The music of AITTALA (pronounced 'EYE-tah-la') crosses many metal genres; it’s hard to put it into just one category. The sound infuses elements of classic heavy metal, doom, progressive, power, thrash and hard rock with lyrics drawing inspiration from the darker side of the human condition. The AITTALA sound has been cited for being unique which is no easy feat in the metal genre.
The first version of AITTALA was formed in 1991 while Eric was living in Holland. With fellow American Tim on vocals and Dutch bandmates Ed (drums) and Jon (bass), the band became a staple of the Dutch metal scene. With the release of the 3-song EP 'Selling Heaven' in summer of 1993, AITTALA opened for such bands as THE GATHERING and SADIST. Unfortunately, as the demo started to create a buzz in the underground European metal scene, Eric had to return to the US and disbanded AITTALA.
In 2008, the time was right to resurrect AITTALA. From 2009 to 2019, AITTALA released 5 full-length albums: 'Bed of Thorns' (2009), 'Haunt Your Flesh' (2011), 'Effigy' (2014), 'American Nightmare' (2016) & 'False Pretenses' (2019).. Each album showcasing a natural progression of songwriting and lyrical content but retaining the core AITTALA sound and evolving it. In 2022, AITTALA signed with Exitus Stratagem Records and released the band's sixth full-length album 'Live to Regret'. It was 11 songs that continued the songwriting evolution of heavier but catchy songs as well as sonically.
The current lineup of AITTALA consists of Gary 'Zeus' Smith (THE FIFTH, ex-MR BLACKWELL) on drums and Ali Lugo (ex-AGE OF DESPAIR) on bass.
They continue to write, record and tour to bring AITTALA to the masses.
