Deuteronomium (band)
Encyclopedia
Deuteronomium is a Christian
death metal
band formed in 1993, Jyväskylä
, Finland
. Deuteronomium had a notable role in creating the Finnish Christian metal scene as they were one of the earliest and most influential groups pioneering in that genre.
Deuteronomium are together with Immortal Souls
the only remaining bands of the first wave of Finnish Christian extreme metal that are currently active. Their first EP Tribal Eagle is, according to Ristillinen magazine, the first Finnish Christian metal CD. Tribal Eagle
and debut album Street Corner Queen
are also noted as pieces of Christian metal history. Bassist Manu Lehtinen and guitarist/vocalist Miika Partala - also known for the bands Stoner Kings, Icon Clan, No Man's Band and Feiled
, established the record label Little Rose Productions that would remarkably help developing the Finnish Christian metal scene by importing Christian metal albums to Finland and signing bands such as Immortal Souls. During the peak of their career before the band split up for six years in 2001, Deuteronomium became an internationally known group: at one point they headlined foreign festivals such as Seaside festival in Norway with Narnia and Newsboys
as support acts. It is also notable that Deuteronomium was previously sponsored by Dr Pepper
. Deuteronomium began influencing later bands such as the Ukrainian folk metallers Holy Blood. In June 2006 the band played a comeback concert as the headliner at the biggest non-alcoholic Mid Summer festival in Finland, OHM-Fest. Deuteronomium shot a DVD titled Spelled Alive of the comeback concert. In December 2006 the band officially reformed and soon headlined the biggest Christian metal festival in Finland, Immortal Metal Fest.
The band themselves dub their style as death 'n' roll
– a bizarre combination of death metal, black metal, classic rock, punk rock, jazz and funk metal. Deuteronomium became known for their unusual song material on the albums Street Corner Queen and Here to Stay. Deuteronomium toured regularly and eventually many knew the band in the metal scene. Their reputation became so extraordinary that nowadays some cite Deuteronomium as a 'metal legend'. Some of the best known Deuteronomium songs are "Spell of Hell", "Northern Praise" and "Crosshope". In August 2008, the band released its third album titled From the Midst of the Battle
, which on August 20, peaked at number 11 on the Official Finnish Top 40 Album Chart.
called DBM (Destroyer of Black Metal) which is known to be the very first Christian extreme metal group in Finland. DBM released two demos, Death of a Soul (1990) and Slayer of Evil (1991) before the Lehtinen brothers left the band due to the distance between Laukaa
and Kokkola. Aki Särkioja, who would form Immortal Souls
with his brother Esa in December 1991, also played in DBM for a short while until the band changed their name to Cathacomb and split up after releasing few demos.
In 1991 Manu Lehtinen had the name and logo ready for Deuteronomium, but it wasn't until 1993 when he formed the band with his brother Jarno. While Deuteronomium means the fifth Book of the Hebrew Bible, Deuteronomy
, Manu Lehtinen chose the name because he thought that "it looked cool, is hard to spell, so it was a perfect name for a metal band!" In the beginning their style was more straightforward death metal and grindcore with Vengeance Rising
, Mortification
, Cannibal Corpse
and Carcass
as their influences. They were soon joined by guitarists Miika Partala and Tapio Laakso. Miika Partala immediately proved to be a talented guitarist. They played their first gig on December 3, 1993. After that Deuteronomium recorded their first demo tape titled Paths of Righteousness which became popular in certain circles. between 1993-1994 Jarmo Lehtinen and Tapio Laakso left the band. They were replaced by Kalle Paju (guitar) and Ali Hassinen (drums). After some gigs Deuteronomium lost their rehearsal place. The band went on a hiatus.
In 1996 Deuteronomium entered the studio Watercastle, where they would records most of their catalogue, and recorded their first EP titled Tribal Eagle
. On this EP their style began to take the direction they later dubbed as death and roll. Basically Tribal Eagle combines melodic and old school death metal with some punk rock and black metal influences. "Thinking" is the only Deuteronomium song that incorporates traditional death grunt vocalization. Tribal Eagle was published as a self-financed release. The EP was well-received and gained enthusiasm outside Finland. Tribal Eagle is the first Finnish Christian metal CD and a piece of Christian metal history. Janne-Jussi Kontoniemi replased Johnny Pesonen as a drummer after the release.
