Amberian Dawn
Encyclopedia
Amberian Dawn is a Finnish
symphonic power metal band, formed in 2006
by Tuomas Seppälä
and Tommi Kuri. Their third album End of Eden
was released on Spinefarm Records
in October 2010.
's songwriting. The band was named Atheme One and had Peter James Goodman as their lead singer and lyricist. The band released a demo in 2006 featuring four songs, "Dreamchaser", "Velvet Roses", "Burning Touch" and "World of Insanity", three of which would later be remade into Amberian Dawn songs: an instrumental version of "Dreamchaser" appears as a bonus track on River of Tuoni, "Velvet Roses" appears with lyrics by Heidi Parviainen
as "Sons of Seven Stars" on The Clouds of Northland Thunder
and "World of Insanity" appears with new lyrics as "Ghostly Echoes" on End of Eden
.
During the summer of 2006, shortly after the release of the first demo, Seppälä and Kuri began searching for a female vocalist with high technical skills to replace Goodman, feeling he wasn't right for the music. Around the time they placed an ad, they found another for soprano
vocalist Heidi Parviainen
, who had grown tired of her keyboard
duties of Iconofear. After listening to her samples, they decided to set up a demo with her and the band. It turned out that she was exactly what they were looking for, due to her ability to both sing and contribute lyrics, after writing the lyrics to Passing Bells. This completed the band's lineup, now under the name of Amberian Dawn, the result of a day of brainstorming. In spite of having Goodman leave his position as singer, there were no hard feelings between him and the band, and he has made minor appearances on all three Amberian Dawn albums since.
Their first studio session was in fall 2006, where they recorded two songs at the Rockstar Productions studio in Hyvinkää
, Finland. The promotional demo, Amberian Dawn had the two songs "River of Tuoni
" and "Evil Inside Me", both of which would reappear on their debut full-length.
on January 30, 2008, hitting the charts right after release in Finland
. To support the album, the band was the main supporter for Dutch symphonic metal
band Epica
during their summer/autumn European tour, and released a music video
for their hit song "River of Tuoni
" in May 2008.
joined on second guitar, and Seppälä moved permanently to keyboards on the live shows, but has continued to record guitars in the studio.
In January 2009, the band released their second music video
through YouTube
, namely the River of Tuoni track "My Only Star
" alongside footage from the 2008 tour. In May, the band released their second studio album, The Clouds of Northland Thunder
, alongside their new single "He Sleeps in a Grove
" and its music video
, and June introduced the band to their first festival, when they played at the Gibson stage on Sweden Rock festival in Sölvesborg
, Sweden
. In the summer and fall of 2009, they toured with several heavy metal bands, including Kamelot
, Epica
, Sons of Seasons
and Dream Evil
, and played on festivals such as the Metal Female Voices Fest
.
and Sons of Seasons
, and main composer Tuomas Seppälä
already had many new songs finished for a third album. The band soon announced that a demo was finished and that Heidi Parviainen
had started working on lyrics for an album to be released in mid to late 2010,
On July 12, 2010, Amberian Dawn announced that the next album would be called End of Eden
, and released in October. They also reported having signed with Spinefarm Records
, making End of Eden their first album not produced by KHY Suomen Musiikki. The new album was early on reported to be "more diverse, faster and darker than [...] previous albums" and to have "a bigger, more polymorphic sound", to have some of the fastest AD songs yet, and even an entirely classical piece (later revealed to be "Virvatulen Laulu").
On August 23, the band announced the cover art and tracklist of the new album, and at the same time they released an online single, Arctica
, for free download on MySpace
.
