Playlists

New Rock and Metal from Finland

Words by Music Finland

Published 4.1.2019

The first groundbreaking Finnish rock bands paved the way for future success already back in the 1970’s, with bands like Hanoi Rocks and Wigwam inspiring numerous Finnish artists with their success.

Ever since the late 1990’s Finnish rock and heavy metal bands have been household names all over the world. From stadium sized acts like HIM, Nightwish and Children of Bodom, to cult favorites such as Beherit and Terveet Kädet, the list could go on endlessly. Mind you, even Barack Obama knows that Finland has the most heavy metal bands in the world per capita!

On the New rock and Metal from Finland playlist we take a look at the most exciting new releases Finland has to offer. Listen to the playlist on Spotify or Apple Music and read more about the artists below! The playlist is updated regularly.

New Rock and Metal from Finland

Aleah

Aleah Liane Stanbridge, better known as Aleah Starbridge, was the singer of Swedish/Finnish band Trees of Eternity. Aleah passed away in 2016 after a brave fight with cancer, but her spirit will live on through the music, realised in a new solo album (released July 2020 by Svart Records) brought to fruition by her life partner and Swallow The Sun/Trees of Eternity guitarist, Juha Raivio.

...And Oceans

Symphonic black metal band ...And Oceans was founded in 1995 in Pietarsaari. They released four acclaimed albums between 1998–2002 and eventually morphed into the industrial-leaning bands Havoc Unit and Festerday. In 2019 ...And Oceans returned for live shows after a 17-year break and came back with a new album "Cosmic World Mother" in 2020.

Blind Channel

Blind Channel combines electronic pop influences with hard rock and metal. They have played hundreds of shows and toured in Europe with bands like Simple Plan, Amaranthe and Enter Shikari and the Spotify plays on their biggest songs count in millions. Blind Channel’s third album was be released in March 2020.

Block of Flats

Block Of Flats, a 4-piece rock band from Porvoo, Finland formed in 2013. Their sound is a mixture of modern indie punk rock and big catchy choruses.

Brother Firetribe

Brother Firetribe is an AOR-inspired hard rock band, formed in 2002 by Nightwish guitarist Emppu Vuorinen. They have released four albums on Spinefarm and Universal Records, and are releasing their fifth one in spring 2020 – this time without Emppu Vuorinen playing, who is now concentrating on Nightwish, but still remaining a member in Brother Firetribe.

Cyan Kicks

Helsinki based alternative rock foursome Cyan Kicks sparked interest with their singles such as Gasoline, Satellite as well as their rocking cover of Clean Bandit’s Rockabye. Fronted by singer Susanna Aleksandra the band combines electronic sounds and pop hooks with a modern hard rock sound. Their debut album "I Don't Love You" was released in August 2019, with 13 songs about “chaos, lies, self-destruction, determination, fearlessness and the passion to follow your dreams”, as the band states.

Diablo

Melodic thrash/death metal band Diablo started in 1995, with influences such as Testament, Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth, Opeth, Death, and Meshuggah. The four-piece has released altogether six albums between 2000 and 2015. After the two new singles "Grace Under Pressure" and "The Extinctionist" their seventh album will likely be out in 2020.

Ensiferum

You can't talk about the true greats of folk-inspired melodic death metal without reverent mention of Ensiferum, and with their new album Two Paths they once more affirm their place in the pantheons of the genre.

Hexvessel

Since their acclaimed debut “Dawnbearer” (2011), Hexvessel have released three albums of forest folk and bewitching psychedelia. They have played sold out headline tours in their homeland, been nominated for 2 Finnish Grammy awards, toured Europe together with bands like Sabbath Assembly and Alcest, graced the main stage at Roadburn in Holland and performed at SXSW in Texan and had their music on the charts and on many critics lists.

Humavoid

This four-piece doomsday machine spits out a mix of high tech eight-string riffs by guitarist/vocalist Niko Kalliojärvi (ex-Amoral, ex-Tracedawn) and the jazz fusion sound of keyboardist/lead vocalist Suvimarja Halmetoja, backed by Heikki Malmberg’s (Diablo) polyrhythmic drumming and the grinding bass tone of Mikki Rousi (Sinfinian).

