It was neither the alcohol nor their similar band backgrounds which brought the guitarist Jari Sundström and singer Ian E. Highhill together on a concert evening in a small town in Finland in 2002. It was the passion for melodic, symphonic metal music which led the two experienced musicians to the important decision of founding a band with the name of Olympos Mons (the highest mountain on Mars and the largest volcano in our own solar system). Thanks to their year long activities in various bands they certainly had the right stuff under their belt. Jari Sundström feels just as much at home in the world of classical music as he does in rock and metal, has been composing songs for many years and his aggressive style of playing guitar has made him a popular figure on the local scene. For his part, Ian E. Highhill has an exceptional voice range and is known both as a composer and author of dark, romantic lyrics. Their first demo, 'Seven Seas', released in August 2002, was a clear demonstration of Olympos Mons' musical direction. The mixture of hard and aggressive guitar riffs and musical-like passages with strings, bagpipes and harps are the basis for powerful, bombastic metal songs full of a uniquely mystical atmosphere. And between the melodic, varied songlines, the listener can bathe in singer Ian's romantic lyrics. This intriguing mixture immediately caught the interest of numerous labels, webzines and power metal fans in Europe, Japan, USA and South America. In April 2003 Olympos Mons signed a worldwide deal with Limb Music Products. Their first album, 'Conquistador', powered by the impressive production by Sundström & Highhill, the excellent mixing by Nino Laurenne (Sonic Pump-Studio) as well as the brilliant mastering by Mika Jussila (Finnvox Studios, e.g. Stratovarius, Edguy, Nightwish) made Olympos Mons one of the prominent names in finnish metal scene. Only a few months after its release, 'Conquistador' sold several thousand copies, got great reviews from all over the world and was considered one of the best newcomers on the label. But as they say in similar cases... The best has yest to come! 2007 saw Olympos Mons part company with Limb Music productions and sign a new worldwide deal with Scarlet Records (which licensed the album to marquee/Avalon for the Japanese market). ‘Medievil’ is the title of the new studio effort, mixed by Janne Saksa at Sound Supreme Studios in Hämeenlinna and mastered at Finnvox Studios (Stratovarius, Edguy, Nightwish) in Helsinki. Historical themes, dark secrets from medieval times and romantic dreams of mistreated lovers, all backed up with great melodies and orchestral arrangements, not to mention the aggressive guitars and vocals, almost reach the point where Power Metal meets Thrash Metal. The record´s been out in stores since July 2007. OLYMPOS MONS is back armed to their teeth!!! With their raw energy They are going where no one is going right now with power metal, taking it to a new level with fresh,interesting elements and great hooks!!!