Hevisaurus

Biography

Hevisaurus are a Finnish heavy metal band that was formed in 2009 with music aimed at children. The band members are known for performing in dinosaur costumes. Hevisaurus's debut concert was at the Elämä Lapselle charity concert on 9 September 2009. Their first tour started at the Tavastia Club in Helsinki on 22 November 2009.

History

After attending a children's music concert with his own children, Mirka Rantanen decided to start a heavy metal band for children. Rantanen and his friends from the Finnish "metalhead" community began writing and recording songs.
Hevisaurus has released seven albums to date and the albums have sold over 170,000 copies alone in Finland. Localised versions of Hevisaurus’ albums can also be found in Spanish, Hungarian, Swedish and German.
The album ”Hirmuliskojen Yö×Hirmuliskojen yö13 September 2010 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Alkumarssi1:092Saurusarmeija3:383Hirmuliskojen yö3:414Supersankari3:195Ruosteinen robotti2:576Hevipitsaa3:037Mummon mopo2:588Justus kummitus2:549Takapiha2:4910Eläintarhan yövahti3:5511Hikka3:4012Tukkahumppaa3:1813Muffi Puffin oppitunti2:3914Velho3:5615Kiire1:33” (Night of the Dinosaurs) had the second highest album sales in Finland in 2010, when the band was rewarded with the best children album Emma (Finnish equivalent to Grammy).
The Dudesons and Hevisaurus opened up an indoor amusement park to Oulu’s Super Park in April 2013, offering Hevisaurus themed birthday party packages.
The band also has its own Hevisaurus game for Android and iOS devices. In the game, players must finish the levels while listening to the band’s songs. The application also includes mini-games like puzzles. The application was released in 2013.
Hevisaurus have their photo on the walls of Hard Rock Café and have also been listed in the Hard Rock Café’s international database of artists/bands. They are the second Finnish band, besides Amorphis, who have received the honor.
A version of the band appeared on Spain's Got Talent in November of 2024, using the Argentinian's versions name and recent iterations of the German bands dinosaur suits with a Spanish singer. A video of the audition was released on the Spain's Got Talent YouTube channel, with the group receiving three yes' and being able to move on to the next round.
Another version of the band appeared on the 18th season of Britain's Got Talent. They performed a medley of Queen's We Will Rock You and Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer, receiving four yes'. The english version was disqualified in the next round. According to their social media pages, the band will perform their first show in August of 2026 at Bloodstock

Premise

According to legend, five dinosaur eggs made from metal survived the mass extinction some 65 million years ago in the mountain of wizards. In the year 2009, witches gathered at the same place. A giant lightning bolt hit the ground and simultaneously created ash and revealed the eggs. From the power of the witches’ chants, the eggs exploded open and five Hevisauri hatched.

Music

Hevisaurus' music skirts the line between hard rock and metal. They have also been called "dinosaur metal." Due to the nature of their music being targeted at children, the lyrics are often educational such as Tahdon Maitoo, a song from Hevisaurus' album Räyh!×Räyh!26 September 2011 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Räyh!4:122Pirkolla on purkkaa4:153Katakombi-zombi3:374Vaarallinen aivastus4:355Kyläluuta3:576Kaksipäinen poliisi2:567Tahdon maitoo3:188Laulu ystävyyden4:539Karvainen aave3:3610Viikinkilaivalla avaruuteen4:0911Synttäribileet3:2712Vuosisadan salaisuus3:5013Riffi Raffin tilubiisi2:57, which celebrates the benefits of the nutritious calcium-rich goodness of milk. They are also known to sometimes adapt popular Western tunes and adapt into their heavy metal style with Finnish lyrics. An example of this is their adaptation of When Johnny Comes Marching Home on Kapteeni Koukku.
The band took a 4-year break from recording between 2019 after the "Bändikouluun!×Bändikouluun!25 October 2019 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Bändikouluun!3:392Poro soitti taikarumpua2:243Pianon kannen alla4:254Monster-auto3:485He-Sa-Mu-Ko-Mi-Ri-POM!3:486Ukko ja kookosbanjo3:307Bäng Bäng!3:158Ystävyys on ikuista4:419Roinavuoren Rotta3:27101009:24" album and came back in 2023 with the single "Hevimetallisarvet×Hevimetallisarvet1 December 2023 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Hevimetallisarvet2:58", and again in 2024 with the single "Kalloween". In 2024 the band announced a guitar solo contest for an upcoming album, and on January 10, 2025, they announced the winner had been chosen and that the album would be coming soon.

