Karelia (band)
Karelia was a French heavy metal band from Guebwiller, formed in 2000 by Lionel Vest and Matthieu Kleiber. They played symphonic power metal and released a self-titled demo in 2000.
Their first full album, Usual Tragedy (2004, Drakkar Records), is a concept album with orchestral arrangements about a man who lived through both World Wars and died alone in a hospital. The follow-up, Raise (2005, Drakkar), was darker and more melancholic, helping to solidify the band's gothic-metal feel with themes like manipulation by a leader, religious wars, childhood, and depression.
In 2007, Bertrand Maillot left the band and Jack Ruesch joined as a second guitarist. Karelia finished recording their third album Restless, which was released in 2008 by Season of Mist and introduced some industrial elements.
The band opened for Scorpions in France in late 2007. In 2011 they released Golden Decadence, featuring Rudolf Schenker of Scorpions on two tracks and a cover of Queen’s The Show Must Go On. They performed with Scorpions again in 2012 at the Nancy Festival On The Rocks.
Karelia disbanded in May 2013. The members drew on a mix of influences, including classical music and hard rock acts such as Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith, and Whitesnake, shaping their blend of symphonic metal and metal with darker, emotional tones. Their labels were Drakkar Productions and Season of Mist. The band’s lineup over the years included Matthieu Kleiber, Erwan Morice, Gilles Thiebaut, Loïc Jenn, and Jack Ruesch, with former members Lionel Vest, Bertrand Maillot, Claude Gasparini, Chris Savourey, and Sébastien Fellmann. Their site was karelia.fr.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 19:53 (CET).