Before the Dawn (band)

Before the Dawn

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1999
Founder	Tuomas Saukkonen
Headquarters	Finland
Products	Music albums, singles, EPs

Before the Dawn is a melodic death metal group from Finland, established in 1999 by Tuomas Saukkonen.

History

Initially launched as Saukkonen's solo endeavor in 1999, the band began by independently producing demo recordings before forming a live performance lineup. Their early works included the MCDs Gehenna and My Darkness, with the latter securing a contract with Locomotive Music.

The debut full-length album, My Darkness (2003), featured contributions from Panu Willman, Mike Ojala, and Kimmo Nurmi. This was succeeded by 4:17 am in 2004. In 2003, the band toured Scandinavia and Europe as support for Katatonia.

In 2005, Saukkonen revamped the band's roster, recruiting Norwegian Lars Eikind (vocals and bass), guitarist Juho Räihä, keyboardist Joel Mäkinen, and drummer Aatu Mukka, citing previous members' lack of motivation and professionalism. Due to an abundance of material, the 2006 album The Ghost was mostly created solo by Saukkonen, which also inspired the side project Dawn of Solace.

With Lars and Juho firmly established in the lineup, the band released Deadlight in 2007. The single "Deadsong" achieved a peak position of #2 on Finnish Top 20 charts and maintained a spot in Finnish Radio Rock’s Top 20 for four consecutive months. Another track, "Faithless," featuring Jone Nikula performing Pantera’s "Mouth for War," also reached #2.

During sessions for their fifth studio album, Soundscape of Silence (2008), drummer Dani Miettinen departed; session drummers filled in for live shows until Atte Palokangas officially joined in 2009. The album attained #14 on Finnish charts. That year, Before the Dawn supported Amorphis during their Forging Europe Tour.

The commemorative EP Decade of Darkness topped Finnish singles charts in 2010. Its music video for "End of Days" incorporated footage from performances across Asia. The European release included a bonus DVD featuring their Summerbreeze Festival 2009 appearance.

In both 2011 and 2012, Saukkonen received the Finnish Metal Award for "Best Instrumentalist," while the band earned third place for "Best Band." Their album Deathstar Rising entered the Finnish Album Top 10 at position #8.

Midway through 2011, bassist and vocalist Lars along with drummer Atte exited due to personal and artistic differences. April 2012 saw the release of Rise of the Phoenix under Nuclear Blast Records. Saukkonen emphasized renewed commitment and professionalism fueling a successful European tour and delivering their heaviest record yet.

On 10 January 2013, Saukkonen declared the dissolution of Before the Dawn to concentrate on a new venture, Wolfheart (band).

Reforming in 2021, Before the Dawn issued the single "The Final Storm" alongside a re-release of Deadlight. In September 2022, Paavo Laapotti joined as lead vocalist while Saukkonen resumed live drumming duties; Laapotti garnered recognition after performing "Deadsong" on The Voice of Finland. Their comeback album Stormbringers was released on 30 June 2023.

On 7 February 2024, they announced an upcoming EP titled Archaic Flame, releasing its title track online ahead of its March launch. This will be followed by their ninth studio album, Cold Flare Eternal, slated for release on 5 September 2025.

Members

Current lineup

• Tuomas Saukkonen – guitar (1999–2013, 2021–present); drums (2022–present); unclean vocals (1999–2013, 2021–2022); bass (1999–2013)
• Juho Räihä – guitar (2005–2013, 2022–present)
• Pyry Hanski – bass (2011–2013, 2022–present)
• Paavo Laapotti – lead vocals (2022–present)

Past members

• Kimmo Nurmi – drums (2000–2001)
• Panu Willman – guitar, clean vocals (2003–2004)
• Dani Miettinen – drums (2003–2004)
• Mika Ojala – keyboards (2003–2004)
• Atte Palokangas – drums (2009–2011)
• Joonas Kauppinen – drums (2011–2013)
• Lars Eikind – bass, clean vocals (2005–2011, 2021–2022)

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 id:bass      value:blue    legend:Bass
 id:drums     value:orange  legend:Drums
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 at:25/04/2012 color:black layer:back
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 at:05/09/2025 color:black layer:back

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 bar:Paavo text:"Paavo Laapotti"
 bar:Panu text:"Panu Willman"
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 bar:Lars text:"Lars Eikind"
 bar:Pyry text:"Pyry Hanski"
 bar:Kimmo text:"Kimmo Nurmi"
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 bar:Atte text:"Atte Palokangas"
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 bar:Tuomas from:30/04/2021 till:end               color:gtr    width:3
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 bar:Lars from:start till:end                         color:bass width:-2 # timeline clarity adjustment 
 bar:Lars from:start till:end                         color=cvocals width:-5 # timeline clarity adjustment 

</timeline>

Studio albums

Title	Release date	Label
My Darkness	2003	Locomotive Music
4:17 am	2004
The Ghost	2006
Deadlight	2007	Stay Heavy Records
Soundscape of Silence	2008
Deathstar Rising	2011
Rise of the Phoenix	2012	Nuclear Blast
Stormbringers	2023	Napalm Records
Cold Flare Eternal	2025	Reaper Entertainment

Demos

Title	Release date	Label
To Desire	2000	Independent

DVD

Title	Release date	Label
The First Chapter	2006	Locomotive Music

EPs

Year	Title	Director	Album
2001	"Not Divine as Them"	Unknown	Gehenna EP
2006	"Black Dawn"	Wille Hyvönen	The Ghost
	"Disappear"	Markus Kangas
2007	"Deadsong"	Jani Saajanaho	Deadlight
	"Faithless"	Antti Jokinen
2008	"Dying Sun"	Nadi Hammouda	Soundscape of Silence
2010	"End of Days"	Unknown	Decade of Darkness EP
2011	"Deathstar"	Tuomas Saukkonen	Deathstar Rising
2012	"Phoenix Rising"	OneManArmy Productions	Rise of the Phoenix
	"Pitch-Black Universe"
2021	"Final Storm"	Tuomas Saukkonen	Deadlight – II Decades Of Darkness
2022	"Downhearted"		Downhearted

Title	Release date	Label
'Gehenna'	'2001'	-	'My Darkness'	-	'Decade of Darkness'	'2010'	-	'Decade of Darkness (EU edition; + bonus DVD)'	'2011'	-	'Archaic Flame'	'2024'	} Singles Title Release date Label "Deadsong" - - - - - - - }