Photo Reports

Just about a week ago, Ääniwalli in Helsinki was shaken to its foundations as Caliban stormed through with their “Back From Hell Tour 2025.” The German metalcore veterans delivered a blistering set that fused raw aggression with melodic precision, proving they’re far from done raising hell. Joining them were Australia’s In Heart’s Wake, Denmark’s Cabal, and local powerhouse Assemble the Chariots, each act adding their own flavor to a night that pulsed with catharsis and chaos.

The highly popular US band Motionless In White played for the very first time during their 2 decade long existence in Finland when they hit the mainstage at Tuska festival in 2023, and clearly they liked the response from the crowd. Because they came back to Helsinki for the very last stop of their extensive “Touring The End Of The World Tour” that took them almost everywhere in Europe to arena sized venues. Their show in Finland was in so much demand, that they ended up expanding from the smaller black box setup to the full Ice Hall capacity! With much anticipation we went to the show, hoping to see an even more impressive performance since at the festival they were playing in the middle of the day with a minimal stage production. And while the atmosphere was definitely on another level with them being able to set the mood properly with stage lights and an arena filled with their fans, those who were hoping to see the full US production they had been toting around Europe with dancers, pyro and the lot, would return home rather disappointed. Seems they decided to strip down their production for this last stop in Finland. A pity, since I was really hoping to get a taste of the theatricality they are known for live. Here’s hoping that third time will be the charm and we’ll get a proper MiW the next time they drop by! Their countrymates of Fit For A King who came over with them did warm us up nicely with a killer show, perfect choice for a support act!

We definitely weren’t Alone In a Room at the Clyde Theatre in Fort Wayne, Indiana on Tuesday evening April 29th, 2025! It was a packed House on Fire to see Asking Alexandria, From Ashes to New, Royale Lynn and What Lies Below!!

Kicking things was the progressive metalcore band What Lies Below hailing from Harrisburg, PA. They brought the energy and they brought a heavy hitting sound to the room with face melting vocals. They brought the room to life and were a perfect band to get this party started!

Next up was Royale Lynn, bringing alt-metal influenced, hard rock vibes to the stage! They did a cover of Flyleaf’s All Around Me, which was a special treat. They also performed their new song Deathwish with Asking Alexandria’s Danny Worsnop!

From Ashes to New hit the stage next, another PA rock band! They always put on a fantastic, face melting show with their rap/metal, nu metal vibe. They are performers to a T and always connect with their fans on a deep level. FATN have produced hit after hit that has the entire crowd singing along!

Bringing us home was the ever powerful Asking Alexandria, metalcore/rock band based out of England. They have been on the scene for going on 20 years and played many hits including Alone Again, Into the Fire(featuring Royale Lynn this tour), The Violence, Dark Void, House On Fire and Alone in a Room! Current lineup of the band is Danny Worsnop[vocals], James Cassells[drums], Cameron Liddell[guitar], and Sam Bettley[bass]. They had the crowd singing, dancing, crowd surfing and moshing for every single song. Danny can go from melodic to crushing vocals and the lyrics pull you in. From beginning to end, they put on a great show that I would absolutely love to see again!

New Wave Of Finnish Heavy Metal organised a Vappu after party at Tampere’s Maanalainen on May 2nd. Originally the line-up was supposed to include Scars of Solitude, but they unfortunately had to cancel last minute due to illness. So because of that, I unexpectedly got to know three new bands that evening.

The event started with the locals from Crimson Day, who brought some solid heavy metal to the stage, including a fun metal cover of Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Holding Out for a Hero‘. Next up was Everlore which I enjoyed a lot, actually even more than on record. Unfortunately, Neverfade started a good half an hour late so I sadly had to miss most of their set.

All in all a fun evening.

To celebrate their brand-new statement towards the world in the form of the new album ‘DEATHMATCH’, Luna Kills put together a release party show at On The Rocks in the beginning of April, playing most of their new songs live, many for the very first time! The venue filled up pretty nicely and the crowd went wild! As support, they brought the promising outfit Lastout all the way from Tampere to Helsinki as a great warm-up for the night…

Heilung live is always such an impressive experience, it’s more than just another concert, it’s a ritual connecting us with our ancestors. Every time we leave energized and exhalted by the flow of energy radiating from this collective. So every time they come anywhere close to our neighborhood, you can be rest assured that we’ll be there. And since this tour will be the last for a long time, with them taking a break from spreading their amplified history around the world, we knew we really didn’t want to miss out on this! They brought their good friend Eivør with them to yet again warm up the crowd with her spellbinding voice and music, which is such a darn good match always!

The Belgian giants of post-metal, AMENRA, are gracing Europe’s stages with a tour in 2025. Accompanying them is YEAR OF THE COBRA as the opening act. Latest addition to AMENRA bassist Amy Tung Barrysmith first performs with her own band project and then takes up the bass for AMENRA herself.

For over 20 years, the Belgians have unleashed overwhelming live experiences with their incredible stage presence and a furious sonic tornado. The sheer intensity of their audiovisual masterpiece sweeping through the halls is hard to put into words. The tour kick-off in Stuttgart was no exception. Entirely in black and white, without any colours, the lighting, and stage setup. The band’s performance was complemented by background animations synchronized with the music and a touch of fog, which were the only visual elements.

Vocalist Colin H. van Eeckhout, as usual, spends most of the time with his back turned to the audience. Only on rare occasions does he turn around, revealing himself to the crowd.

If you have the chance to attend one of their upcoming concerts, don’t miss it!

When 3 of the biggest names in the extreme/black metal scene join forces and go on a conquest of Europe, you have to oblige and go. So when Behemoth‘s “Unholy Trinity tour” showed up in Helsinki to baptize the Ice Halls in darkness and the occult with their friends of Satyricon and Rotting Christ, that’s exactly what we did. Some people might complain that Behemoth has sold out, but there is simply no deny that they are a monster live. This truly was a celebration of all that is dark and occult in the truest sense, in front of a massive crowd gathered in the arena…

Canadian black metal giants Spectral Wound took over sold out On The Rocks in Helsinki during their “BLOOD. MIRE. DEATH. tour” bringing their unique raw, uncompromising black metal assault with support from Finland’s own death metal outfit Ashen Tomb. So of course we had to check this out! Check the pics from this misty, sweaty night down below!

Opeth released an absolutely brilliant new album with ‘The Last Will And Testament’ last year, and now they brought it to the stage all over Europe. And we in Helsinki were honored to be the first stop of the tour, getting a first taste of their new work live. Even though we had seen them several times last year in different settings, they managed to impress and surprise us massively yet again, there is simply no end to the talent and mastery of these guys… With them they brought their countrymates of Grand Magus to give us a proper warm-up, what a night for the metal fan!