About Me
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SINCE STARTING up in Helsinki, Finland, back in 1990, Spinefarm Records has determinedly ignored the fickle demands of trend & fashion and concentrated instead on developing the darker, more dramatic side of Finnish music for both the domestic & international markets, scoring major successes with a number of acts…
Nightwish, for example, started working with Spinefarm back in 1997, and have since gone on to sell around 3 million albums worldwide, touring in over 40 different countries. For the label folk, the situation with Nightwish was quite simple – they liked the first demo put together by NW keyboard player/composer Tuomas Holopainen, so they offered him the chance to make a full album. There was no fuss, no heavy negotiations, the whole thing was based on a genuine liking of the music plus a respect for the creative instincts of the artist, and it's an approach that the Spinefarm-ers have done their best to preserve in the face of ever-increasing attention & success.
Playing a key role in this success has been Children Of Bodom, who have been growing in both stature & sales on a year-by-year, album-by-album basis. Not only have the band now made serious inroads into the expansive US market, but in mainman Alexi Laiho they have a guitar hero capable of trading licks & throwing shapes with the very best of his peers – indeed, the very best per se; a musician whose sheer technical prowess never overshadows his deep & abiding love of the rock’n’roll lifestyle, an attitude that makes him all the more exciting to watch onstage and all the more dangerous to drink with afterwards!
WITH FINNISH music now exerting a weighty influence on the hard rock/heavy metal scene in general, it was really only a matter of time before Spinefarm made a more concerted assault on the UK market…
Well, that moment has very much arrived, and with a roster that also includes Ensiferum, Finntroll, Moonsorrow, Reverend Bizarre, End Of You, Brother Firetribe (featuring Nightwish guitarist Emppu Vuorinen), Kiuas and more, the label finds ideally placed to build on both its roster & reputation, spreading the word beyond Finnish shores.
With this in mind, the last few months have seen the official unveiling of a number of exciting projects, starting with the re-release/re-promotion of the first five albums from Nightwish in new & improved form, followed by the unveiling of the debut solo outing ('My Winter Storm') from former Nightwish vocalist Tarja. These two campaigns alone kept our noses pressed tight to the grindstone at the tail end of 07, and now we find ourselves just as busy in 08, laying plans for the release of new albums from Rotten Sound ('Cycles'), Children Of Bodom ('Blooddrunk'), Brother Firetribe ('Heart Full Of Fire'), Kiuas ('The New Dark Age') and more...
A special launch show to both celebrate & reaffirm Spinefarm UK's lofty ambitions is now fully locked into place. This one-off event - featuring COB, Moonsorrow & Kiuas - will take place at the Astoria Theatre in London on Saturday, March 8th (preceded by a COB instore appearance!), and already the whole shebang is a sell-out to the max. Look out for all sorts of giveaways on the night. See you there!
NEW RELEASE INFO! October 22nd 07
Re-issue of the first 5 Nightwish albums on CD & double vinyl. The CDs feature bonus audio & visual material, sleevenotes & expanded booklets, and the vinyl is individually coloured and comes complete with a loose insert.
November 19th 07
The release of 'My Winter Storm', the debut solo album from Tarja - the original voice & face of Nightwish. The album comes in two formats: Standard Edition with UK bonus track 'The Seer' and Deluxe Edition featuring very special packaging plus DVD content.
February 25th 08
New album 'Cycles' from seminal Grindcore outfit 'Rotten Sound' - an amazing release that is already picking up SERIOUS support from the UK rock media, being granted lead review status and serious marks!
March 3rd 08
'Blooddrunk' - the new single from Children Of Bodom, which will be available across three formats (12" pic disc, blood red vinyl 7" & Enhanced CD). All formats will feature bonus material, including a cover of a track by Finnish Thrash heroes, Stone.
March 25th
'Psalms Of Extinction' - the latest album from Sweden's Pain, the brainchild of celebratedvocalist/songwriter/ producer/musician, Peter Tagtgren; a record displaying the true scope of the man's musical horizons plus his desire to keep challenging himself musically.