The album was released on October 20, alongside the music video
to Arctica
, but at the same time they announced a line-up change. Because of time issues, founding member and bassist Tommi Kuri, drummer Joonas Pykälä-Aho and guitarist Emil Pohjalainen would no longer be part of Amberian Dawn. They were instead replaced with Jukka Koskinen
(Norther
, Wintersun
), Heikki Saari
(Norther
, Naildown
) and Kimmo Korhonen (Waltari
, Helion
), respectively. The new drummer, Heikki Saari
, also used to play with Amberian Dawn in their earliest days, and contributed with drums on two tracks on their River of Tuoni album.
has called their music "fast tempo, guitar driven metal with purely classical female vocals", while several other sources classify them as symphonic power metal, which the band has agreed sums it up, but also points out that there are many different styles that vary from song to song. In a September 2010 interview, Seppälä defines their music: "Amberian Dawn's music is melodic metal, and the roots lie in the Metal and Rock music of the 70s and 80s and maybe a little bit of the '90s. There are a lot of technical skills within the band, so everyone who's not scared of serious guitar and keyboard shredding should listen to our music."
, but Seppälä
has denied any real connection, but also said that any connections are up to the listener seeing as everyone listens to music their own way, and he has pointed out that it's "very funny that no one has yet figured out the real influences behind our music".
Tuomas Seppälä
has called his two big musical heroes Ritchie Blackmore
and the late Ronnie James Dio
, and listed Yngwie Malmsteen and ABBA
as some of his influences.
, who then sends them to Heidi Parviainen
who comes up with their stories and writes the lyrics depending on her mood and inspiration. The lyrics are often influenced by Finnish
and Norse mythology
, and many songs reference the Finnish national poem Kalevala
, most obviously songs such as "Kokko - Eagle of Fire" of The Clouds of Northland Thunder
, and "Sampo" from End of Eden
. The title of their second album The Clouds of Northland Thunder
, as well as a bonus track on End of Eden
with the same title, is a direct quote from the English translation of the Kalevala.
Many other songs have lyrics with their own stories, either retellings of ancient legends, such as "Sons of Seven Stars" which is inspired by the book Seven Brothers
by Aleksis Kivi
, or brand new stories of Parviainen's imagination, such as "Virvatulen Laulu".
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
symphonic power metal band, formed in 2006
2006 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2006.-January:*January 10 – Eric Burdon releases his album Soul of a Man and begins touring with a new band....
by Tuomas Seppälä
Tuomas Seppälä
Tuomas Seppälä is a Finnish guitarist, keyboardist and composer, best known as a founding member and main composer of the Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn...
and Tommi Kuri. Their third album End of Eden
End of Eden
End of Eden is the third studio album by Amberian Dawn, and the first released on Spinefarm Records, previous albums having been released on KHY Suomen Musiikki...
was released on Spinefarm Records
Spinefarm Records
Spinefarm Records is a Finland-based record label focusing mainly on heavy metal artists. In 1999, a sub-label titled Spikefarm Records was started by Sami Tenetz from Thy Serpent...
in October 2010.
Atheme One (2006–2008)
Several of the members that would later form Amberian Dawn previously played in the group Virtuocity, and after Virtuocity's breakup they formed a new band, based on keyboardist and guitarist Tuomas SeppäläTuomas Seppälä
Tuomas Seppälä is a Finnish guitarist, keyboardist and composer, best known as a founding member and main composer of the Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn...
's songwriting. The band was named Atheme One and had Peter James Goodman as their lead singer and lyricist. The band released a demo in 2006 featuring four songs, "Dreamchaser", "Velvet Roses", "Burning Touch" and "World of Insanity", three of which would later be remade into Amberian Dawn songs: an instrumental version of "Dreamchaser" appears as a bonus track on River of Tuoni, "Velvet Roses" appears with lyrics by Heidi Parviainen
Heidi Parviainen
Heidi Parviainen is a Finnish soprano singer, best known as the lead singer of the symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn since 2006...
as "Sons of Seven Stars" on The Clouds of Northland Thunder
The Clouds of Northland Thunder
The Clouds of Northland Thunder is the second full-length studio album by Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn. It was released May 13, 2009...
and "World of Insanity" appears with new lyrics as "Ghostly Echoes" on End of Eden
End of Eden
End of Eden is the third studio album by Amberian Dawn, and the first released on Spinefarm Records, previous albums having been released on KHY Suomen Musiikki...
