“Rohkea rokan syö”, or to loosely translate this Finnish saying: “Fortune Favours The Brave”. Truly, none have been braver than BLIND CHANNEL. Focusing intently on their mission to take their brand of infectiously ferocious nu-metal outside of Finland’s linguistic restrictions this bravery is engrained within.
Indeed, Finland is a dark place. It’s cold, fiercely loyal to its mother tongue and in the wrong geographical spots it can be unforgiving. A harshness exasperated by darkened evenings from their northern hemisphere location, yet it doesn’t stop them from ranking number one on the World Happiness Report. It’s a dogged determination that radiates throughout their homeland, and it’s even more stringent in BLIND CHANNEL.
That darkness which envelopes Finland is what fuels BLIND CHANNEL. The veritable coal to their roaring furnace of ambition, embracing it is the DNA that runs throughout their music. Balancing their tenacity with sincerity, “It’s this feeling of never being enough is what drives us forward right now,” vocalist Niko Vilhem says. “We got our huge breakthrough, but it’s been also a scary time, like all this has been probably the scariest year in our lives.”
When forming back in 2013 in the city of Oulu, way up in the North of Finland, vocalists Niko and Joel Hokka, drummer Tommi Lalli, guitarist Joonas Porko and bass player Olli Matela, plus the later addition of keyboardist Alex Mattson – knew that it was all about going big or going home.
When they were told to sing in their native tongue, they refused. It was simply never an option. The doors that closed only made them want to grab an axe to break through, “The Shining” style, to properly make themselves known. This is exactly what they did when they found their way onto the largest stage in Europe: Eurovision. BLIND CHANNEL captured and enamoured the continent with the fiery nu-metal charge of “Dark Side”.
Be warned however, Eurovision isn’t the crux of BLIND CHANNEL’s story. Furiously fighting their way into the worldwide mainstream, the six-piece have always been embracing their influences, from nu-metal iconoclasts to pop and hip-hop behemoths, it’s all a part of BLIND CHANNEL’s DNA. That’s the key to their draw, they’re only interested in sticking true to themselves while studiously searching for the keys to unlock the doors of success.
“In Finland, we’ve got the most-streamed song. We play huge festival shows, huge headline shows for thousands of people. All the big labels are saying that ‘You guys have made it, I was wrong’ and we’re like ‘Yeah, here we are!’ But what happens next?” Joel says, fire burning in his eyes. “We need to show the people in Germany, UK, United States, every European country. There’s a lot of work to do for sure but we’ll be enjoying this sweet revenge. It’s not enough yet!”
Their new single “DEADZONE,” co-written by Johnny Andrews (Motionless In White, Halestorm, Ice Nine Kills, Three Days Grace), is set to be released on August 25th, 2023.
Finding their equivalent of Beatle-mania in their homeland, and being the next great export, more bands popping up in Finland since their success, there’s nothing that can stand in the way of BLIND CHANNEL. Their hunger is still rumbling away, and if it’s go big or go home, it’s bigger all the way.
