Roots of HIM

Apocalyptica is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Helsinki, formed in 1993. The band is currently composed of three classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso. Originally a classical-style Metallica tribute band, the band eventually adopted a neoclassical metal style without the use of conventional guitars and bass. They have sold over four million albums to date.

Eighteen Visions is an American metalcore band from Orange County, California, formed in October 1995. The band broke up in April 2007, less than a year after their major label debut was released through Epic and Trustkill Records. After over a decade of absence, the band reformed in 2017. They announced their sixth album, XVIII, would be released via their new label home at Rise Records.

Stam1na is a Finnish metal band native of Lemi, South Karelia. Their music is arguably best described as thrash metal with some progressive metal, death, alternative and punk influences, and is sung in the Finnish language. The band mainly uses seven-string guitars on all albums except the first one where they used six-strings, and a few songs were composed for eight-string guitar on the eighth album Taival.