The idea of a karaoke comic had formed a long time ago, mainly from Oskari’s admittance that he knew the lyrics to Scissor Sisters’ “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’” (mostly because he works in a bar so it would play all the time). In the above sketch, Lil Lii is singing Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl“, and people are laughing at him because in the comics, he doesn’t really know what a girl is.

Janne is singing this song, chosen by Jussi without telling him (it’s actually a PG version of, hum, this song (not really safe for work), but that was definitely not relevant). When he reads the lyrics though, he goes on to brick Jussi, who then sings “Another Brick In The Wall” by Pink Floyd.

Teemu is singing Basement Jaxx’s “Where’s Your Head At“, and his pondering at where his head is at, actually, is related to his emu costume.
(Yes, I actually kinda blinked at his reply for a moment before I remembered. At the time of drawing it, the emu costume was actually a fresh thing.)

And Theon, well… he’s not singing anything, cause he lost his microphone. XD

Speaking of music and of Theon, Lovex had just released their new video for Slave For The Glory. View it below!

                          

~ * ~

Thunder tore the already tense silence, as everyone prepared mentally for the final showdown.
“Do we really have to?” asked warily an already exhausted Aleksi.
“You know we don’t have a choice,” answered Paavo, completing a bandage on his leg. “We can’t let it continue any further.”
Aleksi turned to Alarik, who was snoring softly on the floor. “I fear we might not come back from this one…”
The bearded hero regarded his companion gravely.
“I know, but this is the life we chose. If we backed up now, would you be able to live with yourself, knowing everything that is at stake? People trust us, we have to live up to their expectations, or perish trying to protect them.”
His friend sat down beside their sleeping partner. Poking him distractedly, he answered in a tired voice, “…I know.”
Lightning brightened the inside of Dog’s Home for an instant, highlighting their worried faces as Alarik stirred in his sleep, annoyed by Aleksi’s poking.

~~~

“Your evil days of frightening people are OVER!”

The statement hung heavy in the air, to be soon chased away by the wind. Rain had ceased, for now at least, you know the weather in Tampere, and a fresh breeze reminded of the nice summer days and strawberries sold by the street.

The blond hero stood defiantly in front of his enemies.
“…you think you can stop us?” asked Kimmo, his eyes squinted in a mild glare.

Theon replied with a duck face.

“…alone?” added The Scary One, stretching his arms.

From his mighty dolphin steed, Iso T refused to flinch.
“I vowed to protect the people and I will risk my life to fulfill my promise!”

The Glaring Finns glanced at each other, careful not to wound themselves by doing so.
“Very well,” replied Grumpy Antti. “If you are willing to give your life, we’ll gladly take it.”

Thunder rolled again, and rain resumed pouring, extracting a loud “SHIT!” from everyone present. Theon was introduced to the ground as his fearless dolphin ran for cover, cursing the freaking rain that would ruin his hair.

Already, Kimmo, Oskari and Antti were glaring at the sky, scaring the clouds away. When the sky proved empty of everything, they had to threaten the sun to go back in place, after finding it hidden behind a building.

They were all ready to pick the fight where they had left it – Theon had straightened his costume while his enemies were arranging the scenery – when a voice was heard.

“You didn’t think you could begin without us, did you?”

Theon looked up in disbelief.

“…is that you, GOD?”

Through the loud clap of simultaneous facepalms, the voice added, ignoring the previous question,

“We are the Flying Potato Junkies, and we shall not let you rule this Earth with your Evil Glares!”

Eyerolls from the enemies’ side.

“You again? I thought we’d gotten rid of you french fries like, an hour ago!” answered a very annoyed Antti.

Alarik looked suddenly alarmed. “WHAT? Really?? Did I miss that again??”

Aleksi comforted his friend as Paavo flew to Iso T’s side. He placed a hand on the young hero’s shoulder, declaring solemnly, “I will not let you down.”
His blond associate looked at him, bewildered. “Who’re you??”

The Glaring Finns snickered, which was almost scarier than them simply glaring. A moment later however, everyone was in position.

Alarik, decided to make the best out of this one, would take on The Scary One. It might ressemble a bitch fight with drumsticks, but the best drummer would win.

Aleksi would take on Antti, though he wasn’t completely sure his frown and middle finger would be able to defeat the drummer’s grumpiness. It would be a tight match.

Paavo would bravely go against the Glariest Finn of All Finns, though the outcome was far from obvious. Used to bear with Aleksi – who had luckily stayed on the Good Side, he might be able to resist Kimmo’s glare.

Theon had run off after Vivian, because he’d already lost his duck, not his dolphin too.

The air was charged with electricity. Everyone was jumpy, and thus everyone almost had a heartattack.

“What is going on here?”

All eyes turned toward the source of the question. A purple-haired girl, dressed vaguely punk, was looking pointedly at them.

Antti gulped and replied, in a tiny voice, “….nothing.”

The atmosphere was heavy, and soon everyone slowly inched away toward their respective home. An eyebrow raised, the girl continued to watch them without another word, until her eyes fell on the Glariest Finn.

Frowning, she said warningly, “Kimmo… your beard.”

The bassist knew what was at stake. He also knew he only had a few seconds to make a move, but that he would never have the time to remove his facial hair.
His eyes widened, and upon uttering a terrified “OH SHIT”, he ran for his life.

Immediately, the purple-haired girl called for her associate, and soon the two of them were gone after the poor Kimmo.

The remaining fighters looked at each other.
“Again?” asked a very annoyed Aleksi.
“I thought the Selo were supposed to hold them back!” replied apologetically Oskari, just as confused.
“They’re going to be grumpy at me for the rest of the week,” whined Antti, who didn’t manage to get anyone’s sympathy.
“Well, I guess we’ll have to try again next week,” concluded Paavo.

Exchanging greetings and drumstick hits on the head, both camps departed back home, flinching as they heard the fallen King of Glare scream in terror.

~ * ~

