Hevisaurus are a Finnish heavy metal band that 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 September 9, 2009. Their first tour started at the Tavastia Club in Helsinki on November 22, 2009.

Foundation

After attending a

children's music Children's music or kids' music is music composed and performed for children. In European-influenced contexts this means music, usually songs, written specifically for a juvenile audience. The composers are usually adults. Children's music has hi ...

concert with his own children,

Mirka Rantanen Mirka Rantanen (born ) is a Finnish musician. He was the drummer for power metal band Thunderstone when it formed in 2000. Rantanen has also drummed for a number of other Finnish bands, including as a session member for the supergroup Northern Ki ...

decided to start a heavy metal band for children. Rantanen and his friends from the Finnish " metalhead" community began writing and recording songs.

Biography

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” (Night of the Dinosaurs) was the 2nd most sold album in Finland in 2010, when the band was rewarded with the best children album Emma (Finnish equivalent to Grammy).

The Dudesons The Dudesons ( fi, Duudsonit) are a Finnish entertainment group. They are best known for their TV shows and live performances, which are a combination of stunts and comedy. Their early TV shows were similar to '' Jackass''. Starting their televi ...

and Hevisaurus opened up an indoor amusement park to

Oulu Oulu ( , ; sv, Uleåborg ) is a city, municipality and a seaside resort of about 210,000 inhabitants in the region of North Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is the most populous city in northern Finland and the fifth most populous in the country after: ...

’s Super Park in April 2013. The band also has their own Hevisaurus game for

Android Android may refer to: Science and technology * Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system ** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...

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 Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a British-based multinational chain of theme restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and rol ...

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.

Origin story and characters

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.

Movie

The Hevisaurus movie was produced by

Solar Films Solar Films Inc Oy is a Finnish film production company, which was founded in 1995. Solar Films is one of the country's leading production companies in feature films and TV productions. Solar Films' productions have won a total of 41 Jussi Awards, ...

and was filmed in the fall of 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

In the beginning of 2011,

, 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 *"Komppi Momppi" – drums *"Riffi Raffi" – guitars *"Muffi Puffi" – bass

Discography

Albums

Singles

Other singles *2009: "Jurahevin kuninkaat" *2009: "Viimeinen mammutti" *2010: "Saurusarmeija" *2010: "Kurajuhlat" *2011: "Räyh!" *2011: "Tonttuheviä" *2012: "Ugala bugala" *2014: "Aarrejahti" *2015: "Juranoid"

Compilations

* ''Jurahevin Ikivihreät'' (2014)

Music videos

* ''Jee Hevisaurus'' (2009) * ''Viimeinen mammutti'' (2010) * ''Saurusarmeija'' (2010) * ''Yhteinen joulu'' (2010) * ''Räyh!'' (2011) * ''Tonttuheviä'' (2011) * ''Ugala Bugala'' (2012) * ''Avaruuden autokorjaamo'' (2013) * ''Liskodisko'' (2013) * ''Aarrejahti'' (2014) * ''Juranoid'' (2015) * ''100'' (2019)

Musicals

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

References

External links

Official website (Finnish)

"HEVISAURUS"
at

Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City. History The label was launched in 1980 in t ...

Hevisaurus - Sony Music Entertainment Finland

Detailed review of Jurahevin Kuninkaat
from Encyclopaedia Metallum
The story of HeviSaurus and SauruXet
{{Authority control Musical groups established in 2009 2009 establishments in Finland Finnish power metal musical groups Finnish children's musical groups Fictional dinosaurs