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Finnish rock (Finnish:suomirock orsuomirokki—also known as Finnsrock, Finnrock or Finrock) isrock music made inFinland. The initial rock and roll boom of the 1950s was preceded by a long tradition of popular culture.Suomirock may refer to Finnish rock music in general or more narrowly rock music sung in the Finnish language.
Finnish rock followed the common trends during the 50s and 60s. Usually Finnish rock bands performed covers or hit songs translated into Finnish.Eero Raittinen and his brotherJussi Raittinen are among the earliest rockers of the 1960s, alongside groups such asJormas,Topmost andErnos. The British bandThe Renegades found their biggest success in the 1960s Finland. Helsinki was the centre of Finnish rock and pop music during this period.Love Records was one of the first domestic record labels dedicated to Finnish rock, even though the label's roster also included jazz and political songs.Suomen Talvisota 1939-1940 represented Finnish underground, and their only albumUnderground-Rock (1970) is cited as a big influence among many current Finnish music-makers. Other Finnish underground/psychedelic bands of this era wereThe Sperm,Apollo and the ground-breakingBlues Section, which spawnedWigwam andTasavallan Presidentti after its split.
At the beginning of the 1970s new artists emerged. Singer-songwriters such asHector andJuice Leskinen started writing songs in Finnish, combining shades of irony, poetry and introspection with rock sound. Later in the seventies the new wave and punk brought more artists such asPelle Miljoona,Eppu Normaali andHassisen kone. Finnish rock had by now become independent. Names such asDave Lindholm,Tuomari Nurmio andIsmo Alanko continued with their own styles. Tampere became at the turn of the 1970s and 80s the most vibrant town in rock culture, spawning "Manserock" as rock music by the town's artists was called.
Hurriganes, fronted byRemu Aaltonen, was one of the best-known groups in Finland. This 1970s group played hard-hitting, boogie-based simple rock, and their song "Get on" is almost anthemic in Finland. Ex-Hurriganes guitaristAlbert Järvinen would later collaborate with the likes ofLemmy Kilmister ofMotörhead fame, issuing theCountdown 12" single, with Lemmy featuring on lead vocals on the title track, under the name of Albert Järvinen Band. Other seminal groups wereDingo, a pop-rock group idolized by teenagers, andYö, whose "Joutsenlaulu" remains to the day one of the most played songs in radio and karaoke.Kingston Wall was a cult band of the early 90s, combining psychedelic influences with hard rock, played by power trio and fronted by Petri Walli.J. Karjalainen has also remained popular since the early 1980s. Well-known Finnish bandCMX also formed in 1985, transforming from a hardcore punk sound through progressive, metal, and hard rock sounds.
The earliest Finnish rock bands to gain any notoriety wereprogressive rock bands likeTasavallan Presidentti andWigwam. Though for a time they seemed poised to break through in Europe, international fame eluded them. 1980s bands were similarly unable to find an international following, such asGringos Locos andHavana Black; one exception to this wasHanoi Rocks, a popularglam rock band. They are still the most respected Finnish group abroad. For example, in Japan there's still almost fanatic Hanoi Rocks fans. Though the band collapsed on the verge of final international breakthrough, they were the source of inspiration for glam rock bands of the 1980s includingGuns N' Roses.
Some modern bands who have achieved some mainstream rock success abroad includeLeningrad Cowboys, known for performing with theRed Army Choir,surf bandLaika & the Cosmonauts and prog-related rock bandVon Hertzen Brothers.
22-Pistepirkko has had a cult status in Europe, notably in the Netherlands and Germany. The trio's indie-rock incorporates blues and melancholy melodies, with a touch ofTom Waits.
Like much of Scandinavia (or, more accuratelyFennoscandia), Finland's main contribution to modern popular music may beheavy metal and related fields. Early 80s Finnish hard rock and heavy metal bands of note include Riff Raff,Oz, and Zero Nine whileTarot,Stratovarius and thrashersStone would first emerge in the late 80s. Since then the Finnish scene has given rise to bands likeChildren of Bodom,Amorphis,Nightwish,Apocalyptica,Impaled Nazarene,Beherit,Archgoat,Waltari,Entwine,The 69 Eyes,Sinergy,Sentenced,Sonata Arctica,Am I Blood,Ensiferum,Turisas,Moonsorrow,Korpiklaani,Finntroll,Wintersun,Battlelore,Machine Men,Mannhai,To/Die/For,Battle Beast,Falchion,Beast in Black andTeräsbetoni.
A popular Finnish band abroad isHIM whose music has been labeled "love metal". HIM and The Rasmus topped album charts in several European countries with their most popular albums. HIM got also a gold record in the USA in 2006. The international success of HIM and The Rasmus during the current decade is wider than any Finnish group has gotten before.
Finland were also the winners of the 2006Eurovision Song Contest, with the firstheavy metal band to enter the competition,Lordi. Lordi won with their Hard Rock Hallelujah composition, sporting elaborate costumes. Since then, they have found success across Europe and limited publicity outside of the continent. Lordi have also competed inKuorosota, the Finnish version ofClash of the Choirs.
Throughout the Finland and Scandinavian countries there has been an uprising of 80s era "glam metal" bands heavily influenced by bands likeMötley Crüe andGuns N' Roses with a modern twist likeReckless Love,Santa Cruz,Crashdïet andHardcore Superstar.
Finland, like its Scandinavian neighbors, also has a vibrant extreme metal scene, which while propagating a more underground and slightly less accessible sound is still notably not only internationally successful but also on a few occasions giving the more mainstream heavy metal bands competition in the nation's awards ceremonies. The most famous Finnish bands in extreme metal are most probablyAmorphis,Children of Bodom,Beherit,Archgoat,Impaled Nazarene, and thegrindcore bandRotten Sound, which recently signed to the American labelRelapse Records
The extreme metal scene in Finland is highly dominated bydeath metal of various subgenres ranging frommelodic death metal such asOmnium Gatherum to more old school traditional death metal bands likeDemilich and Convulse, the second of whose first album has been thrice reissued by the aforementioned Relapse Records—most recently in 2013—as well as by Finland’s own Svart Records in both 2018 and 2019.
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