Meet Johanna, a passionate metalhead from the land of thousand lakes, whose soul was ignited by Annihilator, Sodom, Napalm Death and more! In this interview she sat down with us at the Citadel to share unforgettable moments, her love for war history and corpse paint artistry. Dive into her picks for underrated bands, her take on the Finnish metal scene, and why she’d crash Kanonenfieber’s tour bus. Here’s what Johanna had to say!

Battle roll-call! Who are you, where do you call home, and what was the first riff that set your soul on fire?

Hailz! My name is Johanna and I come from the land of thousand lakes, Finland. First riff.....I'd say it was Iron Maiden's Wasted Years.

If you could only listen to three bands for the rest of eternity, who’s on that sacred list and why?

Geeeeeez.....umm. These are not in any specific order but Annihilator, Running Wild aaaaaaaand Sodom. Running Wild and Sodom because of their interesting topics in regards of history and war. Annihilator is on that list because of Jeff Waters' guitar skills.

Which live show lives rent-free in your head and what made it so legendary?

Type 0 Negative's show at Tuska Open Air in 2003 in Helsinki. I heard Wolf Moon live for the first time and I remember just crying because of Steele's first bass notes and his beautiful voice. It cast the spell on me.

What’s the most jaw-dropping thing you’ve witnessed in the pit or from the crowd? (Bonus points if it involves questionable health & safety.)

Napalm Death was performing in Nosturi, Helsinki and I remember seeing this one guy coming from the pit holding his nose. He went to stand in front of the bathrooms and security officer came to check him out. He was keeping his head back. His hands were are bloody and once he lowered his head the blood just started to run from his nose to the floor like from the faucet.

Any funny or bizarre encounters with bands, roadies, or fans you’ll never forget?

Hmm. One time at Steelchaos Barathrum's Janne Sova hugged me out of nowhere. And I have Annihilator tattoo on my upper back and Jeff Waters saw it and said that "You Finns are crazy."

How does the metal community embrace you, and where do you feel most at home among the chaos?

I have always felt at home when I am in festivals, club gigs etc. I have friends all around the globe thanks to our metal community Hope to meet you too :)

Your biggest “ugh” moments in the scene, what needs to be thrown into the volcano?

Sexual harassment.

Give us one criminally underrated band and one band that gets way more love than they deserve.

Underrated: Luctus from Lithuania

Overrated: Goatmoon from Finland

Ever bonded (or broken up) with someone over a band or an album? Tell us the tale.

I remember saying no to a date because the guy listened mainstream bands he heard from the radio.

I have bonded with several people because of the love we share with bands and albums. One of them is my best friend and he lives in Sweden, we both love Judas Priest and Manowar.

What’s the most intoxicating metal moment you’ve ever experienced?

Seeing my friend's band playing at Steelfest for the first time. I am so proud of him. I ride hard for my friends and their success is my success no matter what they do in life.

Share one line from a song that gives you goosebumps every single time.

Old Man's Child's The Millennium King:

"Take hold your dominions
And bless them your power
Fly high upon the sky
And show us your grace"

If you know, you know......

If we carved your likeness into the Citadel walls, what weapon or mystical artifact would you be holding?

There's nothing mystical in this but as a gas mask collector I'd say me holding my Wehrmacht's gas mask.

If you could crash any band’s tour bus for a week, who would you choose and what trouble would you cause?

Umm, I'd sayyyyy Kanonenfieber. I'd probably annoy the guys with the endless discussions related to WW1.

We know you like your war history. What's great battle most fascinates you and why?

Normandy landings for sure because of its massive operation and planning and it was the largest amphibious invasion in history.

In addition to war history you enjoy your make up art, If you could design the corpse paint for any legendary metal band, who would it be and what’s your vision?

Wow, such an interesting question.

My answer would be Cradle of Filth. Boring, I know, but their corpse paints are just horrible nowadays. I'd go back in time and do something related to Midian. Purple with black and maybe touch of gold and liquid latex molds.

Johanna, Finnish Valkyrie.

All Hails, Johanna