Folk Metal Big 5 book

The oral history of Finnish folk metal

Folk Metal Big 5 – Finnish Folk Metal Giants tells the story of five unique Finnish bands that elevated folk-influenced metal into an international phenomenon. The book delves into the colourful histories of Ensiferum, Moonsorrow, Finntroll, Turisas, and Korpiklaani. Amorphis also gets a voice, whose Tales from the Thousand Lakes (1994) served as the launchpad for the domestic trend.

Within this controversial genre, there are almost as many subgenres as there are bands. The book explores the genre's origins, characteristics, and problems, as well as its strong connections to romanticism as an art form.

The term Folk Metal Big 5 is an inside joke among the Finnish giants discussed in the book, a variation of thrash metal's Big Four (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax).

Markus Laakso (b. 1976) is a long-standing music journalist, photographer, and musician. He is the songwriter and a founding member of the band Kuolemanlaakso. Like published his work Amorphis in 2015.

Author: Markus Laakso
Publication: 16.4.2020
Page count: 346
ISBN: 978-951-1-35516-8
Binding: hardcover