Stratovarius is a Finnish power metal band that formed in the summer of 1984. Since their formation, they have released sixteen studio albums, five DVDs and six live albums. In its history, the band has gone through many chaotic lineup changes, and after founding guitarist Timo Tolkki's departure in 2008, there are no founding members of the band that remain. Currently, the longest standing member is singer Timo Kotipelto, who joined in 1994.
Timo Tapio Tolkki is a Finnish musician best known as the former guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer of the power metal band Stratovarius. With his tenure lasting for more than twenty years, he was the longest standing member of the band before his departure in 2008. After leaving Stratovarius he formed two supergroups named Revolution Renaissance and Symfonia, both of which have since disbanded. In a 2011 article by Guitar World magazine, Tolkki was included in the all-time top 50 list of the world's fastest guitarists.
Lyijykomppania is a Finnish heavy metal band. It was originally formed in 1981 by guitarist and vocalist Timo Rautiainen and drummer Esa Moilanen but was disbanded a short two years later in 1983.
CMX, originally Cloaca Maxima, is a Finnish rock band. They originally played hardcore punk, but soon expanded to play a wide variety of rock formats, including progressive rock, heavy metal, and mainstream rock 'n' roll. Throughout their career, they have been influenced by progressive rock bands such as Rush, Yes, Tool and King Crimson. The progressive influence is most evident on their albums Dinosaurus Stereophonicus (2000) and Talvikuningas (2007).
Tuomas Lauri Johannes Holopainen is a Finnish musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the primary songwriter, keyboardist, and a co-founding member of symphonic metal band Nightwish. He has stated that his songwriting is influenced by harmonic film music.
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.
Timo Rautiainen ja Trio Niskalaukaus is a heavy metal band from Finland, formed in 1997. The band was led by Timo Rautiainen, leading member of Finnish metallers Lyijykomppania, a band which is still highly popular in Finland and has a small foreign following in the scene. The musical influence of the band ranges from Black Sabbath to more modern metal acts. Lyrically, the themes presented in their songs range from global issues to personal tragedy, typically in a dark and serious tone. They have released seven albums to date.
"Rajaton Rakkaus" is perhaps one of the most known songs released by Timo Rautiainen & Trio Niskalaukaus. It was released on the album Itku Pitkästä Ilosta and as a single. The song tells about an unspecified man who lives in Finland and has married a woman in Estonia. The woman refuses to move to Finland with his husband and the man doesn't like Estonia. The man realizes he will never meet his wife and hangs himself near the end of the song
Finnish rock refers to rock music made in Finland. The initial rock and roll boom of the 1950s was preceded by a long tradition of popular culture. Suomirock may refer to Finnish rock music in general or more narrowly rock music sung in the Finnish language.
Ismo Kullervo Alanko is a Finnish musician. He is known as the frontman of several bands, most famously Hassisen Kone, Sielun Veljet and Ismo Alanko Säätiö, as well as a successful solo artist.
Jeremy Enigk is an American singer-songwriter, vocalist and guitarist/multi-instrumentalist. He is known as a solo artist, a film score composer, and as the lead vocalist, bassist, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist of the Seattle-based bands Sunny Day Real Estate and The Fire Theft.
Swallow the Sun is a Finnish death-doom 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 eight full-length albums, one triple album, one EP, one demo, and seven singles.
Derek Richard Grant is an American musician, singer and songwriter best known for being the third and longest-serving drummer for punk rock band Alkaline Trio from 2001 to 2023. He is also a member of Chicago "supergroup" Dead Ending. He was previously a member of The Suicide Machines, Telegraph, Gyga, Thoughts of Ionesco, Remainder, Walls of Jericho, The Exceptions and Broken Spoke. In addition to playing the drums, Grant is a guitarist and vocalist, and has filled in as guitarist for both Face to Face (1998) and The Gaslight Anthem.
Tuska Open Air Metal Festival, commonly shortened to Tuska, is a Finnish heavy metal festival taking place annually in Helsinki. The first Tuska took place in 1998 and the festival has since grown larger every year. The location of the festival has been in Kaisaniemi park in the middle of the city from 2001. However, since 2011, Tuska has taken place at the Suvilahti event field in the Kalasatama neighbourhood of the Sörnäinen district. The festival dates have always been in either June or July.
Sielun Veljet was a Finnish rock band of the 1980s. They were formed soon after the disbanding of Hassisen Kone by its former frontman Ismo Alanko. Sielun Veljet never achieved the fame or the record sales figures of Hassisen Kone, but they became famous for their powerful stage presence and aggressive, shamanistic post-punk musical style. Most of the band's recorded material is sung in Finnish, except for their 1989 album Softwood Music Under Slow Pillars. They have also recorded English-language versions of their songs under the moniker L'amourder. In 2011, they released a new song, "Nukkuva hirviö".
Private Line are a Finnish hard rock band from Helsinki, formed during the mid-1990s and continuing today.
Hope is the third album by Finnish melodic death metal / doom metal band Swallow the Sun. It was released February 7, 2007.
Jack Smack is Finnish rock musician. He is the guitarist/background vocalist/composer in the Helsinki based hard rock band called Private Line and also in the "party band" groups Evil Boys, Thunderbombs and Trabant. Jack Smack is also known as Japa, Captain Japa and Jack Leopard.
Tuomo Lassila is a Finnish percussionist and heavy metal drummer. He is best known as the former drummer, founding member and co-songwriter of the power metal band Stratovarius from 1985 to 1995. Currently he is the principal percussionist of the Lohja City Orchestra and the drummer and percussionist for the Finnish metal band Conquest.
Samu Aleksi Haber is a Finnish singer, songwriter, television music competition judge, entrepreneur, and is the lead vocalist and frontman of pop-rock band Sunrise Avenue.