, Lament (from Mexico, formerly on Rowe Productions) and Mordecai. Some of the notable releases were Immortal Souls / Mordecai split-CD Divine Wintertime / Through the Woods, Towards the Dawn Immortal Soul's debut album Under the Northern Sky, the compilation albums From Kaamos to Midnight Sun and The Metal Rose Collection; all well-known releases in the Christian metal scene, some even cited as pieces of Christian metal history.
Later in 1998, Deuteronomium recorded their first studio album titled Street Corner Queen
under their label. With this release they wanted to be pioneering and experimented with different styles such as reggae, funk metal and others seldom heard in extreme metal. They also tried writing as artistic lyrics as possible without hiding the message, using everything from bonsai trees to ravens as metaphors about social issues. The result divided opinions of the critics and fans: especially "Human Nature" – which experiments with rap and reggae – and "Bonsai People" – a pure funk metal track – caused controversy yet made Deuteronomium much more famous in the metal scene. The album was noted for being diverse, original and creative. "Spell of Hell", musically being a pure melodic black metal track with a message warning about the horrors of Hell, became their widely best known song. The album was distributed through label's catalogue and almost worldwide in Christian bookstores. Street Corner Queen was released on May 20, 1998. The release gig was held in the rock club Lutakko with Hallowed as the support act.
In 1999 Deuteronomium entered the studio again and recorded new material. They first released a single called To Die and Gain. During that period they also changed their old extreme metal logo to a more simplified version. All of a sudden the band received a phone call from club Lutakko inquiring whether Deuteronomium could open for the rock metal band Sentenced
– a well-known Finnish group – on February 6. It was Deuteronomium's biggest gig at that point of their career. According to Deuteronomium, they were well-received by the audience who had come to see Sentenced although many were surprised that Deuternomium is a Christian band when the band told about their faith. The members of Sentenced were divided in two when they heard who their support act was. Others didn't even greet them while others came to talk to Deuteronomium members during the pauses.
Their second album titled Here to Stay, which took a more straightforward death and roll approach, abandoning the previous experimental elements, was released in summer of 1999. Often compared to later Entombed
, Gorefest
, Heartwork
-era Carcass
or 1990s material of Napalm Death
, Here to Stay is a mix between melodic death metal and punk rock with a more laid-back lyrical style. Here to Stay was received somewhat better than Street Corner Queen.
Constantly playing live shows and releasing their second album, Deuteronomium became well-known in Finnish metal scene as there were bizarre rumours about them. One example being: "Deuteronomium played a gig at metal bar Valhalla in Kuopio, and after the concert a member of a Finnish black metal band Barathrum
stabbed their drummer with a knife." In reality, some members had been to that bar but Deuteronomium never performed there.
, Holland at a youth church. Three days later they played at club Nighttown in Rotterdam
as they opened for the Australian extreme power trio Mortification
who were on their Hammer of God tour. Through Little Rose Productions, Manu Lehtinen arranged Mortification to Finland, where they played four days later at the club Tullikamarin Pakkahuone, Tampere
, again with Deuteronomium as the support act.
March 25 in 2000 Deuteronomium played at Bobfest in Klubben, Sweden
with some of the best known names in Christian metal: Antestor
, Crimson Moonlight
, Veni Domine
and Sanctifica. During that time, Bobfest was the biggest Christian metal festival in Europe. June 30 the band returned to Rotterdam
where they played at Baroeg - a famous underground metal club. Deuteronomium was the first Christian band to play there. Next day Deuteronomium travelled to Norway
where they headlined Seaside festival with Narnia, Silver and Newsboys
as support acts. At that point Deuteronomium had become one of the best known Christian extreme metal bands in Europe.
. June 20 they played at Heavy und Biker club, Oelsnitz
/Erzebirgen with death metal band Sacrificium
. The black metal fans that showed up weren't pleased when they found out Deuteronomium is a Christian band. June 30 they played at club Che in Stuttgart
with Sacrificium and Acoustic Torment. The third and last gig was played at the countryside of Gotha
, Freakstock festival with speed/power metal band Seventh Avenue
. That gig marked the end of Deuteronomium's active era.
It is notable than in 2000, Markus "Black Raven" Vainionpää won The Annual Air Guitar World Championship contest by performing Deuteronomium's song "Crosshope" - from the Tribal Eagle EP.