.
During the summer of 2006, shortly after the release of the first demo, Seppälä and Kuri began searching for a female vocalist with high technical skills to replace Goodman, feeling he wasn't right for the music. Around the time they placed an ad, they found another for soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
vocalist Heidi Parviainen
Heidi Parviainen
Heidi Parviainen is a Finnish soprano singer, best known as the lead singer of the symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn since 2006...
, who had grown tired of her keyboard
Musical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
duties of Iconofear. After listening to her samples, they decided to set up a demo with her and the band. It turned out that she was exactly what they were looking for, due to her ability to both sing and contribute lyrics, after writing the lyrics to Passing Bells. This completed the band's lineup, now under the name of Amberian Dawn, the result of a day of brainstorming. In spite of having Goodman leave his position as singer, there were no hard feelings between him and the band, and he has made minor appearances on all three Amberian Dawn albums since.
Their first studio session was in fall 2006, where they recorded two songs at the Rockstar Productions studio in Hyvinkää
Hyvinkää
Hyvinkää is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in Uusimaa region, approximately north of the capital Helsinki. The town was chartered in 1960. Hyvinkää belongs to the Province of Southern Finland. The population of Hyvinkää is ....
, Finland. The promotional demo, Amberian Dawn had the two songs "River of Tuoni
River of Tuoni (song)
"River of Tuoni" is the first track on Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn's 2008 album, River of Tuoni, as well as the first track ever recorded by the band, and the first on their self-titled demo...
" and "Evil Inside Me", both of which would reappear on their debut full-length.
River of Tuoni (2008)
Amberian Dawn signed a record deal with Finnish label KHY Suomen Musiikki in 2007, and finally recorded their debut album River of Tuoni which was released in FinlandFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
on January 30, 2008, hitting the charts right after release in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. To support the album, the band was the main supporter for Dutch symphonic metal
Symphonic metal
Symphonic metal is a term used to describe heavy metal music that has symphonic elements; that is, elements that are either borrowed from classical music or, as with progressive rock music, create a style reminiscent of it, e.g...
band Epica
Epica (band)
Epica is a Dutch symphonic metal band founded by guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen subsequent to his departure from After Forever. They are known for their symphonic sound and the use of female vocals and male growls performed by Simone Simons and Mark Jansen, respectively. All six members write...
during their summer/autumn European tour, and released a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for their hit song "River of Tuoni
River of Tuoni (song)
"River of Tuoni" is the first track on Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn's 2008 album, River of Tuoni, as well as the first track ever recorded by the band, and the first on their self-titled demo...
" in May 2008.
The Clouds of Northland Thunder (2008–2009)
In late 2008, when the band withdrew from their River of Tuoni tour, band leader Tuomas Seppälä had already finished most songs for a new album, and the recording began almost immediately, but with a few changes in line-up - Emil Pohjalainen of ThaurorodThaurorod
-Discography:Thaurorod recorded three demos and one CD.Thaurorod, 2005*Two Lonely Souls *Empire Falling *New Age Tales of the End, May 2006*Tormented No More *Tales of the End *Elämän Tuli...
joined on second guitar, and Seppälä moved permanently to keyboards on the live shows, but has continued to record guitars in the studio.
In January 2009, the band released their second music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
through YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, namely the River of Tuoni track "My Only Star
My Only Star
"My Only Star" is the sixth track on Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn's 2008 album, River of Tuoni. As all of Amberian Dawn's compositions, the song was composed by band leader Tuomas Seppälä and its lyrics were written by lead singer Heidi Parviainen.- Composition :The song is...
" alongside footage from the 2008 tour. In May, the band released their second studio album, The Clouds of Northland Thunder
The Clouds of Northland Thunder
The Clouds of Northland Thunder is the second full-length studio album by Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn. It was released May 13, 2009...
, alongside their new single "He Sleeps in a Grove
He Sleeps in a Grove
"He Sleeps in a Grove" is a song of Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn's second studio album The Clouds of Northland Thunder, and the first single from the album. The song was released with the album on May 13, 2009.- Music video :...
