As a precursor of Christmastide, Saint Lucy’s Day presented such a feast of light this year that I needed not think twice whether I should haul my ass to Kuudes Linja, Helsinki, even though Mother Nature did her darnedest to turn the weather into a manic episode in wintery hell. You see, on the menu were two Finnish progressively-tinged metal acts, PRESSURE POINTS and DAMNATION PLAN, both of which released a killer album this year. In fact, the event was the official album release party celebrating DAMNATION PLAN‘s latest offering “The New Horizon” which came out in September. The warm-up act, PRESSURE POINTS, blessed us with their new album “The Island” already in March, and these endeavors proved such bangers over these past months that, eventually, they both ranked in the top five on my Best Finnish Metal Albums of 2023 list – I just finished compiling the list, so it’s official now! Either band alone would have made this night a worthwhile experience, so I was happy like a dog with two tails that I made it to the venue through the snow inferno in time to catch the full set of the warm-up act as well. By way of some cosmic synchronicity, no doubt, both of these bands were birthed in the same year, in 2004, and the years of experience radiated through their performance; each musician visibly enjoyed being on the stage, and the delivery was up to specs and beyond! I made the peculiar observation that the bassists, both Janne Parikka of PRESSURE POINTS and Jaakko Nikko of DAMNATION PLAN seemed particularly lit on stage, smiling like a Cheshire Cat. It is always a delight to witness such good energy! Plus, while I was mentally prepared to witness something absolutely stunning from the very first intro to the last reverberating power chord, both outfits managed to drop a few highly pleasant surprises as well. The venue was far from packed but, considering the timing of the event, with just 10 days until Christmas Eve, I would say it was no small feat to pull a crowd of this size on a Wednesday night. In a perfect world, proggy metal ruffians of this caliber would play in sold-out venues of the Kulttuuritalo capacity. Oh, they really should! And when that day comes, say, because this burgeoning prog Renaissance finally makes this type of metal conduct cooler than being cool, also in the eyes of the mainstream, I guess I will be glad that I managed to witness these two world-class bands in such a small and intimate setting.
PRESSURE POINTS kicked off relatively early – before 8 p.m. – and the setlist was centered around the new album rather nicely. Its 7-minute epic of an opener, “Our Constellation,” along with the title track, were among the highlights of the show. The contrast between the harsh metal aesthetic and more atmospheric flourishes worked wonders in the live setting. The pleasant surprise mentioned above was served during “The Island.” Just like on the album, the song featured an extravaganza of punchy riffs and especially spirited guitar and keyboard solos. As a bonus, we heard some pretty damn impressive falsetto singing by the band’s talismanic frontman! Yes, it was straight from the EARTH, WIND & FIRE songbook! The vocal department, overall, is something worth mentioning about this band’s stage presence. While the album certainly showcased the vocal prowess of this bunch, the interplay of layered clean vocals, courtesy of vocalist Juha Tretjakov and keyboardist Veli-Matti Kyllönen, and the ogre growls of guitarist Kari Olli still managed to take me by surprise due to the sheer flawlessness of the live execution. Tretjakov dropped some impressive, melodeath-tinted harsh vocals here and there, but it was Olli’s goblin growls that were something else completely! I’m talking about Mikael Åkerfeldt-level stuff from the “Blackwater Park“-era OPETH.
I must admit that I’ve been hyperfixated on the new album, and being such a noob in the parish of the band’s fanboys I cannot name those few bangers they played from their previous albums; what I can say, however, is that they fit the setlist so seamlessly that I ought to chastise myself for this laziness! Among the new songs, “Collateral” was something that also stood out – and not only by virtue of being a haunting mixture of PORCUPINE TREE-esque atmospheric melancholy and arena prog à la RUSH. After the show, I chanced to meet a few of the band members and they told me that there is a good chance of seeing PRESSURE POINTS in Helsinki again in early 2024. So, if you live in this neck of the woods and quality prog is something you fancy, you really don’t want to miss this opportunity! I know that I am going to have to keep a keen eye on the band’s newsfeed on social media for future live dates in this neighborhood.