Deuteronomium officially split up in 2001. They released Street Corner Queen and Tribal Eagle as a digipak edition with One Bad Pig
cover song of "Red River" as a bonus track. After that Manu Lehtinen Sold his Little Rose record selling business rights to Lasse Niskala and Päivi Niemi who would form Maanalainen Levykauppa - The Underground Record Store. During the years the band members went to seraparate ways. Manu Lehtinen formed a melancholic rock band called Vaskikäärme (Finnish word for Anguis fragilis
) in which he sings and plays guitar. Miika Partala played in No Man's Band, Icon Clan, Stoner Kings (with ex-Hallowed vocalist and wrestling professional Michael "Starbuck" Majalahti) and Feiled
.
December 24 they announced a comeback on their website. May 19 they headlined Immortal Metal Fest with Sacrificium
as the support act.
On March 2008, Deuteronomium announced that they are recording a new album for the first time since 1999's Here to Stay -album. The new album will be titled From the Midst of the Battle, and it will be released by Bulroser Records on March 2008. The album will be released in a special book cover digipak edition that will include the CD as well as a full live concert from their performance at the True Attitude event, Heinola
, Finland, a studio diary, and a concert travel documentary of their performance at Elements of Rock, Switzerland. The album will feature such special guests as Christian Palin (Random Eyes), Oula Siipola (Lumina Polaris), Kristiina Holländer, Mikko Härkin
(ex-Sonata Arctica
, Mehida
) and Claudio Enzler (Sacrificium
). The last song of the album is a 10+ minute epic featuring such special instruments as kantele
.
On August 20, 2008, From the Midst of the Battle
peaked at number 11 on the Finnish Top 40 Charts. The album received positive reception. After the release, they performed at the Dutch Flevo Festival and had a 12 show tour in seven European countries with Immortal Souls. In April 2009 the band released a vinyl-EP titled Retaliatory Strike, featuring leftover songs from the previous recording session as well as the title cover song by the Christian thrash metal band Betrayal. Deuteronomium played at the Finnish summer metal festivals Sauna Open Air, Tampere, and DBTL, Turku. Later in 2009, for the first time in their career, Deuteronomium played outside Europe, a 9-show tour in Mexico.
On February 2011, the band announced that their next album will be titled Deathbed Poetry – Hope Against Hope. A concept album, Manu stated that it is based on a book by the English poet and priest John Donne
(1572–1631) called Devotions upon Emergent Occasions
.
Christian metal
Christian metal, also known as white metal, is a form of heavy metal music usually defined by its message in a song's lyrics as well as the band's dedication to Christianity...
death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band formed in 1993, Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä is the capital of Central Finland and the largest city on the Finnish Lakeland, north-east of Tampere and north of Helsinki, on northern coast of lake Päijänne. The city has been continuously one of the most rapidly growing cities in Finland since World War II. The city is surrounded...
, 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...
. Deuteronomium had a notable role in creating the Finnish Christian metal scene as they were one of the earliest and most influential groups pioneering in that genre.
Deuteronomium are together with Immortal Souls
Immortal Souls
Immortal Souls is a melodic death metal band from Kokkola, Finland, formed in 1991. They released a split album and their debut on Little Rose Productions in late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2002 Immortal Souls signed with Dutch label Fear Dark which released their second and third album as well as a...
the only remaining bands of the first wave of Finnish Christian extreme metal that are currently active. Their first EP Tribal Eagle is, according to Ristillinen magazine, the first Finnish Christian metal CD. Tribal Eagle
Tribal Eagle
Tribal Eagle is the first studio EP by the Finnish Christian death metal band Deuteronomium, recorded in 1996 Studio Watercastle, published as self-financed release in 1997 and in 1998 by Little Rose Productions. Tribal Eagle is widely regarded as the first Finnish Christian metal CD...
and debut album Street Corner Queen
Street Corner Queen
Street Corner Queen is the first studio album by the Finnish Christian death metal band Deuteronomium, recorded in Studio Watercastle, Jyväskylä and published by Little Rose Productions on May 20, 1998...
are also noted as pieces of Christian metal history. Bassist Manu Lehtinen and guitarist/vocalist Miika Partala - also known for the bands Stoner Kings, Icon Clan, No Man's Band and Feiled
Feiled
FEILED is a band. Front man Anton Laurila came up with the name for the band at a moment when he felt as though he was a failed person, wrote something about it down and misspelled the word "Failed" with "Feiled"; He thought it was a great name for a band....
