Havukruunu

Havukruunu hail from Finland and deliver a majestic blend of pagan and melodic black metal. Their most recent album, Tavastland (February 2025), tells stories of historical uprisings with choir-like vocals, haunting melodies, and icy riffing

The band opened with slow-building, atmospheric intros before descending into ferocious blast-beats and layered guitar harmonies. They delivered both raw intensity and atmospheric tension, weaving in choral vocal layers that created anthemic moments. Tracks like “Pohjolan tytär” triggered audience sing-alongs, while more brooding numbers like “Kunnes varjot saa” cultivated wintry melancholy. Their soundscape—simultaneously epic and intimate—held a ritual-like gravity.

Havukruunu’s Tuska appearance was a ritualistic deep dive into Finnish pagan-black metal. Their mastery of atmospheric layering and black metal aggression gave fans a spiritually resonant experience.

Turmion Kätilöt

Turmion Kätilöt are an industrial metal mainstay from Kuopio, Finland. Known for combining electronic beats, catchy vocals and theatrical shows, they’ve consistently delivered danceable metal since their 2003 debut. The band hasn’t released a full LP since Bis Tenebris (2020), but they remain prolific with digital singles.

Their Sunday mid-afternoon slot on the Suvilahti main stage delivered a tight selection of crowd-pleasers such as “Minä ja minä,” “Toxic,” “Saksalainen,” and “Verta ja lihaa.” They opened with a pounding synth sequence, launching into dance-ready riffs layered with shout-along choruses and heavy electronic flourishes.

Turmion Kätilöt are known Tuska staples for bringing high-energy contrasts to heavier acts. Their stage show emphasized theatrical performance—with costumed band members, choreographed crowd interaction, and side-to-side syncopated lighting—and disco-style flashing lights, encouraging moshing and headbanging in equal measure.

Turmion Kätilöt’s Tuska set was a breath of fresh industrial metal air: upbeat, chaotic, and sensationally theatrical. Their ability to turn a metal festival into a dancefloor among guitars made them one of Sunday’s most entertaining and unforgettable performances.

Lights To Remain

Lights to Remain, from Finland, blend melodic death metal with metalcore, creating intense riffs balanced with melodic vocals. Known as part of Tuska’s KVLT roster, their palpable live energy positions them as a rising force.

Their sound featured tight rhythmic syncopation, melodic leads, and impassioned clean vocals juxtaposed with aggressive shouts—perfect for pits and sing-along moments.

Their KVLT slot emphasized a raw, demo-like energy. The bass guitar provided sonic depth, while the guitarist fed melodic hooks above chugging riffs . The band engaged closely with the crowd—shouting breakdowns in unison with fans.

Lights to Remain delivered a high-voltage melodic death/core set. Their youthful intensity and tight delivery made them standout underdogs—promising acts to watch, destined for bigger stages in future Tuska lineups.

Kim Dracula

Kim Dracula is an Australian alternative/trap-metal artist known for blending industrial beats, jazz, and theatrical elements. His debut album, A Gradual Decline in Morale (2023), features viral covers and genre-bending originals, highlighting his identity as a truly unpredictable performer.

Kim Dracula opened with an intense intro tape and ripped into tracks like “Land of the Sun,” “My Confession,” and his viral rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi,” complete with saxophone solo. The set zigged through “Superhero,” “Industry Secrets,” and “Careless Whisper” (another bold cover), rounding off with “Seventy Thorns” and “Killdozer” .

The performance was punctuated by dynamic sax solos and genre shifts that commanded full attention, often outshining even bigger acts. His TikTok fame and improvisational energy ensured a packed stage, wild crowd reactions, and frequent call-and-response breakdowns.

Kim Dracula delivered a theatrical, genre-smashing performance at Tuska. His bold covers and unhinged genre fusion provided both spectacle and substance.

Apocalyptica

Apocalyptica, the Finnish cello-metal trio from Helsinki, are celebrated for reimagined Metallica classics and haunting original compositions. They returned to Tuska fresh off Plays Metallica Vol. 2 (2024), continuing their tradition of electrifying classical-metal crossovers.

