Strictly Finnish Bängers
Now, we all know on this blog that I am an unreasonably devoted fan of Hanoi Rocks, but a Finnish friend of mine recently made me aware that I am sadly lacking in my knowledge of other Finnish bands. Said lovely person took it upon themselves to fill the gaps in my knowledge by creating and sending over a playlist of some Finnish bängers (thanks again if you’re reading this!) for me to check out. So here’s my ten-cents-worth as a Canadian hearing most of these tunes for the first time - and spoiler alert: I’m gonna have to start listening to more Finnish music (and maybe learn how to pronounce some of these names).
Join Me In Death by HIM
I have actually heard of HIM (that’s His Infernal Majesty for the uninitiated), but I’ve never done a real dive into their discography and I don’t think I knew they were Finnish. Apparently Join Me In Death is Finland’s eighth highest selling single of all time, so that seems like a good place to start. In short summary: this is the epitome of pastel goth – you have very delicate piano in that intro, gothy vampiric lyrical content, and that Classic Cure Combo ™ of heavy bass under light, feathery vocals. Overall, I like it and I don’t understand why it wasn’t heavily featured in the Twilight soundtrack.
Wings of a Butterfly by HIM
Second HIM tune on this list and this one has a much more straight-ahead rock feel than Join Me In Death. The vocals are harder-hitting than the last track and along with that wicked bass riff I’d call Butterfly certifiably headbangable – you just have to move to this one! I especially love whatever guitar noise starts happening at the 2:09 mark – this guitar player is killing it on this one. Don’t put away your black nail polish yet though because these lyrics are still as goth as crying tracks through your black eyeliner, with the wings being pulled off of butterflies and such (side note: anyone else listen to that one Broken Iris song in the mid-2000s?).
Ah-Ah-Ah by Pintandwefall
Immediately, Ah-Ah-Ah gives me a stylized 60s vibe and its incredibly atmospheric with those echo-y “oh ohs”. Its melancholic and beautiful like the heroine of a faux-60s movie having a drug-induced breakdown without once smudging her electric blue eyeliner. One of the lyrics does reference spring coming so maybe the melancholy is a result of winter in Finland? I really like the sound of the keyboard and mixed with the angelic backing vocals it’s ethereal all the way. Between this one and the first two HIM tracks I feel like I’m sensing a theme – is the vibe with Finnish music always just aesthetic depression? Because if so, consider this my official application for Finnish citizenship, long winters and all.
I Will Stay by Hurriganes
My immediate reaction to I Will Stay is that your dad (or maybe granddad) would really dig these guitar riffs. I was actually a little confused trying to pin down the era because I was getting a hint of early-70s Scorpions - but like the Scorps covering an Elvis crooner, there was just something in there that defied the comparisons I was trying to make. Even though I was planning to keep this as a pure personal reaction I did do a little googling and found out that this was a 70s band imitating a much older (“pre-Beatles” according to Wikipedia) style of music. Truthfully Im not sure I love the sound of the vocals, but I was sent a live version which aren’t always the kindest to singers, so Ill reserve my final judgement until Ive given at least one studio album a listen. The benefit of a live recording though, is that you can hear how into the crowd is and apparently these guys were putting on a hell of a show back in the day! Also, is the fact that its Hurriganes not Hurricanes some Finnish joke that I don’t understand? Somebody let me know.
Viimeinen Valitusvirsi by PMMP
Alright this one is very different to anything else on this playlist so far – and I like it. There is such a precision to the timing of those vocals that the voice is creating another element of percussion over that excellent guitar riff. The voice itself its quite cool, I like the rasp that comes through sometimes – don’t know what she’s actually saying but I’m into it. The track is super high-energy, definitely one for the dance floor or the workout playlist. There’s a lot of really interesting background noises under the main riffs and I really like the symmetry of the main guitar line coming back right at the end.
Lähetyssaarnaaja by Dingo
I may not know what they’re actually singing about, but even without the fantastic outfits on display on the album cover I know this is the 80s. If the fashion didn’t clue you in, the sound of those drums definitely will. There’s a cool little synth riff and I don’t need to speak Finnish to appreciate how catchy that chorus is - I was humming along by the end of my first listen. Speaking of that ending, this singer is emoting the absolute hell out of that last line and then it all wraps up with a sparkly little guitar flourish. From the drums to the synths to the leopard print this one is stone-cold 80s pop – think Naked Eyes but with more umlauts.
Telepatiaa by J. Karjalainen Yhtyeineen
This is such a groovy little track that I don’t have much to write because every time I try to listen critically I get sucked into the flow and just drift away. The guitar itself is the star of the show to me, it is Sultans-of-Swing-level smooth – if you like the Dire Straits you should definitely check these guys out. In a word, I’d call it transportive - just put this one on, smoke a bowl, then close your eyes and leave the planet behind. I also really like the album art of the funky little lute-playing guy on the cover, so extra points for that.
Mennyt mies by J. Karjalainen
Catchy as the chorus on this one is, the guitar is (again for Mr, Karjalainen) the real standout for me. It’s absolutely singing through that intro and its really what kept my attention throughout the track. That “sparkling” sound that I suspect is coming from some kind of synth in the background is a neat little touch too. I didn’t google-translate the lyrics or anything, but based purely on sound I could see this one playing during the long-drive-down-a-lonely-highway montage in a character-driven 90s movie.
Pahempi toistaan by Apulanta
Oh, this is not simply a Finnish Bänger, this is Finnish Metøl! (I’m sorry Finnish people). This is a song that demands a mosh pit to truly appreciate it, I mean I’m listening alone at my desk and I’m ready to go outside and start throwing hands with the next old guy that walks his dog past my door. The riffs are stack-of-cinder-blocks heavy, but still melodic especially in that bridge at about 1:20 and that bass is just sickening. I love the different vocal styles on show and that despite all the moving parts to this song it still comes to together and feels cohesive. This is some very well put together mëtöl.
Pulp Fiction by Haloo Helsinki!
Haloo Helsinki! brings a slightly poppier sound to the mix via a very cool little synth part. I don’t think this one is my favourite in this mix just from a stylistic perspective, but it’s very catchy and very danceable – it just leaves me longing for a little more guitar.
Aramanth by Nightwish
Rounding out the playlist with a band I actually recognize! Nightwish are a classic in the realm of melodic metal and from the gothic opening notes to the Vikings-charging-into-battle heart of the song this one is everything you could want from them. The low grunt of the bass contrasts perfectly with the operatic echo of the backing vocals and stays constant so that the various different guitar movements still feel part of the same song. Its symphonic, its cinematic, it could probably be described another adjective beginning with the “s” sound and as you’d expect from Floor Jansen the high notes are absolutely off the charts. Fair warning: I got about halfway through my second listen-through and woke up on Etsy buying a hand-smithed sword so be careful.