Amberian Dawn

Amberian Dawn

Amberian Dawn is a Finnish symphonic metal group that forms in 2006 and remains active. Its sound combines symphonic power metal with melodic and dramatic arrangements and female vocals. The band is led musically by Tuomas Seppälä, who writes all of its music and plays keyboards and guitar.

Formation and early line-up

The group develops out of earlier work involving Tuomas Seppälä, Heikki Saari, Peter James Goodman and Tommi Kuri, who play together in Virtuocity. As Virtuocity ends, they begin working on Seppälä’s compositions. Seppälä, alongside Sampo Seppälä and Tom Sagar, also establishes Atheme One. In 2006, Seppälä and Tommi Kuri start looking for a female classical singer to match a collection of songs that do not suit Goodman’s voice. They find Heidi Parviainen, formerly of Iconofear, and after a demo session she joins the project. Parviainen also writes lyrics.

Releases and label history

The band records its first studio material in autumn 2006 at Rockstar Productions in Hyvinkää, Finland, where it cuts the songs “River of Tuoni” and “Evil Inside Me”. It signs to Finnish label KHY Suomen Musiikki and releases its debut album, River of Tuoni, in 2008, where it charts in Finland soon after release. The second album, The Clouds of Northland Thunder, follows in 2009. End of Eden appears in 2010 on Spinefarm Records, and Circus Black follows in 2012.

Line-up changes

Heikki Saari later moves to Norther and is replaced by Joonas Pykälä-Aho, who has also played with Thaurorod and Lathspell. Sampo Seppälä leaves for personal reasons, and Kasperi Heikkinen joins as guitarist in 2007 after previous work with Guardians of Mankind, Merging Flare and Iconofear. In late 2012 the band loses Parviainen, Saari and Heikkinen. Former members Joonas Pykälä-aho and Emil Pohjalainen return, and Päivi “Capri” Virkkunen becomes the new vocalist. The band’s later line-up also includes Kimmo Korhonen on guitar, Jukka Koskinen on bass, Emil Pohjalainen on guitar, and Joonas Pykälä-aho on drums.

Later albums

In 2013 the group releases the compilation Re-Evolution, which presents earlier songs sung by Parviainen in new versions with Capri on vocals. The later album Temptation’s Gates follows with Nicole Willerton as the band’s first singer on that release.

Members

Across its history, Amberian Dawn includes Peter James Goodman, Sampo Seppälä, Heikki Saari, Tom Sagar, Tommi Kuri, Joonas Pykälä-Aho, Heidi Parviainen, Tuomas Seppälä, Kasperi Heikkinen, Emil Pohjalainen, Jukka Koskinen, Kimmo Korhonen, Capri, Päivi Selo and Nicole Willerton.