The song submitted to Finland’s Eurovision selection is the strongest rock anthem MATD has ever created – this time together with the powerful singer Johanna Koskiniemi.

Angels Of Rock is an energetic rock track declaring that even “in hell the notes go wrong.” At the same time, it raises a message of peace, humanity, and happiness – everything the world needs right now.

Join the angels’ choir of light and let’s rock together!

Angels Of Rock – a test-tube-conceived rock anthem and its birth story.

In December 2024, my inbox suddenly lit up with a demo from the guys at MATD. Its working title was Hell has lousy songs. It hit me like a defibrillator paddle in the middle of a coffee break. The diagnosis was clear: potentially a highly contagious disease called “earworm.” Yet the patient was left under observation while other urgent matters took priority.

In June, Marcos messaged me: “What if we submit this to UMK?” – the Finnish Eurovision selection. Eurovision? Really? The thought struck like an acute panic attack. My adrenaline skyrocketed, and a full ICD-10 classification of questions started running through my head:

• Is my vocal range clinically suited for rock?
• And what if it ends in an emergency C-section?

At Sound Ateljee in Lohja, the reception was like an ER intake. Producer Sammy Roiha and his team performed a musical autopsy: where the heart was beating, where the limbs showed signs of necrosis. Not an easy case!

Tempo 162 BPM – basically ventricular tachycardia. Lyrics stacked higher than a private doctor’s prescription slips. And a completely inexperienced lead singer, a first-time mother in the rock world!

The treatment plan was radical: a full rearrangement. Every instrument was played live with real hands, not cold AI prosthetics. The drums sounded so real you could have tested reflexes on them. The musicians left their own fingerprints on the sound – without the need for forensic tape.

As for the singer, several interventions were necessary. The first takes resembled respiratory infection symptoms, but thanks to Sammy’s professional patience and encouraging approach, the patient finally inhaled and exhaled pure rock attitude.

The end result: a rock anthem conceived in a test tube, delivered by C-section, and pain-relieved with epidural – named Angels Of Rock.

Now this newborn is ready for the big stage. A quiet kitchen radio won’t do – it needs a stadium, smoke machines, and at least one pyro effect.

Johanna Koskiniemi is a former music teacher who has also recently completed a degree in the metal industry. She has always loved music and has been deeply involved with it throughout her life. Johanna has studied piano, saxophone, and trumpet, taken vocal lessons, and performed in various singing competitions and theater productions. Her studies and stage experience have also taken her abroad.

MATD is the duo Marcos Kuusjärvi and Veli Eronen. Originally named Max and the Ducks, the band shortened its name to MATD in 2020 to give it a more artistic touch. Today, MATD works on music projects worldwide with different musicians and singers.

Their most successful track on Spotify is Me and My Dog, performed by British singer Tom Bedlam – a song about the companionship between dogs and humans.

Between 2013–2017, the original band achieved moderate success on Finland’s official download chart, with nine songs making it onto the list. Their biggest hit was Who The Fuck Is Alice, inspired by Alice in Wonderland. It reached #1 in Finland for a week and sold copies in more than ten countries back when people still bought downloads.

Their second most successful single, This Bond Is Tight, was featured in Switzerland’s Eurovision selection and peaked at #2 on Finland’s chart.

• Music: Marcos Kuusjärvi / Veli Eronen
• Lyrics: Marcos Kuusjärvi
• Lead vocals: Johanna Koskiniemi
• Background vocals: Sammy Roiha, Hakim Petri Hietikko
• Musicians: Sammy Roiha, Jaakko Roiha, Hakim Petri Hietikko, Esa Hiltunen
• Recorded at: Sound Ateljee, Finland.