Hellsinki Metal Festival offered some treats to keep eager metalheads from going into winter hibernation with a Winter Edition festival on December 14th, 2024, at Kaapelitehdas, Helsinki with bands like KYY, OMNIVORTEX, BATUSHKA, BELPHEGOR, and DARK FUNERAL.
I’ve visited Kaapelitehdas many times, but this was my first time seeing live music there, even though I’ve noticed the rise of the rave scene on the premises. My arrival at the venue had some trouble right from the start as I messed up the public transportation route I was supposed to take. When I finally arrived at Kaapelitehdas, there were no directions on where to go. Fortunately, someone else was asking for directions at the reception, and her outfit hinted that she was headed to the same event as I was. I decided to follow her, which turned out to be the right call as I eventually spotted the black-wearing festivalgoers smoking outside one of the doors. Surprisingly, there were no event banners or directions until I was right in front of the door, which felt odd for what I thought was meant to be quite a big event.
When I finally got in, I encountered the most expensive cloakroom price I’ve ever paid at any event, from small gigs to large festivals. During the summer, I rarely need cloakroom services, but since this event leaned more toward a club-sized show, the price really stood out. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the only expensive surprise. Upon entering, I checked the merch tables, as I often do, hoping to buy something. However, I left empty-handed because the prices were so high that it would have been cheaper to order merch online—even with shipping included. Personally, I feel that if a T-shirt has only a single-color silk-screen print on the front, it shouldn’t cost more than €30. I witnessed such shirts priced up to €45. If I can get print-on-demand shirts for less than half that price without bulk discounts, it makes me wonder if additional costs—like the venue taking a large cut—are driving prices up. Otherwise, I don’t understand why the prices were so high.
Another issue was water. After Hellsinki Metal Festival 2023, I complained about there being only one water tap for the entire event. Following Hellsinki Metal Festival 2024, I still had the same complaint about a single water location. While things are improving with additional water taps, the Winter Edition festival took a step backward: there was no free water access at all, except perhaps in the restrooms. The only option was to purchase very expensive bottled water. Personally, I think it should be a legal requirement for every large event, especially those serving alcohol, to provide free water for both health and safety reasons. Additionally, I’d love to see more non-alcoholic drink options overall.
A quick thought about the R.I.P. area: if I were someone who purchased the more expensive tickets with the advertised “direct view to the stage,” I’d feel a bit betrayed. This time, the area was next to the stage, but as someone without an R.I.P. ticket, I didn’t see any reason why I’d want to be there. A few things that could improve the experience would be seating high enough to allow a clear view over the audience and better decor to make the area feel special; just a thought.
Now, let’s talk about the good things this festival offered. I really like the idea of an indoor festival, and Kaapelitehdas offers excellent potential for this kind of event. While this year’s festival fell short in some areas, I believe it’s something that could grow significantly, especially as there isn’t much competition in the winter months. This is also the time of year when many people take their vacations, so with a little more effort, the Winter Edition could become just as big as the summer festivals. I really enjoyed the factory atmosphere at Kaapelitehdas, and perhaps having two stages would help fill downtime and reduce the distraction of loud soundchecks elsewhere.
The lineup was great, but it was clear that most people decided to skip the first two bands and come directly for BATUSHKA. Adding DARK FUNERAL to the lineup seemed to provoke similar feelings to seeing the same headliners at every major music festival in Finland. Perhaps people need more time between performances to make these shows feel more special.
Because I had completely messed up my arrival, I was late for the first show. The band began playing while I was still in the courtyard, so by the time I got inside, I wasn’t sure how many songs had already been played or whether I was still allowed in the photo pit. With only a small audience present, I decided to be very Finnish and not ask security—I just took my photos from the crowd.
I’d never seen KYY live before, but the show didn’t offer anything particularly memorable for me this time. Perhaps the lack of audience engagement played a role, which is understandable—playing in an almost empty room can’t be very motivating. If there were two stages, the headliners could start earlier, encouraging more people to arrive sooner.
Next up was the Finnish technical death metal outfit OMNIVORTEX. For some reason, I felt like I’d heard about these guys several times this year, yet this was my first time seeing them live. Now this was the energy I’d missed during the KYY show. By the end of their set, the audience had more than doubled, and it was great to see people getting more engaged. I definitely need to see OMNIVORTEX again at a more intimate venue with an audience there specifically for them, rather than just the headliners.
Finally, I got to see the “true” BATUSHKA live. Musically and performance-wise, I didn’t see much difference compared to PATRIARKH’s show. I’m still curious about what will happen regarding the rights to the music—will we hear more BATUSHKA or some new PATRIARKH material in the future?
Clearly, many people had come specifically for this performance, as the room felt completely packed when the show started. The ritual-like atmosphere was much more magical than what we saw at Hellsinki Metal Festival 2023. I’d love to see these guys do a church tour—after witnessing Apocalyptica and Raskasta Joulua perform in churches, BATUSHKA is definitely next on my list.
At some point during the show, one overly excited audience member decided to relieve himself over the crowd fence. I didn’t witness the act itself, but I did have to jump over the puddle he left behind in the photo pit.
BELPHEGOR delivered the hardest show of the night, in my opinion, though most of it took place in the middle of a thick cloud of smoke—not exactly photographer- or breathing-friendly. I did notice (despite the lingering stench of the piss puddle) the smell of gasoline, which was soon put to use when the torches onstage were lit. Later, the vocalist even set a goat skull on fire, which I wish I’d been closer to the stage to capture.
What better way to end the night than with DARK FUNERAL? At Hellsinki Metal Festival 2023, their performance fell short due to the small stage and the bright summer sunlight, which didn’t suit their atmosphere at all. However, Kaapelitehdas provided the perfect indoor setting, and it made all the difference. This is exactly why I’d love to see the indoor festival concept explored further in the future—some bands just work better in that environment. Perhaps next time, a bit less smoke (or some dry ice, which gives a cool effect) would be ideal. The air conditioning certainly couldn’t keep up with the combination of smoke and the sheer number of people.
I thoroughly enjoyed the show, but as usual, I decided to leave early to avoid the main crowds. I truly hope to see this concept evolving more in the future as I think we have a huge potential here.
Written by Richard Forsman
Photos by Richard Forsman & Magdalena Niemczura