A number of albums have already been issued 'neath the 'Pain' banner, and this one - big of chorus, contemporary of production and featuring exclusive artwork & bonus material - is right up there with the best of them.
April 7th
'Rotten Sound EP' - a ferocious four-tracker from Rotten Sound, one of the most extreme bands ever to wield instruments in anger! Featuring material from their last three Spinefarm releases, this EP is available on 7" coloured vinyl only.
April 7th
'Victory Songs' - Special UK version of the latest album from Battle Metallers supreme, Ensiferum. For a limited period, this truly epic release will come as a two-CD set complete with bonus track 'Lady In Black' (a Uriah Heep cover), plus the entire 'Dragonheads' EP, a six-song outing originally recorded back in 2006.
April 14th 08
'Blooddrunk' - the new Children Of Bodom album, which will be available in three different forms: Standard Edition (featuring two bonus tracks, including a cover of 'Ghost Riders In The Sky', previously tackled by Johnny Cash amongst others), Deluxe Edition (featuring two bonus tracks, DVD content plus an exclusive 'blood-splattered' slipcase) and coloured vinyl (complete with poster in varnished gatefold sleeve).
April 21st
'The Collection', effectively a 'Best Of...' album from Finnish melodic metallers Sonata Arctica; a record showcasing material from the first 10 years of the band's career. For a limited period, this 17-track release will carry a bonus DVD featuring live, acoustic & cover material, as well as promo clips and rare live footage.
April 28th
'Tulimyrsky' EP - meaning 'Firestorm' in Finnish, 'Tulimyrsky' is the latest release from 'Epic Heathen Metallers' Moonsorrow. Featuring both old & new material, plus a couple of intriguing covers (look out for a stirring run-through of 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' by Metallica), this is just the record to make 'Protracted Pagan Power' the hottest game in town!
May 12th 08
'The New Dark Age' - the latest/third album from epic metallers, Kiuas. Also on this day, the band's first two albums - 'Reformation' & 'The Spirit Of Ukko' - will be re-issued complete with bonus material.
May 12th
'Heart Full Of Fire', the second album from the melodic hard rock outfit featuring Nightwish guitarist Emppu Vuorinen. Featuring tracks such as 'I Am Rock', 'Chasing The Angels' and 'Heart Full Of Fire' itself (complete with guest vocals from new Nightwish frontwoman Anette Olzon), this in manna from Heaven for anyone with a deep regard for US AOR kingpins such as Journey & Boston.
Debut album 'Break Out' will also be re-issued on the same day, enhanced by fresh artwork plus bonus audio & visual material.
June 9th
'Hellhounds On My Trail' - the second single from the brand new 'Blooddrunk' album. This will be available on two separate formats: limited edition 12" pic disc & 6-track CD EP in Super Jewel Case. Both formats feature bonus material, which this time around includes two cover versions plus three tracks recorded live at the Astoria Theatre in London on March 8th, the Spinefarm Records UK launch event.
Also on June 9th, the first four C.O.B. albums will be re-issued with expanded artwork, sleevenotes & bonus audio/visual material. The albums in question are: 'Something Wild', 'Hatebreeder', the live 'Tokyo Warhearts' & 'Follow The Reaper', and this represents the first time that the live album has been available in the UK market.
July 14th
'For The Revolution' - the latest/fifth album from Finnish Metallers Kalmah, a band who specialise in blurring the line between melodic death metal & prime '80s thrash. This expanded UK version of the album comes with fresh artwork, bonus track 'Arise' plus the video for 'The Groan Of Wind'.
Also on July 14th, a Re-issue of the 'Suffer Our Pleasures' album by Tarot - the band featuring Nightwish's Marco Hietala. Originally released in 2003, this brand new version of the record comes with additional artwork, bonus track 'Mama' (a Genesis cover) plus the video for 'Pyre Of Gods'.
