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.
Nightfall in Middle-Earth is the sixth studio album by German power metal band Blind Guardian. It was released on 28 April 1998 through Virgin Records. It is a concept album based upon J. R. R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion, a book of tales from the First Age of Middle-earth, recounting The War of the Jewels. The album contains not only songs but also spoken parts narrating parts of the story. The cover depicts Lúthien dancing in front of Morgoth.
Osmo Antero Vänskä is a Finnish conductor, clarinetist, and composer.
Pagan metal is a genre of heavy metal music which fuses extreme metal with "the pre-Christian traditions of a specific culture or region" through thematic concept, rustic melodies, unusual instruments or archaic languages, usually referring to folk metal or black metal. The Norwegian band In the Woods... was one of the first bands commonly viewed as pagan metal. Metal Hammer author Marc Halupczok wrote that Primordial's song "To Enter Pagan" from the band's demo "Dark Romanticism" contributed to defining the genre.
Turisas is a Finnish metal band from Hämeenlinna. They were founded in 1997 by Mathias Nygård and Jussi Wickström, and named after an ancient Finnish god of war.
Ensiferum is a Finnish folk metal band from Helsinki. The members of the band label themselves as "melodic folk metal."
The Forgotten Tales is a compilation album by Blind Guardian. It was published in 1996. The cover artwork was created by Andreas Marschall. "'The Forgotten Tales'" contains several cover versions of popular songs, including "Mr. Sandman", "Surfin' U.S.A.", and "Spread Your Wings" as well as alternate versions of the band's previous works. Remastered and re-released on 15 June 2007, with bonus tracks and videos.
"Rasputin" is a song by Germany-based pop and Eurodisco group Boney M. It was released on 28 August 1978 as the second single from their third studio album Nightflight to Venus (1978). Written by the group's creator Frank Farian, along with George Reyam and Fred Jay, it is a song about Grigori Rasputin, a friend and advisor of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family during the early 20th century. The song describes Rasputin as a playboy, mystical healer, and political manipulator.
Tales from the Thousand Lakes is the second full-length album by doom metal band Amorphis. It is a concept album, the lyrics are based on the Finnish national epic, Kalevala. While still predominantly melodic death metal and gothic metal compared to the band's death metal debut, alongside this more melodic sound, the album is noted to have more progressive instrumentation. The album also introduced synthesizers and clean vocals to the band's sound, though the latter was used sparingly.
The Great Cold Distance is the seventh full-length album by Swedish metal band Katatonia, released on 13 March 2006. The album was recorded and mixed at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro between May and August 2005.
Battle Metal is the debut full-length album by the Finnish folk metal band Turisas. It was released on July 26, 2004 by Century Media.
Ur jordens djup is the fourth full-length Finntroll album. It was released on March 28, 2007. The album is the first to feature vocalist Mathias Lillmåns, who replaced Tapio Wilska in 2006. Unlike in Nattfödd, the lyrics for this album were written by the band's original vocalist, Jan "Katla" Jämsen.
"To Holmgard and Beyond" is the first single of the Finnish Viking metal band Turisas. It was released on May 16, 2007 by Century Media in Finland exclusively.
A Finnish Summer with Turisas is a documentary film by and about the Finnish metal band Turisas, featuring live performances.
Skyforger is the ninth studio album by Finnish heavy metal band Amorphis. Like the previous album, the lyrics to Skyforger are English translations of Finnish poems based on the Kalevala and written by Pekka Kainulainen. Unlike the two previous albums, it is based on different parts of several episodes, but all told from a single character's point of view. In this sense it is a return to Tales from the Thousand Lakes which told stories from different parts of the Kalevala. The last two albums focused on Kullervo and Lemminkäinen, respectively, and this one focuses on Ilmarinen.
Elysium is the thirteenth studio album by power metal band Stratovarius, released on 12 January 2011 through Victor Entertainment (Japan) and on 14 January through Edel AG (worldwide). It is the last Stratovarius album to feature longtime drummer Jörg Michael, who left the band in 2012. Elysium reached No. 1 on the Finnish albums chart, as well as reaching the top 80 in five other countries. "Darkest Hours" was released as a single, reaching No. 4 on the Finnish singles chart.
Stand Up and Fight is the third studio album by the Finnish folk metal band Turisas, released worldwide on February 23, 2011 through Century Media as a single disc jewelcase and two disc digibook. It is based on the Varangian Guard, norsemen in the service of the Byzantine Empire.
Turisas2013 is the fourth studio album by folk metal band Turisas. It was published on August 21 in Finland, and August 26 in Europe, while the UK followed on September 2 and North America on September 3.
Beyond the Red Mirror is the tenth studio album by German power metal band Blind Guardian, released on 30 January 2015 through Nuclear Blast. It was the band's first album since 2010's At the Edge of Time, marking the longest gap between two studio albums in their career until it was surpassed by 2022's The God Machine. It is also their first album without former session member Oliver Holzwarth on bass guitar since 1995's Imaginations from the Other Side, with Barend Courbois replacing him. "Twilight of the Gods" was released as a single to promote this album.
The Forest Seasons is the third studio album by Finnish melodic death metal band Wintersun. It was released on July 21, 2017 via Nuclear Blast. The band cited Antonio Vivaldi's violin concerto The Four Seasons as an inspiration for the album title.
link 