" and its music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, and June introduced the band to their first festival, when they played at the Gibson stage on Sweden Rock festival in Sölvesborg
Sölvesborg
Sölvesborg is a locality and the seat of Sölvesborg Municipality in Blekinge County, Sweden with 7,883 inhabitants in 2005.Sölvesborg is, despite its small population, for historical reasons normally still referred to as a city...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. In the summer and fall of 2009, they toured with several heavy metal bands, including Kamelot
Kamelot
Kamelot is an American symphonic power metal band from Tampa, Florida. The band was formed by Thomas Youngblood and Richard Warner in 1991. Norwegian vocalist Roy Khan joined for the album Siége Perilous, and shared song-writing duties with Youngblood until his departure in April 2011.As of 2010,...
, Epica
Epica (band)
Epica is a Dutch symphonic metal band founded by guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen subsequent to his departure from After Forever. They are known for their symphonic sound and the use of female vocals and male growls performed by Simone Simons and Mark Jansen, respectively. All six members write...
, Sons of Seasons
Sons of Seasons
Sons of Seasons is a German symphonic metal band formed by Kamelot keyboardist Oliver Palotai. Their debut album Gods of Vermin was released in 2009, and their second album Magnisphyricon was released on April 1, 2011....
and Dream Evil
Dream Evil
Dream Evil is a heavy metal band from Sweden, assembled and integrated by renowned musical producer Fredrik Nordström in 1999.-Biography:Producer Fredrik Nordström had the ambition of creating a power metal band of his own for a long time, but had difficulty finding anyone with musical ideals...
, and played on festivals such as the Metal Female Voices Fest
Metal Female Voices Fest
Metal Female Voices Fest is a heavy metal music festival held annually in Belgium since 2003. It is organized by the Metal Organisation agency. The seventh edition took place at Oktoberhallen in Wieze in the municipality of Lebbeke on October 17 and October 18, 2009.-October 22:*Doro* Leaves' Eyes*...
.
End of Eden (2009–present)
In November 2009, Amberian Dawn settled back in Finland after their tour with EpicaEpica (band)
Epica is a Dutch symphonic metal band founded by guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen subsequent to his departure from After Forever. They are known for their symphonic sound and the use of female vocals and male growls performed by Simone Simons and Mark Jansen, respectively. All six members write...
and Sons of Seasons
Sons of Seasons
Sons of Seasons is a German symphonic metal band formed by Kamelot keyboardist Oliver Palotai. Their debut album Gods of Vermin was released in 2009, and their second album Magnisphyricon was released on April 1, 2011....
, and main composer Tuomas Seppälä
Tuomas Seppälä
Tuomas Seppälä is a Finnish guitarist, keyboardist and composer, best known as a founding member and main composer of the Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn...
already had many new songs finished for a third album. The band soon announced that a demo was finished and that Heidi Parviainen
Heidi Parviainen
Heidi Parviainen is a Finnish soprano singer, best known as the lead singer of the symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn since 2006...
had started working on lyrics for an album to be released in mid to late 2010,
On July 12, 2010, Amberian Dawn announced that the next album would be called End of Eden
End of Eden
End of Eden is the third studio album by Amberian Dawn, and the first released on Spinefarm Records, previous albums having been released on KHY Suomen Musiikki...
, and released in October. They also reported having signed with Spinefarm Records
Spinefarm Records
Spinefarm Records is a Finland-based record label focusing mainly on heavy metal artists. In 1999, a sub-label titled Spikefarm Records was started by Sami Tenetz from Thy Serpent...
, making End of Eden their first album not produced by KHY Suomen Musiikki. The new album was early on reported to be "more diverse, faster and darker than [...] previous albums" and to have "a bigger, more polymorphic sound", to have some of the fastest AD songs yet, and even an entirely classical piece (later revealed to be "Virvatulen Laulu").
