SYSI, a four-piece from Joensuu in North Karelia, released their self-titled debut EP on 16 September. Three songs of slow, melodic black metal, sung entirely in Finnish, mixed and mastered by Hiili Hiilesmaa — the producer behind records by Sentenced, HIM and Moonspell.

The band began with one idea. Guitarist and songwriter Lauri Kivikoski wanted to make slow, melodic black metal in his own language. The band puts it plainly: they had not heard much DSBM-style music sung in Finnish, and a native language gives lyrics “a unique weight and emotional connection”.

He found his singer, Arttu Ignatius, through a Finnish musicians’ classifieds site. What caught his ear was clear articulation inside a distorted voice. Bassist Heikki Majoinen and drummer Sami Kettunen joined next — the two had played together for years and came as a finished rhythm section. SYSI was founded in 2025.

The EP was made the hard way. The band built its own recording space, painted the cover and cut the videos. Drums, bass and rhythm guitars were tracked in full takes. The vocals were sung in one take, and the first takes stayed on the record. No pitch correction was used. The guitar tone came from an accident: a load box plugged into a tube amp the wrong way round.

The cover was painted by hand on a leftover piece of wood from a house project — with fingers and a knife, no brushes — and then photographed.

Darkness with subtitles

Depressive black metal is usually sung in English or not understood at all. SYSI went the other way and made the language barrier part of the work: each song has a lyric video on YouTube with the Finnish text and an English translation, line by line.

The band is direct about what the songs deal with — depression, anxiety, anger, self-hatred.

SYSI’s music is on the side of life and peace, but we don’t want to shy away from acknowledging that depression, anxiety, anger, and even suicidal thoughts are part of being human.

SYSI, band statement

The point, as they describe it, is simple: when someone sings about what you have lived through, you are not alone with it.

A CD edition is in the works, with a separate master by Janne Saksa.

Key details

  • Artist: SYSI (Joensuu, North Karelia, Finland)
  • Release: SYSI EP, self-released, digital, 16 September 2026
  • Tracks: 1. Kunnes hajoan · 2. Päästän irti · 3. Minkä tähden
  • Mix and master: Hiili Hiilesmaa · CD master: Janne Saksa
  • Line-up: Arttu Ignatius — vocals, lyrics · Lauri Kivikoski — songs, guitars, ambient · Heikki Majoinen — bass · Sami Kettunen — drums

About the band

SYSI is a Finnish black metal band founded in North Karelia in 2025. Its roots are in 1990s melodic black metal, with ambient textures and spoken-word passages. All lyrics are in Finnish.

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Sources: Inverse Records / Firca Oy press release, 22 September 2026; Metalliluola. Photo: SYSI press kit.