from the https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/14/finland-happiest-country-world-un-report dept.
https://www.marketplace.org/2018/09/07/world/worlds-unlikely-capital-heavy-metal
More than that — could they find the city in the country with the highest concentration of heavy metal bands? Could it be a contest where cities were ranked on how metal they are?
So, they sent an email to, of all places, the Finnish government.
"They sent us an email like, 'Would you be interested in this?' and we said 'Of course'," said Meira Pappi, a country branding specialist for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Finland. A contest to find the world's heavy metal epicenter? A perfect opportunity to promote Finnish culture and boost tourism. An investment of $47,000 from the government and local cities allowed them to build a website, make merchandise and promote their national quest to find the city with most metal bands per capita. A city to crown the Capital of Metal.
Lemi, a municipality with just 3,000 residents, emerged as that place because it had 13 metal bands.
Your humble ed. has spent nearly a quarter of his life in Finland, and can attest to their interest in metal, and it certainly hasn't gone unnoticed:
- https://jakubmarian.com/number-of-metal-bands-per-capita-in-europe/
- https://www.gislounge.com/map-of-heavy-metal-bands-by-country-per-capita/
Curiously, there does seem to be a correlation between metal being popular, and being an affluent, advanced society. Tell that to your mum when she asks when you're going to cut your hair!
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday September 14 2018, @04:17PM
Whether in Colorado or Switzerland, I've always "known I was in a Snowboarder shop" from the music being played... willing to bet there are a few Snowboarders in Finland too.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Bot on Friday September 14 2018, @04:39PM
>An investment of $47,000 from the government and local cities allowed them to build a website, make merchandise and promote their national quest to find the city with most metal bands per capita
not bad, but only if the web framework for the metal site was in... Rust.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 2) by linkdude64 on Friday September 14 2018, @04:43PM (8 children)
Moonsorrow, Wintersun (Seeing them in a week!), Ensiferum...I love me some tasty Finnish metal.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @06:50PM (6 children)
Sonata Arctica, Amorphis, Apocalyptica, Stratovarius, Stam1na, Korpiklaani, Teräsbetoni, Ruoska, Raaka-aine, Mokoma to add a few.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @07:43PM (5 children)
Kotiteollisuus, Turisas, Children of Bodom, Mors Principium Est and so on and so on
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Saturday September 15 2018, @10:48AM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 1) by The Vocal Minority on Saturday September 15 2018, @11:21AM (1 child)
No love for Nightwish? Best metal band evaaaaar.
Except maybe Baby Metal
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 15 2018, @04:29PM
No love for Nightwish, because they keep kicking their singers out. I don't like their attitude of business. I only listen to Nightwish sung by Tarja Turunen.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 15 2018, @09:22PM (1 child)
Oh damn! How could i have forgotten Sentenced!
(Score: 2) by linkdude64 on Sunday September 16 2018, @10:06AM
I had no idea sentenced was from Finland, wow, some good taste in metal on this forum...
(Score: 2) by r1348 on Friday September 14 2018, @08:39PM
Skepticism, Shape of Despair... and many, many more! [metal-archives.com]
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @05:04PM (5 children)
I remember when San Antonio was considered the heavy metal capital of the world. Those days are long gone... Now all we are known for is the Spurs and fat Hispanics.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday September 14 2018, @05:34PM (1 child)
San Antonio? That's a new one on my. For me, heavy metal only ever existed in the geography of the mind, somewhere between Hades, Gehenna, and Detroit.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 15 2018, @02:42AM
Heavy metal capital is Tampa FL or Birmingham England. San Antionio is a fly-over shithole. Thanks
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @05:44PM (1 child)
As a non-local of San Antonio all I think of when I hear that name is a salsa commercial that probably was for a different city and fat racist Texans.
A quick search turned up https://www.sanantonio.gov/ [sanantonio.gov] so now I will be adding in bad tech sector.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @06:48PM
San Antonio is a very liberal city, as is Austin. You might be thinking of El Paso (and Old El Paso brand salsa), which is about 90% Mexican and also a liberal college town (and consistently rated one of the safest cities in the world).
(Score: 2) by driverless on Thursday September 20 2018, @07:21PM
I thought it was Wacken.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Friday September 14 2018, @07:11PM (2 children)
Back in '90 or so I took a week long cruise in Russia. Spent 36 hours in Helsinki before it started. I got to my hotel about midnight, which was noon my time. Decided to see the city, found a texas bar there. Not kidding, they had sand of the floor, fake cacti, some fake cows in it, and some skeleton steer heads on the walls. With a metal band. A pretty good one, even though I had no idea what the lyrics were.
I think all us metalheads know that, for whatever reason, Finland pumps out more than it's share of Really Good Stuff.
I've heard rumours some hotshot programmer used to live there, but can't quit recall his name. Linus Van Pelt or somesuch.
Bad decisions, great stories
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @07:20PM
It's a natural reaction to all the pietists and Laestadians. I'd bet we'll see some crazy shit come out of the middle east if they ever get freedom of expression.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Saturday September 15 2018, @10:55AM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @07:49PM (4 children)
Am I the only one that thought this article was about mining given the title?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @08:29PM (2 children)
You're not the only one.
I think that's because "metal" is so dead, almost nobody thinks of music when they hear the word.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @08:51PM (1 child)
Oh damn, i missed the memo.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @11:48PM
It's become a small niche genre like jazz that very few people listen to.
It was big in the 70s, 80s, and early 90s. Then, oblivion.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 14 2018, @09:34PM
I thought so also but came here to comment on their bands.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Friday September 14 2018, @10:39PM
Victor Agnello was a high school classmate. One day I was driving him to the other high school so I could loan him a collapsible platform I'd built for its theatre, that he would use that night for a drum stage.
During our drive, Vic hung his head out the window so as to frizz up his hair.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by Rich on Saturday September 15 2018, @01:34PM
I read that 98% of those who learn Finnish today do so, because their cultural ties to the country were formed by heavy metal. I didn't verify that, but it could well be credible. In any case, I suppose the Finnish have no choice but to embrace heavy metal then, if they want to get people around the world interested in their culture.
In fact, I know a student of the Finnish language, which I (no surprise) met at the local metal bar. The funny thing however is, that she mostly listens to lame local pop music now, because that is sung in Finnish, and she wants to understand the lyrics for educational purposes. Most metal bands have English lyrics, and if they sung in the local language, their growls would hardly be understandable :)