Finland Youth Introduce Heavy Metal "Hymns" into Country's Churches

Teresa Neumann : Sep 20, 2008
Staff - AFP

Not necessarily my cup of tea, but in Finland, where heavy metal is supposedly a "mainstream phenomenon," youth voluntarily skip school to take part in church services.

(Maentsaelae, Finland)—The Lutheran Church in Finland is seeing an increase of youth in church, reportedly in response to incorporating heavy metal music into the worship service. According to an AFP report, "it is hardly surprising that Lutheran masses with metal hymns have surfaced in Finland, which won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in 2006 with Lordi's monster heavy metal song Hard Rock Hallelujah."

In Finland today, notes the report, heavy metal "is truly a mainstream phenomenon, metal is everywhere, and people have a positive attitude towards it."

"Finns are known to be reserved, serious and very honest ... Somehow heavy metal fits into this as it is no-nonsense, honest, straightforward and quite gloomy," said Mikko Saari, a co-founder of Metallimessu.