Heavy metal - thisisFINLAND

Finland’s heavy-metal stars reveal their lighter side at Christmas

Getting together with friends and family during the Christmas season is always special, and heavy metal musicians are no exception – even if, on stage, they are bad boys and girls all year long.

Arts & culture Music

Tiny Finnish town wins World Capital of Metal crown

Lemi, a southeastern Finnish municipality with a population of only 3,076, wins the Capital of Metal competition, melting hearts in the process.

Arts & culture Music

Young Brazilian wins trip to Finland in Capital of Metal contest

Checking his email in early June 2018, a Brazilian student named João Vieira couldn’t believe his eyes: He’d won the Capital of Metal contest. He and a friend would go to Finland to attend the Tuska Open Air heavy metal festival in Helsinki.

Arts & culture Visual arts

Finnish photographer excels at depicting metal music

Perhaps it’s no surprise that Tina Korhonen, a photographer known for her portrayals of metal and rock culture (see slideshow), comes from Finland, a hub for metal music. She was nominated for Best Photographer in the 2018 Heavy Music Awards.

Arts & culture Music

Helsinki rocks both Pride and heavy metal fest on same weekend

Two annual traditions happen at the same time in the Finnish capital in late June or early July: Helsinki Pride, with its rainbow-coloured parade, and Tuska Open Air Metal Festival, where the dominant colour is black. See our slideshow.

Arts & culture Music

Finnish metropolises vie to win Capital of Metal

With more heavy metal bands per capita than anywhere else in the known universe, Finland is at the heart of the tight-knit global metal community. We see how they determine which Finnish city gets the title of Capital of Metal. We also talk with the Finnish university researcher behind the annual Modern Heavy Metal Conference.

Arts & culture Film

Finnish movie rides heavy metal wave onto silver screen

The guys in “Heavy Trip” might not look very intimidating, but they’re the Finnish metal band Impaled Rektum, and they’re determined to reach a festival gig in Norway, through hell and high water.

Arts & culture Music

Helsinki professor becomes pioneer of metal music research

What do Mozart and Judas Priest have in common? Esa Lilja, a Finnish heavy metal scholar, shares the answer with us.