, established the record label Little Rose Productions that would remarkably help developing the Finnish Christian metal scene by importing Christian metal albums to Finland and signing bands such as Immortal Souls. During the peak of their career before the band split up for six years in 2001, Deuteronomium became an internationally known group: at one point they headlined foreign festivals such as Seaside festival in Norway with Narnia and Newsboys
Newsboys
Newsboys are a Christian pop rock band founded in 1985 in Mooloolaba, Australia. They have released 15 studio albums, six of which have been certified gold...
as support acts. It is also notable that Deuteronomium was previously sponsored by Dr Pepper
Dr Pepper
Dr Pepper is a soft drink, marketed as having a unique flavor. The drink was created in the 1880s by Charles Alderton of Waco, Texas and first served around 1885. Dr Pepper was first nationally marketed in the United States in 1904 and is now also sold in Europe, Asia, Canada, Mexico, Australia ...
. Deuteronomium began influencing later bands such as the Ukrainian folk metallers Holy Blood. In June 2006 the band played a comeback concert as the headliner at the biggest non-alcoholic Mid Summer festival in Finland, OHM-Fest. Deuteronomium shot a DVD titled Spelled Alive of the comeback concert. In December 2006 the band officially reformed and soon headlined the biggest Christian metal festival in Finland, Immortal Metal Fest.
The band themselves dub their style as death 'n' roll
Death 'n' roll
Death 'n' roll is a term used to describe the sound of death metal bands which incorporate rock and roll inspiration elements to its overall sound. The term is a portmanteau of death metal and rock n' roll...
– a bizarre combination of death metal, black metal, classic rock, punk rock, jazz and funk metal. Deuteronomium became known for their unusual song material on the albums Street Corner Queen and Here to Stay. Deuteronomium toured regularly and eventually many knew the band in the metal scene. Their reputation became so extraordinary that nowadays some cite Deuteronomium as a 'metal legend'. Some of the best known Deuteronomium songs are "Spell of Hell", "Northern Praise" and "Crosshope". In August 2008, the band released its third album titled From the Midst of the Battle
From the Midst of the Battle
From the Midst of the Battle is the third full-length album by the Finnish death metal band Deuteronomium, released on August 13, 2008 by Bullroser Records. During its release on the 34th week, From the Midst of the Battle peaked at number 11 on the Official Finnish Album Chart...
, which on August 20, peaked at number 11 on the Official Finnish Top 40 Album Chart.
Background
In 1990, brothers Jarno and Manu Lehtinen were invited to play in a band from KokkolaKokkola
Kokkola is a town and municipality of Finland.The town is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Central Ostrobothnia region. The town has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is...
called DBM (Destroyer of Black Metal) which is known to be the very first Christian extreme metal group in Finland. DBM released two demos, Death of a Soul (1990) and Slayer of Evil (1991) before the Lehtinen brothers left the band due to the distance between Laukaa
Laukaa
Laukaa is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland, next to Jyväskylä and is part of the Central Finland region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is....
and Kokkola. Aki Särkioja, who would form Immortal Souls
Immortal Souls
Immortal Souls is a melodic death metal band from Kokkola, Finland, formed in 1991. They released a split album and their debut on Little Rose Productions in late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2002 Immortal Souls signed with Dutch label Fear Dark which released their second and third album as well as a...
with his brother Esa in December 1991, also played in DBM for a short while until the band changed their name to Cathacomb and split up after releasing few demos.
In 1991 Manu Lehtinen had the name and logo ready for Deuteronomium, but it wasn't until 1993 when he formed the band with his brother Jarno. While Deuteronomium means the fifth Book of the Hebrew Bible, Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy
The Book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible, and of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch...
, Manu Lehtinen chose the name because he thought that "it looked cool, is hard to spell, so it was a perfect name for a metal band!" In the beginning their style was more straightforward death metal and grindcore with Vengeance Rising
Vengeance Rising
Vengeance Rising is an American Christian thrash metal band from Los Angeles, CA. Fronted by vocalist Roger Martinez, they originally formed as Vengeance in 1987, but changed their name in 1989 to avoid conflict with another band from the Netherlands...
, Mortification
Mortification (band)
Mortification is an Australian Christian extreme metal band which was formed in 1987 as a heavy metal group, Lightforce, by mainstay Steve Rowe on bass guitar and vocals. By 1990, in the Melbourne suburb of Moorabbin, they were renamed as Mortification with the line-up of Rowe, Michael Carlisle on...
, Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band from Buffalo, New York. Formed in 1988, the band has released eleven studio albums, one box set, and one live album...
and Carcass
Carcass (band)
Carcass are an extreme metal band from England, who formed in 1985 and disbanded in 1995. A reunion was enacted in 2008 without one of its original members, drummer Ken Owen, due to health reasons....
as their influences. They were soon joined by guitarists Miika Partala and Tapio Laakso. Miika Partala immediately proved to be a talented guitarist. They played their first gig on December 3, 1993. After that Deuteronomium recorded their first demo tape titled Paths of Righteousness which became popular in certain circles. between 1993-1994 Jarmo Lehtinen and Tapio Laakso left the band. They were replaced by Kalle Paju (guitar) and Ali Hassinen (drums). After some gigs Deuteronomium lost their rehearsal place. The band went on a hiatus.
New Era
In 1995 Deuteronomium reformed with line-up Manu Lehtinen, Miika Partala, Johnny Pesonen ja Jari Mantour. Miika Partala took on the vocal duties. Deuteronomium soon recorded their second demo titled Crosshope. They attended a local bandcontest held in rock club Lutakko, Jyväskylä and played a few gigs at the Jyväskylä area.In 1996 Deuteronomium entered the studio Watercastle, where they would records most of their catalogue, and recorded their first EP titled Tribal Eagle
Tribal Eagle
Tribal Eagle is the first studio EP by the Finnish Christian death metal band Deuteronomium, recorded in 1996 Studio Watercastle, published as self-financed release in 1997 and in 1998 by Little Rose Productions. Tribal Eagle is widely regarded as the first Finnish Christian metal CD...
. On this EP their style began to take the direction they later dubbed as death and roll. Basically Tribal Eagle combines melodic and old school death metal with some punk rock and black metal influences. "Thinking" is the only Deuteronomium song that incorporates traditional death grunt vocalization. Tribal Eagle was published as a self-financed release. The EP was well-received and gained enthusiasm outside Finland. Tribal Eagle is the first Finnish Christian metal CD and a piece of Christian metal history. Janne-Jussi Kontoniemi replased Johnny Pesonen as a drummer after the release.
Little Rose Productions
In 1998 Manu Lehtinen and Miika Partala formed a company called Little Rose Productions. Their intention was to give diversity to the Finnish Christian music culture by importing Christian metal CDs to Finland and sell them. Little Rose was also a record label that signed Christian metal bands. Four bands were on their roster: Deuteronomium, Immortal SoulsImmortal Souls
Immortal Souls is a melodic death metal band from Kokkola, Finland, formed in 1991. They released a split album and their debut on Little Rose Productions in late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2002 Immortal Souls signed with Dutch label Fear Dark which released their second and third album as well as a...
, Lament (from Mexico, formerly on Rowe Productions) and Mordecai. Some of the notable releases were Immortal Souls / Mordecai split-CD Divine Wintertime / Through the Woods, Towards the Dawn Immortal Soul's debut album Under the Northern Sky, the compilation albums From Kaamos to Midnight Sun and The Metal Rose Collection; all well-known releases in the Christian metal scene, some even cited as pieces of Christian metal history.
Later in 1998, Deuteronomium recorded their first studio album titled Street Corner Queen
Street Corner Queen
Street Corner Queen is the first studio album by the Finnish Christian death metal band Deuteronomium, recorded in Studio Watercastle, Jyväskylä and published by Little Rose Productions on May 20, 1998...
under their label. With this release they wanted to be pioneering and experimented with different styles such as reggae, funk metal and others seldom heard in extreme metal. They also tried writing as artistic lyrics as possible without hiding the message, using everything from bonsai trees to ravens as metaphors about social issues. The result divided opinions of the critics and fans: especially "Human Nature" – which experiments with rap and reggae – and "Bonsai People" – a pure funk metal track – caused controversy yet made Deuteronomium much more famous in the metal scene. The album was noted for being diverse, original and creative. "Spell of Hell", musically being a pure melodic black metal track with a message warning about the horrors of Hell, became their widely best known song. The album was distributed through label's catalogue and almost worldwide in Christian bookstores. Street Corner Queen was released on May 20, 1998. The release gig was held in the rock club Lutakko with Hallowed as the support act.
In 1999 Deuteronomium entered the studio again and recorded new material. They first released a single called To Die and Gain. During that period they also changed their old extreme metal logo to a more simplified version. All of a sudden the band received a phone call from club Lutakko inquiring whether Deuteronomium could open for the rock metal band Sentenced
Sentenced
Sentenced was a Finnish heavy metal band that played melodic death metal in their early years. The band formed in 1989, in the town of Muhos, Finland, and broke up in 2005.-Early years :...
