Eternal Tears of Sorrow

Eternal Tears of Sorrow (commonly abbreviated to EToS) is a melodic death metal band, that incorporates Symphonic Metal music in their songs. They formed in Pudasjärvi in Northern Ostrobothnia in Northern Finland.

Biography

The band was officially formed in 1994 by Jarmo Puolakanaho, Altti Veteläinen and Olli-Pekka Törrö, after some previous various metal projects (Andromeda, M.D.C, D.W.N) between 1991 and 1994, involving some or all of the three members.

Andromeda had been put on hold in late 1992 because the rehearsal place had burned down. It seemed their home town wasn't able to give them a new rehearsal place, so the three members decided to start up a new, drummerless sideproject (M.D.C.) and recorded a demo tape Beyond The Fantasy in autumn 1993. However, the songs on the demo were much better than they had expected, so they decided to go on with the project.

In spring 1994, they recorded a new demo, The Seven Goddesses of Frost. Because the town was still unable to provide Andromeda a new reharsal place, and the project had become a serious band, the band decided to change their name to more serious Eternal Tears of Sorrow. Between 1994 and 1996 the band was busy (in spite of all of the members doing their compulsory military services): they recorded their first studio demo tape (Bard's Burial), had a couple of songs on some compilation CDs in Europe and Canada and recorded their debut album, Sinner's Serenade. It took more than a year for the debut album to get released by X-Treme Records, a small underground label from Gothenburg in Sweden.

After recording the second album, Vilda Mánnu, Spinefarm Records approached the band and soon they signed a deal with the label. Outside Finland, the albums have been licenced by different labels such as Drakkar Records in German-speaking countries and Fono Records in Russia.

Their third album Chaotic Beauty (on which the band had three new members as Olli-Pekka Törrö had left the band) might have been the most successful album so far as they went to an European tour with Nightwish and Sinergy promoting the album. However, it was their fourth album, A Virgin and a Whore, that went to the Finnish Album TOP 40 charts.

After releasing four albums, the band announced having a break just after the release of A Virgin and a Whore. In 2002 the band announced they were going to have a long break. However, they broke up in January 2003, the reasons being the members' interest in trying something completely different, or just taking a complete break from the music business.

In February 2005, the band announced they were to make a comeback. The album was being written and recorded during the year, and the fifth album Before the Bleeding Sun was released in April 2006 (excluding releases in Russia and Japan that were released later). This album also went to the Finnish Album Top 40 charts, this time with the position of #26.

Discography

Full-length albums

Singles

Last One For Life (Finland only) (2001)

Cover songs

As I Die, by Paradise Lost
Black Tears, by Edge of Sanity
Flight of Icarus, by Iron Maiden
Sick, Dirty and Mean, by Accept

Demos

The Seven Goddesses of Frost - (May 1994)
Bard's Burial - (October 1994)

Pre-EToS demos

The Fourth Dimension - (as Andromeda, May 1992)
II (unfinished demo) - (as Andromeda, August 1992)
DWN (instrumental demo) - (as D.W.N., June 1993)
Beyond the Fantasy - (as M.D.C., October 1993)

Line-up

Altti Veteläinen, vocal, bass 1994- (see For My Pain..., Kalmah, Scyron, also in all the previous pre-EToS projects)
Jarmo Puolakanaho, guitar 1994- (also in all the previous pre-EToS projects)
Risto Ruuth, guitar 2005- (see Scyron)
Janne Tolsa, keyboards 2005- (see Tarot, Virtuocity, Turmion Kätilöt)
Petri Sankala, drums 1999- (see For My Pain..., Kalmah, Scyron, also in Andromeda 1992)

Previous members

Olli-Pekka Törrö, guitar 1994-1999 (see For My Pain..., also in Andromeda 1992 and M.D.C. 1993)
Pasi Hiltula, keyboards 1999-2003 (see Kalmah, Scenery Channel)
Antti-Matti Talala, guitar 1999-2000 (see To/Die/For, Soulrelic, Kalmah)
Antti Kokko, guitar 2000-2003 (see Kalmah)

Guest musicians on albums

Heli Luokkala - guest vocals on Vilda Mánnu
Kimberly Goss - guest vocals on Chaotic Beauty (see Sinergy, Therion)
Juha Kylmänen - guest vocals on A Virgin and a Whore (see For My Pain..., Reflexion)
Jarmo Kylmänen - guest vocals on Before the Bleeding Sun (see Scyron)
Miriam "Sfinx" Renvåg - guest vocals on Before the Bleeding Sun (see Ram-Zet, For My Pain...)
Tony Kakko - guest vocals on Before the Bleeding Sun (see Sonata Arctica)
Marco Hietala - guest vocals on Before the Bleeding Sun (see Tarot, Nightwish)

Session tour musicians

Petri Sankala - drums on gigs between 1997 and 1999 (before officially joining the band)
Antti Kokko - bass on gigs in 1997 and 1998 (before officially joining the band)
Pekka Kokko - bass on tour in 1999 (see Kalmah)
Heidi Määttä - keyboards on tour in 2000 (see Embraze)
Juha Kylmänen - clean vocals on gigs in 2001
Veli-Matti Kananen - keyboards on gigs in 2006
Tuomo Laikari - drums on gigs in 2006
Jarmo Kylmänen - clean vocals on gigs in 2006

Trivia

Every EToS album has been recorded at Tico-Tico Studio. The only exception are the keyboard tracks on Before The Bleeding Sun and some random instrument and vocal tracks on previous albums. Some other bands known for recording their albums at Tico-Tico are Sentenced and Sonata Arctica.
The band was one of the first Finnish bands to have a website. Their first website was put online in early February 1996.