25 years ago, Finnish symphonic black metal outfit …AND OCEANS released their sophomore full-length album, “The Symmetry of I – The Circle of O.” With the promise of hearing the record performed in its entirety on September 19th, 2024, we headed to On the Rocks in Helsinki with high expectations. A fantastic bonus was that extreme metal act WHERE’S MY BIBLE had recently released their second album, “Kave,” and we were eager to hear how the new material would sound live.
WHERE’S MY BIBLE kicked off the night with a powerful set focused on their latest release. It was my first time seeing the band with their new bass player, Juho Jokimies, who brought great chemistry to the stage, frequently interacting with the crowd between songs. Frontman Jussi Mattilainen had a more ominous and serious stage presence, but his commanding energy kept the audience engaged and fueled the excitement. Despite it being a Thursday evening and not a sold-out show, the band managed to draw a sizable crowd, which responded enthusiastically to their performance.
Next up was …AND OCEANS, and while we’ve seen the band perform multiple times in recent years, it was refreshing to hear them switch things up with a different set of songs. As expected, the band was full of energy, with frontman Mathias Lillmåns giving his all to entertain the audience, while bassist Pyry Hanski delivered an intense, headbanging performance. …AND OCEANS never disappoint live, and their show at On the Rocks was no exception. Check our photo gallery of the evening here…
Where’s My Bible
…And Oceans
Photos by Laureline Tilkin
