Crimson Sun

Crimson Sun is a modern melodic metal band, formed in 2001 in Kotka, Finland, and performing under their current lineup since 2011. Crimson Sun’s music is characterized by powerful and versatile vocals and catchy melodies, as well as a distinctive and energetic blend of varying heavy metal styles. The band has released two EPs and two full-length albums, with their latest album Fates released in January 2020.
==History==
The earliest incarnation of the band was formed by middle school classmates Joni Junnila and Teemu Hankanen in 2001, but the current lineup was solidified in 2011 when singer Sini Seppälä joined the band. In their search for a vocalist, Crimson Sun was introduced to Seppälä at a karaoke bar; the previous year, she had competed in the Karaoke World Championships and placed in the national finals.
Crimson Sun released their first studio album Towards the Light in 2015 via Canadian Maple Metal Records. Upon its release, the album garnered significant critical acclaim. Finnish heavy metal website Imperiumi gave the album a 10/10, Finland’s Kaaoszine a 9/10, and the county’s biggest print metal publication gave a 4/5, and called it one of the year’s most exciting debut albums.
In 2016, Crimson Sun recorded a 3-song EP titled The Spirit of Unchainable, and shot a music video for the song Forever and Away. This was immediately followed up by a multi-country European tour in 2017 supporting Amberian Dawn and Diabulus in Musica. After this tour, the band continued playing gigs and festivals primarily in Finland, while concentrating on composing their follow-up full-length. Recording the album took longer than expected, and the band later revealed that this was due to changes in the band member’s personal lives, and living further apart, that made it more difficult to coordinate the studio sessions. 
In 2019, the band terminated their contract with Maple Metal Records and began to release their music independently, and in January 2020, their long-awaited second studio album Fates was released. Once again, the release prompted overwhelmingly positive reviews, including from prominent music magazine Soundi, who praised the band’s steps of development, and called the album “from end to end pure prime.”
Crimson Sun has performed extensively across Finland, including appearances at festivals such as Tuska Open Air, Nummirock and Dark River Festival, as well as shows and tours alongside bands like Epica, Omnium Gatherum, Poisonblack, Cain’s Offering, Amoral and Lullacry.
All of Crimson Sun’s albums thus far have been recorded at Deep Noise Studios, which is owned by the band’s former keyboard player and long-time friend Saku Moilanen.
==Band members==
* Sini Seppälä – vocals (2011-)
* Joni Junnila – guitars (2001-)
* Jukka Jauhiainen – bass (2001-)
* Miikka Hujanen – keyboards (2009-)
* Antti Rantavuo – drums (2003-)
Former members
* Jonne Taavitsainen – drums (2005-2007)
* Teemu Hankanen – vocals, guitars (2001-2004)
* Tomi Paronen – drums (2001-2002)
* Ilari Hannula – keyboards (2005-2006)
* Sini Hanttu – vocals (2005-2006)
* Jaakko Lahtinen – keyboards (2006-2007)
* Tina Jukarainen – vocals (2006-2010)
* Saku Moilanen – keyboards (2007-2009)
Guests
Marco Sneck – keyboard solo on album Towards the Light
==Musical style==
Crimson Sun describes their music as modern melodic metal. The band combines and takes influence from styles such as heavy metal, power metal, symphonic metal, and even djent. Additionally, the band utilizes a great deal of synthesizers in their music. The band’s two latest releases (Fates and The Spirit of Unchainable were recorded on eight-string guitars. 
The band composes both their music and lyrics collectively. The lyrical content of many of the songs is the metaphorical expression of the members’ own experiences and observations of life, while other songs are entirely fictional tales.
==Discography==
Studio albums
* Towards the Light (2015, Maple Metal Records)
* Fates (2020, Crimson Sun)
EPs
* The Border (2013, EP, Kotkan Kanki)
* The Spirit of Unchainable (2017, EP, Crimson Sun) 
==In the media==
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==External links==
* Crimson Sun Facebook page
* Crimson Sun twitter page
* Crimson Sun instagram page
* Crimson Sun - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives
==References==
Category:Finnish heavy metal musical groups
Category:Finnish power metal musical groups
Category:2001 establishments in Finland
Category:Karaoke