Kiuas are a Finnish
heavy metal band from
Espoo
Espoo (, ; sv, Esbo) is a city and municipality in the region of Uusimaa in the Republic of Finland. It is located on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordering the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, Kirkkonummi, Vihti and Nurmijärvi ...
, Finland. Their music includes influences from
power metal
Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...
,
folk metal
Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for exampl ...
and different styles of
extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...
. Influences from
progressive metal
Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad :Fusion music genres, fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven s ...
can also be heard in some songs.
History
Before the formation of Kiuas, three musicians (Markku Näreneva, Teemu Tuominen and Ilja Jalkanen) played in a band known as Iconofear, which plays a genre of music known as dark
heavy metal. Iconofear had formed after the break-up of a
blackened death metal
Blackened death metal (also known as black death metal) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal that fuses elements of black metal and death metal.
The genre emerged in early 1990s when black metal bands began incorporating elements of death me ...
band known as
Agonia. They released a single EP before those three musicians left the band to concentrate on Kiuas. Kiuas was formed in 2000 when the four original members (Mikko Salovaara, Markku Näreneva, Teemu Tuominen and Atte Tanskanen) found a lead singer, Ilja Jalkanen.
In 2002, funded only by themselves, they released their first
demo
Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to:
Music and film
*Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release
* ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes
* ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...
known as ''
The Discipline of Steel
''The Discipline of Steel'' is the first demo by the Finnish Heavy Metal band Kiuas self-released in 2002. The demo's theme concentrates around the importance of steel and features an album cover edited by computer graphics of a working blacksm ...
'', that featured four songs, and was rooted deep in the
mysticism
Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...
and importance of steel, and its effect on
Finnish culture
The culture of Finland combines indigenous heritage, as represented for example by the country's national languages Finnish (a Uralic language) and Swedish (a Germanic language), the sauna, with common Nordic and European cultural aspects. ...
.
In 2003, they successfully released ''
Born Under the Northern Lights'', and soon had many offers for record deals. With fans on their side, and a deal from Rage of Achilles, they signed the contract.
In 2004, Kiuas's first label-aided release was completed. ''
Winter in June
Kiuas are a Finnish heavy metal band from Espoo, Finland. Their music includes influences from power metal, folk metal and different styles of extreme metal. Influences from progressive metal can also be heard in some songs.
History
Before th ...
'' (
MCD EP) was released in Finland and was well received in the metal and hard rock community. Their ability to combine extreme subgenres of metal with hard rock and classical guitar have led them to become a recognizable force.
Later that year, Rage of Achilles reported that they were going out of business due to the fact they could not support themselves due to belonging to so many record deals in such short amount of time. For this reason, Kiuas, and their co-workers, and associated acts;
Amoral, Elenium,
Omnium Gatherum
Omnium Gatherum is a six-piece melodic death metal band from Finland, founded in the autumn of 1996. Although the band mainly follows the path of the melodic death metal genre, much of their work shows strong influences from progressive metal, ...
,
Manitou
Manitou (), akin to the Iroquois ''orenda'', is the spiritual and fundamental life force among Algonquian groups in the Native American theology. It is omnipresent and manifests everywhere: organisms, the environment, events, etc. ''Aasha ...
were cast out without a label, and some without any official release. A few months later, an offer came from the major-label
Spinefarm Records
Spinefarm Records is a Finnish independent record label focusing mainly on heavy metal artists. It is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.
History
Spinefarm Records was originally founded in 1990 by Riku Pääkkönen as a mail-order distrib ...
.
In 2005, they completed and released their first album, ''
The Spirit of Ukko
''The Spirit of Ukko'' is the debut studio album by the Finnish heavy metal band Kiuas, released on 4 May 2005 by Spinefarm Records. "Ukko" in Finnish mythology is the greatest of the pagan god
Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' ...
'', which was based on the
Pagan
Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...
gods, primarily
Ukko
Ukko (), Äijä or Äijö ( Finnish for 'male grandparent', 'grandfather', 'old man'), parallel to Uku in Estonian mythology, is the god of the sky, weather, harvest and thunder in Finnish mythology.
Ukkonen, the Finnish word for thunder, ...
, hence the name. In May, 2006 their second album ''
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
'' was released. It is generally more structured and technical, while keeping the signature sound of Kiuas.
Their third studio album, ''
The New Dark Age
''The New Dark Age'' is the third studio album by the Finnish heavy metal band Kiuas. The album was released through Spinefarm Records on 12 March 2008 for Finland with new dates to be announced for other areas. The song "Conqueror", directed ...
'', was released on March 12, 2008 in Finland with other dates to be announced. This album was a slight departure from their previous, as it adopted a much heavier, more serious sound. Their new
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
, "Of Sacrifice, Loss and Reward", was released on February 20, 2008.
