Sami Yli-Sirniö (born 10 April 1972) is a Finnish musician who is currently the lead guitarist of the German band

Kreator Kreator is a German thrash metal band from Essen, formed in 1982. Their current line-up consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mille Petrozza, Miland "Mille" Petrozza, drummer Jürgen Reil, Jürgen "Ventor" Reil, lead guitarist Sami Yli- ...

and the Finnish metal bands

Waltari Waltari is a Finnish band from Helsinki known for combining numerous styles, from different metal subgenres such as progressive metal, alternative metal and extreme metal to non-metal styles such as hip hop, pop, industrial, techno, punk a ...

and Barren Earth. He spent part of his life in Germany and thus has strong ties with the German metal scene. German '' Rock Hard'' magazine featured him in 2007 as a "forgotten guitar hero".

Career

While living in Germany, he served as a session musician for rock band In Rags, gothic act

Tiamat In Mesopotamian religion, Tiamat ( or , ) is the primordial sea, mating with Abzû (Apsu), the groundwater, to produce the gods in the Babylonian epic '' Enûma Elish'', which translates as "when on high". She is referred to as a woman, an ...

, and

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...

band Grip Inc. For both Tiamat and Grip Inc., he played

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in 19th-century India. Khusrau K ...

, his second favourite instrument. Yli-Sirniö is currently endorsed by

Ibanez is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki was one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United Stat ...

Waltari (1989–1995, 2001–present)

Yli-Sirniö originally joined experimental Finnish crossover legend

in 1989. He left the band in 1995 to live in Germany, returning in 2001. So far he has recorded eight studio albums with Waltari. Yli-Sirniö likes to explore other opportunities and has had many guest appearances with other bands.

Kreator (2001–present)

He also replaced injured Swiss guitarist Tommy Vetterli (of

Coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death. The official may also investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

fame) on some live dates for

Teutonic thrash metal Teutonic thrash metal is a regional scene of thrash metal music that originated within German-speaking countries during the 1980s, and its title is a reference to the Germanic tribe. Along with Bay Area thrash metal, East Coast thrash metal, ...

pioneers

. In 2001, Vetterli departed and Yli-Sirniö was asked to replace him on a permanent basis. To this day, he has appeared on six studio albums with the band: 2001's '' Violent Revolution'', 2005's '' Enemy of God'', 2009's '' Hordes of Chaos'', 2012's ''

Phantom Antichrist ''Phantom Antichrist'' is the 13th studio album by German thrash metal band Kreator, released through Nuclear Blast on 1 June 2012. The album entered the US Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 at No. 130, selling 3,900 copies in the first week. ...

'', 2017's ''

Gods of Violence ''Gods of Violence'' is the fourteenth studio album by German thrash metal band Kreator, released on 27 January 2017. This is Kreator's final studio album with bassist Christian "Speesy" Giesler before his departure from the band in 2019. Backg ...

'' and 2022's ''

Hate Über Alles ''Hate Über Alles'' is the fifteenth studio album by German thrash metal band Kreator, which was released on 10 June 2022 through Nuclear Blast. Produced by Arthur Rizk, it is the band's first studio album since ''Gods of Violence'' (2017), th ...

''. He also appears on the '' Live Kreation'' double-album and DVD, released in 2003 as well as the live album '' Dying Alive'' released in 2013.

Barren Earth (2007–present)

Yli-Sirniö is the lead guitarist in the progressive death metal band Barren Earth, while not officially a supergroup, the band does consist of prominent members of other metal bands such as Jón Aldará of

Hamferð Hamferð is a Faroese doom metal band from Tórshavn, Faroe Islands, which formed in 2008. Biography John Egholm (guitar) founded the band in 2008; he called Remi Johannesen (drums) and they started jamming. The first show was in a band competit ...

, Janne Perttilä of Rytmihäiriö and

Moonsorrow Moonsorrow is a Finnish pagan metal band formed in Helsinki in 1995. Musically, the band incorporates elements of black metal and folk metal in their sound. The band call their sound "epic heathen metal" and try to distance themselves from th ...

, Olli-Pekka "Oppu" Laine of

Amorphis Amorphis is a Finnish progressive metal band founded by Jan Rechberger, Tomi Koivusaari, and Esa Holopainen in 1990. Initially, the band was a death metal act, but on later albums they evolved into playing other genres, including progressive meta ...

References

External links

Biography on Waltari's official website
1972 births Finnish expatriates in Germany Finnish guitarists Finnish heavy metal guitarists Kreator members Lead guitarists Living people Finnish male guitarists Sitar players Thrash metal musicians {{Finland-musician-stub