FEATURES

Landing at Helsinki, Finland’s Vantaa International Airport on a Wednesday afternoon isn’t exactly how the typical week usually plays itself out. Wednesday afternoons are generally filled with average concerns, but this was no average Wednesday: a mere 24 hours previous I had been mired in trivialities of the day-to-day, and now here I was half-way across the world while my real life and its routine took a breather for a few days. Why had I travelled, in late January, from the uncharitably cold Canadian winter to the only slightly less uncharitably cold Finnish winter? To - believe it or not - board a ten-story cruise ship en route to Tallinn, Estonia and experience two days worth of metal, a concept that sounds as once-in-a-lifetime as they come.

But such an event has thankfully happened more than once, and Spinefarm Records’ Spinefeast At Sea festival - a concept that has to be witnessed to be believed - has now become an annual sojourn for the discerning metal fan. To say that Spinefeast At Sea is a unique premise is an understatement of the monumental variety: Spinefarm has truly pioneered a gem of a concept, and Spinefeast At Sea 2009 (its second instalment) was another grand success for the label and its artists, attracting a massive number of ready-to-party metal aficionados onto the ultra-modern and gigantic Baltic Princess cruise ship.

Boarding the ship served notice that metal nation had arrived. Everywhere you looked, seas of black-clad longhairs eagerly anticipated the commencement of proceedings. As the boat left Helsinki, so did all sense of normality. We were on a cruise ship. Sailing to Estonia. While checking out a metal festival in the ship’s grand ballroom. Awesome.

What became clear as soon as the metal fans got on board is that a copious amount of drinking was in store for the voyage. Over the course of the next 22 hours, more alcohol was consumed on the ship than probably anywhere else on the planet, and that is said with no hint of exaggeration. The Finns are an amazing nation in many respects, and they can hold their alcohol better than any people I’ve ever seen. Though visibly intoxicated, the Finnish fans on the cruise were warm, friendly and ready to chat, and not one fight broke out while on the ship despite the level of inebriation. Further, this scribe witnessed no passed-out patrons on the ship, and that is testament to the alcoholic fortitude of the Finns. They have the Swedes and Russians beat in that department, no doubt.

One of the first bands to kick off the evening was Kalmah, a group that has the potential to explode in North America. Though similar to Children Of Bodom on record, the group’s sound is more muscular live and the band tore through a meticulously played set that was full of high-flying riffs and solos, much to the delight of the by-now headbanging audience. Kalmah’s latest record, For The Revolution, sees the group continue to play its high-tier metal, but upping the intensity and brutality to previously unmatched levels.

“This is our first time performing on a boat,” laughed Kalmah guitar player Antti Kokko, after the band’s set. “Everything about this show is great. This was a good gig to play, because right now we’re rehearsing material for the new album. We’re aiming to have the new record released in 2010. At first we thought it might be 2009, but we didn’t want to hurry. 2010 is our 20th anniversary, since the first record. In Kalmah we want to play riffs - that’s our thing. Our music is always based on riffs, and 75% of songs start with riffs even before the melody. We’re a guitar-driven band.”

“The Canadian tour we recently did was awesome,” Kokko relayed. “We know how many records we’ve sold in Canada and it’s not that many, but from the very first gig the shows were pretty full. In Montreal, we arrived and we drove to the venue and our tour manager told us the show was sold out. When we asked him how he knew it was sold out, he said it was because scalpers were selling tickets outside the door! For me, the Canadian audiences were better than our audiences in Finland. Every gig in Canada was awesome.”

Entwine hit the stage next, inciting near-euphoria for its fans in the packed crowd. The group played the patented Finnish goth sound (pioneered by the likes of the legendary Sentenced, and radio-polished by HIM) effectively, though things thankfully never got morose. This was a party after all, and Entwine’s rock-based performance was a successful soundtrack for the proceedings.

Following Entwine was the undisputed highlight of Spinefeast 2009, the energy-on-overdrive grindcore of Rotten Sound. Equally schooled by the Sunlight Studios sound of classic Entombed and the ferocious energy of Nasum, Rotten Sound is the bearer of a strong catalogue and the harbinger of an even more intense live show. Having recently impressed North American audiences opening the Carcass reunion tour, Rotten Sound is quickly making its way to the vaunted next level of its career. The band’s performance at Spinefeast was a hellaciously loud and aggressive affair, drawing from its Murderworks, Exit and Cycles records. During the last moments of the set, guitar player Mika Aalto and bassist Toni Pihlaja simultaneously downtuned their top E strings as low as they could go, leaving the stage on an appropriately edgy note.

“The latest record, Cycles, is the darkest album we’ve done,” said Rotten Sound vocalist Keijo Niinimaa, prior to the band’s set. “Message-wise, it’s about having no hope at all. I mean, just look around. But I noticed after writing those lyrics that sometimes it’s good not to think too much. At the same time, you need to think about issues and learn and try to do your best, but in general things just seem hopeless.”

“The Carcass tour went really well,” explained bass player Toni Pihlaja, when asked about Rotten Sound’s North American opening slot. “I don’t know how many people would have been into to us if the headliner was Suffocation, but it was definitely our best North American tour. It would be nice to try touring North America again, we don’t want there to be too big of a break between the tours. People lately have tried to call us a brutal death metal band, but we don’t want to be in that category (laughs). We’re grindcore; it’s just what we are.”

The epic qualities of a band like Moonsorrow are always best appreciated live, and the cruise ship’s ballroom stage provided a unique urban contrast to the band’s thoroughly forest-based fare. Make no mistake, Moonsorrow is loved: fan reaction was at its peak during the group’s set, and the grand guitar leads and larger than life song structures are evidence that Moonsorrow’s heavy touring schedule has paid off and transformed the band into a potent live force. The group’s latest EP, Tulimyrsky, sums up the band’s raison d’etre perfectly, as did its live performance at Spinefeast.

The last act of the night was also the only non-Finnish band on the bill. Estonia’s Metsatoll played an exciting, high-energy set that converted this scribe to Metsatoll fandom. The group’s fast, thrash-inflected folk metal was the perfect accompaniment to the huge party’s zenith, and the impressively wide-awake crowd clearly enjoyed the band’s exhilarating set. Playing way past its scheduled 2:15 AM conclusion time, Metsatoll - along with sales at the bar - was still going strong at close to 3 AM.

Not many on the cruise were awake as the sun rose above the Baltic sea (and those who were probably never went to sleep), but by noon everyone was back in fine form, hangovers ignored in the name of enjoying Spinefeast’s last acts.

Kiuas is a band that has impressed many a power metal fan on record, and the group’s extroverted and fun live performance concluded the festival on a rousing note. Guitar player Mikko Salovaara walked through the crowd while shredding several times, and vocalist Ilja Jalkanen was a sight to behold while he performed without socks. Kiuas clearly enjoys itself on stage, and its carefree nature is an attribute that differentiates the band in the usually ultra-serious land of metal. Kiuas is technically proficient and the band’s big choruses are complimented by soaring lead vocals, both lead and background.

By this time the cruise ship was back on its way to Finland, and the party continued until docking in Helsinki. The masses were clearly tired but also definitely fulfilled, and the strong roster of bands displayed that Finland has more than distinguished itself on the metal map. For two years in a row, Spinefarm Records has proved that its superb concept can work in practice and if you’re into distinctive trips that incorporate metal, Spinefeast is the festival for you.

Check out a photo galleries from David Perri at the following locations: KIUAS Live At Spinefeast At Sea 2009, MOONSORROW Live At Spinefeast At Sea 2009, ROTTEN SOUND Live At Spinefeast At Sea 2009.