The summer months are always filled with events these days, so it wasn’t surprising to see Ääniwalli this full on a Monday evening on August 17th, 2026, despite being right in the middle of festival season. While it is not uncommon these days to see gigs both big and small being sold out (and it’s really amazing how much people are still spending on music events despite the ever-increasing costs!), it was quite expected to see a full house tonight. Not only had HIGH ON FIRE been away from Finland for a few years – at least we don’t recall them being here after their 2022 Tuska appearance – but also KAISER has been on fire for some time lately with the local crowd and their growing fanbase, making for an explosive combo.
The opening band had a short but high-impact set. Divided equally between their two full-lengths and the song from their latest split “Four Altars of Sin” (“Sonic Satan”), the trio is known for their charismatic and very energetic sets, especially with the vocalist and guitarist Otu being very good at inciting the crowd, and the drummer RiQ powerful – and extremely sweaty – play. Once again tonight the band confirmed themselves a solid reality in the Finnish stoner scene, with a performance that left little to be desired in front of a very active and responsive audience.
Once the fans were properly warmed up, the long wait for the main act finally came to an end on the notes of the instrumental “Karanlik Yol” from the latest “Cometh The Storm,“ together with all the cheers for Matt Pike and colleagues entering the stage. Being a while since we last saw them, it was kind of easy to forget how devastating their sound can be live, especially in a club show, which gives a whole different dimension to their stoner-doom-sludge mix. But that thought dissipated immediately, once the Oakland-based trio began playing in full force. Relentless and loud, groovy and heavy, rough on the edges and yet catchy as hell, during the gig they displayed all the HIGH ON FIRE is about, all without much nonsense and focusing on the music. The fans responded in kind with a very packed venue and some good level of moshing in the front, and it was also really nice to see quite a few young faces in the first rows, given the band is almost three decades old. Those 75 minutes encompassing their set literally flew by with an intensity that kept everyone on their toes from start to finish. The three musicians, including the newest addition, Ben Koller behind the drums, felt really tight on stage, maybe still galvanized by their show on Saturday at the Doomopolis Sthlm festival in Sweden. All-in-all, it was an excellent way to spend a Monday evening, and hopefully we won’t have to wait another 4 long years to see the band in action again, especially now that Matt is no longer part of SLEEP.
KAISER
HIGH ON FIRE