Hybrid Children

After an eleven-year break from recording new material, punk rockers Hybrid Children (f. 1991) released a new album "Where Pub Roses Grow" in May 2020. The long-matured song material has developed into versatile album where lyrics play an important role. The familiar Hybrid Children sound – fast, loud, melodic and classic punk influenced – is still preserved, but the tone and colours have changed from their previous releases.

Jessica Wolff

This multi-talented artist from Finland spices her energetic guitar-driven rock with catchy melodies to thought-provoking lyrics.

Memoremains

This fresh quintet fronted by singer Johanna Ahonen, throws in a combination of catchy pop hooks, hard metal riffs, groovy uptempo beats and symphonic elements. After releasing over a dozen singles and the ep "Louder" between 2017 and 2019, Memoremains will come out with their full-length debut "The Cost Of Greatness" in the autumn of 2020. Despite having just a few years of service, Memoremains has already toured around Europe, as well as their home country.

Oceanhoarse

Oceanhoarse is a heavy metal group formed by former members of Amoral, For the Imperium and Mygrain in 2018. The foursome released their debut ep "Voluntary Bends" in 2019 and played shows together with Beast in Black. Their debut album, a live offering named "The Damage is Done – Live!" saw the light of day in June 2020.

One Desire

One Desire is a hard rock group who draw influences from classic rock bands like Journey, Toto, and Def Leppard. The band's members have plenty of past experience from various bands and projects, such as Sturm und Drang, Paul Di’Anno’s band and MyGrain. One Desire's eponymous debut (2017) included the big single "Hurt", which now has more than 3,5 million streams on Spotify. Their sophomore album "Midnight Empire" was released in May 2020.

Oranssi Pazuzu

With their two latest albums Valonielu and Värähtelijä, Oranssi Pazuzu's combination of quirky progressive psychedelia and Nordic black metal has been met with praise from both fans and critics alike, and earning them nominations for Nordic Music Prize and Teosto Music Prize.

Polymoon

Polymoon operates somewhere between cosmic space rock and progressive psychedelia. The basic elements are crushing fuzz guitars and undulating synthesizers, backed by a symbiosis of complex drum sequences and pulsating bass guitar, forming a triangle of euphoria, melancholia and psychedelia. The Tampere-based quintet will release their debut album "Caterpillars of Creation", co-produced by Jun-His, also known as the voice of Oranssi Pazuzu, in September 2020 on Svart Records.

Smackbound

Helsinki-based Smackbound is a melodic hard rock group founded by Netta Laurenne, who has made a versatile career as a singer from opera to musicals and cover bands (including Smackbound's cover-ripping alias Run For Cover). The fivesome, which also includes seasoned metal veterans from bands such as Tracedawn, Statovarius and Wintersun, released their debut album 20/20 on Frontiers Records in June 2020.

S-TOOL

Fans of Finnish heavy metal might see some familiar names in the lineup of S-TOOL: the band, whose debut album was released in 2017, features members from Sentenced, Poisonblack, Entwine and Lullacry. S-TOOL, however, differs from the aforementioned in their hard rock and thrash metal oriented style, with influences drawn from bands such as Entombed and Pantera.

Tarja

Tarja Turunen is one of the best-known Finnish voices in the international symphonic rock scene. Soprano, composer and songwriter, she reached international fame co-founding and being for nine years the voice and image of the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. 2019 sees the release of Tarja's 7th solo album "In the Raw".

Playlists

The first groundbreaking Finnish rock bands paved the way for future success already back in the 1970’s, with bands like Hanoi Rocks and Wigwam inspiring numerous Finnish artists with their success.

New Rock and Metal from Finland

Aleah

...And Oceans

Blind Channel

Block of Flats

Brother Firetribe

Cyan Kicks

Diablo

Ensiferum

Hexvessel

Humavoid

Hybrid Children

Jessica Wolff

Memoremains

Oceanhoarse

One Desire

Oranssi Pazuzu

Polymoon

Smackbound

S-TOOL

Tarja

100 Finnish songs you should hear

New Experimental Music from Finland

New World and Folk Music from Finland