The Brightest Void.
