sauna open air - feature online

'And so kicks off another festival season and three months of partying in Finland as Sauna Open Air opens its gates. Unfortunately the weather is not at its best for a change and the rain ponchos make an appearance throughout the day. As usual they don’t open early enough and poor first band on, Deuteronomium, literally have forty five people watching them on Stage 2 when we manage to push in the queue to get to them by the third song. This doesn’t seem to faze singer Miika Partala at all though and he looks happy enough just to be there at all. Not dissimilar to Children of Bodom, whirling long blonde hair when not singing, with growly vocals and a lot of shredding. A pleasant but thoroughly metal start to the day. Dodgy name though; try saying that a few times when you’re drunk.

The switch between the two stages begins and we troop off to the main stage for Amorphis. Their current album went straight in at Number 1 on the Finnish album charts that week which was great news and well deserved. Singer Tomi Joutsen immediately makes an impression with his outrageously long dreadlocks (some now down to his knees) and bizarre 50s style microphone. Amorphis are poets but also great musicians and have style and class that makes them stand out in their native country to other bands doing similar work... '

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