A piston (10, 110, 210) for an internal combustion engine, comprising: a piston body (12, 112, 212) having an upper combustion surface with a combustion bowl (18, 118, 218) depending from the upper combustion surface (16, 116) as well as an annular inner wall (42, 142, 242) and an annular outer wall (44, 144, 244) extending concentrically relative to one another along a common central longitudinal axis (14, 114, 214), the piston body (12, 112, 212) further being constructed as a single, monolithic piece of material; a ring belt region (20, 120, 220) configured for receipt of at least one piston ring adjacent said upper combustion surface (16, 116); a cooling gallery (22, 122, 222) configured in radial alignment with the ring belt region (20, 120, 220); an annular combustion bowl rim region (19, 119, 219) extending between said upper combustion surface (16, 116) and said combustion bowl (18, 118, 218); and characterised by a bonded seam (24, 124, 224) extending from said combustion bowl rim region (19, 119, 219) radially outwardly to said cooling gallery (22, 122, 222), said bonded seam (24, 124, 224) being formed by a brazing process, the braze material (52, 152, 252) being selected from materials that have material properties with an increased ability to withstand the extreme temperature, pressure, stress, and highly corrosive and erosive effects of combustion gases relative to the material of the piston body (12, 112, 212), or by a welding process which provides a heat affected region of heat-hardened material extending outwardly from the bonded seam (24, 124, 224), substantially throughout the entire combustion bowl rim region (19, 119, 219), the heat-hardened material resulting from the welding process attaining material properties with an increased ability to withstand the extreme temperature, pressure, stress and highly corrosive and erosive effects of combustion gases relative to the surrounding material of the piston body (12, 112, 212), so that said bonded seam (24, 124, 224) has material properties with an enhanced ability to withstand the extreme temperature, pressure, stress and highly corrosive and erosive effects of the combustion gases relative to the surrounding material of said piston body (12, 112, 212). a piston body (12, 112, 212) having an upper combustion surface with a combustion bowl (18, 118, 218) depending from the upper combustion surface (16, 116) as well as an annular inner wall (42, 142, 242) and an annular outer wall (44, 144, 244) extending concentrically relative to one another along a common central longitudinal axis (14, 114, 214), the piston body (12, 112, 212) further being constructed as a single, monolithic piece of material; a ring belt region (20, 120, 220) configured for receipt of at least one piston ring adjacent said upper combustion surface (16, 116); a cooling gallery (22, 122, 222) configured in radial alignment with the ring belt region (20, 120, 220); an annular combustion bowl rim region (19, 119, 219) extending between said upper combustion surface (16, 116) and said combustion bowl (18, 118, 218); and characterised by a bonded seam (24, 124, 224) extending from said combustion bowl rim region (19, 119, 219) radially outwardly to said cooling gallery (22, 122, 222), said bonded seam (24, 124, 224) being formed by a brazing process, the braze material (52, 152, 252) being selected from materials that have material properties with an increased ability to withstand the extreme temperature, pressure, stress, and highly corrosive and erosive effects of combustion gases relative to the material of the piston body (12, 112, 212), or by a welding process which provides a heat affected region of heat-hardened material extending outwardly from the bonded seam (24, 124, 224), substantially throughout the entire combustion bowl rim region (19, 119, 219), the heat-hardened material resulting from the welding process attaining material properties with an increased ability to withstand the extreme temperature, pressure, stress and highly corrosive and erosive effects of combustion gases relative to the surrounding material of the piston body (12, 112, 212), so that said bonded seam (24, 124, 224) has material properties with an enhanced ability to withstand the extreme temperature, pressure, stress and highly corrosive and erosive effects of the combustion gases relative to the surrounding material of said piston body (12, 112, 212).