WTF Capital of Metal showcase – interview with Brymir

WTF Capital of Metal brings a rock-solid lineup of Finland’s most promising metal artists to Tavastia & Semifinal on 22–23 May 2025. WTF Capital of Metal – Helsinki’s new showcase & conference event focusing on metal and alternative music, will showcase a total of eight Finnish artists to Tavastia and Semifinal as part of its evening program.

Chaoszine interviewed the participating bands and here is what melodic death metal group Brymir‘s bassist-vocalist Jarkko Niemi had to say about the event and band’s future plans:

How does it feel to be part of this year’s WTF Capital of Metal showcase?

Jarkko: As a showcase event there’s a little spin of specialty to the whole thing, but mostly we’re just happy to play in Helsinki again. Our home-turf shows are always just fun for us; who wouldn’t like the idea of easy logistics and getting to go home to sleep after a great show? ;)

What does participating in a showcase event like this mean to you as a band at this point in your career?

Jarkko: The one thing we’re looking for is connections/impressions towards international agents and bookers. In Finland we’re somewhat of a household name already, but breaking into for example the festival-circuits of Europe or getting a foothold of any sorts in the America’s is a world on it’s own… And it does seem that making a personal connection to the right people with an impressive show is still one of the better ways to make them see your potential. That’s the hope anyway.

Have you played a similar showcase event before – in Finland or abroad? If so, how did it impact your journey?

Jarkko: We’ve played the Lost In Music event in Tampere a couple of times now… It’s very difficult to directly assess the impact of these kinds of things unless some big-shot swindles themselves to the backstage area after the show to start frantically talking business, which certainly hasn’t happened to us at least.  Causal connections are a finicky thing at best in the music business in our experience, but since you never know who happens to be on the scene, when and where, looking for just your type of band, you do want to actively look for and “grind” all kinds of opportunities; you never know when the cards align just right.

Do you feel Finland needs more events like WTF Capital of Metal to support the international growth of metal bands? Why or why not?

Jarkko: To quote the legendary Finnish ski-jumper Matti Nykänen: “Every chance is an opportunity”… It’s a rarer, more refreshing take to have an event specially tailored for “industry people”, and we definitely applaud giving Finnish metal bands new angles to attempt a break into the international scenes. It’s always excellent to see the people working hard in the frameworks of the Finnish music business constantly looking for these angles, and WTF is one such example. It’s not like there’s a “saturation” of these kinds of events in metal anyway, and since, like I said, you never know what, when and where the stars align to finally “click” the right people with the right bands, we do definitely praise having the guts to make these events happen. Plus, a gig’s a gig to any band right, and who doesn’t like playing shows? It’s what we’re meant to do!

How important is it for your band to reach international audiences, and what steps are you currently taking towards that goal?

Jarkko: Currently the international audience is where, business-wise, we’re looking for the most growth. Our latest album was published on a major international label, and the next logical step would be to properly back that direction up with the whole live show side of things to get the business “booming”. We’re actively looking for touring opportunities, potential collaborators and “co-conspirators”, everything you’d expect. We got many lines, baits and hooks in the sea; we’ll see who will bite.

Have you performed outside of Finland already – or do you have concrete plans to do so soon?

Jarkko: We’ve done a few proper European tours and twice been to Japan. There are talks on both of these fronts for future shows. We have one festival show booked for the summer in Germany. We’ll see what more will “pop-up” once we get new material released, but most of these will probably go to 2026 since international things, of course, take time to plan and organize etc.

What are your next goals as a band in the near future – new releases, tours, or label deals, perhaps?

Jarkko: We’re currently working on our next album’s material to once again spin the “circle of life” of a metal band; new proper release means new merch and tours, and opportunities for growth! The bigger-picture goals like we said are to make new footholds in places we haven’t had a strong presence in yet… WTF is quite perfect for those plans!

Anything else you’d like to say to the international metal community or industry professionals watching this showcase?

Jarkko: Finland is still the nr. 1 metal country in the world! From the grass-roots to the industry professionals it never ceases to amaze us how special the scene here is… Year after year, there’s new, fresh, high-quality acts popping up, and more established acts keep on honing their vision and “entreprenurial package” for bigger and better things. For this “niche” genre of ours, there’s no other place where it seems the whole country is geared up to produce absolutely head-banging stuff at this rate… You’re never wrong to keep an eye on Finland if you’re into metal!