Mid-September in Helsinki saw some excellent progressive metal bands rolling into town. First up, CALIGULA’S HORSE, who had never set foot on Helsinki’s stages before. These Aussie prog metallers recently dropped their hard-hitting album, “Charcoal Grace,” and are currently on a European tour to promote it. Joining them for the ride is progressive metal outfit KARMANJAKAH, and on September 23rd, 2024, On the Rocks was also treated to Finnish northcore act ATLAS, who helped crank up the intensity. It obviously was the place to be.
I hadn’t checked out the opening act, KARMANJAKAH, before, but they turned out to be a pleasant surprise—a blend of chill, flowy progressive metal that caught me off guard. Their stage presence wasn’t about hyping up the crowd; they were in their own little bubble, playing solidly. The vocalist, in particular, was making fluid, almost dancer-like moves that had me convinced he probably is a really good dancer. I didn’t know any of the songs, but I noticed on their socials that they throw in some improv during shows here and there, which made their set even more outstanding.
Then came ATLAS. Now, ATLAS has big-stage energy, but they were sandwiched between two full-fletched prog bands, and we were all kind of wondering how the crowd would handle their music. Metalcore tends to stir up mosh pits and walls of death, which isn’t the usual vibe a prog crowd is used to. When vocalist Patrik Nuorteva called for mosh pits, the crowd’s response was a bit… timid, resulting in some half-hearted pit-jumping that was pretty amusing to watch admittedly. Despite that ATLAS for sure know how to put on a show and it’s safe to say that everybody had a blast. Credit to ATLAS, though—whether or not they fit the evening’s vibe, they know how to get a crowd moving with their intense, ominous stage presence.
Finally, CALIGULA’S HORSE took the stage, performing in Helsinki for the first time ever. And since they’re from Australia, it’s not exactly easy to catch them live. I’ve enjoyed their albums but had no clue they were also hilarious. Early in the set, frontman Jim Grey talked about how excited he was to finally be in Helsinki. Someone from the audience (probably slightly tipsy) shouted, “Come back in winter!” to which Jim replied, “Don’t fucking laugh with me, you penguin people. On behalf of my people in Queensland, fuck no.” He cracked everyone up, then joked that they hadn’t even left yet, so maybe ask him again in 72 hours. Safe to say, we all hope the penguin people made a good first impression, and they come back!
The band mainly focused on playing songs from “Charcoal Grace.” During “Golem,” Jim did the unthinkable in Finland—he asked us to look around to the people surrounding us. Now, this brought back memories of Devin Townsend making everyone group-hug at Graspop Metal Meeting 2023, so it could have been way worse. The audience awkwardly obliged before they flawlessly tore into “Golem.”
At one point, Jim started talking about how “Rise Radiant” was the first album their bass player, Dale Prinsse, worked on, then he affectionately called him either the longest cat or cat-like boy. There was a funny moment between them, and then they launched into “The Tempest.” Jim also tried his best to avoid getting too sucked into Finnish drunken banter by just launching into the next song, but hey, this is Finland—we’re pros at this.
During “Oceanrise,” Jim wanted us to sing along. Cue absolute silence. Someone shouted a loud “Nooo!” like they were protesting, but eventually, we got it together and nailed it. Jim even called us nerds because we got it right the first time, poking fun at vocalists who pretend their audience isn’t loud enough.
Since CALIGULA’S HORSE had two shows in Finland, they hinted that they’d switch up the setlist for the next night, which was a thoughtful nod to their diehard fans attending both gigs. We didn’t go for round two, but the fact that they took it into consideration was a nice touch.
All-in-all, CALIGULA’S HORSE’s first time in Helsinki was a killer experience. They played a flawless set, made us laugh, and ensured the audience had an absolutely great time. The production wasn’t extravagant, but it didn’t matter—the music shined. On the Rocks can sometimes be hit or miss when it comes to sound, but this time it was spot on. While we don’t expect them to return during “penguin-walk season,” here’s hoping we’ll see them again on another European tour very very soon!
Text and photos by Laureline Tilkin
Setlist
- The World Breathes With Me
- Golem
- Bloom
- Marigold
- Dream the Dead
- The Tempest
- Slow Violence
- Oceanrise
- Rust
- The Stormchaser
- Mute
- Graves (Encore)
