The first-ever edition of Baltic Metal Storm festival is in the books. On July 31st and August 1st, 2026, we had a great opportunity to see a wide selection of Finnish rock and metal bands over the span of the weekend.
The festival started on Friday, July 31st, with a performance by Turku’s very own Michael Monroe, who rocked and entertained the gathering crowd in his signature rock and roll way, playing not only his solo repertoire but also songs by HANOI ROCKS and DEMOLITION 23. Next up was WOLFRAM, a young band from Vaasa playing ’70s-inspired rock, frying the front rows with explosive pyro and equally explosive riffs.
After that, it was time for some fortune-telling from the metal veterans from TAROT. The band led by the Hietala brothers delivered a great performance as always, and you couldn’t help but notice how relaxed they looked on stage, enjoying every bit of just playing music together. Next it was time for the Helsinki Vampires themselves, THE 69 EYES. The setlist consisted of a perfect blend of their classics, new songs, and covers.
After that, it was time for STRATOVARIUS, playing all their greatest hits such as “Black Diamond,” “Unbreakable,” and finishing with “Hunting High And Low.” It was already dark when the headliner, BEAST IN BLACK, entered the stage accompanied by heavy pyros. They started with “Power of the Beast,” followed by hits such as “From Hell With Love,” and finished with the classics, “Blind and Frozen,” and “No Surrender.”
Between the gigs on the main stage, we could listen to Janina Suihkola and Noora Louhimo perform acoustic sets on the small stage.
Michael Monroe
Wolfram
Tarot
The 69 Eyes
Stratovarius
Beast in Black
Noora Louhimo
Janina Suihkola
