A little over 20 years since the release of their debut and only full-length album, “Fallen,” Finnish Gothic metal outfit FOR MY PAIN… have made a triumphant return to the scene. With the release of their new single, “Recoil Into Darkness,” and the announcement of their comeback performance on May 3rd, 2024, at Kantakrouvi in Oulu, anticipation is high. Oulu in spring sounded like a good plan, prompting us to eagerly pack our bags and go down a trip to memory lane!
Having traveled all the way from Helsinki, we filled up our time with some sightseeing and decided to head to the venue right when the doors opened, one and a half hours before the show’s start. We were unsure about the venue layout and wanted to secure a good spot for our photographer. There was a small queue at the venue entrance, mainly from people aiming for the front row, but it wasn’t too long.
Having never been to concerts in Oulu and being accustomed to Helsinki venues, it was a pleasant surprise to find that Kantakrouvi was a nice and cozy venue. Its layout was logical and well-designed, and it didn’t feel cramped like some venues in Helsinki, such as On The Rocks. Despite its size, it accommodated quite a large crowd comfortably.
To ease the long wait, a DJ – according to the online information, DJ Sakke – played music before the sets. It was quite enjoyable as he featured many songs from the early 2000s, including tracks from NIGHTWISH, EVANESCENCE, CHARON, TO/DIE/FOR, H.I.M., and SENTENCED, as well as newer gems like CYHRA, GHOST, AMARANTHE, and UNLEASH THE ARCHERS. This made the extended wait much more pleasant, and we spent our time singing along to these songs and even added some of these golden oldies to our current playlists.
The band was a little late, and about 5 minutes after their supposed start, DJ Sakke released a final banger on the audience, “Dance Macabre” by GHOST. The audience, very impatient, started clapping along, thinking that this was the kick-off for the show. When they realized it wasn’t, the applause died out. Then, an ambient, atmospheric intro started, and the band members came on stage one by one. The intro seemed to last a little long in our opinion, but perhaps it was because we were also impatient to hear the band play music.
The actual performance started with “My Wound Is Deeper Than Yours.” It was apparent from the start that the band was impressed by the large turnout, as many people had gathered in front of the stage; in fact, it was really packed! The stage was filled with the band, with guitarist Olli-Pekka Törrö playing guitars from a chair, and at the back of the stage, two backing vocalists were adding a bit more depth to the songs. Vocalist Juha Kylmänen didn’t do a round of introductions, so we didn’t catch their names. The female vocalist had an important role during “Dancer in the Dark.” Altogether, it was great to have the song included with live vocals because far too many bands opt for having guest vocalists on tape. It was endearing to see that after 20 years, singer Juha Kylmänen wasn’t all too sure about the lyrics anymore. Admittedly, 14 songs is a lot to remember, so he had a little backup iPad situation going on and snuck a peek once in a while.
Based on the beginning of the show, the sound was actually quite good, especially for being in the front. We were able to hear most of the instruments clearly, and the vocals were crystal clear, without the drums being too loud. Moody songs like “Broken Days,” “Bed of Dead Leaves,” and “Too Sad to Live” followed soon. Even during mellow songs like “Sea of Emotions,” vocalist Juha Kylmänen made the show very entertaining. He interacted with the audience, especially those in the front row, pulling funny faces in front of their cameras while they were filming, and hyping up everyone as much as possible.
Even though FOR MY PAIN… has reached a legacy status and it’s only natural for the people to be super excited to see their show, the audience was incredibly loud, partly due to Juha Kylmänen‘s power to hype them up properly. He moved a lot from left to right, front and back, headbanging where possible. Since the stage was kind of small, it wasn’t a surprise to us that at some point he almost collided with bass player Altti Veteläinen. The rest of the band focused mostly on their instruments and seemed totally relaxed on stage, immersed in the music.
After “Dead Carniwhore,” the band included their recent single, “Recoil Into Darkness,” in their setlist. The track is a bit slower, with some vibes reminiscent of H.I.M. It was a great experience to hear its live debut, as it sounded like an absolute banger. Then, the setlist took a bit of a turn as the band started delving more into their biggest hits. Starting with “Queen Misery,” the journey down memory lane wasn’t over yet, and we were feeling nostalgic for our teenage years.
We naturally expected to hear the band’s interpretation of YÖ‘s famous “Joutsenlaulu,” and were glad to find that it was somewhat included in the setlist. Interestingly enough, the band opted for a medley of “Joutsenlaulu” and another Finnish classic, “Hetken Tie On Kevyt,” by TEHOSEKOITIN. I mostly know this song from karaoke, and while we appreciated the medley and the twist, many of the international fans may not have been as familiar with the song. Nonetheless, it was a fun little surprise!
“Tomorrow is a Closed Gate” had Juha pass the mic into the audience, encouraging them to sing and clap along to the chorus, which they did loudly. The backing vocalists had another moment to shine with an intro to “Autumn Harmony,” something that I can’t recall hearing on the record, but it was absolutely beautiful and a nice inclusion to highlight the backing vocalists, who overall added more depth and atmosphere to the songs. This concluded the official set, but the band was ready for two more encore songs!
The beginning of “Killing Romance” was mostly sung by the audience, once again showcasing the crowd’s enthusiasm. Everyone sang along loudly to the song, clapping and even shouting at times. The band concluded their show with the most energetic song in their repertoire, “Rapture of Lust,” which provided a final burst of energy before bidding us goodnight.
Overall, the entire night was a great experience with a nostalgic character. The selection of songs and the concert’s flow were excellent, and playing 14 songs was well worth it. Many people came from outside of Finland to attend the show, so there was a good mix of people in the audience. The staff at the venue were also extremely friendly (shout out to the nice security guard, Mathias, who ensured we would be welcome at the afterparty in Hevimesta without a physical ticket). Speaking of the afterparty, the band hosted a full-blown event at the popular metal bar Hevimesta, which we had heard so many good things about that we decided we had to see it for ourselves. The meet & greet with the band started at 1:30 AM, which we obviously didn’t stay for, but before that time, guitarist Lauri Tuohimaa and Juha Kylmänen went to a tiny stage area and played “Queen Misery” and “Autumn Harmony” acoustically, a little bonus for all the fans who made the extra effort to meet their heroes.
All-in-all, traveling all the way to Oulu to see FOR MY PAIN…‘s comeback show was totally worth the trip. Hopefully, the band will surprise us with some more dates in the near future. Meanwhile, if you haven’t had the chance to see FOR MY PAIN… yet, they will have a performance in Pudasjärvi at Ypykkä Metalfest.
Written by Laureline Tilkin & Michelle Cottet
Photos by Laureline Tilkin
Setlist
- My Wound is Deeper Than Yours
- Dancer in the Dark
- Broken Days
- Bed of Dead Leaves
- Too Sad to Live
- Sea of Emotions
- Dear Carniwhore
- Recoil Into Darkness
- Queen Misery
- Joutsenlaulu + Hetken Tie on Kevyt
- Tomorrow is a Closed Gate
- Intro + Autumn Harmony
- Killing Romance (Encore)
- Rapture of Lust (Encore)
