JUNE 20th, 2026
RHINO PROOF  EXCLUSIVE

MetalTitans own, Metal Mom Rita, had the opportunity to chat with Rane Rilkonen, guitarist, songwriter and band founder for Hard Rock / Heavy Metal Finnish band RHINO PROOF. Forming in 2016, and debuting their first record in 2018, the band is making their way up the Hard Rock ladder, and have recently finished some single releases, including "Deeper Form of Love", check out our exclusive below for more. 

MT: How did you come up with the name of the band ? 

I had to come up with a name for the band and I thought Rhino would be a good start but what else? So Waterproof...yeah Rhino Proof😀. Maybe the name reflects me because I'm gray, stubborn and have bad eyesight.😆

MT: When did you decide to form the band ?  Were you all in bands before this ?

I started this band because my previous band broke up. We've all been playing in different bands for a long time.

MT: Who is in the band, and how did they come to be in it ? 

Singer Jukka Nummi joined us directly during the recording of our first album because our original singer left before the recordings. He's an amazing guy.

Bassist Pasi Nousiainen was watching my previous band's gig and said he would be a better player, so when I started this band I asked him to join me. He was right.

Guitarist Erkko Joronen joined after the two previous guitarists didn't perform very well. He is a great player and he also recorded and mixed our new album.

Drummer Sami Ratilainen saved this band. We were having trouble finding a good drummer and I asked Sami if he would have time to play the new songs for the album. He is very busy but luckily he has a strong work ethic and he played the songs flawlessly in a couple of days based on my demos. Great guy.

And I'm Rane Riikonen, guitarist and songwriter.

MT: What made you decide to choose Hard Rock / Heavy Metal, did you have some inspiration ? 

I've always liked heavier music and its different forms. Deep Purple, Judas Priest, Accept, Megadeth, Ozzy, Slayer and so on. There's not just one.

MT: Who was your influence as you were growing up ? 

The first band I remember making an impression on me was Slade. Then came the Finnish Hurriganes. Everything changed one night when I saw Motörhead on TV. Next came Purple, whose songs I learned to play. You could say that Blackmore was the first to inspire me as a player.

MT: Who is the person or persons who writes the lyrics, and where do the ideas come from ? 

I write all the lyrics at the moment. It's not very easy for me but I find themes from my own life and the lives of people I know. They are all kind of things from real life but I've been able to change and combine different stories.

MT: Does everyone do their own music, drummer does his, the bass creates his sound, guitarist his own riffs and such ?

I  make demos of the songs at home and then everyone can play them the way they want and add their own flavor. I'm not the kind of person who dictates how others should play. The end result is always better when everyone gets to bring their own perspective.

MT: Tell me how you start the process of writing a song, then putting music to it ? 

 I play guitar practically every day and ideas are born there. Sometimes a composition comes about by itself, but sometimes it takes a long time to build a whole song around a riff. The music always comes first, then the lyrics.

MT: How did you decide to put out as your 1st teaser "Deeper Form of Love" ? 

During the recording phase, we noticed that it would get stuck in our heads, so we thought maybe it would work for others too😀 By the way, a great video for that song will be released on June 17th.

MT: Tell us what you have been up to lately .

We have prepared our album for release. Mastering was completed a week ago, as well as the cover art and material sent to our record label. Now just waiting.

MT: Do you remember your first concert you did ? How was it ? 

I was probably 13 when we played at our school graduation. We weren't very good but the audience was about 700 people, forced to attend😆

MT: Do you plan of touring for you new album ? 

Of course we love touring but we don't have anyone to sell our shows. If our upcoming album got good reviews it would probably be easier to sell ourselves.

MT: Do you have a favourite band ? Have you seen them in concert ? 

I have many favorite bands and I've been lucky enough to see almost all of them, even the original Van Halen!

MT: Is there a band you listen to that people would be surprised by ? 

Maybe Blackberry Smoke, it's not very well known here.

MT: What are your plans through the summer ? 

Nothing special, I live in a detached house so there's plenty to do anyway.

MT: Is there anything you would like to add that I might have missed. 

You didn't miss anything😄

Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with MetalTitans, it is greatly appreciated. 

Thank you for your interest in us. Have a nice summer!🌹