TAROT

Formed in the early 1980s in Tervo and later based in Kuopio, Tarot paved the way for Finnish metal. Their 1985 debut album “The Spell of Iron” is the cornerstone of the Tarot sound and remains one of the most important releases in the history of Finnish metal. A quick bit of math tells you that last year it was 40 years since that milestone and to mark the occasion, Marco Hietala, Zachary Hietala, Janne Tolsa, and Tuple Salmela return to the festival stages to show what real heavy metal sounds and looks like.

At the time of its release, ”The Spell of Iron” stood out as a total anomaly in the Finnish music scene. Self-driven, uncompromising, and on par with international standards, during a time when heavy metal didn’t get radio play and was as far from the mainstream as can be. The album did not only launch Tarot’s career but also helped blaze a trail for the entire Finnish metal scene.