Top 10 Finnish Metal Bands by Lauri Seppälä of the Finnish Death Metal Band BORDERLINE

Get ready to headbang with the top 10 Finnish Metal Bands, handpicked by none other than Lauri Seppälä of the Finnish death metal band Borderline. Hailing from Turku, Finland, Borderline is renowned for their new EP, Broken Anatomy, which features a fusion of old-school and modern death metal influences, groovy elements, and an unparalleled energy level. As a seasoned guitarist and producer, Lauri Seppälä is the perfect guide to lead us through the Finnish metal scene. In this article, we are thrilled to present his personal recommendations and showcase the best of what Finland has to offer to the global metal community.

10 - Amoral

Amoral was a Finnish heavy metal band from Helsinki, formed in 1997. In the early days, this band was about heavy riffs, melodic leads, screaming vocals, blast beats, and precise playing. This band sounded absolutely devastating and I loved it. The first three albums were masterpieces in technical death metal. Amoral completely changed the direction of their fourth album when Ari Koivunen replaced the lead singer. They changed into a power metal/hard rock band with clean vocals and many of the fans were not happy about it, including me.

9 - Deathchain (originally named Winterwolf)

Extreme metal band from Kuopio. This band was formed in 1997 and combines death metal, thrash metal and even black metal seamlessly. Heavy on the double bass pedals and evil-sounding guitars, this band can sound almost satanic at times and what metal fan doesn't find that fun?

8 - Demigod

This band from my hometown Loimaa really delivers the death metal goodness of the olden days. Brutal vocals, melodic leads, and those scooped 90's metal guitar tones. If you are a fan of death metal you owe yourself to listen to their debut album ''Slumber of Sullen Eyes''. It really is a fantastic album and I think Terrorizer magazine said it best:

''It is with this often overlooked classic that one of the greatest love stories of all time unfolded: Florida's pummeling groove meets Sweden's buzzsaw guitar work in a union so deliciously evil it could move the hardest of bangers to tears of joy''

7 - Norther

When talking about Finnish melodic death metal, Norther is definitely one of the greats. The band put out six albums in ten years and every one of them can be described as very Finnish in the best sense of the term. Filled with melodies, quirky solos, and almost black metal-style vocals, Norther really had its own sound. Put all of that on top of a world-class rhythm section and you get the band that defined Finnish metal alongside such bands as Children Of Bodom, Sentenced, Amorphis, etc.

6 - Sinister Creation

Sinister creation was a death metal band from the same city where our band Borderline was born. This band is on this list because Two of our band members rehearsed at the same place as them. The two metalhead youngling from Raisio was so impressed by Sinister Creations vocalist that it changed the direction of the band they had going on at the moment. The low growl vocals they heard from next door had a big impact on what they wanted to do in the future music-wise. Later on, they became friends with other members of Sinister Creation and it was a big thing to find other metalheads from Such a small town who also had a death metal band going on.

5 - Sotajumala

This agressive band from Jyväskylä was formed in 1998 combines death metal and thrash metal. Although I specifically enjoy their stuff from 2003 onward when Jyrki Häkkinen replaced the drummer. What separates this band from many Finnish metal bands is that these guys write their lyrics in Finnish which is absolutely great in my books. I love when Finnish bands appreciate their own language and are not trying to fit in with the rest by automatically writing in English. It really shows that if you deliver the goods, it doesn't matter in which language the lyrics are. What really amazes me in this band are the drums. Timo Häkkinen was an absolute beast behind the set and I can't say enough good things about the drums. On the technical level and creative as well.

4 - Torture Killer

Torture Killer is a death metal band from Turku, Finland. They started by playing cover songs from bands like Six Feet Under and Obituary but soon started making their own songs. Musically the songs are heavy gritty and groovy death metal with deep low growls. The songs have catchy c-parts and ending riffs with devastating melodies. The lyrics are brutal and the topics are often about torture, death, suffering, and disembowelment.

In the years 2005-2009, Torture Killer featured the legendary frontman of Cannibal Corpse and Six Feet Under, Chris Barnes himself.

3 - Tukkanuotta

The second band from this list that also has Finnish lyrics. This death/thrash metal band from Helsinki doesn't take itself so seriously and I always find that appealing. The songs are about death, alcohol, drugs, sexual abuse, violence, and loss. The vocals have a somewhat black metal -style to my ears and that just adds to the humor this band obviously has going on. The song names are all hilarious and are a bit difficult to translate because they are usually wordplays in Finnish. Despite the humor, these guys don't joke around when it comes to songwriting. The riffs are absolutely fantastic and the playing is tight as ass. Choruses are catchy and often have gang vocals to emphasize power. This band really deserves more recognition in my opinion.

2 - Survivors Zero

This modern(ish)death metal band also from Helsinki delivers absolutely fantastic vocal work by Tommi Virranta. Even though this band has only made a single album it doesn't mean that this band doesn't have anything more to give. I find that the more I listen to this band the more I realize Its potential. It just has that Finnish death metal sound that I have a soft spot for. Blazingly loud and hard-hitting riffs with leads and solos that have so many pinch harmonics emphasized with a tremolo that it would have even made Aleksi Laiho blush. These guys can deliver Chaos and beauty at the same time.

1 - Cumbeast

If you are into brutal death metal or grindcore that can make you smile as you headbang then look no further. This band from Turku gives you raw guttural coffee machine low growling vocals with awesome riffs while telling stories like getting devoured from the inside by a giant snake that lives in the sewers. This is a band you can not NOT tell your friends about when you first hear it. And blast beats. Don't forget the blast beats.

Thank you for exploring the top 10 Finnish metal bands recommended by Lauri Seppälä. From the old-school death metal of Demigod to the modern grindcore of Cumbeast, these bands represent the power, creativity, and diversity of Finland's metal scene. If you're a fan of heavy music, be sure to check out the "Finnish Metal Invasion" playlist featuring these top 10 bands and many more. Join the invasion and discover the best of Finnish metal today!

Special thanks to Lauri Seppälä for sharing his personal insights and experiences about each band on this list, providing a unique perspective on the best of Finnish metal. Thank you for reading.

Listen to Metalhead Community's Finnish Metal Invasion playlist on Spotify

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