– a well-known Finnish group – on February 6. It was Deuteronomium's biggest gig at that point of their career. According to Deuteronomium, they were well-received by the audience who had come to see Sentenced although many were surprised that Deuternomium is a Christian band when the band told about their faith. The members of Sentenced were divided in two when they heard who their support act was. Others didn't even greet them while others came to talk to Deuteronomium members during the pauses.
Their second album titled Here to Stay, which took a more straightforward death and roll approach, abandoning the previous experimental elements, was released in summer of 1999. Often compared to later Entombed
Entombed (band)
Entombed is a Swedish death metal band which formed in 1987 under the name of Nihilist. Though Entombed began their career as an early pioneer of Scandinavian death metal which initially differed itself from its American counterpart with its distinct guitar tone, by the early 1990s their sound had...
, Gorefest
Gorefest
Gorefest was a Dutch band from the Zeeland region of the Netherlands which was founded in 1988 as a death metal outfit by De Koeyer, Harthoorn, van Schaik and Hoogendoorn.-History:...
, Heartwork
Heartwork
Heartwork is the fourth album by metal band Carcass, released through Earache Records in 1993. The album was recorded at Parr Street Studios, Liverpool between May 18 and June 21, 1993....
-era Carcass
Carcass (band)
Carcass are an extreme metal band from England, who formed in 1985 and disbanded in 1995. A reunion was enacted in 2008 without one of its original members, drummer Ken Owen, due to health reasons....
or 1990s material of Napalm Death
Napalm Death
Napalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...
, Here to Stay is a mix between melodic death metal and punk rock with a more laid-back lyrical style. Here to Stay was received somewhat better than Street Corner Queen.
Constantly playing live shows and releasing their second album, Deuteronomium became well-known in Finnish metal scene as there were bizarre rumours about them. One example being: "Deuteronomium played a gig at metal bar Valhalla in Kuopio, and after the concert a member of a Finnish black metal band Barathrum
Barathrum
Barathrum is a Finnish black doom band. They originate from Kuopio but have since re-located to Helsinki. The first letters of their full-length albums spell "HEIL SOVA" , which completes their original eight-album plan. However, there have been rumours about a new record ever since the Anno Aspera...
stabbed their drummer with a knife." In reality, some members had been to that bar but Deuteronomium never performed there.
Foreign Concerts
In 1999 Deuteronomum had become well-known enough to play foreign concerts. Deuteronomium played their first gig outside Finland on June 27, 1999 GoudaGouda
Gouda is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Gouda, which was granted city rights in 1272, is famous for its Gouda cheese, smoking pipes, and 15th-century city hall....
, Holland at a youth church. Three days later they played at club Nighttown in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
as they opened for the Australian extreme power trio Mortification
Mortification (band)
Mortification is an Australian Christian extreme metal band which was formed in 1987 as a heavy metal group, Lightforce, by mainstay Steve Rowe on bass guitar and vocals. By 1990, in the Melbourne suburb of Moorabbin, they were renamed as Mortification with the line-up of Rowe, Michael Carlisle on...
who were on their Hammer of God tour. Through Little Rose Productions, Manu Lehtinen arranged Mortification to Finland, where they played four days later at the club Tullikamarin Pakkahuone, Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
, again with Deuteronomium as the support act.
March 25 in 2000 Deuteronomium played at Bobfest in Klubben, 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....
with some of the best known names in Christian metal: Antestor
Antestor
Antestor is an extreme metal band formed in 1990 in Jessheim, Norway. Credited for starting the whole northern European Christian extreme metal scene, Antestor is the only Christian band to have an album released by Cacophonous Records, which has also released records by bands such as Dimmu Borgir,...
, Crimson Moonlight
Crimson Moonlight
Crimson Moonlight is a Swedish Christian black metal band which was formed in the summer of 1997 with the mere intention of recording a primitive old school black metal demo and playing one show before breaking up. However, the breakup never happened, and they have since recorded two EPs and two...
, Veni Domine
Veni Domine
Veni Domine is a Christian progressive doom metal band. The band was founded in 1987 in Sollentuna, Sweden.Veni Domine combines down-tempo melodic heavy metal, symphonic metal and doom metal with occasional touches of gothic. Originally, the vocalist Fredrik Ohlsson represented operatic,...
and Sanctifica. During that time, Bobfest was the biggest Christian metal festival in Europe. June 30 the band returned to Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
where they played at Baroeg - a famous underground metal club. Deuteronomium was the first Christian band to play there. Next day Deuteronomium travelled to Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
where they headlined Seaside festival with Narnia, Silver and Newsboys
Newsboys
Newsboys are a Christian pop rock band founded in 1985 in Mooloolaba, Australia. They have released 15 studio albums, six of which have been certified gold...
as support acts. At that point Deuteronomium had become one of the best known Christian extreme metal bands in Europe.
