Finland relies on votes from Europe’s heavy metal fans in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest

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Finland’s success or otherwise in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 is now in the hands of the European heavy metal fans.
      On Tuesday night the Finnish representative in this year’s contest, a heavy metal act called Teräsbetoni, will appear in the first semi-final to compete for a place in the Saturday final.
      After the dress rehearsal it was clear that the Finnish band is competing in a league of its own. The song Missä miehet ratsastaa is a pure-bred heavy metal number with its galloping accompaniment and saturnine guitar riffs. And the stage presence is straight from a metal music textbook: there are explosions, flames, leather, biceps, and hair. Not forgetting a battleaxe.
     
The votes from the European metal fans, a group usually faithful to their own, should be guaranteed - particularly as there really is not any competition for their favours.
      “At least this is what I'm hoping for”, Teräsbetoni vocalist Jarkko Ahola comments after the dress rehearsal. “Many heavy music fans must think that there isn’t anything exciting about this competition. Our number will hopefully prove them wrong, and win us some votes.”
      “All we have seen so far is the kind of middle-of-the-road Euro-pop that fails to convince”, continues Ahola, a through and through heavy metal fan himself. “Only the British act sounded OK, and I hear Turkey has a slightly heavier song.”
     
The twenty songs gaining the most votes from each of the Tuesday and Thursday semi-finals (10 +10) will make it through to the Saturday final, where they will compete with the winner from last year Serbia, and the songs from the four largest Eurovision financiers, Great Britain, Spain, France, and Germany.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Serbian ballad wins Eurovision Song Contest - Belgrade hosts in 2008 (14.5.2007)
  Heavy band Teräsbetoni unfazed over stigma from Eurovision entry victory (4.3.2008)
  Teräsbetoni take narrow win in Finnish Eurovision finals (4.3.2008)

Links:
  Eurovision Song Contest Belgrade 2008

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