Biography
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NightWish、TarotのMarco Hietala（マルコ・ヒエタラ）、Sonata ArcticaのTony Kakko（トニー・カッコ）、Charon、HarmajaのJP Leparouto（JP.レパルオト）、TeräsbetoniのJarko Ahola（J・アホラ）という、フィンランド・メタルのボーカル四天王により結成されたプロジェクトバンド。8０年代のロック・クラッシクスをシンフォ ニック・メタルとしてカバーし、新たな息吹を吹き込んでいる。彼らのデビューアルバムでもある「Reborn」は本国フィンランドでゴールドディクを獲得 した。2008年にはセカンド・アルバム「Retrhond」をリリースしている。
One of those oddities that could only come about in a culture soaked
heavily in the sounds of heavy metal, Northern Kings are a symphonic
power metal supergroup. While that may not be an oddity on its own,
what has made Northern Kings unique is that they are a symphonic power
metal supergroup that exclusively plays covers. And to make it even
more peculiar, the band covers songs that were decidedly not metal —
Tina Turner's "We Don't Need Another Hero," "I Just Died in Your Arms
Tonight" by Cutting Crew, and "Brothers in Arms" by Dire Straits, to
name a few. Northern Kings are comprised of four vocalists from some of
the leading bands in metal — Tony Kakko of Sonata Arctica, Marco
Hietala of Nightwish, Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto of Charon, and Jarkko Ahola
of Teräsbetoni. Their first single, a cover of the aforementioned Tina
Turner track from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, was a hit in Finland, and
their debut album, Reborn, was released in October of 2007. The concept
proved to be a success, as the debut full-length managed a Top Ten
placement in the Finnish charts.
