Beast In Black is a Finnish heavy power metal band, which was formed in Helsinki in 2015 by guitarist and songwriter Anton Kabanen.[4] The band's blend of power metal, 80s pop and electronic music [5] as well as their energetic live performances[6] have made them pioneers of their genre. Beast In Black's current lineup consists of founding member and primary songwriter Anton Kabanen, lead vocalist Yannis Papadopoulos, guitarist Kasperi Heikkinen, bassist Mate Molnar and drummer Atte Palokangas. The band's original drummer Sami Hanninen left the band in 2017 because of the changing circumstances in his life and issues related to the nerve system on his left hand.[7]
Beast In Black's debut studio album Berserker was released in November 2017 and achieved rapid success by getting certified Platinum by the IFPI, same as their 2019 follow-up From Hell With Love, which further increased their popularity. The band's third studio album, Dark Connection was released on October 29, 2021, and achieved Gold status. With the proven success of the band's three releases, Beast In Black has become one of the most successful Finnish based heavy power metal bands of the decade. This was further solidified by the band's appearances on international music festivals including Graspop in 2019[8] and 2023,[9]Hellfest[10] in 2023 and Wacken Open Air[11] in 2024.
To date, the band has released three studio albums, 15 singles and one video game.[12] Their lyrics are inspired by topics such as the manga Berserk,[13][14] relationships, literature, dark fantasy, science fiction and societal issues, while the band's mascot, the "Beast",[15] regularly appears on album artworks and live shows.[16][17]
History
Formation (2015)
Anton Kabanen, the founding member of Beast In Black.
Beast In Black was formed in Helsinki in 2015 when Finnish guitarist Anton Kabanen decided to give a call to all the musicians whom he has spotted over the years for a brand new, five-piece heavy metal band.
More specifically, Kabanen and Finnish guitarist Kasperi Heikkinen met each other briefly in 2010 when Battle Beast and Merging Flare (Heikkinen's band)[18] were both supporting Blaze Bayley in Finland[15][19] Back then they didn't initiate too much of a connection between each other. However, it was at the end of 2013, when Battle Beast was supporting U.D.O. during their “Steelhammer” tour[20][21](Heikkinen had joined the ranks of U.D.O. earlier that year[22]), when they found out that they both shared a lot of similar interests, influences and opinions on music. When the Battle Beast thing was finally done for Kabanen, he asked Heikkinen to be a part of this new band[23]
In the early 2010s, Finnish drummer Sami Hänninen's band Brymir and Battle Beast shared the same rehearsal facilities where he occasionally met Kabanen. In 2011, Hänninen joined the Battle Beast tour in Central Europe as a driver, merchandiser and a general one-man crew[19] After Kabanen left Battle Beast, Hänninen contacted him about other matters and Kabanen mentioned the possibility of founding a new band and offered the drummer’s spot to Hänninen.[15]
Kabanen and Hungarian bass player Mate Molnar first met in the end of 2013 when Battle Beast and Wisdom (Molnar's band) were both supporting Powerwolf during their “Wolfsnächte” tour.[24] The chemistry worked pretty well between them from the very first moment and they kept in touch after the tour as well.[23] The two met again at the Hungarian show of Sabaton’s “Heroes On Tour” tour, on January 25, 2015,[25] for which Battle Beast was the opening act (Kabanen was still in their line-up). That was when Kabanen first talked about the idea of forming a new band, and Molnar immediately offered his services to him. In the end of that tour with Sabaton, on February 15, 2015, Kabanen and Battle Beast parted ways.[26][27] A few weeks later Kabanen joined Wisdom and during these times they laid the foundation of a new band.[28]
Kabanen contacted Greek vocalist Yannis Papadopoulos online in 2014, after discovering his YouTube channel and his band Wardrum.[29] They eventually met in Thessaloniki when Battle Beast played there with Sabaton, on January 31, 2015,[30] only six days after Kabanen met Molnar in Hungary, during the same tour.[31] This meeting laid the groundwork for Beast In Black, since Kabanen and Papadopoulos talked about all future plans, arrangements, and practically established Papadopoulos as the last missing piece of this new band.
