Style: progressive metal, alternative metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Devin Townsend, Sylosis, Mokoma
Country: Finland
Release date: 20 February 2026

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Spend enough time in the world of progressive metal, and it becomes rare to find unfamiliar bands with deep discographies. Discovering a new-to-me group with a few releases is easy enough, but what about one with more than ten? If the band’s exceptional, that’s like finding a diamond in a long-abandoned mine. And if they’re not, well, perhaps there’s a reason they went unnoticed for so long.

Stam1na are brand new to me, even though the newly released Apnea is their eleventh LP, with their debut dating back to 2005. The band are a stalwart act in their home country of Finland, apparently, but their reputation hasn’t spread much beyond the Suomalaiset. Fortunately, The Progressive Subway is transglobal, so let’s take a winter trip to the land of a thousand lakes. Will we find that Apnea is as breathtaking as its title suggests, or is that just the cold Finnish air making it hard to breathe?

To hit you with a cliché, Apnea sounds both extraordinarily familiar and decidedly distinct. Choppy, proggy riffing often leads to recognizably Devin Townsend-esque soaring choruses (“Opas,” “Lahja”). Other times, chilly tremolo-picked riffs, atmospheric synths, and goblin-like Finnish growls echo the country’s ‘00s folk-metal scene (“Toivonkipinä”), as do bouncy, triplet-laden rhythms underlying big, melodic hooks (“Anna Minun Olla Heikoin Lenkki”). Meanwhile, in some spots, the band notch up the intensity and draw on an alternative metal influence à la System of a Down or straight thrash riffing (“Golem,” “Satiiri”). Indeed, tracks may cycle through all these styles in short order, and, as a testament to the songwriting, it sounds completely natural. The dynamic vocals follow along, shifting seamlessly from powerful melodic cleans to alt-metal shouts and throaty growls. Picking out the sonic influences from any piece of the album is a simple task, yet holistically, the sound is very much Stam1na’s own.

Since I’ve already committed one cliché, I’ll double down: Apnea is all killer, no filler.¹ From the opening moments of the introductory overture “Pohjoinen Lehto,” the band supply searing riff after searing riff—catchy hook after catchy hook—until the tender, almost sentimental title track calls the curtains. In an action-packed forty minutes, the band keep any sections from dragging on too long or any stylistic quirk from becoming stale. Every bit of the album is accessible, yet elevated. “Lahja” is surely a highlight, its rhythmic, staccato guitars scratching beneath a dreamy melody and textural keys until a massive chorus washes over. As is the chaotic bridge toward the end of “Satiiri,” featuring an unexpected, cacophonous saxophone. And as a bigger surprise, standout track “Opas” includes several melodies accented with or led by brass instruments. Skip to any spot on Apnea, and you’re sure to find something interesting, wildly catchy, or both.

Accessible and dynamic as the record may be, nothing about it is uniquely noteworthy. The instrumental performances are compelling but largely par for the metal course. The diverse vocals are above average in execution, though none of the various deliveries stand above the crowd. And the songwriting is fluid and varied, yet never quite innovative or transcendent. And you know, that’s all perfectly fine—an album this plainly enjoyable can have plenty of impact.

A proverbial diamond in the abandoned mine may be putting it too strongly, but Apnea is convincing enough for me to give at least some of Stam1na’s back catalogue a try. The record is unabashedly entertaining and holds enough musical depth to make revisits a joy, all the while striking a fine balance between influence and distinction, even if none of the tracks reach truly towering heights. Finnish winter sure is cold, but our visits up north rarely disappoint.

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Recommended tracks: Opas, Satiiri, Lahja
You may also like: Kiuas, Dagoba, Royal Sorrow
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Official Website | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Sakara Records

Stam1na is:
– Teppo Velin (drums)
– Antti Hyyrynen (vocals, guitars)
– Pekka Olkkonen (guitars)
– Kai-Pekka Kangasmäki (bass, vocals)
– Emil Lähteenmäki (keyboards)

With guests:
– Janne Toivonen (French horn, trumpet)
– Markus Pajakkala (saxophone, flute)
– Juho Viljanen (trombone, tuba)
– Sami Halme (choirs)
– Niko Kivelä (choirs)

1. For being a clichéd phrase, it’s not one we get to use much in progressive metal. ↩︎