See you in Hell was the name of the event held at Bar Loose in Helsinki on November 23rd, 2024. It sounded promising, and I was genuinely curious to see the bands involved: local thrash metal band MUTANT BLAST, THE GHOULSTARS hailing from Kuopio, and T. JARVA & THE DARK PLACE. The latter, I honestly lost count of how many times I have seen play, but hey, feeling the need to attend their shows every time they play in town is one of the healthiest addictions I have ever had, so…
The three acts couldn’t be more different from one other, except for having a very clear idea about their musical identity, which is, in my opinion, a crucial detail. Therefore, the audience was quite diverse when it came to outfits and such, but in retrospect, I have the feeling that literally everyone had a lot of fun.
MUTANT BLAST took the stage at 20:15 as scheduled. The four-piece was founded in 2020 and plays uncompromising old-school thrash metal. Most of the songs were taken from their freshly released album, “Soulsteeler,” plus a few tunes from their EP, “Detonation,” which was released in 2021. I don’t remember where I read that music is a time machine, but I definitely agree: there are some specific subgenres that do not evolve nor want to, and they are perfect as they are. Thrash metal is part of this category, as sharp guitar riffs, straightforward solos, and bold vocals, along with proper drumming and basslines, represent a staple, as basic elements of that particular sound. MUTANT BLAST made the best use of them, as they delivered about nine original songs in line with the genre, plus a great cover of IRON MAIDEN’s classic tune “Prowler,” which was also included on their full-length album. The cover was introduced by a heartfelt reference to Paul Di’Anno, former singer of the iconic British band, who recently passed away. The audience seemed until that very moment, when the people finally came closer to the stage, just in time to show some love to the band, as they played “Blades of Steel” as a closer. Overall, I really appreciated MUTANT BLAST’s performance, and it was nice to see that such a well-established subgenre is in good shape and still inspires people to make music.
After a short break during which some spooky decorations were added to the stage, THE GHOULSTARS’ members took the stage in almost complete darkness, on the notes of the opening theme of the movie The Ninth Gate, which made the atmosphere conveniently creepy… The band does not have any material published yet, but the people involved aren’t exactly like newbies: founder, guitarist, and songwriter Markus “Daddy Ghoul” Laakso, as well as drummer Toni “Ghoulio” Ronkainen were both in death/doom band KUOLEMANLAAKSO, which disbanded about one year ago, bassist Markus “Hellaghoul” Makkonen is well-known for SADISTIK FOREST and used to play in HOODED MENACE, and singer Arthur “LL Ghoul A” Thure, who also covers frontman duties in stoner rock act THERMATE. You cannot get wrong with such a promising lineup, hence I was very curious to see them in action. Their vision of MISFITS-inspired horror punk, mixed with VENOM, ENTOMBED, and WHITE ZOMBIE, left me speechless. The visual aspect was quite straightforward: Hellaghoul wore a scary green mask that has haunted my dreams ever since, not to mention the skull-like makeup the other members were wearing, provided by the drummer himself, who should definitely consider that as a side hustle since he totally nailed it! Their energetic, skillful, almost cinematic yet easy-going approach on stage was very entertaining. I was somewhat familiar with the songs, as I attended their first gig in Kuopio a couple of years ago. Even though the songs have not been released yet, some of those killer riffs sounded very familiar, as they have been stuck somewhere in my head. Laakso, aka Daddy Ghoul, has a reputation to uphold regarding his skills as a riffmaster, and guess what? He literally never fails…
After the third track, “The Brain that Refused to Die,” singer LL Ghoul A introduced the band to the audience and checked the overall vibe: we were visibly excited and curious to see what they had in store for us, and it was only the beginning. On “The Wolfman” at some point, an actual wolfman joined them on stage. Ghoulio’s furious drumming is always a guarantee, and I was truly amazed to see how versatile he can be (he also plays in ROOTBRAIN, whose very first gig I talked about a few months ago). A tune called “They Dance Upon Our Graves” followed, enriched by epic backing vocals provided by Daddy Ghoul. It was fun to see how the singer ensured that we were enjoying the show by asking it after every tune. Of course, we were —as their alchemy on stage was a fact, and the songs turned out pretty well. “The Dark Overlords of the Universe” followed, and I could swear that I heard it before; since it’s an incredibly catchy tune, I found myself singing along so effortlessly, and by looking around I realized that I was not the only one; not bad for a new band playing in Helsinki for the first time…
Hellaghoul’s backing scream provided an extra kick that took the tunes to a completely different level (fun fact: at the beginning, he used to be the main singer in the band). A song called “Vampire” was the next in line, punkish and thrashy vibes with a peculiar black metal hint that reminded me of KUOLEMANLAAKSO’s “Pedon Vaisto,” from their very last opus “Kuusumu.” It might be a cognitive bias, but I really liked the song. Some technical issues occurred at that point, and I had a feeling that they jumped to the following tune, “The Dead in Purgatory,” which featured a super catchy whistled part kindly provided by Daddy Ghoul. A couple of covers of MISFITS, “We are 138” and “Hybrid Moments” followed, and of course, the audience reacted accordingly, as MISFITS are likely to be collectively considered as a cult band. During the guitar solo of “We are 138,” Hellaghoul got close to Daddy Ghoul, creating a nice bromance vibe. He also provided some backing vocals on “Hybrid Moments,” then the singer announced that they had just two songs left to play: “The Ballad of the Cursed Bandits” and “Too Ghoul for School.” The chorus of the closing tune was so catchy that many people in the audience ended up singing it out loud even before LL Ghoul A explicitly invited us to do it! Hellaghoul’s acid screams in the final part, along with Ghoulio’s energetic drumming worked perfectly. Daddy Ghoul thanked us, visibly moved by that amount of enthusiasm, and then they all left the stage.
