Lordi - To Beast or Not to Beast

Lordi has been around nearly as long as I've been alive but they well and truly exploded onto the rock scene after their somewhat shocking but very much deserved Eurovision win in 2006. At the time I remember exclamations from friends, typically pop fans, wanting to know what the hell Finland had put forward as they belted out the now anthemic Hard Rock Hallelujah whilst in full demonic costume, for which they received a then record 292 points.

Since then the band has released several albums, the most recent being To Beast or Not to Beast on AFM Records, produced and mixed by Michael Wagener who has previously worked with such rock legends as Alice Cooper, Motley Crue, Megadeth and Skid Row. Wagener also produced the previous Babez for Breakfast album so I had no doubts on the technical composition, however Lordi's line-up has changed since then with two new members being added to the ghoulish ensemble: Ms Hella on keyboard and Mana on drums after the tragic death of Otus in 2012.

My fears were very quickly proved to be unfounded as Lordi has in my opinion not only picked themselves up after personal loss but grown stronger with these new editions. To Beast or Not to Beast does differ from traditional Lordi but does not alienate old school fans, it manages to keep the cheesy horror rock aspect but on a heavier scale and this is due predominately to Mana who seems to have pounded new energy into the band.

The Riff is the first single from this album, a 4 minute tale of the grim reaper cranking out riffs in the form of this track, while the devil is preoccupied with 'all that hip hop shit'. It's a catchy crowd pleaser, as I found out when the audience at The Garage, London during Lordi's European tour all started singing along and head banging to the beat. There is an official music video to accompany this single, sticking to the usual Lordi template of horror, this time with zombies-a-plenty staggering around a grocery store preying on the living whilst the band take centre stage.

The album is a touching tribute to Tonmi Lillman (Otus), the last track comprised of two of his drum solos, the first he sadly never got a chance to record as a full length track with the band before he passed away. I'd like to see I'm The Best as their next single, a powerful proclamation about how far Lordi have come despite adversity and indeed that they are the best at being them.

Prior to their gig at The Garage, London I spoke to and recorded an interview with Ms Hella, this can be heard on Tuesday 28th May at 9.30pm on Infernal Rock Radio.