Avantasia closed the first day of Hellsinki Metal Festival 2024

Sold out Hellsinki Metal Festival was held second time in the heart of Helsinki

On 9th of August Helsinki Ice Hall was gathered with bunch of metal fans for the second celebrating of Hellsinki Metal Festival. On Friday we embarked on a journey through the depths of sound, fury, and raw energy, witnessing some of the most powerful acts in the metal world. Whether you were there to discover the next big thing in metal or checking out the legendary bands unleash their sonic onslaughts, this festival promised an unforgettable experience once again. We dive into the chaos, the glory, and the pure, unfiltered essence of metal with the couple of bands on the first day. Welcome to Hellsinki Metal Festival 2024 – let the madness begin!

The Amity Affliction opened the first day of Hellsinki Metal Fest 2024 for us with a powerful performance that set the tone for the rest of the festival. While walking to the main stage you could clearly see that The Amity Affliction was one of the bands that audience was stoked to see as you could spot bunch of their merchandise around the audience.

Kicking off their set with the classic "Pittsburgh", the Australian metalcore giants wasted no time in immersing the audience and getting the crowd moving in their signature blend of melodic hooks and crushing breakdowns mixed with some pyro. Frontman Joel Birch's raw screams intertwined perfectly with Ahren Stringer’s clean vocals, creating a wonderfuö contrast that resonated through the festival grounds. Never listened to the band before but we instantly became fans of their perfectly polished metalcore.

"Death’s Hand" and "Don’t Lean On Me" were standouts, as the band’s tight instrumentation and energy had the audience headbanging and singing along, even this early in the day.

Despite the challenges of playing the quite early slot, The Amity Affliction proved their status as festival veterans, delivering a performance that was both emotionally charged and musically precise. Really hoping the band returning to Finland for their own headline shows after this one as soon as possible.

Next up it was time for some old-school death metal. Deicide delivered a set that was nothing short of a sonic assault. As the Florida legends took the stage, the atmosphere instantly shifted—anticipation turned into sheer chaos as they launched into their ferocious opener, "Dead by Dawn". It was probably a bit of surprise for some that Deicide didn't cancel the show as that's something quite common for them.

Glen Benton’s guttural growls and menacing presence commanded the stage, while the band’s relentless speed and precision turned the pit into a whirlwind of bodies. The set was a relentless barrage of classic death metal, with the band refusing to let up for even a moment. Overall Deicide's performance was a masterclass in extreme metal, leaving the audience battered, exhilarated, and hungry for more even though musically it wasn't really our cup of tea for it's real brutality.

A bit before Deicide closed their brutal set it was time for us to start walking to the indoor stage where German death metallers, Obscura, were about to hit the stage.  As the German quartet took the stage, the atmosphere was charged with anticipation, and Obscura did not disappoint. Their technical death metal really hit the audience as their opening with "Emergent Evolution", the band immediately showcased their trademark blend of complexity and aggression. Throughout the set, the band maintained an intense but focused stage presence, allowing the music to take room on stage. Good set overall.

Next up on the main stage was also from Germany as it was time for the deathcore band Heaven Shall Burn. Lately visiting quite often in Finland, the band came in with a gutturals that shaked the grounds of Helsinki Ice Hall. "Downshifter", the opener of their set, immediately grabbed the audience’s attention with their signature blend of melodic intensity and relentless aggression. Marcus Bischoff’s ferocious vocals mixed with having fun on stage really made it enjoyful to watch.

Seeing Heaven Shall Burn the second time, they still brought the same energy as last time, couple years back. The intensity of their music with passion behind it, created clearly a connection that elevated the entire experience. With a huge wall of death and circle pit in the audience, you could really see how stoked the audience was for Heaven Shall Burn.

Closing with "Combat", their set was undeniably one of the highlights of Hellsinki Metal Fest 2024 for us along with The Amity Affliction. Heaven Shall Burn’s performance was not just a display of technical skill and stage presence where they're really good at, it was a testament to the power of metal to inspire and energize.

Next band on the second stage, next to the main stage, was norwegian legends, Satyricon. Their legendary black metal spoke to audience and there were bunch of different corpse paints and masks spotted in the crowd. Basic, good set brang nothing too special to the table but it was clearly on of the bands that the people were keened on to see along with Deicide.

For us it was then time for the last band of the day. From Germany, Tobias Sammet's Avantasia was about to took the main stage as a Friday's headliner. At this time it was also time for some summer rain having sunny day pretty much the whole day prior. Second time for the band visiting Finland really took its place. First row was packed with the die-hard fans even as the rain poured down on the festival grounds having one fan with the sign which said it was their 50th Avantasia show.

Avantasia had lots of stage props and pyro on stage which really pulled the listener into their own magical world. Sammet’s charismatic stage presence and soaring vocals shone brightly, cutting through the rainy evening with the power. The band's grandiose blend of symphonic metal and hard rock resonated perfectly in the rainy and dark night, creating a truly unique experience.

The setlist was a journey through Avantasia’s vast discography, with highlights including "Reach Out for the Light" and "Mystery of a Blood Red Rose" as well as one of the fan favorites, "Dying For An Angel". The guest vocalists, such as H.E.A.T. singer Kenny Leckremo, added even more depth and drama to the performance.

As rain was just going on and on it was our time to say good night to the festival grounds and start preparing for the second day as well as the final festival day of the summer festivals. Swallow The Sun was still playing after Avantasia and we are sure they gathered bunch of audience for their melancholic Finnish death-doom show. Come back for the report of day 2.