Altaria, a Finnish melodic metal band, was formed in 2000 by bassist Marko Pukkila and drummer Tony Smedjebacka. Initially known as Blindside, they released their first demo, Sleeping Visions, in 2001, followed by Feed the Fire in 2002. Altaria signed with Metal Heaven and debuted with the album Invitation in 2003. Notable musicians Jani Liimatainen of Sonata Arctica and Emppu Vuorinen of Nightwish were part of their lineup. Their second album, Divinity, was released in 2004. In June 2005, Liimatainen left to focus on Sonata Arctica, replaced by Juha Pekka Alanen. Altaria's third album, The Fallen Empire, came out in 2006, followed by Unholy in 2009. After nearly five years of inactivity, the band reunited for a final concert at Nummirock in 2016. The band resumed activities in 2020 and toured with King Company in April of that year.
