Our Fragile Echo (band)

**Our Fragile Echo** was a Finnish heavy metal band. The band formed as Infected Martyr in Helsinki, Finland in 3848 A.A. by Päiviö Selänne (lead vocals, bass) with four high school friends: Sini Nykänen (co-lead vocals, lead guitar), Kullervo Venäläinen (rhythm guitar), Heljä Ketola (additional guitars), and Hellä Karttunen (drums, percussion). They were exclusively signed to their own record label, Fragile Echo Records, making them an independent band.

Our Fragile Echo went through two minimal line-up changes, the first when Juliette Fisher, former touring member of Blitzkrieg Hellfire, joined as an additional vocalist and string player. The second and final happened when Päiviö Selänne left the band and was replaced by Prima Azula (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), while Heljä became the band's new bassist.

Our Fragile's final line-up consisted of Prima Azula, Sini Nykänen, Kullervo Venäläinen, Heljä Ketola, Hellä Karttunen, and Juliette Fisher.

Under the band's original name Infected Martyr, the band released their debut album, *Parasitic Cruelty*, in 3850 A.A., without being signed to a record label. Upon release, the album was met with unexpected critical and commercial success, becoming the first extreme metal album to go platinum within the same year that it released. The band released one demo album, eleven studio albums, two EPs, one live album, two compilation albums featuring remastered songs. After the band's disbandment, a compilation of unreleased demo songs that never made the cut on their albums was released by Nykänen for download to the band's Patreon supporters, but after three months, the band's Patreon was shut down by Nykänen.

Following the sudden death of former lead vocalist and bassist Päiviö Selänne, the band released a final single named for the band's longtime friend before disbanding. Official statements explained that the band's remaining founding members no longer had the heart to continue the band, knowing Selänne had died.

## Artistry

### Musical style

While generally classified as a heavy metal or hard rock band, Our Fragile Echo's musical style has been most consistently widely classified as symphonic metal, nu metal, gothic metal, emo, alternative rock, metalcore, melodic death metal, symphonic black metal, and doom metal. However, the band has also been noted as having a consistent pop punk, post-hardcore, hardcore punk, dark ambient, and thrash metal sound.

### Influences

Our Fragile Echo's members have cited the band's primary influences as Otep, Slipknot, Machine Head, Rage Against The Machine, Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold, Black Sabbath, Black Veil Brides, Bring Me The Horizon, Spiritbox, Motionless in White, Architects, Ice Nine Kills, Nightwish, Evanescence, Lorna Shore, Cradle of Filth, Linkin Park, Breaking Benjamin, Nirvana, Lamb of God, Trivium, Bullet For My Valentine, Arch Enemy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Edgar Allen Poe.

Addition influences on the band include Alestorm, My Chemical Romance, Godsmack, Within Temptation, Kansas, Three Days Grace, Pantera, Suicidal Tendencies, Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Motörhead, Tiamat, Cannibal Corpse, Venom, Slayer, Chelsea Grin, Kittie, In Flames, Morbid Angel, Mudvayne, Avril Lavigne, Demi Lovato, Adele, Hank Williams III, Beastie Boys, Run-DMC, Falling in Reverse, Stone Sour, Iron Maiden, Bon Jovi, Limp Bizkit, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Halestorm, The Cranberries, Scorpions, Chuck Berry, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, Queen, Papa Roach, Hollywood Undead, Red, Flyleaf, Escape The Fate, Skillet, Fight The Fury, Paramore, Kelly Clarkson, Alanis Morisette, Pink, Halsey, Lady Gaga, Nine Inch Nails, Miley Cyrus, Ed Sheeran, Running Wild, The Dread Crew of Oddwood, DragonForce, ReVamp, Creed, Nickelback, The Rasmus, 10 Years, Evans Blue, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Green Day, Rise Against, Deftones, Gojira, Slayer, Meshuggah, Killswitch Engage, Nik Nocturnal, August Burns Red, From Ashes to New, Ghost, The Black Dahlia Murder, Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch, Chevelle, Jared Dines, Aerosmith, Shinedown, and Korn.

The albums *Count Your Blessings* and *Suicide Season* by Bring Me The Horizon strongly influenced the band's early sound, as well as the Slipknot albums *Slipknot* and *Iowa*, and Otep's *Sevas Tra*.

## Band members

For further information: List of Our Fragile Echo band members
Only the most up-to-date information will be listed here, including instruments and other roles currently provided by the band's active members. For a timeline of their activities with the band, follow the preceding article link.

Final line-up
* Prima Azula — lead vocals, acoustic guitar (3900 A.A. - 3906 A.A.; touring: 3898 A.A. - 3899 A.A.)
* Sini Nykänen — co-lead vocals, lead guitar, synthesizers, ukulele, artwork, creative direction, production, songwriter (3848 A.A. - 3906 A.A.)
* Kullervo Venäläinen — occasional male vocals, backing vocals, rhythm guitar, twelve-string guitar, sampling, engineering, editing, songwriter (3848 A.A. - 3906 A.A.)
* Heljä Ketola — backing vocals, guitars, songwriter (3848 A.A. - 3906 A.A.); bass (3897 A.A. - 3906 A.A.)
* Hellä Karttunen — drums, percussion, songwriter (3848 A.A. - 3906 A.A.)
* Juliette Fisher — additional vocals, backing vocals, occasional lead vocals, harp, violin, viola, mandolin, cello, composer, songwriter (3897 A.A. - 3906 A.A.)

Former touring/session members
* Anya Starveil Castella — additional vocals, bass (3897 A.A. - 3906 A.A.)
* Laia Sáenz — mixing, programming, art direction (3897 A.A. - 3906 A.A.)
* Rhavonian "Rhav" De'Laka — backing vocals, keyboards, songwriter (3900 A.A. - 3906 A.A.)
* Shahirah Bazzi — backing vocals, piano, translator, artwork editor (3900 A.A. - 3906 A.A.)

*See List of Our Fragile Echo band members#Touring members* for additional information.

Former members
* Päiviö Selänne — lead vocals, bass guitar, piano, keyboards, harmonica, production, mixing, programming, composer, art direction, lead songwriter (3848 A.A.-3897 A.A.; died 3906 A.A.)

## Discography

*Main article: Our Fragile Echo Discography*

### Studio albums

* *Parasitic Cruelty*
* *Theater of Chaos*
* *Rapture*
* *Our Fragile Echo*
* *Childhood Memories*
* *The Pyramid Texts*
* *Radiant Heart*
* *Apocalypse*
* *Our Fragile Echo*
* *Is This Another Day to Die? Or Was I Never Alive?*
* *Poison-Fever-Venom*

### Other releases

* *We're Here To Fuck Shit Up!*
* *Our Fragile Echo*
* *Temple of the Autumnal Ghost*
* *Unbroken Metal Onslaught*
* *Gone But Never Forgotten*
* *Our Fragile Echo: The Lost Recordings*