Movie

The Hevisaurus movie was produced by Solar Films and was filmed in autumn 2014 and was released in the end of 2015. The movie stars the beloved Hevisaurus characters, as well as famous and rising Finnish actors.

Disagreement with Sony Music

At the beginning of 2011, Mirka Rantanen, the drummer and one of the founding members, fell into a dispute between their record label Sony Music Entertainment about the copyrights and trademarks of the characters. As a result, Rantanen formed a competing band called “Sauruxet”, with the people who played in the Hevisaurus live set-up. The court ordered “Sauruxet” to pay the record label €100,000 and legal fees. Legal documents stated that the rights for the characters had always belonged to Sony Music Entertainment.

Members

"Herra Hevisaurus" (Mr. Hevisaurus) – vocals
"Milli Pilli" – keyboards, vocals
"Komppi Momppi" – drums
"Riffi Raffi" – guitars
"Muffi Puffi" – bass

Singles

Other singles

2009: "Jurahevin kuninkaat×Jurahevin kuninkaat9 October 2009 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Syntytarina1:382Jee Hevisaurus2:433Jurahevin kuninkaat3:164Kapteeni Koukku2:185Viimeinen mammutti3:546Mörri‐Möykky2:227Läksyjä tulee2:518Intiaanin sotahuuto2:519Rupu‐Rupu mörkö3:0710Haloo, haloo!3:0411Popkornipulla2:4012Rosvolaulu3:0313Louhikäärme ja ritari3:4214Dinosaurusten maa3:51"
2009: "Viimeinen mammutti×Viimeinen mammutti14 August 2009 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Viimeinen mammutti3:53"
2010: "Saurusarmeija"
2010: "Kurajuhlat×Kurajuhlat13 September 2010 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Kurajuhlat3:07"
2011: "Räyh!×Räyh!26 September 2011 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Räyh!4:122Pirkolla on purkkaa4:153Katakombi-zombi3:374Vaarallinen aivastus4:355Kyläluuta3:576Kaksipäinen poliisi2:567Tahdon maitoo3:188Laulu ystävyyden4:539Karvainen aave3:3610Viikinkilaivalla avaruuteen4:0911Synttäribileet3:2712Vuosisadan salaisuus3:5013Riffi Raffin tilubiisi2:57"
2011: "Tonttuheviä"
2012: "Ugala bugala"
2014: "Aarrejahti"
2015: "Juranoid"
2015: "Harri Hylje"
2017: "Mikä Minusta Tulee Isona?×Mikä minusta tulee isona?1 September 2017 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Mikä minusta tulee isona?3:472Maailmanpelastajat3:393Hevikopteri3:544Pöllönsilmä3:235Ihmepähkinä4:146Metsänkeiju3:427Popkornipulla3:008Kyläluuta4:179Avaruuden autokorjaamo3:5910Aarrejahti3:2811Räyh!4:12"
2023: "Hevimetallisarvet×Hevimetallisarvet1 December 2023 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Hevimetallisarvet2:58"
2024: "Kalloween"

Compilations

Hirmuliskojen Yö / Jurahevin Kuninkaat(2011)
Räyh! / Hirmuliskojen Yö(2012)
Jurahevin Ikivihreät (2014)

Musicals

Purppuramysteeri (2010)
Eläintarhan yövahti (2011)
Salainen tehtävä (2012)
Velhojenvuoren salaisuus (2013)