On August 23, the band announced the cover art and tracklist of the new album, and at the same time they released an online single, Arctica
Arctica (song)
"Arctica" is a song of Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn's third studio album End of Eden, and the first single from the album. The song was released for free download on MySpace on August 23, 2010, and a music video produced for the song was released on October 20 through YouTube...
, for free download on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
.
The album was released on October 20, alongside the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
to Arctica
Arctica (song)
"Arctica" is a song of Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn's third studio album End of Eden, and the first single from the album. The song was released for free download on MySpace on August 23, 2010, and a music video produced for the song was released on October 20 through YouTube...
, but at the same time they announced a line-up change. Because of time issues, founding member and bassist Tommi Kuri, drummer Joonas Pykälä-Aho and guitarist Emil Pohjalainen would no longer be part of Amberian Dawn. They were instead replaced with Jukka Koskinen
Jukka Koskinen
Jukka Koskinen is the bassist for the Finnish melodic death metal bands Norther, Wintersun, Cain's Offering and, as of 2010, Amberian Dawn.- Personal information :*Date of Birth: 16 July 1981*From: Riihimäki, Finland*Instrument: Bass...
(Norther
Norther
Norther is a Finnish Melodic Death Metal band from Helsinki, Finland.-History:Norther was originally formed by Kristian Ranta, Jukka Koskinen, Tuomas Planman, Petri Lindroos and Toni Hallio in the year 1996 after various of early stage band formations. The band kicked into gear with its debut...
, Wintersun
Wintersun
Wintersun is an extreme metal band from Helsinki, Finland.Wintersun was originally created by guitarist Jari Mäenpää as a side project to folk metal band Ensiferum, for whom he was lead singer and guitarist. In 2003, Mäenpää began culling together songs that he'd been working on since 1995. These...
), Heikki Saari
Heikki Saari
Heikki Saari is the current drummer for the Finnish bands Norther, Tuoni , Naildown, Amberian Dawn and Force Majeure.-Personal information:*Date of Birth: 8 September, 1984*From: Hyvinkää, Finland...
(Norther
Norther
Norther is a Finnish Melodic Death Metal band from Helsinki, Finland.-History:Norther was originally formed by Kristian Ranta, Jukka Koskinen, Tuomas Planman, Petri Lindroos and Toni Hallio in the year 1996 after various of early stage band formations. The band kicked into gear with its debut...
, Naildown
Naildown
Naildown is a Finnish melodic death metal band, originally founded in 2003 under the name Acid Universe.-Biography:After two demos , their first album World Domination was released in 2005. Their latest album, Dreamcrusher, was released on March 14, 2007...
) and Kimmo Korhonen (Waltari
Waltari
Waltari is a band from Finland, known for its diversity and combination of music styles, frequently combining alternative metal, progressive metal, death metal, hard rock, heavy metal, hip hop, industrial, pop, punk, rap, symphonic metal, techno and thrash metal.Most of the band's music is written...
, Helion
Helion
Helion may refer to:*Helion , helium nucleus*Helion *Hélion de Villeneuve , medieval knight*Jean Hélion , French painter*Helion Lodge*Helion, character in John C. Wright's trilogy The Golden Age...
), respectively. The new drummer, Heikki Saari
Heikki Saari
Heikki Saari is the current drummer for the Finnish bands Norther, Tuoni , Naildown, Amberian Dawn and Force Majeure.-Personal information:*Date of Birth: 8 September, 1984*From: Hyvinkää, Finland...
, also used to play with Amberian Dawn in their earliest days, and contributed with drums on two tracks on their River of Tuoni album.
Musical style
Amberian Dawn classify themselves as "melodic, dramatic and powerful metal with female classical vocals," and lead singer Heidi ParviainenHeidi Parviainen
Heidi Parviainen is a Finnish soprano singer, best known as the lead singer of the symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn since 2006...
has called their music "fast tempo, guitar driven metal with purely classical female vocals", while several other sources classify them as symphonic power metal, which the band has agreed sums it up, but also points out that there are many different styles that vary from song to song. In a September 2010 interview, Seppälä defines their music: "Amberian Dawn's music is melodic metal, and the roots lie in the Metal and Rock music of the 70s and 80s and maybe a little bit of the '90s. There are a lot of technical skills within the band, so everyone who's not scared of serious guitar and keyboard shredding should listen to our music."
