Räyh! 2

So the other day I wrote up on the awesomeness that is Hevisaurus!

Since then I've actually bought their album 'Soittakaa Juranoid!' and I've been listening to it on my commute to work, since what could be better than listening to dinosaurs singing about space dogs, aliens, magical powers and leading a 'green revolution'.

So the album is released alongside their movie, it's ten new tracks with six bonus 'greatest hits' which feature within the movie, I've not seen the movie, nor will I get much out of it since it's entirely in Finnish and I seriously doubt there'll be English subtitles on the bluray release!
At least with the medium of music you don't have to enjoy the lyrics to enjoy the music.

I've included at the bottom a Youtube playlist featuring the album which is available officially to be listened to there.

Here's a couple of tracks which I like from the album.

Juranoid
Meant as the leading single off the album it has a music video set to clips from the film as well as being featured heavily in the movies advertising, it's got a really catchy chorus and it's what ultimately drove me to rediscover this band.
It's got a driven 'epic' feel to it, the lyrics apparently involve a 'alien' but since full lyrics ain't available it's hard to get a proper translation, though having a Finnish boyfriend certainly helps!

Harri Hylje
With most of these tracks, it's got something which just sticks in my head, I really dig it's refrain before the chorus, haven't run this one by my boyfriend yet but what I can gather this song is about a seal, doesn't matter, it's got a great guitar solo within.

Laika-Koira
Possibly my favorite, this one is about Laika the space dog, the first living thing in space, some actual history here, though I'm pretty sure she wasn't wagging her tail and looking out her window thinking 'is the moon made of cheese'.
Eitherway, this has a late 80's feel with it's synth tracks and ballad-esque chorus and it's been on repeat a few times!

Taikavoimat
Meaning 'Magic Powers' in Finnish yet another 80's power metal feeling track, with a unusual bridge nearer the end in which you can hear 'Herra Hevisaurus' (the lead singer) going "boingy boingy", don't know why but that cracks me up, got another good catchy chorus to it.

Jurahevarit
"Whether young, old or middle aged everyone is equal in the 'Saurus Army", this is meant as the Hevisaurus' anthem and it's a darn good one at that, it's got a very fast pace to it and it's a fun little song about becoming part of the 'Green Revolution' and the 'Saurus Army, "Green is the new black" indeed!

Räyh!
Meaning 'Roar' this song is about the Hevisaurus themselves, with a epic anthemic chorus introducing us to the band.

Riffi Raffi velhojen vuorilla!

Kraaterin reunalla hurjana soittaa

Milli Pilli ukkosen lailla!

Myrskyn silmässä urkuja hakkaa

Komppi Momppi ja Muffi Puffi

Tuhannen richterin voimalla komppaa!

Saurusarmeija marssiin käy

Kun Hevisaurus huutaa: Räyh!

Riffi Raffi on the mountain of warlocks!
plays fiercely on the edge of the crater.
Mill Pill alike thunder!
pounds the organ in the eye of the storm.
Komppi Momppi and Muffi Puffi
accompany like a quake of a thousand richters.
The dinosaur army starts its march
when the Heavysaurus shout: Roar!

It's just got so much going for it, this sounds like a concert opener to me, introducing us to this epic ensemble of a band and they're going to take us on a ride, yet another one I've had on repeat, if only for the chorus!


So what's the point in this blog yammering on yet again about a children's band from Finland, personally even though this post is akin to adding a post-it note onto the backside of a fridge, I'd just love for this band of really talented musicians to get some more attention, they're highly creative, the music is fantastically good, childish names, lyrics and looks aside, Hevisaurus is possibly the most enjoyable music I've heard in a long time.

If reading this has inspired even one person to listen to their music, then I'd be a happy man.

Plus I'm honestly surprised the Furry fandom hasn't picked up on these guys, they play full music concerts entirely in costume, they're anthropomorphic dinosaurs playing heavy metal music and they're more than just a novelty, they're now a established multi-million selling band with their own movie.

Then again, it's probably 'cause they're dinosaurs and not foxes or something, ah well, much more for us 'Scaly' fans to enjoy!

Räyh!

So reasons why Finland is awesome?

It's a beautiful country in which most of the population lives in the south, the rest is mile upon mile of forests and untouched landscape.

Internet is deemed a basic right, much like water and electricity, first country in the world to do so.

They have a dinosaur heavy metal band.

No, I'm not kidding!

Enter Hevisaurus!

Yes, Finland loves its heavy metal it's very much a part of the popular culture, another reason why Finland rocks, literally!

So Hevisaurus is a heavy metal band aimed at children and 'the like minded', they perform in the costumes in concerts over Finland, they've had 7 successful albums since 2009.

Now slightly dodgy costumes aside, I knew of them when they first launched, I listened to their first album and thought it pretty decent, if a novelty.

Recently my partner showed me a poster in a bus-stop in Helsinki, they're doing a Hevisaurus movie, I was absolutely stunned, so I looked them back up, turns out that they're massively popular and successful in Finland and launched a movie along with a new album 'Soittakaa Juranoid!'

So I listened to the single 'Juranoid' and then it stuck, buried in my head, the earworm digging away, holy crap, this is pretty damn good!, so I looked up yet more from the album, more catchy songs, yeah I couldn't understand the lyrics but, wow, this stuff is better than 99% of the crap that's heard on the radio over in this country!

Seriously, put aside the childish looks and give them a listen, yes, when you look into the lyrics they are very child friendly, 'Laika-Koira' is about Laika the Dog, the first living thing in space, 'wagging his tail and looking out the window, seeing the moon and wondering if it's made of cheese', but as someone who doesn't know Finnish, I have a very very basic grasp of it but even so, the lyrics don't matter, it's the music, it's the rhythm, the lyrics themselves forming your own pictures and ideas in your head, you might not understand them as intended but you understand them in your own way.

Some people might twist their nose, "why are you listening to kids music you cannot understand", have you even thought of looking into another culture?, yeah Finland is European but it doesn't mean we're all the same, this might look so unusual to most of us but it's just another day for Finland, most kids get Barney The Dinosaur, Finnish kids get dinosaurs playing heavy metal.

If that doesn't make the world a slightly brighter place for having it exist, then I wouldn't want to be part of that world.

Joskus kaikki tarvitsemme ondinosaurus pelaa raskasmetalli...kiitos