Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee. 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. Although Nightwish have been prominent in their home country since Angels Fall First, they did not achieve wider success until the release of the albums Oceanborn (1998), Wishmaster (2000) and Century Child (2002).
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 was 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 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 and guitarist in Ensiferum and vocalist for Warmen. Previously, he was a founding member and lead vocalist and guitarist for Norther.
Chronic Future was an American rock 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 2004 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.
Lumsk is a Norwegian folk metal band from Trondheim. The band combines traditional Norwegian folk music and folklore with rock, progressive rock and metal. The group has both male and female vocals with violin, guitar and drums.
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 is a Finnish power metal band from Espoo. Their music mixes power metal with influences from folk metal and different styles of extreme metal. Influences from progressive metal can also be heard in some songs.
Heikki Saari is the current drummer for Crownshift, 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 ICS 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 a vocalist and the bass guitarist to the heavy metal band Borknagar, and the former bass guitarist and clean vocalist for the symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir.
Shade Empire is a Finnish symphonic black metal band, formed in 1999 in the city of Kuopio.
Desaster are a German black/thrash metal band formed in Koblenz in 1988. Their lyrical themes involve war, hate and Satanism.
Dan Nelson is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and bassist from New York City. A solo artist, he is currently the singer, songwriter and guitarist for the band Dan Nelson and The Contention.
Apollyon is a black metal/thrash metal multi-instrumentalist, formerly associated with Dødheimsgard, Cadaver and Immortal, now playing in Aura Noir. 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 infamous Kraków show in February 2004 and later released on the video album Black Mass Krakow 2004.
Amberian Dawn is a Finnish symphonic power metal band, formed in 2006 by Tuomas Seppälä and Tommi Kuri. As of 2023, Amberian Dawn has released nine studio albums, four singles and twelve music videos.
Soulcage are a heavy metal band formed in Helsinki, Finland in 1999.
Tracedawn is a Finnish melodic death metal band created in 2005 by guitarist/vocalist Tuomas Yli-Jaskari.