The above would have been utterly epic if I had been able to pull it off as a comic, but alas, backgrounds and I do not mix well (failed my classes as a chameleon, see). It was inspired by my friend Las’s awesome name mixing ability, which transformed “The Potato Junkies” (the name of the Therapy! cover band Paavo, Alarik and Aleksi formed after Bloodpit imploded in 2007) into “The Flying Potatoes”. It sounded so much like a superhero league that I did the above sketches, and eventually found them “villains” (the Glaring Finns) and wrote the above story.

                          

…looks like someone isn’t appreciating Wiwian’s newfound niceness….

                          

So THAT was the problem!

Well, everyone’s happy now, aren’t they?

                          

On to the news! There’s lots!!

***~***

Apocalyptica has recently released the video for “Broken Pieces” featuring Lacey Mosley from the American rock band Flyleaf. You can watch it off YOUTUBE. You can also see the making of the videoclip, as well as some new webisodes,on their WEBSITE.
They will be on a short tour in North America from November 25th until December 18th (playing Montreal on December 2nd – and I’m heeeeeeere T_T), followed bywhat seems to be, at the moment, a two-month break.

Bloodpit is still on hiatus, but Alarik is now also part of Jalava (CountryPopFolkAmericana, of their own description), which you can hear on their MYSPACE. You can also become a fan on FACEBOOK.
(You can also check out his other band, The Cloudycators, on their MYSPACE)

There is finally some fresh news about Flinch! They released their first single “Roosa”, which you can listen to on YOUTUBE and buy on METELI.NET.
Become fan on their FACEBOOK PAGE, where you can see a few new promo pics: ONE, TWO, THREE.
By the way, if you’re going to dismiss them because you didn’t like their previous work, think again. I love “Roosa”, and I’m definitely not a fan of Ville’s voice :3

It’s done! “Watch Out!”, the upcoming Lovex album, has been mastered and will soon be released. Their WEBSITE is being revamped, so keep an eye on it for more info ;D
In the meantime, you can go to their Royal Artist Club MOBILE BLOG for some videos from a fewrecent shows in Russia. Note Vivian’s and Theon’s new haircuts. Discuss.

It’s finally time to get Naked again! Their new single “Back to haunt you” has been released last month, and you can see the video for it on YOUTUBE. Note: this is their first videoclip in color! Enjoy!
You can buy the single and pre-order the new album, “Double Down”, through one of the links on their WEBSITE. “Double Down” is being released on Wednesday (10th of November), so you know you want to get your hands on it ;D

Negative is still surfing on the Neon wave (pretty image, don’t you think). A few more concerts in Finland this year, among which the now traditional New Year’s HulluPoro convert in Levi (INFO at the bottom of page).
I’ll be in London, England at that moment, enjoying 2 more hours of 2010 ;D
They will continue the European tour in January. Info on their WEBSITE.

Drums are done recording for the new Nightwish album! All is going smoothly, from their recording diaries, so we can keep counting days until the unspecified release date! (doesn’t that sound pointless )
While you’re impatiently waiting, you can check out the new Escapist Competition on Tuomas Holopainen’s OFFICIAL WEBSITE. Entries are open until November 21rst.
If you understand Finnish, Anette and Tuomas are featured in a 7-page + pics article in October’s Soundi Magazine (Finland). They’re still in stands!
I will spend the next 4 months using my basic Finnish skills, my dictionary and my friends to translate it

***Private Line just surprised the world with the news that their new album, “Dead Decade”, is ready for release O_O From their FACEBOOK FANPAGE. I’m very much looking forward to that…

If you want to turn the page on 2010 in style, Reflexion will be playing a concert in RAVINTOLA CASA in Kiiminki, Finland, on the last hour of December 31rst and into the first one of January 1rst. The concert will be recorded and filmed

The past month was spent in South America by Sonata Arctica. Starting next Monday, they will release a part of their video recordings of the tour every week. You can watch the trailer for it on YOUTUBE.

Uniklubi are continuing their touring in support of their latest album, “Kultakalat”. You can see the next concerts on their WEBSITE.
Also, they recently released the video for their new single “Maailma Puhaltaa”, which you can view on YOUTUBE.
(I’m aiming to make drawings to hopefully get signed on Friday at Tampere’s YO-Talo show – if I can make them in time >_>)

The 69 Eyes will soon be embarking on an acoustic tour in Finland during November and December. See tourdates on their WEBSITE.
I will be at their December 18th’s show in Valkeakoski

                          

Did you recognize them all?

In order of appearance:

Life as the Red Queen
(Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland)
Lil Lii as a genius
Facts as a dictionary
The Muff as Marge Simpson
(from the cartoon show The Simpsons)
Jonne as a vampire
(the sparkly kind from Twilight)
Jyrki69 as a vampire
(the romanticized, goth rocker kind)
Juha as Voldermort
(main villain in the Harry Potter series)
Wiwian as King Leonidas
(from the epic movie 300)

What are YOU dressing as for Halloween?

Mmmmm, maybe two Hallows after all. Maybe someone’s hiding under the Invisibility Cloak…?

By the way, if you’re wondering “WTF happened to Wiwi’s hair!” in the comic, it was a premonition to THIS. (thank you Heather!) I drew the comic before watching that video, so the shorter hair was just to suit the costume, really… XD

And the SEQUEL to this.

                          

A few things you need to acknowledge about this comic:

1. Muff is not dangerous to hug. I did it last night and I survived unharmed.
2. Here is the whole of Lovex. Just because I’ve been asked to draw them.
3. Note that they all have instruments, including Chulian. This is a first.

                          

Larry
is not amused.

Wiwian
is in trouble.

I
am rolling on the floor laughing.

What about you? XD

To be continued….

                          

Wiwi HAS to be quite desperate to ask from Larry. Though he could be even more desperate and ask advice from Rumors.

Follow up from THIS comic, which is a follow up from THIS one, which is a followup from, well, every other Lovex comic

Also, it WILL have a follow up. Which will have a follow up. And possibly that one too.

                          