Beast In Black was officially formed on October 7, 2015, when Kabanen, Molnar, Papadopoulos, Heikkinen and Hänninen gathered in a small pub in Helsinki. That was the day when these people first met each other face to face.
The band name came from Kabanen. After parting ways with Battle Beast, he wanted to continue using the Beast character which he originally came up with back around 2005-2006.[19] As a huge fan of Berserk,[13] the Japanese manga-anime[32][33] and his inner demon Beast of Darkness, which turned out to be Beast In Black.[34]
Early years, drummer change and Berserker (2015–2018)
Beast In Black after their performance at South Park Festival in 2018.
The first band meeting had another reason too; from the other day they started to rehearse for the debut Beast In Black concert. They were the supporting act for Nightwish in front of 8000 people in Espoo Metro Areena, during their Endless Forms Most Beautiful tour, on November 13, 2015 .[35][36][37] Heikkinen couldn't participate in this event because of his duties with U.D.O., and the band performed as a four-piece.[38] They mostly played Battle Beast songs which Kabanen originally composed, and two songs (“Go To Hell” and “End Of The World”), which later became parts of their debut album, Berserker.[39][40] To date, “End Of The World” is the only song, which has been performed on every single Beast In Black show. After their performance, they received an invitation to be the opening act of an event with Sabaton, Stratovarius and Gamma Ray. The concert has also been held in Espoo Metro Areena, on December 19, 2015.[41] Before the band released Berserker, they played three shows in total; these two arena concerts and the legendary Tuska Open Air Metal Festival,[42] which was the only Beast In Black concert in the year 2016[39]
Due to the band members’ past, Beast In Black was under the radar of several record companies, even before the release of their debut album. On August 31, 2017, they signed a worldwide record deal with Nuclear Blast Records, which came together with the announcement of the release of their debut album Berserker, in November of the same year.[43]
The band revealed the album's lead single “Blind And Frozen”, on September 8, 2017.[44] The music video was directed by Ville Lipiäinen,[45] who had worked with bands like Nightwish, Pain and Stratovarius in the past. The success of the song and the music video brought a management contract to the table with Till Dawn They Count,[46][47] which was unofficially working with the band since their initial formation. After the record and management deal, they signed to Contra Promotion booking agency to take care of their concert bookings all over Europe, except for Finland, where they agreed with Fullsteam booking agency.[46]
The second single “Beast In Black”, came out as a lyric video on October 13, 2017.[48] This was the first official song from Beast In Black which drew its lyrical topic from Berserk, and it made clear to the audience that Kabanen was willing to walk the same path he did with Battle Beast.[49]
In the meantime, everything started to speed up around the group, which made Hänninen come to a hard decision. He didn't want to hold the band's progression back; therefore, claiming health issues and changes in his life circumstances, he announced his departure.[46] The guys quickly had to find his replacement, since they were booked for a tour, which was to start in a few weeks. Amongst the suggested drummers, Atte Palokangas was the one whose abilities and availability matched the band's expectations, and was recruited for the tour.[46][50]
To present their debut album live on stage, the band joined W.A.S.P. on their “Re-Idolized: The 25th Anniversary of The Crimson Idol” tour, which kicked off one week before the release of Berserker, on October 28, 2017,[39] however, it didn't last long for them. Beast In Black stated that they did not get the treatment they were guaranteed, and after four shows they quit the tour on November 2, 2017.[51][52]
On November 3, 2017, Beast In Black released their debut album, Berserker, with its production being handled by Anton Kabanen.[53] On the same day, they revealed a lyric video for the song “Born Again”, as its third single.[54][55]Berserker reached the 7th position on the Finnish charts, while it also charted in a considerable number of other countries as well,[56] a great feat in it by itself.
After the aforementioned prematurely ended tour with W.A.S.P. and, they got another chance for the live presentation of Berserker. Beyond the Black invited Beast In Black (along with Kobra and the Lotus), to support them on nine shows in Germany on their “Lost In Forever” tour.[57][58] The tour started on December 7, 2017, and introduced the band to the German fans. On December 22, 2017, the band launched another Berserk related lyric video, for their track entitled “Zodd The immortal”.[59] This was the fourth single from band's debut studio album Berserker.
