The reaper’s legacy continues – Warmen live at Tavastia, Helsinki 17.8.

Back in the clubs after performing at traditional Finnish summer festivals such as Tuska, Nummirock and Dark River, Warmen continued their tour to promote their excellent album Here For None, released exactly one year ago. The night was hot in the capital and inside the legendary venue Tavastia the atmosphere was even more warm.

The opening act was the deathcore band Enemies Everywhere. They were received very well by the audience, playing a modern instrumental topped with an excellent performance by vocalist Jonatan Utriainen. A very positive experience for the group that has only been around for 2 years and has a promising future.

When the clock struck 21:31 and the intro played on the speakers, the five members slowly entered the stage and started the chaos with “The Driving Force”. Janne Wirman’s magic on the keys remains intact from his previous band, as seen in “Night Terrors”. The stage was colored by blue and red lights, so it was time to witness Petri Lindroos in action during “The End of the Line”, showing his skills as a vocalist and guitarist.

Janne began the first speech of the night by thanking everyone for coming, and after a few words it was the turn of the other brother, guitarist Antti Wirman, to stand out during “Too Much, Too Late”. Better late than never, “A World of Pain” started the first mosh pit of the night. Bassist Jyri Helko was not only adding musical quality to that moment, but his stage presence, headbanging his dreadlocks, was contagious to everyone in the audience.

Introduced as the “slowest song of the night”, “The Cold Unknown” was a good opportunity to observe the musical chemistry between the Wirman brothers, showing that talent runs in the family. The seventh track on the setlist was also the first that was not part of the most recent album. “Suck My Attitude” was introduced by a beautiful speech from Janne, mentioning Alexi Laiho and being applauded by the fans.

After a brief (and funny) moment when the keyboardist confused the order of the previous songs, his “way of apologizing” was by asking if the fans would be interested in hearing something from his old band, starting with the classic “Sixpounder”. The Children of Bodom moment continued with “Hate Me!”, where it was possible to see a large number of young people singing along to each verse, showing that even after 5 years since the end of the band, their legacy is still very much alive, now through Warmen. “Bodom Beach Terror” had an excellent performance by drummer Seppo Tarvainen, always precise in the rhythm section. It is essential to mention Pete’s quality in these covers, both in the vocal part and in the perfection of doing Laiho’s solos, capturing everyone’s attention. It is also worth mentioning the lights throughout the performance, which together with some audio between the tracks (excerpts with lines from movies), made the experience immersive, as in “Warmen Are Here for None” for example. The last track before the break was “Death’s on Its Way”, bringing a new mosh pit in the middle of the hall.

The encore started with an intro with sirens and flashing lights, which brought the necessary immersion for a last visit to the old days of the Hate Crew, this time with the anthem “In Your Face”, where we once again witnessed why Janne Wirman made his mark in the history of world metal, having his name chanted by the entire venue after the end of the track. “Hell on Four Wheels” was one of the most celebrated moments by the fans, showing the sound that marked the return of Warmen in this new phase with Lindroos on vocals. After Janne’s last speech thanking everyone for the audience and support, the cover of “Somebody’s Watching Me” closed the show with a mix of 80’s dance groove and the melodic death metal of the 2000’s. Shout out to Helko, who did a great work slapping his bass!

After 15 songs, the band members said goodbye, but the feeling of duty accomplished was evident on everyone’s faces, from the oldest fans wearing COB shirts to the youngest ones starting their adult lives. The synergy between the musicians is powerful, but more important than the musical part is seeing them having fun on stage, with genuine smiles and passion for playing this kind of music. Warmen not only carries a very strong legacy in their art, but also shows that making this specific kind of sound is something natural to them. They may have different children in their lineup, but the musical chaos comes from that same well-known lake in Espoo.

Words by John Wins
Photos by Outi Puhakka

You can listen to Warmen‘s latest album “Here for None” here: