THE TUSKA OPEN AIR FESTIVAL IN HELSINKI, FINLAND CONCERT REVIEW ON ROCK N ROLL UNIVERSE

The Tuska Open Air joined the European map of heavy metal festivals in the year 1998. not too long ago, and I'd say that it is the best festival of all. situated in the center of Helsinki, developing every year, smaller and more friendly than huge W.O.A. or Roskilde and of course, having in its program the greatest bands! This year among the privileged artists who would perform on the main stage were: Monster Magnet,Apocalyptica, Accept, Sentenced, Testament, Dimmu Borgir and many more.
Although I missed the gigs played on the two smaller stages, I always advise my friends to see them. many of the bands, although unknown, play on a very high level, and the great majority come from Finland ... does that explain their professionalism?

When I got to the media desk, i was surprised by a long line of people waiting for their passes, and after an hour waiting in the strong sun, I finally got my pass and went to a guest tent, where I could cool myself in the shade. Finntroll was on stage. despite the terrible warmth, black leather and latex clothes, many people were enjoying the show of the Finnish star. next to come on the main stage was Apocalyptica. the sound of cellos from four guys sitting on stylish chairs was awesome. people in the audience were singing songs of Metallica and others. some expected to see a guest performance from Ville Valo, who appeared on "Bitter Sweet" from the latest Apocalyptica album. It didn't happen, but fans knew the lyrics and were singing loudly.

While on the second stage Primal Fear was playing, backstage the busy Monster Magnet crew was preparing for their show. the band seemed to be relaxed. it was one of not too many gigs they play in the summer. after having a short chat with guitarist Ed Mundell, I went to the photo lounge and was waiting for the headliner. they jumped on stage full of energy and power, like they always do, and opened their show with 'Dopes To Infinity'. they played many old hits such as "The Right Stuff," "Twin Earth" and "Powertrip", as well as songs from their last album: 'Monolithic' and 'Unbroken'. Monster Magnet played a bit over an hour, and that was much too short for this band, they did well like they always do.

After this performance I went backstage and had some beers with the Magnet guys. unfortunately, the festival area was about to be closed so we had to go. Helsinki was occupied by hundreds of people wearing black, and for people who wanted to hear more live music there were many afterparties in all Helsinki's clubs.

Tired after a hard night (lol), we decided to miss Gamma Ray and many other bands playing on the second day of the Tuska Open Air. we got to the festival area shortly before Testament hit the main stage. it was one of the shows I really wanted to see. it was the first time that i saw Testament live. but, having great memories from Monster Magnet the day before, I didn't like Testament as much as I thought I would. they performed with their original line up: Billy, Christiansen, Peterson, Clemente and Skolnick. the band focused on their old recordings, and let the people hear their best songs, such as "Electric Crown," "Practice What You Preach" and many more. after the show the musicians came to the guest tent where they hung out until the end of the festival.

The headlining band for that day was the black metal band from Norway - Dimmu Borgir. great lights, and typical for that kind of band's image it made the show very interesting. despite this fact, i decided to leave early, and we moved to a club called 'Gloria' to see playing at the after party To / Die / For who was fantastic!

Finally there came Sunday - the last day of the Tuska Festival. One of the greatest attractions of that day was Children Of Bodom, who are one of the most popular bands in Finland. The audience showed that it was true, they just love Children Of Bodom! Performing right after them was Sentenced. Sentenced played one of their last shows, unfortunately they are going to split up after the summer festivals they play. what a shame! as an intro there was a funeral march and the members of the band carried a coffin to the stage. then, the sounds of the instruments made it clear that the opening track would be "Excuse Me While I Kill Myself". Ville jumped on stage and did a really awesome performance, one of the best during the whole festival. Sentenced played only 45 minutes, which was much too short. as they did all the hits such as "The Luxury Of The Grave," "Blood And Tears," "Cross My Heart And Hope To Die" and "Keep My Grave Open," the audience was singing along with them.

Then, it came time for the closing act of the Tuska Open Air Metal Festival 2005. It was the German band Accept. I was very surprised when I saw them on stage, surprised because i had never liked their music before, but live they sounded so great! I enjoyed the whole show. all the members of the band were having a good time on stage. they were entertaining the whole audience from the start all the way until the end. while sitting backstage, looking at Ville Laihiala from Sentenced being followed by his fans (female ones), I was listening to the great songs of Accept.

It was a fantastic festival! Really worth seeing. it wasn't the first, and for sure not the last time, when I visited Helsinki on the second weekend of July to see the greatest heavy metal event in Finland, and the best in Europe!