On February 7, 2018 and after having toured touring with the band since the end of 2017, Atte Palokangas was officially announced as the new drummer for Beast In Black.[60][61] In the meantime, the band had the chance to be the main support for Rhapsody Of Fire, for their "20th Anniversary Farewell" tour.[46] Before their tour kicked off, they played three headline concerts in Finland. All these shows got sold out, with one of them being at the legendary Radio Rock Cruise, which was organized by Radio Rock, the main rock radio in Finland, after which Radio Rock started playing Beast In Black songs in high rotation on their channel. The aforementioned quickly brought about a considerable prominence for the band in Finland. On February 17, 2018, Heikkinen parted ways with U.D.O.[62][63] This allowed him to focus fully on Beast In Black. On the same day, the tour with Rhapsody started in Bologna, Italy. This five week-long tour became the band's first intensive appearance in Europe.
Before the summer festival season, they did a short tour in Japan along with Turisas and S-tool, called “Suomi Feast 2018”.[46] This was the first time the band played outside Europe. The intense touring resulted in some major festival invitations, like Nova Rock Festival, Tuska Open Air Metal Festival and Sabaton Open Air.[64] The culmination to the above was Beast In Black's nomination for the Metal Hammer Awards 2018 in the "Best Debut Album" category[65]
From Hell with Love (2018–2020)
Beast In Black performing in Geneve, 2018.
From November 2 to December 15, 2018, the band went on their first major tour cycle as supporting acts on Nightwish’s “Decades: World Tour” tour.[66] This six weeks long arena tour over Europe introduced Beast In Black to thousands of people every night.[67] Their full set was based on solely Berserker album, while, they’ve also been using this tour to promote their second album, which was planned to be released in the beginning of 2019.[68] During the tour, they revealed the cover artwork with its title From Hell With Love,[69] as well as the album’s lead single, “Sweet True Lies”,[70] as a music video on November 30, 2018.[71]
On January 11, 2019, the lyric video for "Die By the Blade" was released.[72] This Berserk-related track,[73] and Kabanen’s statements [74][75][76] made Berserk fans sure some songs of the new record will continue dealing with this manga. The second Beast In Black album, From Hell With Love, came out on February 8, 2019.[77] It topped the Finnish charts and reached good positions in several European countries.[78] The record included the cover version of Motörhead’s “Killed By Death”,[79] in respect for Lemmy Kilmister who died around the time when Beast In Black was founded back in 2015.[74] The album was followed by the music video for the title song, “From Hell With Love”, released on Valentine’s Day 2019.[80][81]
On February 20, 2019, the band embarked on its first European headline tour with support from Turmion Kätilöt[82][83] to an average crowd of 1,000.[74] The From Hell With Love tour included an extensive Finnish leg with 16 shows, which they did without any supporting acts.[84] 21 shows of the total 31 were sold out, which encouraged the band to expand their wings to other European countries and cities too. The continuation of From Hell With Love tour with Myrath as supporting acts, was announced on May 19, 2019.[85]
The band had a short headlining run called “Suomi Feast” in Japan in May 2019.[86] The success of these three concerts made them return to Tokyo within four months to play two shows at “Metal Weekend” along with Loudness, HammerFall, and Myrath.[87] During the summer they hit the stages of some prominent festivals like Sweden Rock Festival, Graspop Metal Meeting, and Heavy Montreal, which was the band’s first appearance in North America.[88][89] In the beginning of September, Beast In Black took their first visit in Russia for two headlining shows, in St Petersburg and Moscow.[90]
The band went on its first tour in the UK and Ireland for two weeks, as special guest for Gloryhammer on their “Intergalactic Terrortour” tour, on October 18, 2019.[91] Kabanen got sick at the end of the tour and he couldn’t perform on the last three shows. The band had to play these concerts as a four-piece.[92] The second leg of From Hell With Love tour started right after the tour in UK and Ireland, with a total of 19 shows across Europe.[93] The last concert was an event called “Beast In Black Friday” with Lordi on board as very special guests.[94] To support this show, the band released a music video for “Cry Out For A Hero” on December 3, 2019.[95] “Beast In Black Friday” took place in Helsinki Ice Hall, in front of 5,000 fans, on December 13, 2019.[96] This was the first time the band used massive stage decoration and pyro as well as this was the first appearance of the huge Beast head on stage.[97]