DAMNATION PLAN started pretty early, too, around 9 p.m. Maybe this was due to some new policy at the venue, I wouldn’t know; I had not been to Kuudes Linja for quite a while, not since GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT‘s 2009 show, could you believe it?! Being such an old-timer, I must say I fully support these early showtimes! There’s only so much beauty sleep that I can get in my wooden coffin after a good night’s rocking! When the band mounted the stage, I couldn’t help but notice that these heavy-metal gents weren’t spring chickens, either, so I guess they shared my deep appreciation of this new paradigm. At some point, the vocalist confessed to having been 4 years old when he discovered DIO‘s “Dream Evil” which was released in 1987, so while these ruffians proved a tad less ancient than me, my assumption was not completely wrong. With their new album being remarkably short – clocking in around 33 minutes! – it was a no-brainer that they would play it in its entirety and that their older material would be addressed in almost equal measure. On lead guitar, the band had a fill-in for this special event, perhaps due to some logistic challenges as Antti Lauri, according to the band’s Facebook update, resides in Rovaniemi, Lapland, nowadays. The stand-in guitarist, Jaakko Nieminen (HAVEN, AT WINTER’S END) did quite a marvelous job throughout the evening! On the same note, the band’s performance, in general, was something of the sort you do not come across too often in small venues like this. Both bands were world-class, DAMNATION PLAN maybe even more so because of the remarkably good-humored stage presence of the band’s mesmerizing frontman, Asim Searah.
I probably should have jotted down the setlist on-site because, quite apparently, these metal rogues were going to play songs that I wasn’t yet that familiar with, given the shortness of their new album. You guessed it, this bunch is also one of those bands that I converted to just recently. Well, being such a lifelong adherent of the old-school antics when it comes to live shows, I didn’t make any notes. The thing is, I would rather be present in the moment – y’know, carpeing the shit out of the diem, rather than scribbling down notes and thereby missing half the fun. As it turns out, DAMNATION PLAN isn’t yet making big enough waves to be recognized by online archives such as Setlist.FM, so it is my solemn duty to inform you that I have to go by my memory here. The 2017 outing, “Reality Illusion,” was paid tribute to with songs such as the title track and “Rise of the Messenger,” as far as I could tell. Then, a song or two was played from the 2013 debut, “Wakening,” which I’m not that familiar with, I’m afraid. As a freshly converted fanboy, I was obviously delighted to hear all the songs from “The New Horizon.” As to the order in which the band delivered these beauties, I think it’s better if I do not say anything; my memory might not serve me right and, with the set comprising eargasm after another, it doesn’t matter what the de facto order was. The performance was fired-up all the way through.
About the pleasant surprise: of all heavy-metal classics ever released, the band covered “Don’t Talk to Strangers” from DIO‘s 1983 album “Holy Diver.” I mean, there aren’t that many new metal bands that could pull a stunt like this, especially regarding the vocal department! I’m not saying everyone should try to imitate Ronnie James Dio, but I think I would not be very interested in hearing an emo rendition of this classic either. Searah‘s signature style resonates with air not that far from Dio‘s iconic crooning, now that I come to think about it, so not only was the song paid a beautiful homage to, but it also fit the band’s repertoire like a glove. To sum it all up, this year’s Saint Lucy’s Day metal extravaganza was indeed a night to remember. In light of these two performances, I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume that both PRESSURE POINTS and DAMNATION PLAN are destined for greatness. If the continuous stream of quality prog releases that characterized the musical landscape of 2023 is anything to go by, it seems as though some kind of a progressive renaissance could be in the making; both of these bands have surely made a hefty contribution to it! So, next time you notice that either one of these magnificent outfits is coming to town and you feel even the slightest affinity to progressive metal with atmospheric overtones, I’m telling you that it truly is a favor to yourself to check them out. You can never experience too much world-class prog!
Written by Jani Lehtinen
