Eurovision history and Finnish metal celebration: these albums turn 20 this year

The year 2006 went down in Finnish music history primarily due to Lordi‘s victory in the Eurovision Song Contest, which certainly boosted the popularity of Finnish metal. We have already listed albums that are turning 50, 40, and 30 years old, and now it’s time to travel back 20 years to 2006.

1. Lordi – “The Arockalypse”:

Yes, it has been 20 years since Finland’s first and currently only Eurovision victory. With their third album, this monster band managed to get their message across so strongly that kids in kindergarten were singing “Hard Rock Hallelujah” and even then-Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen got excited enough to flash the “heavy metal” sign in honor of the Eurovision win. Musically, however, it is a rather excellent album that combines horror elements with hard rock in a captivating way. “The Arockalyps” also features some big-name guests, such as Bruce Kulick from KISS, Udo Dirkschneider, and Dee Snider and Jay Jay French from Twisted Sister.

2. Lamb Of God – “Sacrament”:

“Sacrament” was a natural follow-up to “Ashes of the Wake”, released in 2004. It is the band’s fourth album—or actually their third, if you only count albums released under the name Lamb Of God. Compared to previous albums, “Sacrament” offered more polished and, on some level, more melodic material, but the aggression and raucous groove typical of Lamb Of God are still very much present. The opening tracks “Walk With Me In Hell,” “Redneck,” and “Descending” are still heavy rotation for me, and music videos have also been made for the first two.

3. Stam1na – “Uudet Kymmenen Käskyä”: 

In keeping with the religious theme of the album title, Lamb Of God was joined by Finnish band Stam1na, who proclaimed their second album “Uudet Kymmenen Käskyä” (The New Ten Commandments) – known among friends as “UKK.” While their debut album “Stam1na” consisted mainly of older material, “UKK” offered something fresher. The album can be considered Stam1na‘s breakthrough album, as it earned the band a well-deserved Emma Award in the category “Metal Album of the Year 2006.” “UKK” is also the first album featuring Kai-Pekka “Kaikka” Kangasmäki on bass.

4. Iron Maiden – “A Matter Of Life And Death”:

Iron Maiden‘s 14th album featured epic and even somewhat progressive elements. With songs averaging around seven minutes in length, the total running time of “A Matter of Life and Death” stretched to 72 minutes, making it the band’s longest album to date. Despite its long and complex songs, the album was a success in the United States, where it climbed to the top 10 on the Billboard chart, also being Maiden‘s highest ranking on that chart. The absolute gems on this album are “For the Greater Good of God,” “The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg,” and the opening track “Different World.“

5. Amorphis – “Eclipse”:

Amorphis‘ seventh album, “Eclipse”, marked the beginning of a new era, as it was the first album featuring Tomi Joutsen, who was chosen to replace Pasi Koskinen, who had focused his attention on Ajattara. The impressive growls and clean vocals left no doubt that the right person had been found to take the mic. Released in 2006, “Eclipse” offers a slew of Amorphis classics, such as “House Of Sleep” and “The Smoke,” which can still be heard in the band’s live set.

6. Mokoma – “Kuoleman Laulukunnaat”:

On their fifth album, Mokoma served up a hefty dose of brutal thrash, with some tracks veering slightly toward death metal rather than the familiar thrash metal sound. The lyrics are also not exactly lighthearted, dealing with the gloomy state of mind brought on by the end of a long relationship. However, the song “Kuu Saa Valtansa Auringolta” (The Moon Takes Power from the Sun) provides a counterbalance to the extreme gloom, deviating quite strongly from the more brutal tone of the rest of the album. “Kuoleman Laulukunnaat” was heard at Tuska 2012, when Mokoma performed the entire album from the first track to the last. This year, the band will also go on tour in the spring to celebrate the milestone of this album.

7. Slayer – “Christ Illusion”:

Slayer‘s tenth album, “Christ Illusion”, was the first Slayer album since “Seasons In The Abyss” to feature the original lineup: Tom Araya, Kerry King, Jeff Hanneman, and Dave Lombardo. The album can even be considered a success, as it climbed to number five on the Billboard chart, and “Eyes Of The Insane” earned Slayer a Grammy in the “Best Metal Performance” category. “Christ Illusion” was originally scheduled for release on June 6, but since several other bands had also noticed this significant date (6/6/2006), Slayer decided to postpone the release date and shake things up in a different way. Namely, the creation of Larry Carroll, who designed the cover art for “Reign In Blood” and “Seasons In The Abyss,” was too radical for some, so a second version of the album was also printed with a slightly different cover. “Jihad” was also shocking—when the previous album, “God Hates Us All,” released on September 11, 2001, caused a stir with both its content and release date, the band decided to release “Christ Illusion” on June 6, 2006. The album was released on May 15, 2006, and it was a huge success.

8. Tarot – “Crows Fly Black”:

Tarot‘s seventh album offered a slew of melodic but dark heavy metal. “Crows Fly Black” marked the beginning of a new era for the band, as Tommi “Tuple” Salmela, who had long been a behind-the-scenes influence, was mentioned on the album for the first time as an official member. The album, released in 2006, also features a high-profile guest appearance by Nightwish‘s Emppu Vuorinen on the solo track “Traitor.”

9. Kalmah – “The Black Waltz”:

“The Black Waltz” propelled Kalmah to number 38 on the official Finnish album chart for the first time in the band’s history. This fourth album presented a new side of Kalmah, as keyboardist Marco Sneck brought more melody to the band, Pekka Kokko’s vocals changed from the high-pitched screams of previous albums to a lower growl, and the music took an even heavier turn towards melodic death metal. The instrumental track “Svieri Doroga” from “The Black Waltz” is a tribute to the band’s roots, referring to the 1999 demo “Svieri Obrazaan” and one of its tracks, “Vezi Doroga“.

