Eternal Tears of Sorrow (EToS) is a melodic death metal band that has been known to incorporate elements of symphonic and gothic metal.
The band was formed in Pudasjärvi, Finland during 1994 by Jarmo Puolakanaho, Altti Veteläinen and Olli-Pekka Törrö, after some previous various metal projects (Andromeda, M.D.C, D.W.N) between 1991 and 1994, involving some or all of the three members.
Andromeda had been put on hold in late 1992 because the rehearsal place had burned down. It seemed their home town wasn't able to give them a new rehearsal place, so the three members decided to start up a new, drummerless sideproject (M.D.C.) and recorded a demo tape Beyond The Fantasy in autumn 1993. However, the songs on the demo were much better than they had expected, so they decided to go on with the project.
In spring 1994, they recorded a demo The Seven Goddesses of Frost using their new moniker Eternal Tears Of Sorrow. Between 1994 and 1996 the band was busy (in spite of all of the members doing their compulsory military services): they recorded their first studio demo tape Bard's Burial in October 94, were featured on compilation CDs in Europe & Canada, and recorded their debut album, Sinner's Serenade. At the time they played melodic death metal heavily influenced by bands like Edge Of Sanity. It took more than a year for the debut album to get released by X-Treme Records, a small underground label from Gothenburg, Sweden.
After recording the second album, Vilda Mánnu the band signed a record deal with Spinefarm records who subsequently released the album in February 98. Outside Finland, the albums have been licensed by different labels such as Drakkar Records & Fono Records.
The following years saw a drastic lineup change with the recruitment of 3 members from fellow Spinefarm records band, Kalmah, the drummer, lead guitarist and keyboardist. Their third album Chaotic Beauty released Feb 2000 (on which the band had three new members as Olli-Pekka Törrö had left the band) might have been the most successful album so far as they went to an European tour with Nightwish and Sinergy promoting the album. However, it was their fourth album, A Virgin and a Whore released Oct 2001, that went to the Finnish Album TOP 40 charts. For these albums the band began including symphonic metal with their Swedish-influenced brand of melodic death metal.
In 2002, the band announced they were going to go on hiatus. In January 2003, the band officially split, reasons being the members' interest in trying something completely different, or just taking a complete break from the music business.
In February 2005, the band announced they were to make a comeback with a few new members. The fifth album Before the Bleeding Sun was released April 2006. This album also went to the Finnish Album Top 40 charts, this time with the position of #26. 2009 saw the sixth full length Children of the Dark Waters on Finnish label KHY Suomen Musiikki Oy.
In 2013, the seventh album Saivon Lapsi was released on Suomen Musiikki in Finland and on Massacre Records elsewhere. On the latest albums the band has eschewed much of their early melodic death metal sound and a far greater focus is on symphonic and even gothic metal stylings.
Current line-up:
Altti Veteläinen, vocal, bass [94-03, 05- now]
Jarmo Kylmänen, clean vocals [08-now] & session cleans from 05-08
Jarmo Puolakanaho, rhythm guitar [94-03, 05- now] & keyboards, drum programming [94-98]
Mika Lammassaari, lead guitar [09- now]
Janne Tolsa, keyboards [05- now]
Juho Raappana, drums [08- now]
Past members:
Olli-Pekka Törrö - guitars [94-99] & keyboards [97-98]
Petri Sankala - drums [99-03, 05-08] (ex-Kalmah)
Antti Kokko - lead guitar [00-03] (Kalmah)
Pasi Hiltula - keyboards [99-03] (ex-Kalmah)
Risto Ruuth - lead guitar [05-09]
Antti-Matti "Antza" Talala - guitars [99-00]
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