Celesty

Celesty started in Seinäjoki in 1998 around drummer Jere Luokkamäki and bassist Ari Katajamäki, the two members who stayed from the first line-up to the end. Guitarist Tapani Kangas joined in 1999, and in 2000 guitarist J-P Alanen and singer Kimmo Perämäki came in. With keyboardist Juha Mäenpää completing the band, they recorded Warrior of Ice and Times Before the Ice before signing to Arise Records.

The debut Reign of Elements was released by Arise on 2 December 2002. Perämäki then left, and Antti Railio became the new singer in 2003. He fronted Legacy of Hate (2004), also on Arise, and Mortal Mind Creation, which came out on the German label Dockyard 1 in October 2006. By then Teemu Koskela had replaced Alanen as the second guitarist next to Kangas.

In April 2008 Celesty signed a worldwide deal with Spinefarm Records, and the fourth album, Vendetta, came out through the label in March 2009. At the end of 2009 Railio quit, and in February 2010 the band named Tony Turunen, brother of former Nightwish singer Tarja Turunen, as his replacement. He would turn out to be the band’s last new singer.

No fifth album followed. In January 2012 Celesty announced an indefinite hiatus, saying the decision was mutual and came after mixed feelings while writing new songs. The band briefly reunited a few years later and played the Nummirock festival in June 2016. No split has been announced, but nothing new has appeared since then either.