~~~~~*-*~~~~~

Apocalyptica released their 7th Symphony album at the end of August, and the video for their single “End Of Me” (feat. Gavin Rossdale from Bush) a bit before that. Check your local music store for the album, and the video below for a bit of Apocalyptica madness
They have recently wrapped up a tour in North America (including a date in Quebec City at a festival with Rammstein TT__TT) and are preparing for their upcoming European one, starting in October. Check out the tourdates HERE.

~*-*~

According to their Twitter, Day Eleven is in the process of writing new material. They are also preparing their next shows at the beginning of October, on the 1rst in Tampere at Amarillo, and the 6th in Helsinki, at Club Liberté.

~*-*~

2 years after their last album (Irrallaan), Flinch is finally entering the studio to work on the next one. No info on a release date yet.

~*-*~

Very much absent this summer, Lovex has been slowly but surely recording their next release. They just started mixing the album, be patient

~*-*~

Our favorite small-animal-eating haired singer is finally back with news! Naked‘s fourth album, “Double Down”, has a release date scheduled for early November. They will soon shoot a new video (“In color this time!”) for the first single. They also have a brand new website, which you should keep checking for more news like the following video.

~*-*~

Negative has been touring much this summer, following the release of their (AWESOME) album Neon. Next they are preparing to embark on a German tour, starting at the very end of September. Tour dates on their website.
In addition to shows, Jonne has been busy on his own – well, almost – learning how to drive. HERE is a video (iltasanomat.fi) of it. Ville has also been learning, and do notice how he got out of the way when Jonne returned >8)
The band is also in the works of making the video for their next single, “Jealous Sky”, which should feature artwork from fans, according to their request for some 2 weeks ago. Looking forward to that!

~*-*~

On break after a very intensive and exhausting tour for Dark Passion Play, Nightwish has been hiding at their summer camp to rehearse and record demos of their next album. Anette has joined them this month, as she was taking care of her newborn son =) You can read the Camp Diary HERE.

~*-*~

Missed Private Line the 4 times they played in 2009, or the 4 times they played this year? Never fear: they’re playing Trashfest in March again this year right, next March, I guess you’d have figured that out, for the 4th edition of the event. Though it’s not showing up on their website (which still shows June’s gig as “upcoming”), they appear on the Trashfest part of Mama Trash’s website. Also playing, The Salvation and Iconcrash.

~*-*~

If you live in Austria, Germany or Switzerland, and haven’t bought your copy of Poets Of The Fall‘s “Twilight Theater” album, you will be able to buy it at a local music store: the official release is set for October 29th.

~*-*~

Reflexion sadly doesn’t have any more gigs this year, but luckily they’re writing new stuff. Looking forward to it

~*-*~

“Kultakalat”, the upcoming Uniklubi album, will be released on the 22nd of September. The first single for it, “Aikasi On Nyt”, got the video treatment, which you can see below.
You can also see new promo pictures on their website.