Dark River Festival in Kotka is one of the annual highlights of our festival season, so naturally, we had to go back to Kotka for the 2024 edition, held from August 8th–10th. This year’s lineup featured an impressive array of bands such as WARMEN, MARIANAS REST, EXODUS, MNEMIC, BLOODRED HOURGLASS, and KATATONIA, creating a diverse and exciting musical experience. As always, the festival offers a perfect blend of intimate atmosphere and top-tier performances, making it a standout event in Finland’s summer festival circuit. The first day of Dark River Festival on August 8th, 2024, included bands like DOMINATION BLACK, SUOTANA, GAEREA, KIUAS, and WARMEN.
For my very first days in Finland, I chose to attend Dark River Festival in Kotka. As only the second outdoor music festival I’ve ever attended, my first time traveling abroad, and my first (and most likely only for a while) chance to see one of my favorite Finnish bands live, this was a very special trip for me.
We arrived on day one to spacious festival grounds, sensibly arranged with a decent variety of food trucks offering everything from barbecue, Thai, shawarma, burgers, pizza, wraps, and sandwiches to other snacks and drinks. Of course, there was the main beer garden and three other bars.
One amenity that surprised me: a water tap, free for all to use. This is not a common sight in the States–water is typically sold by the bottle at festivals and venues and a refill point is not made easily accessible. I took grateful advantage of this thoughtful amenity. Finnish summer is mild compared to my rural midwest acclimation, but a weekend of full sun still takes its toll on a person.
DOMINATION BLACK kicked off the festival with a high-energy set, though I found them a bit cheesy. SUOTANA followed, bringing their uniquely Finnish melodic/symphonic death metal sound, along with some great Viking-inspired costumes to the main stage. As the day grew hotter, GAEREA from Portugal took the stage, delivering an intense dark metal performance in matching black outfits. KIUAS followed with a fun, energetic reunion set, a crowd favorite that included a moshpit complete with a bubble gun!
Then, as the sun began to set, WARMEN took the stage. For those familiar with the Finnish metal scene, CHILDREN OF BODOM is hugely influential in the landscape of 2000s death metal. The untimely loss of Alexi Laiho left a scar on the metal world and perhaps on Finland itself. While I never had the chance to see CHILDREN OF BODOM play live, the opportunity to see WARMEN was one I couldn’t pass up. And they delivered! The setlist was a mix of the best tracks off their newest album, “Here for None”, along with a generous number of CHILDREN OF BODOM covers, refreshed with Petri Lindroos’ unique vocals. They also played older WARMEN classics that originally featured Alexi Laiho‘s vocals, including “Somebody’s Watching Me” and the aggressive “Suck My Attitude.” All in all, it was a fantastic first day at the festival!
Text and photo by Charlotte Varboncoeur