The band had several plans for 2020. They announced their first show in Latin America at Domination MX festival, Mexico,[98] a short run with Nightwish in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus [99] and their first tour in North America supporting Hammerfall.[100] However, all these shows were later postponed or cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[101][102]
The album's lead single, "Moonlight Rendezvous", came out as a music video on September 3, 2021.[108] The video was a massive dark cyberpunk love story influenced by Blade Runner,[109] the 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and it won the "Best Music Video of the Month" competition at Top Shorts Film Festival.[110] Katri Ilona Koppanen has been involved in the making of all previous Beast In Black music videos, but this was the first time she sat in the director’s chair.[111][112] After the huge success of "Moonlight Rendezvous", Koppanen directed several other music videos for the group, such as the animated "One Night In Tokyo", the second single from the album, revealed on October 1, 2021.[113] This heavy metal hybrid of Italo disco and Eurobeat[114] shocked some listeners, but it also helped the band to reach out for a wider audience.
On October 29, 2021, Beast In Black released their third album, Dark Connection.[115][107] It debuted at number one on the Finnish charts and charted in several European countries.[116] The album was dedicated to Kentaro Miura, the author of Berserk, who passed away during the making of Dark Connection.[117][118] Besides its cyberpunk influences,[119] Berserk remained a heavy influence on the lyrics.[112][109] In addition to eleven brand new songs, the record contained covers of Manowar’s "Battle Hymn" and Michael Jackson's "They Don't Care About Us".[120][107]
Three days after the release of the album, the band revealed its third single. The music video for "Hardcore" was published on November 1, 2021.[121] The video was inspired by the works of Hajime Sorayama and a raw cyberpunk anime of the '90s, AD Police Files: The Phantom Woman.[122] Due to its explicit content, YouTube set an age restriction on it and required authentication before watching it, therefore the views never got as high as the band’s other music videos.
On November 8, 2021, in collaboration with Marvin Advergames, Beast In Black released an arcade game called One Night In Tokyo.[123] It was inspired by the most epic beat ‘em up games like Streets of Rage and Final Fight, adapting them to the style of the "One Night In Tokyo" music video.[124]
The first live interpretations of Dark Connection happened at four concerts in Finland, with Nestruction as supporting acts, in March 2022.[125][126] This was followed by Beast In Black's first tour in North America, starting on April 7, 2022.[127][128][129] It was named the Dark Connection tour, and the main support was provided by Seven Kingdoms, with additional support coming from Striker.[130] However, one day before his departure to North America, Papadopoulos tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, he was not allowed to fly, and the band had to cancel the first three shows of the tour. Five days later, Papadopoulos joined the others in Dallas to perform the remaining 17 shows of the tour.
Two days after the last concert, they joined Nightwish to support them on eleven shows during the North American leg of their Human. :II: Nature. World Tour.[131]
On May 6, 2022, for the first anniversary of Kentaro Miura's death, the band released an animated lyric video for a Berserk-related song from Dark Connection, "Broken Survivors".[132]
The summer of 2022 saw the band performing at several European festivals. They hit the main stages at most of them, including major ones like Rockharz Open Air, Masters of Rock, and Summer Breeze Open Air.[133]
Between October 13–23, 2022, Beast In Black visited Latin America for the first time as special guests on Nightwish's Human. :II: Nature. World Tour.[134] After completing it with two headlining shows in Argentina and Chile, they played a total of eight concerts there. They were the special guests on the European leg of Nightwish's Human. :II: Nature. tour, from November 20 to December 21, 2022, with Turmion Kätilöt as supporting acts.[135]
The music video for "Blade Runner" was released on January 11, 2023.[136]
Beast In Black performing in Toronto, 2023.
