HIM

"If you are interested in the 'progressive' varieties of Finnish popular music and do not read Finnish, this is the book for you."

For many an outside observer, metal music seems to be an integral part of Finnishness, representing and reflecting national identity. But how did metal become so prominent in the Finnish music scene? And will the prominence last?

Why have HIM and Hanoi Rocks been the only Finnish bands to make it in America? Sami Valkonen, a music industry veteran involved with rock bands on both sides of the Atlantic, debates the factors that make up a success story on the American market.

Finland can do nothing about its geographical location and its short summers and long winters. But can it still be a fun and exciting country, full of dancing and singing?

The pop-music Finland of 2004 is no longer just “the land of a thousand sad and sorry songs”, as the classic Eppu Normaali quipped some twenty years ago. The former backwoods have become a baking oven for every conceivable subgenre of popular music, turning out appetizing fare to suit all tastes, from fancies for the cake-shop window to savoury nibbles for the basement bash.