It took about 15 minutes for T. JARVA & THE DARK PLACE to show up, enough time to get a drink and prepare for a completely different experience. The venue was completely packed and many people came closer to the stage, making it quite difficult to move; a good sign, I would say. They tuned their instruments, and then Taneli greeted us and pointed out that a drastic change of mood was about to happen. “The Crossroads’ Song” was chosen as an opening tune, and its soothing vibe made the atmosphere cozy. Guitarist Sami Hassinen and keyboardist Janne Immonen enriched the song with their excellent backing vocals. Taneli introduced himself and the band while tuning his guitar again. “Calamity” followed, a song that has a hauntingly gloomy vibe that always amazes the audience. The debut album, “Post Festum,” was released in February, and if you asked me, it is likely to become one of the albums of the year, I never had any doubt about it. The closing line on “Calamity,” “Not right – not cool – no fun – just a fool” gave me goosebumps once again, and as usual I legitimately wonder if this song sounded that beautiful the last time I listened to it, which ended up being a question I asked myself repeatedly during their set. Sami took a sip of non-alcoholic Lapin Kulta, then “Can’t Let Go” and “A Drunkard’s Prayer” were the next ones in line, and on the latter Janne was playing a 12-string guitar.
The people in the audience were singing along, many had their eyes closed, completely immersed in the music. I wonder what it feels like for the band to be able to bring that kind of emotion to their fans… The following tune was “Dagger Moon,” a cover by American rock band DEAD MOON. The tune has been on the band’s setlist forever, as it fits perfectly to their overall sound. Janne was back on keyboards, double-bass player Ari Lampinen grabbed the bow, Sami came closer for the guitar solo, and Taneli at some point turned his back and faced drummer Sami Käyhkö, enhancing a sense of intimacy that I could even consider as a standard in their shows. They are certainly quite experienced musicians, but the magic they create every time comes from their passion and their ability to convey their message. The song that followed was “January’s Child,” to which the audience reacted by screaming with joy, in an oddly nice contrast with the delicate yet sorrowful mood the song carries. Its lullaby-like pace, along with its intense lyrics, makes it one of the highlights of the album, and it is always a pleasure to hear it in a live setting.
After that, choristers Hanna Wendelin and Riina Rinkinen joined the band, warmly welcomed by the audience. “Bride of Jesus” always turns out great due to its ironic and nostalgic vibe, and the subtle yet not-so-hidden references to Taneli’s past bands make me smile every single time. The girls made a really big difference and enriched significantly the whole thing, and the people reacted accordingly. Taneli couldn’t help but introduce his friend and bandmate Sami Hassinen while playing “Golden Girl,” and I couldn’t help thinking about how far they have come with this project, which was started by the duo in 2018. “Venus is High” was announced after that, and it was not the first time that I heard someone from the audience reply, “And so am I,” which is exactly what the lyrics of this specific song are saying in the chorus. Taneli also pointed out that the lyrics were written by Sami who, along with Janne and the choristers, provided some backing vocals.
The next song was a new one, and although I had the chance to hear it performed a few times before, I was quite impatient to see how the audience would react. The song was called “Pompeii Dog,” during which a couple next to me started dancing. Hanna and Riina were snapping their fingers to the beat, adding a classy vibe to the song, and encouraging us to do the same thing. I have to say that the song was warmly welcomed, and since Taneli invited us to search “Pompeii Dog” on Google, I think this link would be useful in order to understand the narrative of the tune a bit better. A cover of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ “Henry Lee” followed, introduced by Taneli as a “trietto,” which is basically a duet that rather involves three people on vocals, as it was him, Riina, and Hanna. It was excellent as usual. The closing tune was “Mercy Curse,” whose eerie yet energetic pace never disappoints the audience.
Taneli has always been one step ahead in terms of stage presence and storytelling-related skills, and seeing such a talented man surrounding himself with equally talented people is heartwarming. The quality of their offering is a guarantee, and regardless of how many shows I might have attended, it is always a pleasure and an honor to support T. JARVA & THE DARK PLACE.
These three bands on a snowy Saturday made the hardest month of the year easier to bear. We had a lot of fun with MUTANT BLAST and their uncompromising old-school attitude, and definitely cannot wait for THE GHOULSTARS to release their debut album. I do not want to put Taneli and the band under unnecessary pressure, but “Pompeii Dog” sounds brilliant. Let’s hope something new is in the making… We will be there.
Written by Licia Mapelli
Photos by Mirko Luparelli
Setlist
- The Crossroads’ Song
- Calamity
- Can’t Let Go
- A Drunkard’s Prayer
- Dagger Moon (Dead Moon cover)
- January’s Child
- Bride of Jesus
- Golden Girl
- Venus is High
- Pompeii Dog
- Henry Lee (Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds cover)
- Mercy Curse