On January 27, 2023, Beast In Black embarked on their two-month-long Dark Connection European tour with Firewind as special guests.[137] The tour had 44 dates through 21 countries and ended in Greece. This was the first time the band performed in Papadopoulos' home country, eight years after its foundation.[138] To promote Dark Connection in Japan too, Beast In Black played two headlining shows in Tokyo in May 2023. The event was called "Two Nights in Tokyo".[139]
On June 7, 2023, the band announced a double-headlining European tour together with Gloryhammer for early 2024.[140] The Glory and the Beast tour has been promoted as the biggest headlining tour in both bands’ history.[140]
During the summer of 2023, they secured main stage slots at major European festivals like Hellfest and Leyendas del Rock and performed at two festivals outside Europe as well: Summer Breeze Brasil and ProgPower USA.[141]
“To The Last Drop Of Blood” music video, the sixth single from Dark Connection, came out on August 24, 2023.[142]
From September 9 to October 15, 2023, Beast In Black went back to North America for a lap around the U.S. and Canada. The "Back In North America" tour was joined by special guests Dance with the Dead.[143]
Beast In Black performing in Leipzig, 2024.
The "Glory and the Beast" tour kicked off on January 10, 2024, with support from Brothers Of Metal.[144] The tour included 21 dates in major cities of 14 European countries, in venues with capacities between 2000-4000. Twelve of these shows were sold out, with an average crowd of 2,500. Both bands played equal sets and had a grandiose stage design. Five years after "Beast In Black Friday", this was the second time when the huge Beast head appeared on stage again.[145] Beast In Black performed last on most shows, except for the final one in London, which was Gloryhammer’s home city, and they ended the night.[146] The band returned to Japan for two concerts in Tokyo, in May 2024. On the event called "Two Nights for Love," Turmion Kätilöt were the supporting acts.[147]
As a result of the successful tours, Beast In Black rose through the ranks to get main stage slots on all their summer festival performances in 2024, including shows at Wacken Open Air,[148] Alcatraz, and Bloodstock Open Air.[149]
Nearly three years after the release of the latest Beast In Black album, the band announced a new standalone single "Power of the Beast".[150] The song and the music video came out on June 27, 2024. Kabanen introduced the track as a hybrid based off "Berserk" and his own lifeview and experiences, and he called it the first Super Eurobeast song.[151]
On November 12, 2024, Beast In Black announced they will be very special guests for Helloween on their "40 years" anniversary tour in Europe during the autumn of 2025.[152]
Lyrical and musical style
Beast In Black's musical style has been described as heavy metal,[153][154][155][156][157] dance metal,[158][159] melodic metal [160][161][162][163][164] and power metal.[165][166][167][168] However, the band states their genre is simply heavy metal,[169][170][171] which Kabanen explained to Blabbermouth: “I've always considered heavy metal as the richest and most liberating genre there is in the whole existence of music. You can go from the softest whisper, the slowest melody and the most ambient kind of a soundscape into fast and aggressive, loud, high-screaming and even growled vocals. All that is acceptable in heavy metal. All those dynamics are acceptable. Try to find another genre where you can have as much variety as in heavy metal…it's hard to do. That's why I don't bother if we're getting too close to pop, Eurobeat or symphonic or traditional metal or hard rock. That is heavy metal to me. That's the absolute musical freedom.”.[172]
Kabanen, Beast In Black's primary songwriter, marked Judas Priest, Manowar, Black Sabbath, W.A.S.P. and Accept as his major influences.[173][174][175] In an interview with Distorted Sound Magazine, Kabanen talked about his musical style: “Similarly, I want to create a Beast In Black sound that makes us instantly recognisable and that centres around simplicity and straightforwardness in the songs, even if there are many different ‘spices’ on top depending on structure and style.”[176]
He opened up about the band’s sound to Blabbermouth: “When you make an album, everyone expects in metal and rock, okay, it sounds the same, production and sound-wise from beginning to end. But in my mind, why does it have to be so? I understand it may be easier, but what if other songs could have outrageously different sounds with guitars, drums and bass. Like in pop music, they do that. They use a lot of electronic backgrounds, programmed instruments. The first song can be totally different sounding than the second song of the album of the pop artist, but in metal and rock, it's always the same. It's not a bad thing, but I'm trying to think outside the box.”[177]