Influences
Many critics have compared Amberian Dawn to other female fronted metal acts such as NightwishNightwish
Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee, Finland. Formed in 1996 by songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former vocalist Tarja Turunen, Nightwish's current line-up has five members, although Tarja has been replaced by Anette Olzon and the...
, but Seppälä
Tuomas Seppälä
Tuomas Seppälä is a Finnish guitarist, keyboardist and composer, best known as a founding member and main composer of the Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn...
has denied any real connection, but also said that any connections are up to the listener seeing as everyone listens to music their own way, and he has pointed out that it's "very funny that no one has yet figured out the real influences behind our music".
Tuomas Seppälä
Tuomas Seppälä
Tuomas Seppälä is a Finnish guitarist, keyboardist and composer, best known as a founding member and main composer of the Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn...
has called his two big musical heroes Ritchie Blackmore
Ritchie Blackmore
Richard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore is an English guitarist and songwriter, who was known as one of the first guitarists to fuse Classical music elements with rock. He fronted his own band Rainbow after leaving Deep Purple where he was unhappy because his favourite musical style wasn't adequately...
and the late Ronnie James Dio
Ronnie James Dio
Ronald James Padavona , better known as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with, amongst others, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio, which means God in Italian. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser...
, and listed Yngwie Malmsteen and ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
as some of his influences.
Lyrical themes
All Amberian Dawn songs are composed by Tuomas SeppäläTuomas Seppälä
Tuomas Seppälä is a Finnish guitarist, keyboardist and composer, best known as a founding member and main composer of the Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn...
, who then sends them to Heidi Parviainen
Heidi Parviainen
Heidi Parviainen is a Finnish soprano singer, best known as the lead singer of the symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn since 2006...
who comes up with their stories and writes the lyrics depending on her mood and inspiration. The lyrics are often influenced by Finnish
Finnish mythology
Finnish mythology is the mythology that went with Finnish paganism which was practised by the Finnish people prior to Christianisation. It has many features shared with fellow Finnic Estonian mythology and its non-Finnic neighbours, the Balts and the Scandinavians...
and Norse mythology
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
, and many songs reference the Finnish national poem Kalevala
Kalevala
The Kalevala is a 19th century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and mythology.It is regarded as the national epic of Finland and is one of the most significant works of Finnish literature...
, most obviously songs such as "Kokko - Eagle of Fire" of The Clouds of Northland Thunder
The Clouds of Northland Thunder
The Clouds of Northland Thunder is the second full-length studio album by Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn. It was released May 13, 2009...
, and "Sampo" from End of Eden
End of Eden
End of Eden is the third studio album by Amberian Dawn, and the first released on Spinefarm Records, previous albums having been released on KHY Suomen Musiikki...
. The title of their second album The Clouds of Northland Thunder
The Clouds of Northland Thunder
The Clouds of Northland Thunder is the second full-length studio album by Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn. It was released May 13, 2009...
, as well as a bonus track on End of Eden
End of Eden
End of Eden is the third studio album by Amberian Dawn, and the first released on Spinefarm Records, previous albums having been released on KHY Suomen Musiikki...
with the same title, is a direct quote from the English translation of the Kalevala.
Many other songs have lyrics with their own stories, either retellings of ancient legends, such as "Sons of Seven Stars" which is inspired by the book Seven Brothers
Seven Brothers
Seven Brothers is the first and only novel by Aleksis Kivi, the national author of Finland, and it is widely regarded as the first significant novel written in Finnish and by a Finnish-speaking author. Published in 1870, Seven Brothers ended an era dominated by Swedish-speaking authors, most...
by Aleksis Kivi
Aleksis Kivi
Aleksis Kivi , born Alexis Stenvall, was a Finnish author who wrote the first significant novel in the Finnish language, Seven Brothers...
