Norther

Originally known as Requiem, the Finnish metal band Norther came together as a result of the collaboration of Toni Hallio and Petri Lindroos. After a spell working out the bugs, the pair were joined by Kristian Ranta on guitar and clean vocals, and Norther was born. The rhythm section was rounded out with the addition of Tuomas Planman, and for the odd flourish or two, keyboardist and synth-player Jukka Koskinen came on board. The band released their first album, Dreams of Endless War, in 2002. A top twenty hit in their home country, Dreams of Endless War led to studio time with Anssi Kippo, who manned the helm for their follow-up in 2003, Mirror of Madness. With Mirror almost breaking the top ten, Norther landed themselves a touring support slot with Dimmu Borgir and Hypocrisy later that year. While the third chapter of Norther, Death Unlimited, wasn't the hit the previous platter was, it led to more shows, and more noteriety. 2005, besides an EP release, found the band working with legendary metal producer Fredrik Nordström (producer of work by other metal legends such as At the Gates and Opeth) on their next opus, the January 2006 release, Till Death Unites Us. Before the release however, Hallio left Norther, and was replaced by Hikki Saari. The album was a huge hit in Finland, hitting number six, and the band spent the better part of the next year and half touring behind it. 2008 marked the band's first release for Century Media, simply titled N.