Metal From Finland Blogs

Where is this myth coming from? that Finns drink more than others, when official charts clearly show that alcohol consumption is higher in over a dozen of other countries?! Check the official facts and you will be amazed:

http://www.greenfacts.org/en/alcohol/toolboxes/table3.htm
At alcohol consumption per capita, Finland comes only after 20 other countries.

http://www.greenfacts.org/en/alcohol/figtableboxes/table4.htm
# 18 in beer consumption. Doesn’t even appear in the wine and spirits charts.

More downloadable charts here.

http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_272b_en.pdf
The abstainer’s chart. Finns drink in general/in greater numbers, maybe that’s where the fake image comes from. And they seem to drink more, when they decide to do so (see the charts).
Only on one occasion Finland tops the charts, that being at the question “Do you think higher prices for alcohol would discourage young and heavy drinkers?” 60% of Finns replied Yes. They’ve already been through a time when drinks were expensive enough and now the prices stand at a lower level than before, obviously making alcohol more handy. If prices would decrease even more, only 9% of Finns would buy more alcohol. Again, see the questionnaire answers.

Alright, but here’s the questions that persists:

Why are Finns seen as such heavy drinkers?
It could be due to what I mentioned before – the higher percentage of population that engages in alcohol consumption. Might be the weather also…

Here’s my view on it:
I’d say it’s rather about the attitude. Of course, I can compare this to the habits of my native country. Here, people drink ‘quietly’ and usually in bars. But Finland has a very different culture. It’s fun to make drinking an event! “Let’s drink!” – the simple phrase that brightens the eyes, brings a smile and renews one’s energy. It’s a social event. It is very common that during summer festivals, attendants barely get to see any of the present bands, because they’re too busy getting drunk or, later on, being wasted. They are allowed to be so! And it’s also fun when you’re not allowed to drink, so everyone takes some beer to the forest, to the parks, even to the public squares. Alright, but why is drinking itself so much fun? Because it brings quite a change… Here we have 2 different attitudes: in some cultures, alcohol makes people be what they’re not, while Finns drink to become themselves. Sure, some of them have beaten their wives, killed their neighbour with an axe or whatever, but most of them drink in order to be free from the frustrations and fears they usually have. It’s not easy being a Finn. It’s in their nature to be shy, somewhat fearful, melancholic, very reserved, giving so much space to others that they won’t manage to reconnect. To fill the gap between them and the rest of the world, such social inhibitions must disappear. It’s the alcohol that does it. It acts like a lubricant in these social encounters. If they do something stupid, they can just blame the drunkenness.

Thus the Finns (who are highly capable of being charming and having entertaining conversations) dare to approach somebody, to see the bright side of a situation and to start speaking. I’ve seen this many times: they love being around people as much as they love being all alone. It’s like they have 2 types of batteries – the ones that recharge by togetherness and the others, recharging in solitude. Finns love to communicate and they need it. When talking to somebody, it’s like getting reassured that you’re able, that you matter as an individual. You get the feedback you were looking for and sure that makes you feel better. Unfortunately, some of us can be open to communication only when the chemicals in the brain are modified. So, this is how you get a genuine friendly Finn: let him/her drink!

However, don’t expect the wonder to last. When alcohol is too much, you won’t get anything of what they say; or, the next day they will return to the before-drinking mood.
But hopefully, they will remember that they trusted you and that they had a good time.

I’ve seen enough Finns while indulging in drinking, yet never had a truly bad time because of it. They have to do that, to fool their demons for a while…

If, after this little exploration of Finnish drinking culture, you feel sympathy for it, maybe you want to check the Drunk Moose design at MFF SHOP >>

Countless lines are still being written on this! I won’t make any grand intro, but begin with bringing to your attention a magnificent work that every metalhead/rocker must know of – the ‘Promised Land of Heavy Metal‘ documentary (watch trailer here). It’s a successful work and there are plenty of replay requests to the Finnish tv. As you probably guessed, it deals with our beloved country that we’re dealing here with. It’s the story of Finnish metal, involving not only artists of the scene and their fans, but also psychologists, priests and even the President of Finland. How can that be possible? Well, perhaps that every Finn must be aware of the metal culture they have there. It’s hard to miss it, as there are so many long-haired people dressed in black and so many rock bars in Helsinki, in very popular areas. Luckily, the general attitude is not guided by prejudice and close-mindedness.

