Raskasta Joulua has long become a well-known and beloved part of Christmas in Finland, and not just for the metalheads of the country. But unfortunately Christmas is only once a year, so what to do in the meantime? Raskasta Iskelmää is the answer. The band around Erkka Korhonen and Marko Hietala takes some of the world’s most famous schlager and pop classics and turns them into metal.

We got to see one of those live shows at the sold out bar Hönö in Tampere. In addition to Marko, also Antti Railio and Ville Tuomi provided vocals. The show had such a high demand that they had to add a second show for later that same evening.