A Country for Rock Music Lovers

If Finland had the largest proportion of metal bands per person, what would you think of that? Finland is the only country in Europe that even comes close to having that many metal bands per million residents, according to research. With good cause, the Finns are regarded as one of Europe's biggest metal fans!

Finland has a long history of active metal bands, but it wasn't until the early 2000s that they truly attained international fame with their symphonic metal masterpieces Nightwish and HIM, two bands that also contributed to the rise in popularity of the subgenre known as love metal or gothic metal. The popularity of metal music in Finland didn't end there; bands like Children of Bodom, Impaled Nazarene, Barathrum, Battlelore, and Krypts helped make their nation a success on a global scale.

Lordi, who are renowned for their costumes that are inspired by monster movies, are still the only metal act to have won the Eurovision Song Contest. The Rasmus, Children of Bodom, and Nightwish are a few more well-known bands. Throughout the year, both domestic and foreign metal bands can be seen performing across the nation, particularly at festivals like the Ilosaarirock Festival in Joensuu.