Teräsbetoni

Teräsbetoni
Teräsbetoni at W:O:A, in 2005
Background information
Also known as	Terasbetoni
Origin	Finland
Genres	Heavy metal, power metal, cock rock
Years active	2002–2011, 2013 (indefinite hiatus)
Labels	Warner Music Finland (until 2010), Sakara Records (2010-present)
Associated acts	Northern Kings
Website	www.terasbetoni.com
Members	Jarkko Ahola Arto Järvinen Viljo Rantanen Jari Kuokkanen

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.

The music of Teräsbetoni has a martial air to it, with lyrics glorifying a pagan warrior lifestyle and a "brotherhood of metal". The style has received mixed reception. Band members themselves have said that they are not dead serious about the band's mentality and are having fun with it. The most famous songs of the band include "Taivas lyö tulta", "Vaadimme metallia", "Voittamaton" and their Eurovision entry "Missä miehet ratsastaa".

The group announced the interruption of activities in August 2011, and it has remained in hiatus since then.

Jarkko Ahola, Arto Järvinen, and Viljo Rantanen met each other in 2002 and decided to form a band. Jari Kuokkanen joined as a part-time drummer, and later became an official member. Rantanen was the one to come up with the name Teräsbetoni. Teräsbetoni made its first songs in 2003. They were published on the band's homepage in the summer of 2003 and were called "Teräsbetoni", "Teräksen varjo" (trans. The Shadow of Steel), and "Maljanne nostakaa" (trans. Raise Your Toast).

The band started to get popular in underground circles and soon the knowledge of the band's existence spread wider. Excited fans circulated a petition, demanding a recording contract for Teräsbetoni, and sent it to several record companies. In 2004, Teräsbetoni performed their first concert and a live version of "Taivas lyö tulta" (trans. The sky strikes down fire) was added to the band's homepage. In their first concerts they used to play a cover versions of Ronnie James Dio's "Rainbow in the Dark" and Manowar's "Metal Warriors". In late 2004 the band signed a recording contract with Warner Music Finland and the recording for the "Taivas lyö tulta" single started in December 2004. The single was released on 2 February 2005. During its first week on the Finnish single list it rose to the top, followed by plentiful radio time and the band becoming more widely known.