Kabanen revealed his 80’s-oriented influences in songwriting to Dead Rhetoric: “Whatever comes natural is usually good- the stuff they play on the radio, lots of it is from the 80’s. There is a reason for that- those songs stood the test of time. It means there are musical elements in those songs that speak to people regardless of what decade it is. They are evergreen - and people listen to Beast In Black thinking about the fact that there’s something familiar and comfortable to that. There is also something fresh, and the freshness comes from combining those influences. It should be crafted carefully, and that comes with time. Songwriting is also a thing that you have to practice- you can’t just decide one day even if you are a great musician that you are going to be a great songwriter. You have to practice that as well as you practice your instrument.”[178]
The band’s lyrics deal with relationships, literature, dark fantasy, science fiction and societal issues. Berserk particularly is the main influence on lyrics as a recurring element in average 3-5 songs on every album. Kabanen told to The Metal Crypt: “Beast In Black’s albums have always had three categories: Berserk/anime/manga, other fictional stories, and then those completely personal stories.”[179] In another interview with The Metal Crypt, he expressed his thoughts about his lyric writing principles: “I have always said that the purpose of art is to raise thoughts and questions among people so that everyone has a chance to interpret them the way they want. [...] In my opinion, it would kill some of the magic if I revealed too much of what my lyrics are all about. [...] It's always important to leave some room for people to make their own thoughts about something.”[180]
Image and legacy
In 2006, visual artist Roman Ismailov and Anton Kabanen created a lion-man warrior.[181][182][183] They didn’t give any name to it and during the years it was called lion man,[184][185][186][187][188] lion-like warrior[189] and even Battle Beast.[190] The character has an extensive background story too,[191][192][193] however, it has never been published.[194] In the beginning, Kabanen used it in his first band, Battle Beast.[195][196] When Beast In Black was founded, and started to use it as their mascot, they called it simply the Beast.[197] Since then, the Beast has been an integral part of the stage and media image of the group.[198] The character is there on all of their cover artworks,[199] on most of their T-Shirt designs[200] and stage decoration elements. In physical form, the Beast appeared on stage first in 2019, on an event in Helsinki, called “Beast In Black Friday”.[201] This 2,4-meter high and 260 kg heavy “Beast head”, created by Tommi Mähönen, was made by iron bars, sheet metal and structure paste. The eyes of the head can light up and it can exhale heavy smoke.[202]
Beast In Black's distinct logo has adorned all of the band's releases since their debut, 2017's Berserker. The typeface was designed by Kabanen and Molnar and it got the final touches by Janne Peltonen. However, Peltonen’s modifications were made only after the release of the first album. Therefore, Berserker has been released with the old version of the logo,[203] and only the re-prints had the band’s final logo.
Beast In Black tend to use stage decoration on their shows with pyro and other special visual effects.[204] They often have synchronized moves[205][206][207] and other choreography elements[208] in their songs which add some theatrical flavour to their live performances.[209]
Members
Beast In Black, current lineup live at Rockharz 2022
Anton Kabanen
Yannis Papadopoulos
Kasperi Heikkinen
Máté Molnár
Atte Palokangas
Current members
Anton Kabanen – guitars, backing vocals, keyboards (2015–present)
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Singles
"Blind and Frozen" (2017)
"Beast In Black" (2017)
"Born Again" (2017)
"Zodd the Immortal" (2017)
"Sweet True Lies" (2018)
"Die by the Blade" (2019)
"From Hell with Love" (2019)
"Moonlight Rendezvous" (2021)
"One Night in Tokyo" (2021)
"Hardcore" (2021)
"Power of the Beast" (2024)
Tours
Beast In Black has toured extensively across Europe, North America, and Japan since their formation, playing alongside several well-known acts and headlining their own tours.
