28-06-2015 Tuska

Location: Suvilahti, Helsinki (Finland)
By: Sabine van Gameren& Aoife Towell

Although not such a large crowd to open the main stage to on the last day, there was still a decent following for Mors Subita to kick the day off with. Hailing from the more northern city of Oulu, the group have been together since 2000 and have received great response over the years.

Their barbaric blend of melodies and powerful heavy riffs awoke the festival with a burst of enthusiasm and a stage amped to melt your face off. Lead singer Eemeli Bodde might have even burst a few blood vessels in the midst of his fiery vocal work, and I left feeling suitably angry which to me means that they did a damn good job!

Kylmä Sota, I have to firstly say that I am loving these guys’ guitar solos, they really lifted the whole performance and added a new dimension to their hardcore/punk vibe. Although not my favourite slot at the club stage, this four-piece were lively and charming to watch and never let a dull moment cross the stage. I can safely say that I preferred them live than when I have listened to any of their recorded work, so I was pleasantly surprised after imagining I probably wasn’t going to enjoy much of their set.

A great addition to their sound is the background vocals of their female bassist, who goes under the pseudonym of Margaret Thatcher. She’s not the only one, as they also have a Reagan, JFK and Leonid… You see where I’m going here. Overall I wouldn’t dismiss them just yet, but their strength is definitely in their live performance.

Some know Warmen as the project of Children of Bodom’s Janne. The guys make Melodic Power Metal and been around since 2000. Last year they came with their latest full length and now Tuska is on the menu, a nice one as the band does not play live too often. The band brought some guests today to perform, known as Pasi Rantanen (Thunderstone), Jonna Geagea and Alexi Laiho (Children of Bodom).

The band played some own material but also did covers of Journey and Rockwell, the latter one as the final song of their set including all guests. Their show was a good one to start with in case you have missed the earliest bands. They set the mood straight and played a good show.

Finnish Mokoma is a loved guest at Tuska, we came across them several times and always a pleasure. Not much different this time. The guys have Thrash in there but love to experiment a bit with their sound, never walking away too far from what their fans are used to but just a little playful here and there.

On stage they may not be the most active band and if your Finnish skills are limited it may be a bit harder to get the feel of it, but then you should put your focus on the guitars for they have a fine set of guitarists on board. Enough to be heard just on that and then you don’t even have to be stuck with endeless solo’s, just the way these guys embrace themselves with the rest is a pleasure to watch.

Then it’s time for something different and that is found with At The Hollow. It is a band surrounding Kalle Koo, a singer/songwriter that had a bunch of remarkable songs ready for us. You could close your eyes and get lost in it, listening to Kalle’s voice but you would certainly miss out on the rest of the experience, having a white contrabass on stage certainly draws the attention and then with the percussion added in a way you could imagine maybe in some 70’s prog band you certainly getting a bit of a different Metal exoerience.

It took us a bit to find out but the guys have an album out this year called “What I Hold Most Dear” although promoting the albums seems less of interest to them than creating a wonderful live experience. Worth something as well.

Three beautiful ladies on a stage is always a good score for drawing some attention and if Anneke van Giersbergen, Liv Kristine and Kari Rueslåtten are part of it there are certain expectations as well. Of course each of them have proven themselves long time in knowing how to make a great show, but today there are a few points of critique to mention.

The three of them are all good singers and make a good match together in the sound of their voices, but the quality of the songs is staying behind, far behind. A lot of oehoeh ahhaaaa in different variations. Then the usual girl drama… he did this… oehoe he did that ahaha why did he doohoo that? Ahaha. Last week we saw Anneke sing the powerful songs with The Gentle Storm and now with The Sirens we get these simplistic, not well-constructed songs? No, we hoped for more. For some of the audience it seems all fine though. After all, still three beautiful ladies that can sing.

The intensity of the show that Dr. Living Dead offers is second to none and a very unique experience that few bands can say that they offer. Always summoning the most dedicated and hardcore of fans to their pits, the band had a lot to live up to after an explosive performance on the same stage in 2013.

Unfortunately, this year there was a slight hinderance as poor DRxMANIA hobbled on stage with his right leg in a cast up to his knee. So! That wildness I was expecting might not be so possible after all! I am happy to say that I needed not to worry. He put in the effort and dragged himself around when he wanted to jive with his fellow band members and otherwise positioned himself centre stage and rocked out with every other limb. I actually found them even better than their 2013 show, and have nothing negative to say about them whatsoever. I do believe I’ve progressed to fan level, and with their new album Crush the Sublime Gods just out (which we got a sweet taste of), I’m right in time.

The slow dramatic opening that Opeth kicked off with was the epitome of them as a band in my opinion. That signature atmosphere that such a truly magnificent group can employ is breathtaking and almost inexplicable. How they can evoke the sense of humility from me is something I can never understand, but every time it is nothing short of an awe-inspiring experience. Not to mention they are all cool as cucumbers about it! Singer Mikael Åkerfeldt even got away with taunting the Finnish crowd about their hometown of Stockholm being the capital of Scandinavia… Twice! I don’t think I could name anyone else who could do that and arrive home safely.

Playing Eternal Rains Will Come, Cusp of Eternity and The Devil’s Orchard, I felt like I was in a trance of this epic enveloping experience that was decorated with the savagely smart ornamentations that are woven into Opeth’s unique sentiment. Although the set felt very short and seemed to be over far too quickly (one hour altogether), I have to take into account that we were warned their last song Deliverance was “about three days long”! All in all, Opeth kicked ass. I didn’t think I could love them more.

Headlining the Inferno stage and ultimately closing it for the Tuska weekend, Stratovarius came on bursting with vigour and eager to get the show on the road. Making the bold decision to play their sixth studio album Visions in its entirety, their 1997 selves powered through the Nostradamus concept tracks one by one with ease and agility, fitting nicely into their one hour allocation.

Timo Kotipelto’s voice is at its peak and absolutely delectable to listen to, while the throwback of their historical work got a great reaction from the greedy onlookers. They even managed to get a bit of banter in and didn’t neglect their typical tongue-in-cheek stage antics. I always enjoy watching this band and getting in the thick of it with them, and this year was no exception. A great and lasting performance.

Last but not least: Alice Cooper! The shock rocker is in Helsinki and brings a show as a show is supposed to be. It’s full of horror elements, with a little wink to seriousness. Of course all favorites come by, the songs that made Alice Cooper to what he is but when looking at their performance it becomes clear, it is never just mr Cooper himself that is in the spotlights. He makes sure that all bandmembers are getting their share of fame also, to show off their skills just as well and that suits mr Cooper nicely!

Whether he plays with snakes, guillotines or big balloons it is always in the service of the song. A special surprise for visitors that may be seeing Cooper on more shows during the season, at the final song it was no one less than Michael Monroe of Hanoi Rocks which joins the band on stage to sing along. A nice surprise!

Unfortunately the party is over already. We could have a six (six six) day Tuska weekend and still not have enough of it, but it seems like we have to wait another year. The Finnish locals can enjoy the many side events that the Tuska organization is having lined up for fall, winter and spring. Just check their website and pick one of your liking.

Photo’s and reviewed by sabinevangameren.com are:
Warmen, Mokoma, At The Hollow, The Sirens and Alice Cooper

Photo’s and reviewed by Aoife Towell are:
Mors Subita, Kylmä Sota, Dr. Living Dead, Opeth, Stratovarius

Links:
Tuska Website