Stam1na released its self-titled debut in the spring 2005, but before
that Stam1na was one of the most anticipated unsigned acts in
Finland. Their demos were praised, and the buzz around their energetic
live shows was constantly growing. It just seemed that the
Finnish labels weren’t able to grasp Stam1na’s wild concept of
Finnish lyrics morphed together with Speed Metal riffs, progressive
arrangements, and deranged approach to pop-smart melodies.
Eventually Stam1na was picked up by Sakara Records. Stam1na’s
uncompromising attitude and unquestionable talent impressed the
newly founded label, and they became the second signing of Sakara.
Their self-titled debut album catapulted Stam1na straight to the top
of the Finnish metal scene after its release, and the album got
nothing but great reviews. The record buyers also appreciated the
album and it spent eight weeks in the Finnish album chart, and the
single “Paha Arkkitehti†entered the charts at 4. Stam1na toured
around Finland from spring to autumn, and conquered more and
more audience. In the yearly polls Finnish rock and metal audience
were touchingly unanimous on Stam1na’s greatness; Stam1na was
voted as The Newcomer Of The Year in all relevant medias.
Their second album, “Uudet Kymmenen Käskyäâ€, went straight to
the 3rd place in the Official Finnish Chart, and stayed in the Top 40
for 17 consecutive weeks, and the sales of the album are now over
10,000 copies. "Uudet Kymmenen Käskyä" won the Emma Award,
i.e. Finnish GRAMMY, in Metal Album of the Year category. The
single “Likainen parketti†was 1 in Official Single Charts.
Modest and reserved are not the first words that come to mind when thinking of the second album from Stam1na. The
Bible-related name of the album (Uudet Kymmenen Käskyä = The Ten New Commandments) is pompous and the lyrics
of also deal with big topics. Pekka Olkkonen and Antti Hyyrynen, who write the songs, can easily be considered as the
most creative duo in the Finnish metal scene at the moment, and the mad-man lyricist-vocalist Hyyrynen can be compared
to such modern day geniuses as Devin Townsend and Daron Malakian. When listening to the album, you can’t but
admire the phenomenal playing skills, both as individuals and playing as a four-piece rock band. Stam1na was founded
in 1996 by its core trio, and they've played together ever since. The line-up was finalized when bass player Kaikka
became a full-time member in 2005.
At the moment Stam1na is preparing their third studio album to be released in the beginning of 2008. Before this new
piece of Finnish metal madness hits the stores the band takes a break from the studio to tour the European stages with
yet another insane Finnish metal/rock sensation Apocalyptica.
Finland's biggest newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, summarized Stam1na's profile perfectly in their 5-out-of-5 review of
Uudet Kymmenen Käskyä: "Stam1na is the most interesting metal band in Finland today". Enough said.
More information: myspace.com/stam1na & www.stam1na.com
