Now that December has kicked in, Pikkujoulu [Little Christmas; Pikkujoulu is a Finnish traditional party held to anticipate Christmas] season also has started once again! How better to celebrate it than at John Smith Festival’s winter edition, John Smith Frozen, to heat up our holiday season with some heavy metal tunes! We attended the festival on December 2nd, 2023, which featured bands like RED ELEVEN, KIUAS, FINNTROLL, TURMION KÄTILÖT, ORBIT CULTURE, and AMORPHIS.
We arrived at the venue right on time, picked up our accreditation smoothly, and thus were right on time for the first band that evening to start off the festival’s second day. Originally, AMBERIAN DAWN was meant to play, but due to a COVID-infection, Jyväskylä-based RED ELEVEN jumped to the rescue. This was a pretty last-minute thing, so we were quite impressed to see that the band managed to pull off a set without any issues. We saw the band once when they performed in Helsinki at On The Rocks years and years ago, so it was great to see how they have evolved in recent years, as well as hear the song we premiered on our website, “Distant Waves (ft. MORA)” a while ago live. The band also included a cover of “Epic” by FAITH NO MORE, which showed a completely different side. Altogether, it was a great, immersive show that set the bar quite high for the rest of the evening.
Next up on the roster was the ever-popular Finnish metal act KIUAS, who made their return to the scene some years ago. Despite the early showtime, a substantial number of fans made their way to see the band. During the first song, “The Decaying Doctrine,” there were some technical issues with vocalist Ilja Jalkanen‘s microphone, which were thankfully resolved quickly. Despite the initial technical difficulties, the audience remained engaged from start to finish.
Hit songs like “The Spirit of Ukko” and “Warrior Soul” resonated well in the live setting. During the intro of “To Excel and Ascend,” guitarist Mikko Salovaara and bass player Teemu Tuominen exhibited a lot of fun and playful antics, which is always great to see. The standout moment, however, was when the band played “Across the Snows,” and they had the entire venue singing along loudly.
At some point during the day, we heard that FINNTROLL‘s flight was either canceled or significantly delayed, as they were coming from a German show. It’s no wonder the band only started their show 15 minutes past their scheduled time and had to trim their set a bit. Nevertheless, they appeared to shake off the stressful situation and once again delivered the party of the year!
If there was any doubt that the venue wouldn’t fill up nicely, it was during FINNTROLL that we noticed just how many people turned out for John Smith Frozen. At the beginning of their set, the audience seemed to be warming up still, but thanks to the band’s infectious energy, people started to mosh, headbang, and dance at their own pace. This wasn’t surprising, considering the setlist primarily focused on classics like “Nedgång,” “Solsagan,” “Trollhammaren,” and “Nattfödd.”
Next up, a dance party erupted during TURMION KÄTILÖT‘s set. There isn’t a festival in Finland where these guys aren’t booked, so their almost mandatory festival appearance promised to be fun. Their 16-song set kicked off with a blast with “Sormenjälki.” If there is one thing that TURMION KÄTILÖT does extremely well, it’s making sure that everybody is having fun and dancing along. Yet, there is also room for some serious moments in their set. It was great to see MC Raaka Pee‘s daughter, Netta Turunen, on stage again as a backing vocalist during three songs: “Isä Meidän,” “Viha ja rakkaus,” and “Sikiö.” While it was a bit of a minimal show for TURMION KÄTILÖT, the lighting was really impressive, creating a great atmosphere.
If people were still a bit shy during FINNTROLL and TURMION KÄTILÖT‘s sets, that didn’t seem to be much of an issue during ORBIT CULTURE. For reasons beyond the obvious bang-up songs they create, there is something magical about ORBIT CULTURE performing in Finland. The band calls it their second home for a reason. While a Finnish audience is generally a bit reserved, these Swedes possess a magical power that engages everyone from start to finish without even hyping up the audience much.
The band kicked off their set with the atmospheric intro, “Descent,” seamlessly transitioning into “Black Mountain.” Since this was a longer set than the band typically gets – they have been a support act on their tour, we were treated to many of their new songs live! Right from the start, there were numerous mosh pits, creating a fantastic energy among the crowd. During the first few songs, there were numerous technical issues, prompting singer/guitarist Niklas Karlsson to temporarily switch microphones and perform the show from his right side. Several crew members were hopping on and off the stage during the first half of their set, but the band members clearly didn’t seem to mind and just continued playing.
During “From the Inside,” the band incorporated an atmospheric section and got the audience energetically clapping along for a surprisingly long time. It was evident that the band was warmed by the fantastic response they received from the audience. If there is one thing that didn’t live up to our expectations, it’s that we had secretly hoped the band would have squeezed in their latest single, “While We Serve,” from their recently released EP, “The Forgotten,” in their set. However, we’re sure there’ll be many occassions in the future where we’ll get to enjoy that specific track! Altogether, this show was proof again on why ORBIT CULTURE has been booked as part of many killer touring packages with bands like IN FLAMES, MESHUGGAH, AVATAR, and FEAR FACTORY. Here’s hoping that by next December, the band gets to headline a show in Finland!
Finally, the evening came to an end with AMORPHIS. For a change, the band had completely revamped their setlist, which was a delightful surprise after a few years of a similar AMORPHIS set. They started with one of their new songs, “Northwards,” and then gradually worked their way through their entire repertoire. We were treated to a few songs they hadn’t played in a while, such as “The Smoke” and “The Castaway,” as well as live debuts of “The Wolf” and “Brother and Sister.”
The evening concluded all too soon with the beautiful “My Kantele,” the fan-favorite “House of Sleep,” and surprisingly, the set ended with a song that had been used to kick off their performances for a long time, “The Bee.” Nevertheless, at any point in the set, we are always thrilled to have it included!
Overall, our experience with John Smith Frozen was quite positive. The venue’s spacious layout prevented any sense of overcrowding, allowing us to enjoy the event without feeling overwhelmed by the crowd. However, there was a minor glitch during the signing sessions, where the screen mistakenly indicated that AMORPHIS would sign twice instead of ORBIT CULTURE.
On the downside, the food options were somewhat uninspiring, and the food court had a very unpleasant grease smell, which did not contribute to an appetizing atmosphere. Nevertheless, there were ample seating areas and numerous stands offering trinkets beyond the standard merchandise.
The lineup of bands was impressive, featuring a diverse mix of the finest Finnish metal acts and an up-and-coming international band. With these positive aspects in mind, there are plenty of reasons for us to consider attending again next year!
Written by MC
Photos by Laureline Tilkin
