Lemi, a southeastern Finnish municipality with a population of only 3,076, wins the Capital of Metal competition, melting hearts in the process.
Lemi even has its own heavy metal logo with an imposing ram’s head and the text “I ‘heart’ Lemi” in the local dialect. It uses a number one for the letter “i,” just like the famous Lemi-based band Stam1na does: “Mie <3 Lemi” becomes “M1e <3 Lem1.”
The race ran for most of May and June 2018. Metal bands and their fans could add bands to the Capital of Metal website and increase the numbers for their hometowns.