Let’s set the scene: I’m in the Target Pharmacy during the sweltering summer of the Midwest in June of 2022 and I get a push notification from Spotify that an artist I follow had published an album. Now, I’m usually on top of release dates and new album announcements, so it caught me off-guard to see something I wasn’t already aware of. EYE OF MELIAN was a band I had followed for a bit because I’m a huge Johanna Kurkela fan and I knew Martijn Westerholt because of DELAIN, because they had opened for NIGHTWISH. I had saved the EOM singles and added them to some playlists but I hadn’t kept tabs ..read more

If you’ve known me for at least 5 minutes, two things become very apparent: one is that I love my place in this world as a fan of things, and two, I love and adore music above all else. Now, I’m willing to bet that most people reading this are enthusiastic fans of music as well and I don’t think myself as being unique for my attachment to singers and songwriters. However, I pride myself on being on the unofficial street teams for the musicians that I love. Spotify links are my love language and if I make you a playlist it’s my version of a marriage proposal. So, when I was presented the opport ..read more

It’s May 17th, 2023, and one of my former Musicalypse journalist/photographers, Lene Lempola, and I are texting back and forth. You see, one of our mutual favorite bands, EMBER FALLS, have just announced that they’re calling it quits. With such unfortunate news laid before us, we’re premiering their final song, “Avalon,” which will be out officially on May 19th, 2023, via Ranka Kustannus, as we reflect on the band from back when we discovered them in 2015, up until today. We bid these fellows a very fond farewell and a big thank you for all the wonderful music and memories to go with! Hearing ..read more

Remember the days when everybody in the universe had at least one mutual friend: Tom? Wait… What? We’re talking about MySpace Tom, of course! One of MySpace’s best features was that it was super easy to dive into cool up-and-coming metal bands, maybe even more so than Facebook offers these days. That’s why we combined a few of the bands we discovered through MySpace, some of them disappeared, yet others rose to their fame because of the early-social media days. Check out our playlist here ..read more

For several days now, we’ve been sharing each of our journalists’ favorite releases of 2022. Now, we’ve collected the top 10 international and Finnish releases and what 2022’s best songs were according to our staff! Top 10 International Albums of 2022 10. Meshuggah – Immutable 9. Behemoth – Opvs Contra Natvram 8. Rammstein – Zeit 7. The Butterfly Effect – IV 6. Star One – Revel in Time 5. Zeal & Ardor – Zeal & Ardor 4. Wilderun – Epigone 3. Blind Guardian – The God Machine 2. The Halo Effect – Days of the Lost 1. Ghost – Impera Top 10 Finnish Albums Of 2022 10. Lost Society – If the ..read more

Now that the year 2022 is coming to a close, we at Tuonela Magazine want to share the releases we enjoyed the most. Each of our staff members will share their own lists, so here is the list of Peter Jerman… There is no single way to define a year in music, especially the year 2022. Coming back after a few years of uncertainty has led each of us to create a “new normal” in our relationships to culture, and to each other. With an imploding touring business and an increasing number of artists taking time off for their mental health to get away from it all, we looked for something bigger than our ..read more

Now that the year 2022 is coming to a close, we at Tuonela Magazine want to share what releases we enjoyed the most. Each of our staff members will share their own lists, here is the list of Magdalena. At the beginning of the year, I’ve been an old hermit, who is comfortable in her shell of old, well-known music, not very willing to peek out of it and venture to go looking for new adventures. However as the year was coming to an end and the days got shorter, I felt a craving for something fresh and this is how I discovered the beautiful genre of blackened doom metal. Though it may be a well-k ..read more

While we are finally done looking back on 2022, we’re set on the future. We gathered 10 album releases in 2023 we’re collectively very excited about. VV – Neon Noir Label: Heartagram Records Release Date: January 13th, 2023 Riverside – ID.entity Label: InsideOut Music Release Date: January 20th, 2023 Katatonia – Sky Void of Stars Label: Napalm Records Release Date: January 20th, 2023 In Flames – Foregone Label: Nuclear Blast Records Release Date: February 10th, 2023 Haken – Fauna Label: InsideOut Music Release Date: March 3rd, 2023 Floor Jansen – Paragon Label: ADA Music Release Dat ..read more

Now that 2022 is coming to a close, we at Tuonela Magazine want to share the releases we enjoyed the most. Each of our staff members will share their own lists, so here is the list of Alexandra Aim… The year 2022 was full of unexpected and heavy releases. I can even say it was the year of melodic death metal, with so many releases that will make your head spin at 1200 rpm. A lot of veterans of the industry returned with some fresh from-the-oven material for us to enjoy. Here’s my selection and I wish all of you music enjoyers happy holidays! Top 10 International albums 10. DECAPITATED – Canc ..read more

Ah! In the blink of an eye, 2022 has passed. Every year, hundreds of metal and rock acts release new material and this year was no different. We had to check out which albums from the epicenter of heavy metal (re: Finland) are albums that we’re going to take with us to 2023. Here are 25 albums that we’re still going to be listening to next year and the years afterwards… Brymir – Voices In The Sky Napalm Records nowadays is home to another gem in the Finnish metal machine: melodic death metal unit BRYMIR. Formed in 2006, the band has become a true staple of the Helsinki metal scene an ..read more