Finland: The hardest city in the world

Before Sweden, before Norway, even before Japan: Finland is considered the country with the most metal bands per capita. Now it is looking for a competition in its metal capital.

Finland: The hardest city in the world

Wher heavy metal in Finland will soon become state reason? In any case, country has a special relationship with this genre of music. It was Finns who invented world's first Headbanger emoticon Two and a half years ago: a long-haired metal fan with riveting bracelets on both Armgelenken, who raised hands to so-called metal greeting.

Seen in this way, it is actually nothing new to think about metal in tourism marketing in Finland. Now, however, a capital of metal, a metal capital, is also to be named. The country, with its high density of lakes and saunas, is also considered to be country which – far more important – has largest metal band density.

An initiative of guitarist of thrash metal band Mokoma, Tuomo Saikkonen, is currently on a website in which place of country re are most metal groups per inhabitant. Bands can register re until June 20, n a Gewinnerort is determined. More than 800 bands are already registered.

The idea came Saikkonen toger with Tomi Saarinen, head of marketing of Sony Finland, and Eeka Mäkynen, organizer of Finnish metal festival Tuska: "We sat toger and found out that it was just going well for Finnish metal. The bands are in demand internationally. We thought we should let world know that we're so good at metal, "says Saikkonen on phone.

Or countries are more innovative

But is Finnish myth with greatest metal band density right? The website Encyclopaedia Metall, on which bands of genre from all parts of earth are listed, suggests this at least. There, Finland comes to 1,999 active metal groups, that would be in a population of well 5.5 million people 36 bands per 100,000 inhabitants.

This means that or Scandinavian countries, Norway (15/100,000) and Sweden (19/100,000), are also traditionally strong. Even Japan is leaving Finns far behind. Barack Obama would refore be right: during a meeting with Scandinavian heads of state, he had already awarded this unofficial title to Finland 2016.

The quality class of Finnish bands does not say anything yet. The most famous exports are probably classic meets metal band Apocalyptica, alternative rock/Metal-Combo him (2017 dissolved) as well as Lordi, Eurovision Song Contest winner of 2006. For many years internationally, kitsch-related symphonic metal of Nightwish and much more interesting children of Bodom have also been in demand. New, fresh impetus came from or countries in recent years.

The scandals are elsewhere

It is not so surprising that a music style that was once regarded by good citizens as Devil's musical brood must now be used to convey a positive image. The major scandals in metal have long been back. For example, re are still Nazis in black metal, but right is not nearly as strong in scene as it was in Nineties (especially in Norway). The capital of metal initiator Saikkonen does not see any points of contact with right political wing anyway: "The mainstream has nothing to do with right stuff. But of course re are still sub-genres, where rights are also on way. " If you compare metal with or scenes such as hip-hop, scandal potential – not only in this country – is now greater elsewhere.

Overall, metal disciple today is considered a relaxed species, Wacken is new Woodstock. "The metal scene is peaceful and peaceful," says Saikkonen, too. He points out that Finnish Tuska festival has lasted without any incidents. And scientists are also jumping into metal: according to some recent studies, it is not surprisingly, more balanced who listens to hard rock music or has heard in his youth.

The only question left is wher re are now a lot of new bands in Finland to make ir city metal capital. Saikkonen says to check entries of course. However, it is not possible to examine each individual band stylistically, wher y are now more commercially available rock or rar metal games: "If you feel like a metal, you should join in. It's all about love for metal. "

Date Of Update: 16 May 2018, 12:02
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