Kiuas also supported
Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom was a Finnish melodic death metal band from Espoo. Formed in 1993 as Inearthed, the final line-up of the group upon their split in 2019 consisted of Alexi Laiho (lead guitar, lead vocals), Jaska Raatikainen (drums), Henkka Sep ...
in their
show at London's Astoria alongside another Finnish
folk metal
Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for exampl ...
act,
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 ...
. Kiuas also performed with Serenity Dies and
Nothnegal
Nothnegal was a Maldivian heavy metal band from Malé, formed in 2006 by guitarists Hilarl and Fufu. Throughout the band's career, they have released one full-length album, and two EPs, and toured in more than 30 countries around the world. N ...
on 5 September 2008 at Alimas Carnival, Malé, Maldives. The show was called "Revolution begins". Vocalist Ilja Jalkanen stated in an interview that guitarist and primary songwriter Mikko Salovaara wrote material for a follow up to 2008's
The New Dark Age
''The New Dark Age'' is the third studio album by the Finnish heavy metal band Kiuas. The album was released through Spinefarm Records on 12 March 2008 for Finland with new dates to be announced for other areas. The song "Conqueror", directed ...
in Summer 2009. The album was released March 31, 2010 and is titled "
Lustdriven."
On October 27, Kiuas announced the departure of singer Ilja Jalkanen. In Ilja’s own words: “My heart is not in heavy metal anymore, and a great band like Kiuas deserves a singer completely dedicated to the music.”
On January 16, 2011, at Nosturi, Helsinki, stand-in vocalist Asim Searah was officially inaugurated as the new frontman of Kiuas.
On September 11, 2012, Kiuas announced that they had fired their new vocalist, Asim Searah.
On August 29, 2013, Kiuas officially announced they were disbanding after a final show in Helsinki on October 18 of the same year.
Reformation
On February 24, 2021, Kiuas announced that it has been reformed and are planning on releasing new music and playing gigs during 2021. The reformed lineup consists of the original members of the band: Tuominen, Näreneva, Salovaara, Tanskanen and Jalkanen.
Discography
Demos/EPs
* ''
The Discipline of Steel
''The Discipline of Steel'' is the first demo by the Finnish Heavy Metal band Kiuas self-released in 2002. The demo's theme concentrates around the importance of steel and features an album cover edited by computer graphics of a working blacksm ...
'' (
Demo
Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to:
Music and film
*Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release
* ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes
* ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...
, 2002)
* ''
Born Under the Northern Lights'' (Demo, 2003)
* ''
Winter in June
Kiuas are a Finnish heavy metal band from Espoo, Finland. Their music includes influences from power metal, folk metal and different styles of extreme metal. Influences from progressive metal can also be heard in some songs.
History
Before th ...
'' (
EP, 2004)
* ''Kiuas War Anthems'' (EP, 2008)
* ''Sailing Ships'' (EP, 2009)
Albums
* ''
The Spirit of Ukko
''The Spirit of Ukko'' is the debut studio album by the Finnish heavy metal band Kiuas, released on 4 May 2005 by Spinefarm Records. "Ukko" in Finnish mythology is the greatest of the pagan god
Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' ...
'' (2005)
* ''
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
'' (2006)
* ''
The New Dark Age
''The New Dark Age'' is the third studio album by the Finnish heavy metal band Kiuas. The album was released through Spinefarm Records on 12 March 2008 for Finland with new dates to be announced for other areas. The song "Conqueror", directed ...
'' (2008)
* ''
Lustdriven'' (2010)
Singles
* "
Race with the Falcons" (2006)
* "
Of Sacrifice, Loss and Reward" (2008)
* "
Of Love, Lust and Human Nature" (2010)
Music videos
* "
The Decaying Doctrine" (2008)
* "Conqueror" (2008)
* "
Of Love, Lust and Human Nature" (2010)
Band members
Current members
* Mikko Salovaara –
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
, vocals (2000-2013, 2021–present)
* Teemu Tuominen –
bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
(2000-2013, 2021–present)
* Ilja Jalkanen –
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
(2000–2010, 2021–present)
* Markku Näreneva –
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
(2000–2011, 2021–present)
* Atte Tanskanen –
keyboard
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
(2000–2011, 2021–present)
Previous members
* Asim Searah –
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
, guitar (2010–2012)
*
Rainer Tuomikanto –
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
(2011-2013)
* Jari Pailamo –
keyboard
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
(2011-2013)
Timeline
References
External links
Official websiteKiuasat
Spinefarm Records
Spinefarm Records is a Finnish independent record label focusing mainly on heavy metal artists. It is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.
History
Spinefarm Records was originally founded in 1990 by Riku Pääkkönen as a mail-order distrib ...
Kiuasat
MySpace
Kiuasat
Encyclopaedia Metallum
Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives (commonly known as Metal Archives per the URL or abbreviated as MA) is an online encyclopedia based upon musical artists who predominantly perform heavy metal music along with its various sub-genres. E ...
*
{{Authority control
Finnish power metal musical groups
Finnish progressive metal musical groups
Musical groups disestablished in 2013
Musical groups established in 2000
Musical quintets
Musical groups reestablished in 2021