10. Amon Amarth – “With Oden On Our Side”:

Swedish Viking metal pioneers Amon Amarth‘s sixth album featured a slew of legendary tracks, such as “Runes To My Memory” and the ever-moving “Cry Of The Black Birds.” Thanks to its accessibility, “With Oden On Our Side” has been a turning point in Amon Amarth’s career. The band members have said that with this album, they decided to focus full-time on the band – and it shows. The cover of “With Oden On Our Side” features Odin riding his eight-legged horse Sleipnir, and the runes below the image spell out both the band’s name and the album title.

11. Diablo – “Mimic47”:

Diablo‘s fourth album, “Mimic47”, continued strongly in the footsteps of “Eternium”, released a couple of years earlier, offering rough riffs, Rainer Nygård’s growls, and Heikki Malmberg’s incredible syncopations. The album is also Diablo‘s first to top the official Finnish album chart. Released in 2006, “Mimic47” is dedicated to the late Chuck Schuldiner of Death, and the special edition of the album includes Diablo‘s own interpretation of Duran Duran‘s “A View to a Kill,” which undoubtedly blows the original version out of the water. This spring, you can hear how the album sounds live on the “Mimic47” anniversary tour!

12. Poisonblack – “Lust Stained Despair”: 

In 2003, JP Leppäluoto stepped down from his position as lead singer and was replaced by Ville Laihiala, who had originally been the band’s guitarist. Laihiala continued as lead singer until the band took a break after the release of their album “Lyijy”. The change of singer proved to be the right decision and brought new energy to the band, even though there is something magical about Leppäluoto’s dark voice. This second album by Poisonblack is clearly heavier and darker than their debut “Escapexstasy”, as exemplified by the singles “Rush” and “The Darkest Lie“.

13. My Chemical Romance – “The Black Parade”:

My Chemical Romance‘s “The Black Parade” can unashamedly be called the cornerstone of emo culture. This concept album tells the story of The Patient, a character who is terminally ill and going through the last moments of his life. The band’s third studio album brought this emo band international success, and it features My Chemical Romance‘s most famous song, “Welcome to the Black Parade.” This year the band will tour extensively to commemorate the album!

14. Cradle Of Filth – “Thornography”:

Cradle Of Filth‘s “Thornography” stayed true to the more mainstream style of “Nymphetamine,” released a couple of years earlier, with the icing on the cake being the album’s final track, a cover version of Heaven 17‘s “Temptation.” The mainstream appeal is also emphasized by Ville Valo‘s guest appearance on the song “The Byronic Man,” to which Valo lends his voice. In 2008, a special edition of the album “Harder, Darker, Faster” was released, which also includes previously recorded covers and a few new songs.

15. Cannibal Corpse – “Kill”:

This death metal legend returned even angrier than before with their tenth full-length album, proving that they still haven’t slowed down. Rob Barrett returns as the second guitarist after a long absence, having last played on the 1996 album “Vile.” Kill offered head-crushing riffs, George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher’s brutal vocals, and the band’s trademark grotesque lyrics. The absolute highlights of this album, released in 2006, are “Make Them Suffer,” “Time To Kill Is Now,” and “Death Walking Terror.”

16. Mastodon – “Blood Mountain”:

Mastodon‘s third album, “Blood Mountain”, brought the band international success. Released in 2006, it is a concept album that tells the story of the protagonist’s journey to the summit of “Blood Mountain” to find a crystal skull. As in all stories, he encounters many monsters along the way, which in Mastodon‘s case take on mythical proportions. The highlights of “Blood Mountain” are the songs “Colony of Birchmen,” “The Wolf is Loose,” and “Sleeping Giant.“

17. Turmion Kätilöt – “Pirun Nyrkki”:

Turmion Kätilöt‘s second studio album, “Pirun Nyrkki”, offered a more familiar and polished sound compared to their debut album, “Hoitovirhe”, released a couple of years earlier. The album also features Velcra‘s Jessi Frey on vocals in the song “Irstauden Ilosanoma.” Some of the most well-known tracks on the album include “Tirehtööri,” “Mistä Veri Pakenee,” and the title track “Pirun Nyrkki,” which was also featured on the soundtrack of the movie “V2 – Jäätynyt enkeli.”

18. Ruoska – “Amortem”:

In addition to Turmion Kätilöt‘s album “Pirun Nyrkki”, another significant Finnish industrial metal album saw the light of day: Ruoska‘s fourth LP, Amortem. This album features the band’s most famous hits, such as “Mies Yli Laidan,” “Alasin,” and “Pure Minua.” “Amortem” can be considered Ruoska‘s breakthrough album.

19. Teräsbetoni – “Vaadimme Metallia”:

Finland’s own Manowar, Teräsbetoni, who released their debut album the previous year, released their second LP the following year. “Vaadimme Metallia” was a success, just like “Metallitotuus,” and achieved gold record status in the year of its release. The singles “Älä Mene Metsään” and “Viimeinen Tuoppi” were released from this album, which, along with the title track, are the best-known songs from the album.

20. Maj Karma – “Ukkonen”:

Maj Karma, who put Harjavalta on the rock map, stormed to the top of the Finnish album charts with their seventh LP and went gold. And no wonder, as in addition to the title track “Ukkonen,” it also includes other Maj Karma classics such as “Kokki, varas, vaimo ja rakastaja” (Cook, Thief, Wife and Lover), “Rukous” (Prayer) and “Luovuttanut Enkeli” (The Angel Who Gave Up). It is also the first Maj Karma album to feature K. Kurittu on bass.