2017 – "Re-Idolized: The 25th Anniversary of The Crimson Idol" tour in Europe (with W.A.S.P., band quit after four shows) [220]
2017 – "Lost In Forever" tour in Germany (with Beyond The Black and Kobra And The Lotus) [221]
2018 – "20th Anniversary Farewell" tour in Europe (with Rhapsody and Scarlet Aura) [222]
2018 – "Suomi Feast" tour in Japan (with Turisas and S-tool) [223]
2018 – "Decades" tour in Europe (with Nightwish) [224]
2019 – "From Hell With Love" tour in Europe (with Turmion Kätilöt) [225]
2019 – "From Hell With Love" tour in Finland [226]
2019 – "Intergalactic Terrortour" tour in UK and Ireland (with Gloryhammer) [228]
2019 – "From Hell With Love" tour in Europe (with Myrath) [229]
2022 – "Dark Connection" tour in Finland (with Nestruction) [230]
2022 – "Dark Connection" tour in North America (with Seven Kingdoms and Striker) [231]
2022 – "Human. :II: Nature." tour in North America (with Nightwish) [232]
2022 – "Human. :II: Nature." tour in Latin America (with Nightwish) [233]
2022 – "Human. :II: Nature." tour in Europe (with Nightwish and Turmion Katilöt) [234]
2023 – "Dark Connection" tour in Europe (with Firewind) [235]
2023 – "Back In North America" tour in North America (with Dance with the Dead) [236]
2024 – "Glory and the Beast" tour in Europe (with Gloryhammer) [237]
Awards and nominations
Beast In Black is a Finnish heavy metal band that has received several nominations and awards throughout their career, particularly for their musical achievements and contributions to the metal genre. Below is a summary of their most notable recognitions.
EMMA Awards: Beast In Black was nominated for *Metal of the Year* at the 2018 EMMA Awards for their album *Berserker*, which helped solidify their position in the Finnish metal scene. [245]
Metal Hammer Awards: *Berserker* was also nominated in the *Best Debut Album* category at the 2018 Metal Hammer Awards. The album received widespread acclaim for its blend of power metal and melodic elements. [246]
2020
Music Moves Europe Talent Awards: Beast In Black was nominated for the prestigious *Music Moves Europe Talent Awards*, which recognizes emerging artists from across Europe. [247]
EMMA Awards: Their album *From Hell With Love* earned them a nomination for *Best Metal Album* at the 2020 EMMA Awards, reflecting their growing success in the metal community. [248]
2021
Top Shorts Film Festival: Beast In Black won the *Best Music Video of the Month* award for their visually stunning video for *Moonlight Rendezvous*. The award was given in recognition of the band's creativity and the high production value of their music video. [249][250]
2022
EMMA Awards: Beast In Black received the *Metal of the Year* award at the 2022 EMMA Awards, an acknowledgment of their continued success and influence in the Finnish metal music scene. The band had previously been nominated for this category in 2018. [251]
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Amon Amarth are a Swedish melodic death metal band from Tumba, formed in 1992. The band take its name from the Sindarin name of Mount Doom, a volcano in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. Their lyrics mostly deal with Viking mythology and history, and so they have been sometimes erroneously labeled "Viking metal", although the band prefers the term melodic death metal.
Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen-Cabuli, known professionally as Tarja Turunen or simply Tarja, is a Finnish heavy metal singer, best known as the former lead vocalist of Nightwish.
Marko Tapani "Marco" Hietala is a Finnish heavy metal vocalist, bassist and songwriter. Internationally, he is best known as the former bassist, male vocalist and secondary composer to Tuomas Holopainen, of the symphonic metal band Nightwish. He is also the vocalist and bassist as well as composer and lyricist for the heavy metal band Tarot.
Lordi is a Finnish hard rock and heavy metal band. Formed in 1992 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume maker Mr Lordi, Lordi are known for wearing monster masks and using horror elements with pyrotechnics during concerts and music videos. The band rose to fame in 2002 with their hit single "Would You Love a Monsterman?", and won the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with their song "Hard Rock Hallelujah".
