Värttinä is a Finnish folk music band that started as a project by Sari and Mari Kaasinen in 1983 in the village of Rääkkylä, in Karelia, the southeastern region of Finland. Many transformations have taken place in the band since then. Värttinä shot into fame with the release of their 1991 album Oi Dai. As of 2009, the band consists of three lead female vocalists supported by three acoustic musicians. The vocalists sing in the Karelian dialect of the Finnish language.
Timo Tapio Tolkki is a Finnish musician best known as the former guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer of the power metal band Stratovarius. With his tenure lasting for more than twenty years, he was the longest standing member of the band before his departure in 2008. After leaving Stratovarius he formed two supergroups named Revolution Renaissance and Symfonia, both of which have since disbanded. In a 2011 article by Guitar World magazine, Tolkki was included in the all-time top 50 list of the world's fastest guitarists.
Tuomas Lauri Johannes Holopainen is a Finnish songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer, best known as the founder, leader, keyboardist and songwriter of symphonic metal band Nightwish. He has also studied jazz and classical styles, but prefers to be influenced by harmonic film music.
Lordi is a Finnish hard rock/heavy metal band, formed in 1992 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume maker, Mr Lordi. In addition to their melodic metal music, Lordi are also known for wearing monster masks and using horror elements with pyrotechnics during concerts and music videos. The band rose to fame in 2002 with their hit single "Would You Love a Monsterman?", and won the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with their song "Hard Rock Hallelujah".
Warmen is a Finnish heavy metal band assembled by keyboardist Janne "Warman" Wirman. Wirman has been playing with Children of Bodom since 1997, and in 2000 created a musical project focused on instrumental work, which would only have guest singers on a few selected songs.
Thunderstone is a power metal band from Helsinki, Finland. The band was formed in 2000 by guitarist Nino Laurenne, and the line-up became full the following year. After the release of the band's self-titled debut album, Thunderstone, the band toured Europe supporting Stratovarius and Symphony X. Thunderstone released the first four of their albums through Nuclear Blast; however, their album Dirt Metal was released in October 2009 under Sony Music.
Teräsbetoni is a Finnish power metal band. Their first album, Metallitotuus was released in 2005 and has so far sold more than 32,000 copies. Teräsbetoni has been strongly influenced by bands such as Manowar. The direct translation of the band's name is steel concrete, Finnish for reinforced concrete.
Thunderstone is the debut album by Finnish power metal band Thunderstone. Some versions of this album contain a bonus track which is a cover of the song "Wasted Years" by Iron Maiden.
For the video game, see Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction.
The Burning is Finnish power metal band Thunderstone's second album.
Evolution 4.0 is Finnish power metal band Thunderstone's fourth album. It features the song "Forevermore" with which they participated in the pre-selections of the Eurovision contest.
Ari Koivunen is a Finnish heavy metal singer who rose to fame as the winner of the Finnish singing competition Idols in 2007. He was the vocalist of the Finnish heavy metal band Amoral from 2008 to 2017. Beside he has worked with many musical projects already before and also after Amoral disbanded.
Revolution Renaissance was a multinational power metal band founded by guitarist Timo Tolkki after he left Stratovarius in 2008. The band released three studio albums before disbanding in 2010.
New Era is the debut album of Finnish power metal pioneer Timo Tolkki's band, Revolution Renaissance. After Tolkki's split from Stratovarius in 2008 he used what fan's knew the album to be titled R... R.... as the namesake for his new project. Using material he had written for Stratovarius's upcoming album, Tolkki's New Era features the talents of German power metal vocalist Tobias Sammet and German singer Michael Kiske among others.
Dirt Metal is Finnish power metal band Thunderstone's fifth album. It features their new vocalist Rick Altzi and their new keyboardist Jukka Karinen.
Ben Granfelt Band is a Finnish progressive blues-rock band formed in 1993. Led by singer-guitarist Ben Granfelt, Ben Granfelt Band (BGB) has released ten albums worldwide and toured clubs and festivals in Finland, United Kingdom, Germany, United States, Austria, Switzerland and United Arab Emirates where they appeared at the Abu Dhabi and Dubai Jazz Festivals. BGB’s latest album Kaleidoscope was released on Feb 4, 2009 in Finland with the rest of Europe following later that spring. The band is currently working on their 11th album due for release in September 2010.
Titus Hjelm is an academic and musician from Helsinki, Finland.
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.
Rantanen is a Finnish surname meaning "small shore". Notable people with the surname include:
Mirka Rantanen 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 Kings. He currently plays drums in the band King Company.
