Warmen

The Finnish heavy metal band Warmen was launched in 1999 by Children of Bodom's keyboardist, Janne Wirman. Both Warmen and Children of Bodom were based in Espo, Finland, where Wirman recruited guitarist Sami Virtanen and drummer Mirka Rantanen to join him in Warmen's initial lineup. The trio worked with vocalist Kimberly Goss and several guest instrumentalists on Warmen's debut, Unknown Soldier, which was released in 2000. Goss also appeared on the band's second release, Beyond Abilities (2001), which featured additional vocals from Throne of Chaos' Pasi Nykänen and Stratovarius' Timo Kotipelto. Accept the Fact (2005) and Japanese Hospitality (2009) followed, with both albums mixing original material with covers like Janet Jackson's "Black Cat," Journey's "Separate Ways," and Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me." Warmen continued working with various singers on each studio album, including 2014's First of the Five Elements — an album that was funded by the band's own audience — and 2023's Here For None. Here For None reached number 21 on the Top 100 Albums chart in Germany and doubled as the first album to feature the band's official vocalist, Petri Lindroos, who had previously performed with the group Ensiferum. The album featured newcomer Seppo Tarvainen, who replaced Warmen's previous drummer, Mirka Rantanen, in March 2023.