Kiuas was formed in 2000 when the four original members (Mikko Salovaara, Markku Nreneva, Teemu Tuominen and Atte Tanskanen) found a lead singer, Ilja Jalkanen. The coming hit songs of Kiuas began taking shape during intense, sweaty and beer-filled practice sessions in the summer 2000.
After releasing two demos, "The Discipline of Steel"(2002) and "Born under the northern lights"(2003) - which secured Kiuas a place among the top-ten semifinalists with other rising european bands in the historic "Young Metal Gods 2003" competition - Kiuas signed with the now almost legendary Rage of Achilles records. In 2004 the mini-cd "Winter in June" was released and it soon became a huge underground success. At the same time Kiuas was already starting to get recognized as one of the most intense live acts in Hellsinki's fiery metal underground.
Unfortunately Rage of Achilles seemed to be running short on finances, and thus Kiuas soon parted ways with the company, with an album's worth of material ready to be released. After discussing with several companies, Kiuas signed with Finland's Spinefarm records on September 20th 2004, joining acts such as Nightwish and Children of Bodom. The debut album "The Spirit of Ukko" was recorded in the familiar Studio Tauko and mixed at Sonic Pump with the guidance of Nino Laurenne.
The spirit of Ukko was released worldwide in june 2005, and soon got praising reviews from critics everywhere. With this debut album, Kiuas has quickly established itself as an important rising force in today's metal scene with a distinct style of combining melodic and traditional metal with the fury and aggression of extreme metal genres. This powerful assault is delivered with precise and innovative musicianship.
In the year 2005 Kiuas also played their debut gig in Tokyo, Japan and made it's first appearance on a major festival at Sauna Open air Metal fest, Finland, playing alongside such acts as Sentenced and Megadeth.
Yet the story of Kiuas is just beginning, as the warriors of Ukko never rest, at this very moment they are setting the world ablaze on the road or polishing their skills and creating new material. Prepare to witness the might and power of ancient gods, Kiuas is coming your way!