Splitting up
In 2000 Miika Partala announced that he was going to leave the band as did Janne-Jussi Kontoniemi. They decided to play the remaining gigs in Deuteronomium. During June 2000 they played three gigs in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. June 20 they played at Heavy und Biker club, Oelsnitz
Oelsnitz
Oelsnitz may refer to two towns in Saxony, Germany:* Oelsnitz, Vogtland, in the Vogtlandkreis district* Oelsnitz, Erzgebirge, in the district of Stollberg...
/Erzebirgen with death metal band Sacrificium
Sacrificium
Sacrificium is a death metal band from Stuttgart, Germany, formed in 1993. The band made its breakthrough in the metal scene with its 2002 album Cold Black Piece of Flesh. The second album Escaping the Stupor was released on Black Lotus Records...
. The black metal fans that showed up weren't pleased when they found out Deuteronomium is a Christian band. June 30 they played at club Che in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
with Sacrificium and Acoustic Torment. The third and last gig was played at the countryside of Gotha
Gotha (town)
Gotha is a town in Thuringia, within the central core of Germany. It is the capital of the district of Gotha.- History :The town has existed at least since the 8th century, when it was mentioned in a document signed by Charlemagne as Villa Gotaha . Its importance derives from having been chosen in...
, Freakstock festival with speed/power metal band Seventh Avenue
Seventh Avenue
-Streets and transportation:* Seventh Avenue , a street in Manhattan, New York City, New York* Seventh Avenue, Newark, New Jersey, a neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey...
. That gig marked the end of Deuteronomium's active era.
It is notable than in 2000, Markus "Black Raven" Vainionpää won The Annual Air Guitar World Championship contest by performing Deuteronomium's song "Crosshope" - from the Tribal Eagle EP.
Deuteronomium officially split up in 2001. They released Street Corner Queen and Tribal Eagle as a digipak edition with One Bad Pig
One Bad Pig
One Bad Pig is a Christian punk and metal crossover band from Austin, Texas which formed in 1985. The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music describes them as "Quite possibly the most popular hard-punk act ever to arise within the Christian music scene." They were known for their mischief and...
cover song of "Red River" as a bonus track. After that Manu Lehtinen Sold his Little Rose record selling business rights to Lasse Niskala and Päivi Niemi who would form Maanalainen Levykauppa - The Underground Record Store. During the years the band members went to seraparate ways. Manu Lehtinen formed a melancholic rock band called Vaskikäärme (Finnish word for Anguis fragilis
Anguis fragilis
Anguis fragilis, or slow worm, slow-worm or slowworm, is a limbless reptile native to Eurasia. It is also sometimes referred to as the blindworm or blind worm, though the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds considers this to be incorrect.Slow worms are semi-fossorial lizards spending much...
) in which he sings and plays guitar. Miika Partala played in No Man's Band, Icon Clan, Stoner Kings (with ex-Hallowed vocalist and wrestling professional Michael "Starbuck" Majalahti) and Feiled
Feiled
FEILED is a band. Front man Anton Laurila came up with the name for the band at a moment when he felt as though he was a failed person, wrote something about it down and misspelled the word "Failed" with "Feiled"; He thought it was a great name for a band....
.
Comeback
In 2006 a Finnish Mid Summer event, OHM-Fest, announced Deuteronomium as their headliner claiming that the band would play a one-off show. Deuteronomium played an almost two hour set of songs with a filming team on spot. Deuteronomium stated that they would release a DVD of the gig sometime in 2007. Maanalainen Levykauppa reissued Street Corner Queen in that concert.December 24 they announced a comeback on their website. May 19 they headlined Immortal Metal Fest with Sacrificium
Sacrificium
Sacrificium is a death metal band from Stuttgart, Germany, formed in 1993. The band made its breakthrough in the metal scene with its 2002 album Cold Black Piece of Flesh. The second album Escaping the Stupor was released on Black Lotus Records...
as the support act.
On March 2008, Deuteronomium announced that they are recording a new album for the first time since 1999's Here to Stay -album. The new album will be titled From the Midst of the Battle, and it will be released by Bulroser Records on March 2008. The album will be released in a special book cover digipak edition that will include the CD as well as a full live concert from their performance at the True Attitude event, Heinola
Heinola
Heinola is a town and a municipality of inhabitants located in the Province of Southern Finland. Heinola is perhaps best known for its summer activities such as the Sauna-sitting World Championships.-History:...