Dark Passion Play is the sixth studio album by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. It was released on 26 September 2007 by Spinefarm Records in Finland, 28 September by Nuclear Blast in Europe and 2 October 2007 by Roadrunner Records in the US. It is the first album without original vocalist Tarja Turunen, who was dismissed in 2005, as well as the first album involving future member Troy Donockley on uilleann pipes and tin whistle. It is the first of only two albums with vocalist Anette Olzon, who was eventually dismissed in 2012 after the release of the band's subsequent album, Imaginaerum. Tuomas Holopainen has referred to this album as the "album that saved his life".
Anette Ingegerd Olsson, known by the stage name Anette Olzon, is a Swedish singer, best known as the former lead vocalist of Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish from 2007 to 2012. She is also the vocalist of Swedish classic rock band Alyson Avenue, and of the Finnish heavy metal band The Dark Element.
Powerwolf is a German power metal band founded in 2003 in Saarbrücken by members of Red Aim. The band consists of vocalist Karsten Brill as "Attila Dorn", lead guitarist Benjamin Buss as "Matthew Greywolf", bassist/rhythm guitarist David Vogt as "Charles Greywolf", keyboardist Christian Jost as "Falk Maria Schlegel" and drummer Roel van Helden. The group uses religious themes and images, contrary to traditional power metal music, as well as corpse paint, gothic-tinged compositions and songs about werewolf and vampire legends.
Alestorm are a Scottish heavy metal band formed in Perth, Scotland in 2004. Their music is characterised by a pirate theme, and as a result, they have been dubbed a "pirate metal" band by many critics and their fanbase. The group currently consists of lead vocalist/keytarist Christopher Bowes, bassist Gareth Murdock, drummer Peter Alcorn, keyboardist/harsh vocalist Elliot Vernon and guitarist Máté "Bobo" Bodor.
Kasperi Heikkinen is a Finnish guitarist who is best known as a former member of symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn. He played in the band from early 2007 until late 2012. He is also the guitarist for Finnish metal bands Merging Flare and Guardians of Mankind, which is a Gamma Ray tribute band. Heikkinen performed with German metal band U.D.O. from 2013 until 2017. He currently resides in Helsinki.
Gloryhammer is a British power metal band founded by keyboardist Christopher Bowes, lead vocalist of the band Alestorm. Each member of the band represents a character in the story concept. Band members appear on stage in armour and costumes to represent their respective characters.
Battle Beast is a Finnish heavy/power metal band established in Helsinki in 2008 by Anton Kabanen, Juuso Soinio and Pyry Vikki. The initial line-up consisted of guitarists Soinio and Kabanen, and drummer Vikki, who were high school friends. The rest of the original lineup, bassist Eero Sipilä, keyboardist Janne Björkroth and lead singer Nitte Valo, joined the band after auditions.
Alissa White-Gluz is a Canadian singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy, and former lead vocalist and founding member of the Canadian metalcore band The Agonist. Her vocal style includes both growling and clean vocals (singing). Although primarily associated with melodic death metal and metalcore, she has appeared as a guest vocalist for power metal, symphonic metal and deathcore bands, notably Kamelot, Delain, Carnifex and Powerwolf, and has performed live with Nightwish and Tarja Turunen.
Steel is the first full-length album recorded by the heavy metal band Battle Beast. It was released on January 27, 2012 and reached No. 7 on the Finnish Album Chart. It is also the first album and only album to feature Nitte Valo on lead vocals.
Battle Beast is the second full-length album recorded by the heavy metal band Battle Beast, released in May 2013. The album peaked at No. 5 in the Finnish Albums Chart.
Decades: World Tour was a concert tour by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, in support of their seventh compilation album, Decades.
From Hell with Love is the second studio album by Finnish power metal band Beast in Black, released on 8 February 2019. The album charted well, ranking number one in their home country, and did well in Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. An unrated review of the album can be found in Metal Storm.
The Human. :II: Nature. World Tour was a concert tour by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, in support of their ninth studio album, Human. :II: Nature.
Brothers of Metal are a Swedish power metal band from Falun, formed in 2012. The band's visual style and lyrics are inspired by Vikings and Norse mythology, and are often purposefully over-the-top, which earns them both criticism and praise.
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