, or brand new stories of Parviainen's imagination, such as "Virvatulen Laulu".
Current lineup
- Heidi ParviainenHeidi ParviainenHeidi Parviainen is a Finnish soprano singer, best known as the lead singer of the symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn since 2006...
– vocals (2006-present) - Tuomas SeppäläTuomas SeppäläTuomas Seppälä is a Finnish guitarist, keyboardist and composer, best known as a founding member and main composer of the Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn...
– keyboards (2008-present), guitar (2006-2008), songwriting - Kasperi HeikkinenKasperi HeikkinenKasperi Heikkinen is a guitar player who is best known as a member of Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn. He is also the guitarist for Finnish Metal bands Merging Flare as well as Guardians of Mankind which is a Gamma Ray tribute band...
– guitar (2007-present) - Kimmo Korhonen – guitar (2010-present)
- Jukka KoskinenJukka KoskinenJukka Koskinen is the bassist for the Finnish melodic death metal bands Norther, Wintersun, Cain's Offering and, as of 2010, Amberian Dawn.- Personal information :*Date of Birth: 16 July 1981*From: Riihimäki, Finland*Instrument: Bass...
– bass (2010-present) - Heikki SaariHeikki SaariHeikki Saari is the current drummer for the Finnish bands Norther, Tuoni , Naildown, Amberian Dawn and Force Majeure.-Personal information:*Date of Birth: 8 September, 1984*From: Hyvinkää, Finland...
– drums (2006-2008 session, 2010-present)
Former members
- Sampo Seppälä – guitar (2006-2007)
- Emil Pohjalainen – guitar (2008-2010)
- Tommi Kuri - bass (2006-2010)
- Tom Sagar – keyboards (2006-2008)
- Joonas Pykälä-Aho – drums (2006-2010)
Studio albums
- River of TuoniRiver of Tuoni (album)River of Tuoni is the first full-length studio album by Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn.The songs "River of Tuoni" and "My Only Star" from the album were the first Amberian Dawn tracks to have a music video recorded, in May of 2008 and January of 2009 respectively.The bonus track...
(2008) - The Clouds of Northland ThunderThe Clouds of Northland ThunderThe Clouds of Northland Thunder is the second full-length studio album by Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn. It was released May 13, 2009...
(2009) - End of EdenEnd of EdenEnd of Eden is the third studio album by Amberian Dawn, and the first released on Spinefarm Records, previous albums having been released on KHY Suomen Musiikki...
(2010) - TBA
Singles and demos
- Amberian Dawn (demo) (2006)
- He Sleeps in a GroveHe Sleeps in a Grove"He Sleeps in a Grove" is a song of Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn's second studio album The Clouds of Northland Thunder, and the first single from the album. The song was released with the album on May 13, 2009.- Music video :...
(2009) - ArcticaArctica (song)"Arctica" is a song of Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn's third studio album End of Eden, and the first single from the album. The song was released for free download on MySpace on August 23, 2010, and a music video produced for the song was released on October 20 through YouTube...
(2010)
Music videos
- River of TuoniRiver of Tuoni (song)"River of Tuoni" is the first track on Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn's 2008 album, River of Tuoni, as well as the first track ever recorded by the band, and the first on their self-titled demo...
(2008) - My Only StarMy Only Star"My Only Star" is the sixth track on Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn's 2008 album, River of Tuoni. As all of Amberian Dawn's compositions, the song was composed by band leader Tuomas Seppälä and its lyrics were written by lead singer Heidi Parviainen.- Composition :The song is...
(2009) - He Sleeps in a GroveHe Sleeps in a Grove"He Sleeps in a Grove" is a song of Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn's second studio album The Clouds of Northland Thunder, and the first single from the album. The song was released with the album on May 13, 2009.- Music video :...
(2009) - ArcticaArctica (song)"Arctica" is a song of Finnish symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn's third studio album End of Eden, and the first single from the album. The song was released for free download on MySpace on August 23, 2010, and a music video produced for the song was released on October 20 through YouTube...
(2010)