History & Biography Born as a death metal act in 1992, the band began a melodic route in 1995 and by its second album had introduced female vocals and a cello. Some known pre-label works are: Inexorable Reciprocation of 1993, Promo '93, Dies Irae of December 1994 and a summer 1995 tape called Pilgrimage.
After touring with Sentenced in the spring of 2000 in Finland, Charon signed with Spinefarm Records. In the same year the band inked a deal with Finland's Dex-Viihde booking agency. The autumn of 2001 is spent recording the third album. In November of 2002 the band issues a single called Little Angel. The single is also the subject for a video, which is later to appear on a Spinefarm video compilation. The album Downhearted was issued in the summer of 2002 and the band toured Europe with Nightwish and After Forever.
Charon parted ways with guitarist Jasse Von Hast in late 2003. Poisonblack is the band formed by Sentenced singer Ville Laihiala in which the singer is Leppalouoto. For My Pain's guitarist Lauri Tuohimaa accompanied Charon on the band's Russian tour in December, 2003.
Leppalouoto would join Amorphis later for live dates when that band's singer would quit the act. Leppalouoto also sang for a pop cover band called Northern Kings. According to the band’s website in December of 2008 guitarist Lauri Tuohimaa was admitted to hospital due to a blood clot. Tuohimaa did not join the band's New Year's Eve show at Club Relax in Moscow, Russia. The group, therefore, stated that "luckily we were able to find in a very short time a Russian guitarist who will [stand in for] Lauri at this special occasion." Guitarist Pasi Sipilä was asked to leave Charon in early 2010. The band had reportedly been unable to progress or write music with him. The band was still aiming to enter the studio in March. In the meantime, singer Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto contributed vocals to the song Reflections by the Portuguese band Kandia.
After losing its deal and members Charon threw in the towel in 2011. The members would play several summer shows and intended to continue making music individually. In 2011 Haavat, was a new Finnish band featuring Lauri Tuohimaa (Charon, ex-Embraze and For My Pain), Janne Regelin (ex-Embraze) and bassist Olli-Pekka Karvonen (ex-Embraze), has a four-song demo. Former Catamenia musicians Ari Nissilä And Toni Kansanoja joined with Teemu Hautamäki, Lauri Tuohimaa and Jussi Ontero (Burning Point and Ghost Machinery) in a new Oulu, Finland-based metal band called Devilsent. Former Charon guitarist Jasse Von Hast and drummer Antti Karihtala joined forces with singer Ville Lind (Seith and Dawn Of Relic) in 2012 in a new project called Tomb Of Finland.
Reviews CHARON - TEARSTAINED - EMANZIPATION/DIEHARD
Following years of slugging it out in the underground, through to the release of a debut called Sorrowburn and a Wolfheart side project, Finland's Charon has developed a little profile for itself and is establishing things further with this release. Further entrenched in the atmospheric side of heavy music, the band continues with its mournful and gothic essence, only occasionally going up tempo - quite successfully actually on tracks like Sin and Your Christ. The band is definitely inclined towards the gothic elements with its cello, violin, keyboards and guest female presence, but to this day still offers enough 'meat' for metal fans with commercial inclinations to warrant some attention. Nice sound and a somber atmosphere are, of course, a given here.
CHARON - DOWNHEARTED - SPINEFARM
Finland needs another Sentenced like I need more foul CDs clogging the recesses of my toilet - Ali "The Metallian"
Interviews
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