, Finland, a studio diary, and a concert travel documentary of their performance at Elements of Rock, Switzerland. The album will feature such special guests as Christian Palin (Random Eyes), Oula Siipola (Lumina Polaris), Kristiina Holländer, Mikko Härkin
Mikko Härkin
Mikko Härkin is a Finnish power metal keyboardist, who has performed with Sonata Arctica and Kenziner.-History:...
(ex-Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica are a Finnish power metal band from the town of Kemi, originally assembled in 1995. Their later works contain several elements typical of progressive metal.....
, Mehida
Mehida
Mehida is a Finnish Christian progressive melodic metal band formed by ex-Sonata Arctica keyboardist Mikko Härkin. The band also consists of three members of Wingdom as well as Jani Stefanovic and Thomas Vikström . Mehida's first album, Blood & Water, was released in Finland on Aug...
) and Claudio Enzler (Sacrificium
Sacrificium
Sacrificium is a death metal band from Stuttgart, Germany, formed in 1993. The band made its breakthrough in the metal scene with its 2002 album Cold Black Piece of Flesh. The second album Escaping the Stupor was released on Black Lotus Records...
). The last song of the album is a 10+ minute epic featuring such special instruments as kantele
Kantele
A kantele or kannel is a traditional plucked string instrument of the zither family native to Finland, Estonia, and Karelia. It is related to the Russian gusli, the Latvian kokle and the Lithuanian kanklės. Together these instruments make up the family known as Baltic psalteries...
.
On August 20, 2008, From the Midst of the Battle
From the Midst of the Battle
From the Midst of the Battle is the third full-length album by the Finnish death metal band Deuteronomium, released on August 13, 2008 by Bullroser Records. During its release on the 34th week, From the Midst of the Battle peaked at number 11 on the Official Finnish Album Chart...
peaked at number 11 on the Finnish Top 40 Charts. The album received positive reception. After the release, they performed at the Dutch Flevo Festival and had a 12 show tour in seven European countries with Immortal Souls. In April 2009 the band released a vinyl-EP titled Retaliatory Strike, featuring leftover songs from the previous recording session as well as the title cover song by the Christian thrash metal band Betrayal. Deuteronomium played at the Finnish summer metal festivals Sauna Open Air, Tampere, and DBTL, Turku. Later in 2009, for the first time in their career, Deuteronomium played outside Europe, a 9-show tour in Mexico.
On February 2011, the band announced that their next album will be titled Deathbed Poetry – Hope Against Hope. A concept album, Manu stated that it is based on a book by the English poet and priest John Donne
John Donne
John Donne 31 March 1631), English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest, is now considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are notable for their strong and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs,...
(1572–1631) called Devotions upon Emergent Occasions
Devotions upon Emergent Occasions
Devotions upon Emergent Occasions is a 1624 prose work by the English writer John Donne, who dedicated it to the future King Charles I. It is a series of reflections that were written as Donne recovered from a serious illness, believed to be either typhus or relapsing fever...
.
Discography
- Paths of Righteousness demo (1993)
- Crosshope demo (1995)
- Tribal EagleTribal EagleTribal Eagle is the first studio EP by the Finnish Christian death metal band Deuteronomium, recorded in 1996 Studio Watercastle, published as self-financed release in 1997 and in 1998 by Little Rose Productions. Tribal Eagle is widely regarded as the first Finnish Christian metal CD...
EP (1997) - Street Corner QueenStreet Corner QueenStreet Corner Queen is the first studio album by the Finnish Christian death metal band Deuteronomium, recorded in Studio Watercastle, Jyväskylä and published by Little Rose Productions on May 20, 1998...
(1998) - Here to Stay (1999)
- Spelled Alive DVD (2007)
- From the Midst of the BattleFrom the Midst of the BattleFrom the Midst of the Battle is the third full-length album by the Finnish death metal band Deuteronomium, released on August 13, 2008 by Bullroser Records. During its release on the 34th week, From the Midst of the Battle peaked at number 11 on the Official Finnish Album Chart...
(2008) - Retaliatory Strike EP (2009)
- Deathbed Poetry – Hope Against Hope (2011)
External links
- Official Website
- Deuteronomium at Metal-Archives
- Deuteronomium at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace 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....
- Deuteronomium at Last.fmLast.fmLast.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....