Once again, January is really packed with gigs. Long gone are the days when one could have a small break in between the holiday season and February, so – like many others – we headed to Tavastia for a Friday night in the company of HEAVY METAL PERSE on January 9th, 2026. Having just released their 25th anniversary celebratory record – simply entitled “XXV” and featuring a mix of new, old, live songs, and a cover – the band certainly has reason enough to party, and came back to Helsinki just a few months after performing at Hellsinki Metal Festival. Still, the venue, even with the balcony kept off-limits, drew a sizable crowd made up of loyal fans, but also, and perhaps refreshingly so, many younger ones.
Speaking of younger ones, the opening act of the night was ARTEON. The band is so new that you can barely find any information or references about it online, but they do have some material from this year – and likely new stuff in the works – so there’s definitely enough to fill their set. It’s nice to see some fresh blood, and especially the guitarist was giving his all on the Tavastia stage. It did seem like they needed to get some miles under their boots still, but at the very least, they showed that ’80s metal is still alive in the younger generations. After all, it must have been a big night for them. Let’s see with time where these guys can go.
Incited by their fans, HEAVY METAL PERSE entered the stage in their traditional outfits and started rocking the audience. The boys from Kajaani performed with their usual energy – and sometimes humor – the same that gained them the loyal following we saw here tonight. Halfway through the show, things slowed down considerably when the band presented four consecutive acoustic songs, giving their vocalist, Matias some good time to sit and to shine at what is the “quieter” side of HMP.
There was also a special guest, namely Niko Mankinen (vocalist of the newly activated MISERY INC.), who got his dose of applause joining the band on stage for “Tapio” and then the final encore with “Jumalia Paossa.” Final encore because there were two of them, to the delight of the happy people present at Tavastia. It’s hard not to leave the venue in a good mood when these guys are playing. Certainly, one of the reasons why they have been going strong after two and a half decades.
ARTEON
HEAVY METAL PERSE
