Online show concept Tuska Utopia takes Finnish metal to unusual places

Tuska Utopia is an online show concept which combines unique metal concerts, state-of-the-art music video aesthetics and a travel program, premiering this week. Showcasing three of Finland’s premier metal bands during November 2020, Tuska Utopia is accomplished by the people behind one of the most reputable metal festivals in Europe, Tuska Open Air.

The bands plaiyng Tuska Utopia shows are industrial metal ensemble Turmion Kätilöt, who are seen playing at the Suvilahti gas bell on Nov 13, power metal band Battle Beast at the secret stone castle on Nov 20 and cello metal pioneers Apocalyptica (pictured above), who perform at the ruin church of St. Michel at Pälkäne on Nov 27. Tickets for all the shows are now on sale on the SemiLive platform.

Tuska Utopia is a concept created and produced by the Tuska organization, which will take viewers on a journey into some of Finland's most original landscapes in the spirit of a travel show. The one-hour episodes will feature both a concert and artist interview, as well as an introduction to the destination. The shows are directed by Taku Kaskela, a merited television and music video director, and hosts include Samy Elbanna (Lost Society), among others. According to Tuska Utopia’s producers, the recording of the program will be done with large equipment.

“The idea of Tuska Utopia is based on choosing the right bands and the right concert venues, to create a story, that binds each concert together. Each episode takes a peek at an actual place in the Finnish landscape on the one hand and a fantasy place created for the series on the other, ”continues Jenni Kääriäinen, the artistic director of Tuska Utopia.

As concerts and tourism are now the two things that have been closed, in addition to offering experiences, Tuska Utopia strives to open up new opportunities between the music and tourism industries.

“This is not just a substitute for action now that live events are banned. At best, we hope to succeed in creating a new crossover culture, which I see will continue even after the COVID-19 crisis, ”says Eeka Mäkynen, the producer of Tuska Utopia.

The bands featured in the program all have a solid global fan base, and the English-language series is hoped to spark interest around the world as well. After all, even President Barack Obama has noted in his 2016 speech, that Finland is globally known for its metal bands.

“Finland has already been declared the official metal country of the earth, and yes, Finnish strangeness is attractive, ”Mäkynen continues.

Watch a trailer for Tuska Utopia