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Finland was the big winner of the 2006 Eurovision contest, the same body responsible for unleashing the unholy likes of ABBA and Céline Dion on the world. Their entry, Lordi, are the newest champions of the motherland and instead of Black Metal offer a schmaltz of KISS, Ministry, Twisted Sister, and a whooole lot of that cheesy Pop Metal (e.g. Glam or Hair Metal) from the hated/beloved '80s. Hell, Dee Snider and Jay Jay French (both of Twisted Sister if you didn't know, fanboy) must have officially branded these guys SMFofTS by appearing on the record in addition to Udo Dirkschneider from Accept and Bruce Kulick (ex-KISS). Visually and thematically this band immediately invokes GWAR, though Lordi claims to have never heard of the scumdogs of the universe. One began in the late 80s and was on record by 1988 while the other began in 1997 and finally appeared on record in 2002, so make the call. Maybe GWAR records were unavailable in Finland....
That said the music is all kinds of Hard Rock rather than anything explicitly Metal, necessarily taking its biggest influence from the over-produced KISS. Is it any surprise that an ex-KISS manager is associated with Lordi? Probably not. While the band reeks of self-promotion and cheese, the album is fun to listen to, if not entirely disposable. The vocal hooks from the saccharine, choral verses may stick with you after listening, though this reviewer would say not for long. Think Chrome Division on a diet of Pop tunes and you at least nail the main vocal style. Lyrics are quite laughable but that's the point, and "Bringing Back the Balls to Rock" actually sounds like it should be played loudly in a stadium. A slew of bands are referenced in this song, including KISS, Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Twisted Sister, Accept, Judas Priest, Mötley Crüe, Skid Row, and KISS, again: Breathing fire, spitting blood; Biting off the heads of bats and doves; Dragon boots and guillotines; That's what I want to see;We're the SMF with metal hearts; Got love machines, we're breaking the law; We've got the looks that kill; We're the youth gone wild; We're the creatures of the night.
Toldja it was cheesy but also somewhat fun. So will the listener like it? If a fan of "KISS, Alice Cooper, Marilyn Manson, Evanescence" this should be your cup o' tea, according to the marketing team. It'll be hit or miss according to this writer so download a song or two to decide. The U.S. release has 3 bonus tracks and the special edition release will further include a DVD that has the following: "Live At Market Square" (Lordi's homecoming gig in Finland after their Eurovision triumph), "Hello Athens" (a series of short, made-for-Finland documentaries following Lordi up to the Eurovision Song Contest), and music videos for "Who's Your Daddy?" and "Hard Rock Hallelujah," the Eurovision contest winning song. The clock is ticking on this band's fifteen minutes, theme restaurant or not....
| Tracklist |
| 1. SCG3 Special Report (w/Dee Snider) |
| 2. Bringing Back the Balls to Rock |
| 3. The Deadite Girls Gone Wild |
| 4. The Kids who Wanna Play with the Dead |
| 5. It Snows in Hell (feat. Bruce Kulick) |
| 6. Who's Your Daddy? |
| 7. Hard Rock Hallelujah |
| 8. They Only Come Out at Night (feat. Udo Dirkschneider) |
| 9. The Chainsaw Buffet (feat. Jay Jay French) |
| 10. Good to Be Bad |
| 11. The Night of the Loving Dead |
| 12. Supermonstars (The Anthem Of The Phantoms) |
| 13. Would You Love a Monsterman? (2006) 14. Mr Killjoy |
| 15. EviLove |
: 55:17
| Buy other Lordi albums |
