The start of a new year is a good time to take a look at some new music. Thus, we headed out to Lepakkomies in Helsinki, where GREEN KING – a Helsinki underground heavy scene household name – celebrated the release of their first full album, “Hidden Beyond Time” on Friday, January 6th, 2023. Warming up the stage for the main event were singer-songwriter J.Kiesi, the psychedelic stoner playing KHAT MOSES, and the hardcore influenced BALTIMOR.
First up was J.Kiesi. Playing some soft and slightly melancholic tunes on an acoustic guitar, the head man of former J.KIESI GRANDES was a slight exception to the otherwise loud and rumbling course of events. Kiesi did well at capturing the attention of the heavy metal oriented crowd, who were slowly starting to fill up the venue. The lyrics being very much the center of attention here, Kiesi has some interesting stories to tell with a gentle touch of humor, enough to support a 30+ minute show alone.
Next on the stage were KHAT MOSES. Their approach was too build a big wall of sound – a lot of distortion, two guitars, and some interesting melodic hooks on top of it all. Their music winds open slowly and the songs are long – the whole 40 minute set consisted of five songs. The crowd at Lepakkomies had grown to a half full by the time they started their show, and were starting to edge closer to the stage.
On their turn, BALTIMOR turned up the tempo and aggression. With reminiscences of hardcore influenced groove metal bands such as PANTERA, they injected the crowd with a boost of energy. By now, Lepakkomies had filled and the crowd started to move and interact with the energetic band.
Last up was the headliner of the night, GREEN KING. They play doom influenced speed metal that uses a lot of big guitar harmonies. They went straight to it, playing their new album from the start. The band is a very well-knit unit, playing together seamlessly, and their tradition respecting music delivers what it promises: a loud, entertaining, fast, and furious experience. At the end of the show there was a special number with a visiting vocalist joining the group for their take of IRON MAIDEN’s “Moonchild” that had the crowd beating their fists.
All-in-all, it was a night of four different artists with a nicely rising sense of intensity and a nice way to kick off the music year. Check out the photos below.
J.Kiesi
Khat Moses
Baltimor
Green King