It’s been a while since everybody is talking about how “metal became mainstream in Finland“. Most of us are shocked to hear this. ‘Metal’ and ‘mainstream’ don’t go well together, do they? Metal is by definition the music that stands against the mainstream. Then, what exactly is this phenomenon? First, I think it’s only a sort of mainstream. Not any band of any genre can get an impressive number of listeners. Not everybody will enjoy growls or other form of aggressive singing. However, more and more bands have made it to the album and single charts, often topping the international pop stars. Metal tunes pop out from radio stations and you hear them while passing to the supermarket. Crazy festivals take place in every notable city during summer and so on. Not to mention the huge number of bands that are known beyond the boundaries!

Kamppi, Helsinki: Finnish metalhead gone shopping. Notice the subtle humor - the Christmas-themed bag

If metal became mainstream over there, it may be because of these: 1) already having a strong base; 2) the open mind and the understanding of everyone else. It can’t become mainstream from misconceptions. We’re not all born knowing what metal is. Most people of the planet don’t even know what it sounds like. Hearing Metallica on MTV can’t be enough. They don’t even want to know more. Therefore, they build misconceptions and stay away. Or they hear of the black metal atrocities and put the evil stigmata on the entire genre.

Now, what makes a Finn be so metal? In a determinist tradition, most say that it’s the weather. Moving onto the cultural level, we are reminded that Finns have this special way to be, that they care about their myths and ancestral traditions, they are deep and in contact with nature. Add the honesty, the love for the deeper thoughts and knowledge, the existential turmoil and gloomy inner atmosphere. Add the tormented history, with its unbelievable ‘Winter War‘. It’s the most fertile territory for the metal philosophy. Deep and sad, melancholic yet strong and straightforward…
But metal also means strength, determination and endurance. Just what Finns have proven during the past centuries! Foreign domination tried hard to oppress their spirit, but the ancient traits remained strong and now have emerged with incredible energy in the heavy scene. The result is a widespread frenzy and a feeling of identity.

Crowd at TUSKA metal festival 2009, Helsinki

Two of the best appreciated bands in Finland (as well as abroad) are ENSIFERUM and AMORPHIS. Both get their lyric themes from battles, distant heroic times and from the national epic Kalevala. While the youth usually tends to stay away from tradition, dusty books and consider folklore as too out-of-date, many of the Finns are now fallen under the spell of their own myths and heritage.

How about the metal masses ( metallimessu)? The Washington times , Austria’s Heraldsun or this Russian website prove that this had been in the news all over the world. Not to mention the tv programes I’ve seen myself! Yes, Finns praise the Lord with heavy music. To them, music alone is beyond the idea of good and evil. Music is human, made from and for humans’ feelings. Even if it’s heavy, it still falls in the same category. At first sight it may seem as a trick to atract teenagers to church, but in fact it only gathers those who have love for God, as well as for metal. And they show to the rest that it’s possible.

Metal seems to overcome any false principle in Finland!

It was year 2000, meaning over 9 yrs ago, when I first had contact with what I was about to call ‘my true brothers in the North’. In all this time I haven’t spent a day without establishing a connection in some way with these people: reading articles, history and literature, observing forums and discussion boards, looking through thousands of pictures, listening to their music (of course!) and especially talking to them.
Now, when it’s been almost a decade of proud Finnish passion, I’m asking myself: what have I gotten to know about them?

I took only my personal experience first, to let me see for myself what they are about. The first Finn I truly got to know is still my friend even after 8 yrs, in which we’ve grown apart, as quite different individuals, and even argued much. So, today I can tell that Finns care for a friendship. This was not the only one to show me loyalty. Looking at the changing figures around me, I see how life brings people together only to separate them after a while. And I see that the constant figures are mostly Finnish…

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