Finland Metal & Hard Rock Albums of the 2000s

Unholy keeps Altaria rooted in traditional heavy metal while letting bright Scandinavian melodies ring out.

Show Your Colors is a turning point for Amoral, retaining heaviness while bringing clean vocals and strong melodies to the front.

Skyforger blends Amorphis’s heavy guitars with a distinctly northern sense of melancholy.

Gather the Faithful is Cain’s Offering’s debut construction of dramatic power metal around grand keyboards and soaring vocals.

Skeletons in the Closet gathers covers CHILDREN OF BODOM recorded over a long career, each translated into the band's own sound.

Circus Colossus joins Leverage’s classic hard-rock instincts to a symphonic sense of scale.

The Days of Grays takes Sonata Arctica beyond speed and immediate catchiness into a more symphonic, intricate world.

Polaris finds Stratovarius opening a new chapter while returning to the essence of its power-metal sound.

Becoming centers Ari Koivunen’s powerful yet clear voice within heavy guitar and lyrical melody.

Blooddrunk connects Alexi Laiho’s sharp guitar and Janne Wirman’s keyboards to heavier, more aggressive songs.

Blind Fire combines Leverage’s thick guitar, lyrical keyboards and powerful vocals into a rich Nordic melodic-metal record.

Rethroned brings several notable Finnish vocalists together to recast familiar songs as heavy, symphonic metal.

Reptile Ride brings complex rhythm, including odd-meter motion, together with sharp guitar riffs in an aggressive setting.

Silent Waters joins folk-shaped melody, heavy guitar, and Tomi Joutsen’s rich voice in a deeply atmospheric record.

Worlds Collide connects the low resonance of cello to metal’s riff-driven force through more open songwriting.

Fuel for the Fire introduces Ari Koivunen through powerful high-register vocals and melodic guitar in a classic heavy-metal frame.

Street Poetry plays Hanoi Rocks’ sharp guitar, buoyant rhythm, and Michael Monroe’s flexible voice with vivid immediacy.

HIM's sixth album, from September 2007. It is regarded as their heaviest and darkest, and its number twelve on the Billboard 200 is the band's highest American placing.

Dark Passion Play connects Nightwish’s metal drive and full-orchestra sweep to a more ambitious narrative world.

Reborn uses several distinctive voices and weighty arrangements to remake pop and rock favorites as symphonic metal.

Unia moves beyond Sonata Arctica’s familiar speed by bringing complex structures and more inward feeling to the front.

Turisas's second album, issued by Century Media in 2007. It is a concept album following a party down the river routes of medieval Rus to the Eastern Roman Empire.

Swinelords mixes sharp guitar, agile rhythm, and twisted vocal melody into a distinctive hard-rock-and-metal blend.

The Fallen Empire joins heavy guitar riffs to clear melody through orderly, polished arrangements.

Eclipse opens a new Amorphis chapter with Tomi Joutsen, balancing Nordic shadow, folk-shaped melody, and heavy metal riffs.

Tides is Leverage’s debut, combining thick guitar riffs, low-centered rhythm, and expansive vocals.

Wounds Wide Open combines To/Die/For’s cold guitar color, sunken rhythm, and melancholy vocal character.

Decrowning combines cutting thrash riffs, complex rhythm and low harsh vocals into an aggressive metal record.

Apocalyptica joins the low resonance of cellos to heavy riffs and live-band momentum.

Are You Dead Yet? puts sharp guitar, flashy keys and Alexi Laiho’s rough vocal delivery at the front.

Another Hostile Takeover runs on loose, hot guitar, springing rhythm and Michael Monroe’s unmistakable vocal character.

HIM's fifth album, from September 2005: their first worldwide release on Sire Records, and the record that made them the first Finnish band to earn a gold disc in the United States.

The Funeral Album builds deep shade from sunken riffs, heavy groove and Ville Laihiala’s low vocal presence.

Stratovarius uses hard guitar, restrained keys and Timo Kotipelto’s voice to create a darker power-metal profile.

IV uses dark guitar, low-set rhythm and melancholy vocals to build gothic-metal shade.