Goth icons Lord of the Lost and symphometallers Ad Infinitum in Helsinki: a massively entertaining evening

To some, Lord of the Lost are a band known primarily from Eurovision 2023—where they indeed “lost,” finishing last in the final with zero points. If anything can be taken from that, it is that Eurovision is notoriously unreceptive to non-europop-typical music, as multiple attempts by heavier and more non-mainstream acts have met with limited success.

However, I became familiar with the band much earlier, as they have long been a staple of German goth festivals for over a decade. Despite the goth scene being underrepresented in Finland—and only a small fraction of what can be experienced in Germany and Central Europe reaching local audiences—LOTL have remained quite consistent in visiting the country over the years, even recording here together with local sound producer Jaani Peuhu (naturally hanging out in the audience).

Among their other achievements is supporting Iron Maiden during their 2022–23 tour. Blending accessibility with heaviness and mixing industrial and goth influences, Lord of the Lost have managed to earn a reputation as a band very much “hot.”

The evening took place in Tavastia, Helsinki on March 17, 2026, and was sold out despite it being a Thursday. We do lack goth bands here.

Ad Infinutum

Ad Infinitum is a Swiss female-fronted symphonic metal band. They delivered a great show and sounded solid throughout (albeit in a slightly different genre than Lord of the Lost), yet fit naturally into the overall atmosphere of the evening. The choice of the warm-up felt far from accidental: the symphonic elements of Ad Infinitum complemented the darker industrial and gothic palette of the headliner, creating a coherent flow of the evening.

Frontwoman Melissa Bonny clearly commanded the stage together with Benedict Korbinian on bass. As you can see, there was no shortage of energy or striking onstage poses, and the band did a strong job warming up the audience and setting the tone for the rest of the night.

Lord Of The Lost

Lord of the Lost is currently releasing the third volume of OPVS NOIR, so the setlist features several new songs, immediately setting the mood with fresh bangers. However, the performance also includes plenty of material from their earlier albums.

LOTL have always been an entertaining band, and frontman Chris Harms continued to engage the audience at length. He showed a clear familiarity with the Tavastia Club venue—something you might almost expect more from a Finnish band than a German one.

Recently, the band apparently discovered that the word “axolotl” contains “LOTL,” so they started selling (and throwing into the crowd) stuffed axolotls. No deeper meaning—just pure fun. Other playful moments included a “one-man circle pit” (where individual audience members must turn around) and even a wall of death during their cover of Cha Cha Cha by their Eurovision buddy Käärijä. According to Chris, they actually manage to play this Finnish hit across the globe, such as in South America. Massive 20-song playlist resulted in a deeply immersive, two-hour-long show. Refretfully, bass player Klaas Helmecke was absent from the show and replaced by a recording — his Instagram cites that he’s on the mend from mental problems.

I personally think that the evening’s strong turnout was partly due to the fact that, in Finland, we rarely get to see popular bands from the German “Schwarze Szene,” and partly because bands like HIM and The Rasmus have cultivated a lasting audience for this kind of sound. Lord of the Lost fit the bill naturally, matching the familiar gothic atmosphere (oh yes, they do have goth backdrop) while delivering a similar lyrical narrative with an added industrial power.