Sami Yli-Sirniö is a Finnish guitarist who plays rock and metal. He spent part of his life in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 and thus has strong ties with the German metal scene. German "Rock Hard" magazine featured him in 2007 as "forgotten guitar hero".

Biography

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

Tiamat (band)

-Biography:Initially, the band played straightforward black metal under the name Treblinka. After having recorded the album Sumerian Cry in 1989, vocalist/guitarist Johan Edlund and bassist Jörgen Thullberg parted ways with the other two founding members, and subsequently changed the name to Tiamat...

 and thrash metal

Thrash metal

Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...

 band Grip Inc.

Grip Inc.

Grip Inc. is a groove metal band and a side project of drummer Dave Lombardo. The band was formed in 1993, and they are currently signed to SPV Records...

 For both Tiamat and Grip Inc., he played sitar

Sitar

The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...

, his second favourite instrument.

Waltari (1989-1995, 2001-present)

Yli-Sirniö originally joined experimental Finnish crossover legend Waltari

Waltari

Waltari is a band from Finland, known for its diversity and combination of music styles, frequently combining alternative metal, progressive metal, death metal, hard rock, heavy metal, hip hop, industrial, pop, punk, rap, symphonic metal, techno and thrash metal.Most of the band's music is written...

 in 1989, left the band 1995 to live in Germany and returned 2001. So far he recorded 8 studio albums with Waltari. Yli-Sirniö likes to explore other opportunities and has many guest appearances with other bands.

Kreator (2001-present)

He also replaced injured Swiss guitarist Tommy Vetterli on some live dates for Teutonic thrash metal pioneers Kreator

Kreator

Kreator is a thrash metal band from Essen, Germany, formed in 1978, but formalized in 1982 under the name Tormentor. They originally performed a speed metal style with Venom influences. Their style of music is similar to their compatriots Destruction and Sodom, the other two big German thrash metal...

.

In 2001, Vetterli departed and Sirniö was asked to replace him on a permanent basis. To this day, he has recorded 3 successful studio albums with the band: 2001's Violent Revolution

Violent Revolution

*The limited edition digipak contains the bonus track "Violent Revolution" .-Personnel:Kreator*Mille Petrozza - Vocals & Guitar*Sami Yli-Sirniö - Guitar*Christian Giesler - Bass guitar*Jurgen "Ventor" Reil - DrumsProduction...

, 2005's Enemy of God and 2009's Hordes of Chaos

Hordes of Chaos (album)

-Credits:*Mille Petrozza - Guitar, vocals*Sami Yli-Sirniö - Guitar*Jürgen Reil - Drums*Christian Giesler - Bass guitar*Moses Schneider - Producer*Colin Richardson - Mixing*Joachim Luetke - Artwork-Charts:-External links:**...

. He also appears on the Live Kreation

Live Kreation

Live Kreation is a two-disc live album by German thrash metal band Kreator. Released in 2003 by Steamhammer Records it contains 24 tracks recorded at various points during the band's extensive 2001-2002 tour. A limited edition digibook was also released featuring exclusive 36 pages deluxe colour...

double-album and DVD, released in 2003.

External links

• Biography on Waltari´s official website