The band ripped through a full suite of Metallica covers: “The Ecstasy of Gold” intro, then “Ride the Lightning,” “Enter Sandman,” “Creeping Death,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “St. Anger,” “Blackened,” “Master of Puppets,” “Seek & Destroy,” and closed with “One”

All eyes were on their cello-driven reworks of thrash classics, with headbanging cellos and bombastic percussion generating massive crowd engagement. The stage atmosphere was electric—wooden instruments delivering big riffs, lights synchronized to crescendos, and the chemistry of the band members is making them entertaining to watch

Apocalyptica provided once again to bring an amazing homages to classic metal. Their cello-driven covers felt fresh, energetic, and deeply respectful. A must-see for Metallica fans and lovers of innovative reinterpretation—Tuska’s musical bridge between classical precision and metal fury.

Whitechapel

Whitechapel is a Tennessee-based deathcore powerhouse, credited with merging brutal riffs, gang vocals, and breakdowns. Their 2024 album Kin advanced their signature intensity with darker thematic exploration.

They delivered their “Hymns Over Europe” set: “Prisoner 666,” “Hymns in Dissonance,” “Brimstone,” “A Bloodsoaked Symphony,” “Forgiveness Is Weakness,” “A Visceral Retch,” “Ex Infernis,” “Hate Cult Ritual,” “Prostatic Fluid Asphyxiation,” “Diabolic Slumber,” “Our Endless War,” and “The Saw Is the Law”

Whitechapel’s explosive energy, noting fans moshing fiercely, a testament to their tsunami of aggression. Frontman Phil Bozeman’s gutturals commanded dominance over tight rhythms, while breakdowns became shared catharsis with the crowd. Their Sunday slot offered brutal closure before the final headliners even hit the stage.

Whitechapel reaffirmed their deathcore dominance at Tuska. Controlled chaos, blistering riffs, and anthemic intensity made their set a visceral highlight. For those craving pure aggression and powerhouse stage presence, they delivered exactly that.

Octoploid

Octoploid is a Finnish “classic death prog” project led by bassist Olli-Pekka Laine (ex-Amorphis), blending progressive metal structures with death metal brutality.

Their set showcased intricate compositions: chunky riffs, shifting time-signatures, and melodic solos. Progressive arrangements gave way to deathly grooves, with standout moments including epic instrumental interludes and layered harmonies.

Dubbed “Classic Death Prog” by festival organizers, Octoploid delivered exactly that—intellectual death metal with technical prowess . Olli-Pekka’s bass-led arrangements drove rhythmic complexity, guitar solos and varied tempo changes kept the audience engaged, while lighting and tone emphasized dramatic tonal shifts.

Octoploid impressed with a refined, progressive death-metal set—designed for both moshers and head-nodders. Their musicianship was festival standout for those craving depth and complexity amid the chaos of Tuska’s final day.

Nothing More

Nothing More is an American hard-rock/alternative metal band from San Antonio. Riding the wave of their 2023 album Spirits—which climbed rock charts, they blend social commentary with progressive textures and melodic hooks.

Billed alongside Lorna Shore and Apocalyptica, Nothing More offered a melodic but driving contrast. Known for intense live shows and frontman Jonny Hawkins’ commanding presence, they likely engaged the crowd with emotional depth—balancing light and dark musical spaces.

Nothing More brought melodic resonance and rock power to cap Tuska’s final day. With charismatic stage energy and thoughtful songwriting, they offered a catchy ending to the Nordic Energy stage.

Lorna Shore

Lorna Shore, from New Jersey, are deathcore innovators known for orchestral brutality and dynamic extremes. Their chart-topping album Pain Remains (2022) established them .

Setlist & Performance
Headlining Sunday night they unleashed a relentless 13‑track set: “Sun//Eater,” “Cursed to Die,” “Of the Abyss,” “Immortal,” “Welcome Back, O’ Sleeping Dreamer,” “Into the Earth,” “Soulless Existence,” “Oblivion,” “To the Hellfire,” and an encore of the “Pain Remains” trilogy.

The sound was punishing—from blast beats and gutturals to orchestral swells. The “Pain Remains” sequence brought sweeping string arrangements and massive crowd participation.

Their headline slot drew massive crowds. The band’s symphonic deathcore translation of theatrics to festival stage was flawless—Antaa’s vocals, explosive riffing, and pounding drums created an epic soundscape. Fans erupted during “To the Hellfire” and silently absorbed the encore’s emotional crescendos. The request where the crowdsurfers were was answered massively, breaking the law as crowdsurfing was forbidden.

Lorna Shore’s Tuska performance was nothing short of festival-defining. Orchestral deathcore, majestic brutality, and division between chaos and beauty stitched together an unforgettable finale. They proved themselves as one of metal’s biggest modern exports—and Tuska’s grand closing act.