The Von Hertzen Brothers are a Finnish progressive rock group whose popularity soared in 2006 with the release of their award-winning second album. The chart-topping Brothers are also an impressive live band, and though their popularity is more or less limited to Finland, they also found a receptive audience in neighboring Denmark. Comprised of brothers Mikko von Hertzen (vocals, guitars), Kie von Hertzen (guitars, vocals), and Jonne von Hertzen (bass, vocals), the band also includes Mikko Kaakkuriniemi (drums) and Juha Kuoppala (keyboards). The band is influenced by a range of classic rock, from progressive rock bands such as King Crimson and Pink Floyd, to hard rockers such as AC/DC and Deep Purple, to contemporary alternative rock bands such as Radiohead and Mew.nn The Von Hertzen Brothers made their full-length album debut in 2001 with Experience. Released by BMG, the album was a modest success. It charted within the Top 40 and spawned a couple singles, "Devil of a Girl" and "Immortal Life." Four years later the Von Hertzen Brothers returned with Approach (2006), their mainstream breakthrough album. Released by Universal, the album was a Top Five success, spawned a series of singles ("Let Thy Will Be Done," "Kiss a Wish," "In Your Arms"), and earned the band an Emma award (the Finnish equivalent of a Grammy) in 2006 for Best Rock Album. Love Remains the Same (2008), the Brothers' third album, continued to mark the band's rising popularity. It topped the Finnish albums chart for three weeks straight and spawned another round of singles ("Faded Photographs," "Freedom Fighter," "In the End").nn Meanwhile, the band toured throughout Finland during 2008-2009 in support of the album and also performed at the Roskilde Music Festival in Denmark in summer 2008. Stars Aligned, the group's fourth studio outing, arrived in 2011, followed by their first -retrospective, Best of Von Hertzen Brothers, in 2012. The following year saw the release of their fifth studio long-player, the award-winning Nine Lives. By this point, the Von Hertzen Brothers popularity had begun to spread to other European markets including the U.K. where they entered the Rock Album Chart. Following tours of the U.K. and Finland, the group traveled to Canada to record their sixth effort with Vancouver-based producer GGGarth. The resulting New Day Rising was released worldwide in early 2015 by Spinefarm Records and again reached number one on the Finnish charts. After a short hiatus, the brothers returned in 2017 with War Is Over, this time via the Mascot Label Group. ~ Jason Birchmeier