This year’s edition of the Metallivuori festival was full of metal stars from all over Finland and beyond. The festival took place on July 10th and 11th, 2026, in its regular spot, Uittamon Paviljonki, located on a tall cliff overlooking the channel between the Turku mainland and Hirvensalo, hence the name of the festival.
On the second day of the festival, the weather decided to boil us all with 27°C and no wind. That didn’t stop the metal crowd from swarming to Uittamo to listen to some good music and have some fun. The day started with the great performance of BEFORE THE DAWN on the main stage, followed by the only foreign band in this year’s lineup – GIMMIX, all the way from Saudi Arabia. They played a nice set, the vibe of which brought to mind early GUNS N’ ROSES. Next performance of the day was WOLFHEART on the Puistolava, followed by an indoor gig on the Turku Rock Academy stage. SOUTHERN CROSS is an emerging band that came to Turku from the Kuopio Rock Academy to play some really neat melodeath for us. After that, we moved back to the main stage to watch BLOODRED HOURGLASS deliver a set consisting of songs from all across their discography, with a focus on their latest release, the 2025 album called “We Should Be Buried like This”. The next performance of the day was FOREVER FALL, an emerging progressive metal band from Turku Rock Academy, who released their debut single just earlier this month. Back to the main stage, where we saw an amazing, as always, performance of ENSIFERUM, followed by the final gig of the day on the TRA stage – TOIVO-OLAVI.
Just as the headliner of the second day of Metallivuori, SWALLOW THE SUN, was preparing to play on the main stage, heavy storm clouds came and hung over Uittamo. The thunder, lightning, and a downpour only added to the overall vibe of the final gig of the festival, and everyone left soaked, but happy.
Before the Dawn
Gimmix
Wolfheart
Southern Cross
Bloodred Hourglass
Forever Fall
Ensiferum
Toivo-Olavi
Swallow the Sun
